The Half Sister by Emelle HenryMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
SYNOPSIS
Desiree Maddox, an overworked underpaid child advocate returns home to Baltimore to help her ailing mother. When her mother passes she finds a letter from her that reveals the true name of her deceased father. To make matters worse, an old flame continues to harass her. Her spiraling world comes to a screeching halt when she adheres to the letter's instructions. Desiree, no longer an only child, meets with her two sisters. On a newfound journey, along with her sisters, she finds more than an extended family. Amongst siblings, secrets, betrayal, and love, she also finds herself.
BOOK REVIEW
Desiree's story was one of despair initially and evolved into one of self-discovery and love. Desiree never quite learned to love herself and she carried that lack of love and low self-esteem into her 40s. She was betrayed by the one parent she had in her life. She had an unstable ex and his wife stalking her. Her home was sold without notice and then a letter from her deceased mother was found and it would change her life.
The author did a good job of developing the characters as well as the storyline. You were brought completely into each scene with Desiree, her sisters, and their future male counterparts. Henry did a good job of evoking the pain felt by the betrayal Desiree experienced not just from her mother, but from her ex-husband as well. The story flowed well and there were not SPAG errors to note. This was almost a coming of age story, except the character was not some young naive or depressed teen. It was a middle-aged woman discovering herself. Once she meets her sisters, her life begins to change for the better and the author does a good job of bring the reader along on the journey.
There were a couple of things that I would have liked to have been a bit smoother. In an effort to paint a vivid picture of each scene, the story became a bit wordy. There were a few passages that could have been removed as they did not add any value to the story or were already addressed previously by the same character. This allowed me to lose focus and become distracted. This may also be the reason, I don't recall the reason why Charles and his wife were conducting themselves the way they did or what became of Rachel and what were her motivations when it came to John.
I think readers who love relatable family stories will enjoy going along for the ride on Desiree's journey to family and love. You can get your copy here and support the author by leaving a review.
About Emelle Henry
Emelle Henry is an indie author living in Denver, Colorado. As a member of the Once Written Twice Revised Creative Writing Group, she decided to dedicate more time to writing. Within a few months, The Half Sister, was ready for publication. She is currently working on her next novel, The Best Brother.
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