4 out of 5 Stars

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. Through various scenes and memories across a six-month period, you’ll get to know everyone, learning how and why they made certain decisions. Welcome to being an honorary member of the Glass family where the flair for over-the-top drama pushes everyone to their limits.

I know that I’m a little late to the party, but I’ve been saving this book for a special occasion, and when Jay announced that his new novel is being completed and he started the unveiling for it, I figured now was a perfect opportunity to check this one out.

This was such an amazing read. I was worried in the very beginning that there were going to be too many characters to keep track of, with Olivia, five sons and all of their families I was sure that I would be scrambling to keep track of who’s wives were who’s… seems a lot of people have THAT problem! But, only 2 chapters in I realized that this was not going to be the case.

Even with so many characters, the book is set up in a very comprehensive way, with each chapter focusing on a certain character, or characters, keeping the plot smooth and the focus narrowed enough to allow you to really get to know each character.

Now, on to those characters! I can’t get much into each character, because I would like to keep this spoiler-free, but I love the way they are written. This book does have some soap opera worthy drama in it, but the characters remain realistic and (for the most part) likeable. We are introduced to them first all together where you get a feel for how they interact as a family and where they stand in the family hierarchy, then they are focused on individually, and this is when we really being to see the amazing depth of character. Each character has intricately structured secrets and lives that are finally brought out in the open.

“Ben only had us left. It’s unbearable for our children to go through this agony. You first focus on your own pain but watching them suffer steals all remaining breaths.”

This book really made me want to reach out to my own family (which is saying a lot!!), it makes you think that this is the only time we have, we should spend it with our families as it is easy to think you know someone… it’s harder to actually put in the time and effort to GET TO KNOW THEM. We assume (like Olivia) that since these people are our family, we must know everything about them, but do we? Sometimes it takes the loss of someone important to bring us together.

“I miss him, doll. I saw him every day at the office, and we’d spend time together on the weekends with my mother and the girls. I don’t know what the future holds without him. Our team has lost it’s captain.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves deep, well written characters and surprising plot lines (which, I would hope, is EVERYONE!)

If you’d like to check out more on James J. Cudney and his writing pleasechack out his website

Website: https://jamesjcudney.com/

or follow these links to learn more

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/James-J.-Cudney/e/B076B6PB3M/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamescudney4

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesJCudneyIVAuthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jamescudney4/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamescudney4/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jamescudney4

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescudney4

Also, check out his blog if you haven’t yet and follow his unveiling’s for his new book, tentatively titled “Father Figure”

Blog: https://thisismytruthnow.com

Watching Glass Shatter is Best Served with A Broken Sidecar

Ok…. So, maybe this choice was in bad taste. But, I just HAD TO!!

To make “Glass”

Sidecar Recipe

• 1 1/2oz Brandy or Cognac (I used St. Remy Brandy)
• 3/4oz Orange Liqueur (I used Cointreau)
• 3/4oz Lemon Juice

Directions

1. Fill shaker with ice
2. Fill with ingredients
3. Shake until chilled
4. Pour
5. Add glass garnish
6. CHEERS!!