Winter Born - Nicole Burrill

I saw a link to this novel on FaceBook and being that it was a page to which I belong I thought I'd give it a try. I've never downloaded an e-pub book before but this first one proved I've waited too long to jump on the bandwagon.

Erica is a Bostonian who has a falling out with her well to do boyfriend. She escapes to her great-aunt Bea's house to try to hide from both the boyfriend and his Machiavellian father, Simon Greene. As the story unfolds we learn that Erica's life has been interwoven with the Greene family since she was a child, for good but mostly for bad.

 
Upon reaching her aunt's house in the frozen woods of Northern New England, Erica meets a slew of town folk who take her under their wing and, of course, a man who is the polar opposite of the boyfriend she left behind. Rusty, it turns out, has a story of his own and it is equally as tragic as Erica's. Each page of this novel draws the reader in by making the characters and their motivations more clear bit by bit.
 
WINTER BORN captivated me from the beginning with its quick pace and lively characters. The weaving of shared secrets and intricacies throughout the prose kept me coming back each night and staying up a little later. It's a quick read and can be dowloaded to any e-reader for only $2.99 on Amazon. I would recommend you give it a try!

Away - Amy Bloom

I am tip-toeing back into my blog. My real work has been crazy but this summer I've been getting the chance to read more and Away by Amy Bloom (which I read which I was actually "away") was a great book and deserves a(nother) positive review.

Away is the story of a Russian immigrant who came to the US during the hey dey of Ellis Island. At its core the story is about the kindness of strangers and the ability of people in desperate situations to see the good in any circumstance.

When Lillian arrives on the shores of NYC she is given room and board by an aunt but is quickly taken under the wing of a NYC theatre producer and his matinee idol son. The men's treatment of Lillian is abhorrent yet she views them as giving her opportunities she would never have had at home.

When a cousin arrives from Russia, hoping to take Lillian's place in the theatrical world, and tells Lillian her long assuming dead daughter is actually alive, Lillian takes to the road hoping to reach Serbia and save her daughter from the hands of, what she assumes are, evil relatives.

Her travels, her loves, and her adventures from coast to coast fill out this turbulent story with an ending that is surprising and realistic without being disappointing. Amy Bloom's writing is superb, not too descriptive yet drawing you in with carefully laid out detals that draw you into the heart of the places and emotions that make up the bulk of this novel.

At 256 it is a quick yet extremely moving read. Pick it up!