Review by ashley_claire -- One Way or Another

[ashley_claire]

[Following is a volunteer review of "One Way or Another" by Mary J. Williams.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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One Way or Another by Mary J. Williams is the first book in her series following the Benedict sisters. Each book follows a different sister on her quest for love. One Way or Another features Calder Benedict. Calder and her sisters come from old money, ensuring that they never have to work a day in their lives. Unwilling to rest on the laurels of her family's money, Calder runs a highly successful charity. One night, she is on her way home from yet another bad date when she meets Adam Stone. When her date won't take no for an answer, Adam steps up to her rescue. Though she is appreciative, Calder expects to never see him again. After running into him again the next day, there's no denying that she's inexplicably drawn to him.

If there's one thing Calder Benedict has been able to count on her whole life, it's her sisters. Thanks in large part to their mother's erratic tendencies towards men, the four Benedict sisters learned from an early age that men are untrustworthy and only out for money and power. The sisters each have different fathers, none of whom are the shiny example of how a man should treat a woman. For the moment, Calder is having fun getting to know Adam. But with no example of what a good relationship should actually look like, Calder isn't sure how to proceed. Will she be able to take the next step in their relationship and trust that his intentions are pure? Or is Adam really just after her for her family name?

My favorite part of this book was the bond between the sisters. They haven't been shown what a loving relationship looks like from any of their parents, yet they are able to create that relationship amongst themselves anyway. Their love for each other can never be broken and allows them to see that they have the capacity to move beyond superficial relationships. The way they move in and out of each other's day to day lives and how their stories all connect is wonderfully done. Men may come and go, but sisterhood is forever.

My biggest issue with this book was struggling to care about any of the characters. Their problems really just came across as typical rich people problems and weren't relatable. The reader is told that the Benedict sisters are all independent women who each have their own wildly successful careers and don't rely on the family wealth. Yet they all still live at home in the family mansion with their mother. They are still taken care of and fed by their family housekeeper. Aside from their businesses, they have no real responsibilities.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. There were a handful of grammar mistakes throughout the novel that did detract slightly from my reading. The inability to empathize with any of the characters was also a huge drawback. If you are someone who reads romance purely to escape and have no issues with believability, you will enjoy this book.

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One Way or Another
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