A Huge shout out to the author James J. Cudney, @jamescudney4 and Shalini, @Shalini_G26 at Digital Reads Blog Tours  (https://bookreviewsbyshalini.com/category/digital-reads-blog-tours/ /) for the copy of this book as part of the BLOG TOUR. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Years earlier, there was this show that I used to watch with my mom called The Falcon Crest, I don’t remember much about it except the concept of a huge family with a huge cast of characters each distinctive and peculiar in their approach to things. James J Cudney’s Perception of Glass series is a drama in the same vein. There are host of characters which includes Olivia, the very complicated matriarch of the family, her sons, Teddy, Caleb, Matt and Zach and their families. There’s also Diane, Olivia’s sister who is the angel that provides the warmth in the story.

The story begins with Olivia and Diane’s return from their trip to Italy when an extortion letter is delivered to the Glass House, but a silly childish activity leads to the name of the recipient to be erased from the envelope. Book 2 follows from the first book where in each family member has a secret hidden and are unable to confide in each other. The day of Olivia’s birthday party, chaos reign as each of them believe they are the letter’s intended recipient, and nothing will help except bringing the truth on to the table and be dissected for examination. The tumult is further amplified as Emma Glass, clouded by grief, judges Olivia in the wrong and decides to confront her on the same day.

Hiding Cracked Glass keeps the reader glued to its pages with the real-life portrayal of human emotions that guide an individual. Take any member of the family, it is someone we all know as a cousin or an aunt or a friend and that is what reading this series makes it thoroughly engrossing.

The intensity of emotions that marked book 1 is mellowed down in the story but thru various POV’s, the author conveys grief, sadness, love, warmth, human failings, lies, secrets, family relationships, the ebb and flow of a large family and its different spices with distinguishing flavors.

James J Cudney has worked wonders with each character as none of them are perfect in any way but more humane and prone to mistakes in assumptions and judgements and what not. Life is of course a trail, so it is not all hunky-dory in the Glass house, but it is these challenges that make each one of them rise above their capabilities and bond together as a family.

Watching Glass Shatter has a lovely ending with solutions and decisions taken in the life of each member and their ways forward but more often than not, as human beings, not every conclusion comes with a rosy-hued bow, but there are struggles and tribulations to be faced before dark clouds can completely be overcome. It is admirable that James J Cudney keeps it real, beautifully showing the ‘downward spiral’ before the ‘upward curve’ can be achieved. The ending did leave me with a heavy heart but seeing how the brothers’ bond to face life one step a time and never let go of their commitment towards each other was outstanding.

Hopefully we will see more drama from the Glass family soon. Jay, I hope you are listening. 😊

An ominous blackmail letter appears at an inopportune moment. The recipient’s name is accidentally blurred out upon arrival. Which member of the Glass family is the ruthless missive meant for?

In the powerful sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, Olivia is the first to read the nasty threat and assumes it’s meant for her. When the mysterious letter falls into the wrong hands and is read aloud, it throws the entire Glass family into an inescapable trajectory of self-question. Across the span of eight hours, Olivia and her sons contemplate whether to confess their hidden secrets or find a way to bury them forever. Some failed to learn an important lesson last time. Will they determine how to save themselves before it’s too late?

Each chapter’s focus alternates between the various family members and introduces several new and familiar faces with a vested interest in the outcome. As each hour ticks by, the remaining siblings and their mother gradually reveal what’s happened to them in the preceding months, and when the blackmailer makes an appearance at Olivia’s birthday party, the truth brilliantly comes to light.

Although everyone seemed to embrace the healing process at the end of Watching Glass Shatter, there were hidden cracks in the Glass family that couldn’t be mended. Their lives are about to shatter into pieces once again, but this time, the stakes are even higher. Someone wants to teach them a permanent lesson and refuses to stop until success is achieved.

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