My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Many Thanks to the author James J. Cudney and Shalini at Digital Reads Blog Tours (https://bookreviewsbyshalini.com/cate… /) for the copy of this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

The author welcomes the reader as a honorary member of the Glass family in his blurb and that’s exactly what reading this awesome book felt like, a fly on the wall watching the Glass family consisting of the mother Olivia, the aunt Diane, Theodore aka Teddy and his wife Sarah, Matthew, his wife Margaret and their children, Caleb and his partner, Zachary and his daughter, and Ethan.

Family drama is always a tricky subject, to get that perfect proportion of each and every ingredient to tease one’s palate and offer a mouth-watering delicacy can be a hard task. I therefore appreciate James J Cudney for having achieved the mix of family craziness with a touch of suspense and mystery in an admirable fashion. Each and every character in this family deserves a mention as the story unfolds thru the eyes of each member of the Glass family.
Olivia, as she is introduced is not really a likable character, in fact, even with the grief of having lost her husband, the character does not radiate any geniality. The interactions with her sister Diane show her controlling and domineering nature so it was quite a pleasure to watch her gradual acceptance of the changed circumstances and find something positive out of all the hardships she’s forced to face in the aftermath of her husband’s death.

It was the lovable Ethan who tugs at the heartstrings of a reader and conclusion of the story did leave me with whole gamut of emotions to deal with.

Exceedingly well-written, the story takes the reader for a ride teaching us the importance of family, the commitments, the pressure, the price of secrets, grief and sadness and the magnanimity of a mother.

The wealthy Glass family lost its patriarch, Benjamin Glass, sooner than expected. Benjamin’s widow, Olivia, and her 5 sons each react to his death in their own way while preparing for the reading of his will. Olivia receives a very unexpected confession from her late husband about one of their sons that could shatter the whole family.

Prior to revealing the secret to her children, Olivia must figure out which boy Ben refers to in the confession he left her in his will. While the family attorney searches for the mysterious Rowena Hector whom Ben says holds the answers, Olivia asks her sons to each spend a week with her as she isn’t ready to let go of the past. When Olivia visits her sons, she quickly learns that each one has been keeping his own secret from her. Olivia never expected her remaining years would be so complex and life-altering, but she will not rest until her family is reunited after Ben’s untimely death.

We all need family. We all want to fit in. We’re all a mix of quirky personalities. Will Olivia be able to fix them or will the whole family implode? What will she do when she discovers the son behind Ben’s secret? Check out this ensemble cast where each family member’s perspective is center stage, discovering along the way who might feel the biggest impact from all the secrets. Welcome to being an honorary member of the Glass family. 

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.wordpress.com/; Amazon India, Goodreads, and Twitter.