🎖️🥾💗 "Great and Precious Things" 💗🥾🎖️ (2020) - Book Review
MY REVIEW
Publisher:
Amara: Entangled Publishing (February 25, 2020)
Language:
English
ISBN-10:
1640638164
ISBN-13:
978-1640638167
Click Picture for Purchase Link
“How do you define yourself when others have
already decided who you are?
Six years
ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one
in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him –
especially
his father. He left, swearing never to return.
But a
desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain.
And the need to go home again.
But home
is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can
never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the
dark.
If only
he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always
loved him, and always will …”
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Amara/Entangled
Publishing, and BookishFirst for providing a complimentary review copy. A
positive review was not required. All words and thoughts are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by Rebecca
Yarros. The blurb sounded interesting so I HAD to trade my points in on it.
Content warnings include:
** Language Content (“F” Bombs)
** Early On-Set Alzheimer’s
** DNR/Right-To-Die/Advanced Directives
** PTSD
** Descriptive Sex Scene
For anyone looking for a “clean” romance read –
this is not it. While there are some minor elements of inspiration, this doesn’t
fit into the “Christian” fiction department.
I mention these elements because some of the
books I have reviewed are more of the Christian and Clean Reads variety. I
highly believe in content warnings so the reader knows what they are getting
into. The lack of Christian content and the STRONG language doesn’t bother me
as I have heard and read worse. This is solely here to guide a reader who might
want or need a heads up.
“Great and Precious Things” is a
near-realistic, heart-breaking, emotional, and somewhat inspiring read. I
already knew it before getting into it. However, I was drawn to Willow and Cam’s
story. Definitely Camden’s story was going to be the most heart-breaking. I
wondered how it was going to play out.
Told from two (2) POVs – Camden and Willow –
this story starts off, somewhat with a bang. Quite literally a “bang” within
the first two chapters.
Camden has come back to deal with business of
his father’s. Here is a spoiler – his father has “Early On-Set” Alzheimer’s, which
is the main reason Cam is back. His father has asked him for a favor. That
complicates things for Camden and his older brother Xander. And, Willow, also
complicates things.
Willow also happens to be the girlfriend of
Sullivan, Camden’s younger brother. Sullivan was killed in Afghanistan, and
everyone including their father, blames Cam. Even Cam blames himself. Willow
doesn’t. She is also harboring feelings for Cam unsure of how he feels about
her.
The town also holds Cam’s past against him,
despite the fact he was in the military and has “grown up”. Some even think the
military allowed him to continue his “violence”, though his brother was revered
as a hero.
War hero stories are ALWAYS going to be tenuous and strenuous to read. Any war, whether a great war (World War II) or a "conflict" (Korea) is bound to affect anyone. More so when the person is already misunderstood.
Yarros doesn’t play around with the realities
of war, Alzheimer’s, advanced directives, prejudices, or societal expectations
either. She realistically crafts family dysfunction with her vivid, candid, and
unrelenting writing.
This book has a lot going on in it: Cam
fighting for what his father wants, trying to help the town, Cam and Willow
fighting their feelings for each other or hiding them, and much more.
Complete with guilt, grief, forgiveness, faith,
and love – this story will not be an easy read. I found myself frustrated, angry,
sad, heart-broken. This runs the spectrum of emotions.
There is a revelation in the last few chapters
that I didn’t see coming. It added a bit of drama and mystery to the story and
explained so much.
The title comes from something said by Camden’s
father – all “great and precious things” are lonely.
As the readers will come to learn – sometimes the
bad guy is really the good guy. Sometimes people take blame because they can
handle it and because it protects those they love.
Very well written, despite the language. Yarros
keeps the story going without getting boring or tedious. It’s hard to state
that a book with this subject material is an enjoyable read, but I was
entertained and enjoyed Cam and Willow’s journey.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐– Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐– Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐– Personal Rating (see rating explanation in
this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebecca
Yarros is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and
Paleo. She is the author of the award-winning Flight & Glory series and The
Renegade Series. She loves military heroes, and has been blissfully married to her
Apache pilot for almost twenty years.
When
she's not writing, she's tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in guitar
time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in
Colorado with her husband, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, and their
menagerie of pets. Having adopted their youngest daughter from the foster
system, Rebecca is a passionate advocate for children through her non profit,
One October.
Comments
Post a Comment