Monday, September 26, 2016

The Promise by @SamVickery01 #BookReview



Genre: Women’s Fiction

Description:
How far would you go to keep your child safe? 

Saraya Matthews knows that at thirty two years old, life should look better than this. With no spark and no passion, she decides enough is enough. She is going to find her purpose and stop wasting her life away.
 

Little does she know, her purpose will come in the form of an orphaned baby boy whose mother has been gruesomely murdered on the streets of London. 
Saraya finds herself in a battle between what's legal and what's morally right. The authorities expect her to hand him over, but baby Flynn needs her. Saraya is surprised to discover that once she lets herself love him, she can't turn back.
 

Flung full force into the unexpected position of mother and protector, she realises she will do whatever it takes to keep her baby safe in her arms. 
But will she succeed?
 

A tale of unconventional adoption and the immeasurable strength of a mother's love.”

Author:
Sam Vickery is an author, illustrator, and lover of all things creative. She writes YA fiction, children's picture books and books on natural parenting.”

Visit Ms. Vickery’swebsite to find out about new book releases, discounts, and free books or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:
A young woman has taken to the streets to escape her abusive husband. She steals and begs to survive always careful to protect her ten month old son, carried next to her breast in a sling. When she is brutally murdered, Saraya Matthews — a boring and bored thirty-two year old office worker — grabs the baby and runs.

This is the story’s premise and I thought it a good one. How would Saraya handle her decision with so many practical reasons why she shouldn’t have done what she did, and yet with many emotional reasons why she did.

In the main, the novel kept me turning pages. The writing is tight and easy on the eye. The speed with which Saraya and the baby connected was a bit of a stretch, but I was willing to go along. However, once officialdom became involved, I found the direction taken by the plot rushed and difficult to believe. I’m not familiar with adoption and police procedures in the UK, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have taken the approach portrayed in the story. So, for me, the tale didn’t end as well as it began.

Buy now from:    Amazon US    Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:
Very few. English spelling and locations.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

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