3.5 out of 5 Stars
Thank you to Shalini at Digital Reads Blog Tours
Synopsis
Do you owe your family your life? When her beloved sister Glory dies in a car crash, Grace McBride’s carefully considered life spirals out of control. She discovers Glory had been sucked into illegal activities at odds with her seemingly charmed existence. What’s worse: Grace finds herself an unwitting accomplice and forced to take over the shady dealings.
Determined to keep her fingers clean and redeem her sister’s reputation, Grace plots to extricate herself—and those Glory held dear—from the clutches of Glasgow’s criminal underworld. But her moral certitude is challenged when familial pressure mounts and Glory’s past intentions remain unclear. Grace grows convinced Glory’s death was no accident, even if no-one will listen.
Seeking justice, she finds betrayal.
My Thoughts
This book was definitely a ride! I couldn’t quite pin down what genre I would place it in. I don’t know if I would quite call it a psychological thriller… Maybe a family drama with moral ambiguities??
An interesting tale of Grace dealing with the sudden death of her sister, Glory. I felt terrible for Grace as she gets sucked more and more into the mess that Glory had left behind. I feel like her family was useless as she winds up a step in mother/wife for her brother-in-law and nephews, dealing with her mother’s quick onset of dimentia, and on top of all of that, her sister’s less than lawful dealings.
It is a slow burn most definitely, so don’t go into it expecting action packed, but it kept my attention. I love the moral quandaries posed in the book. If there was a way for you to make easy money, would you take it? If you could help alleviate the suffering of a family member, would you partake in unlawful tasks? My favourite thing about this entire book is the methods to justify their choices,
“‘Our church is fundraising to replace the lead that has been looted off the roof, and for repairs to the internal woodwork. Before I understood Mum was ill, she’d made a large donation. Very large. I only found out one Sunday when they announced it to the parish. Everyone was clapping and thanking us. They’d even had a plaque made, Grace. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t ask for it back. So now, we haven’t got the funds I thought we had, and I feel like it’s fate. That somehow Glory’s transgressions—you—have been sent our way to make it good.’
‘That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, Dad. You’re saying I have to launder money because it’s what God wants?’”
It’s funny, the ways that people will twist things to suit their needs if it’s something that they want, but goes against their beliefs. It’s also funny how quickly beliefs can change if they no longer suit our needs.
Another thing that I enjoyed was the constant jabs at technology. It seems as though the author is not a fan of how attached to cell phones people are. Most characters in the book don’t even carry them, and those that do are usually trying to avoid using them,
“A distant buzzing caught my attention and it took a while to recognise it as my phone. Once retrieved from my pocket and unlocked, it displayed a message from Dave. ‘How are you? Call me. XOX.’ It was funny how people never phoned anymore. Only snippets of ever-reducing texts sent between handsets of ever-increasing complexity.”
“The phone buzzed in my pocket as I threw the box away again. It was a text from Dave. “RU OK? Here 4U.”
I typed back, “Coping. I’ll be fine x.” But I wasn’t fine. I wondered if I’d ever be fine again.”
…..If my sister JUST died and my boyfriend sent me that text?? I don’t think I would have a boyfriend any longer! Ha ha! MY SISTER JUST DIED AND I DON’T EVEN DESERVE PROPER SPELLING?? He couldn’t even take the time to type out “you” and “for”?? I think I would lose my mind.
All in all an enjoyable read! I hope you all pick it up and see for yourselves!
Pick up your copy HERE!
Author Bio
Heleen Kist is a Dutch quintilingual Stanford-educated globetrotting career woman who fell in love with a Scotsman and his country, and now writes about its (sometimes scary) people from her garden office in Glasgow. Trained at work to spot and prevent financial crime, she put this knowledge to good use for her debut novel, In Servitude.
Website / Twitter
In Servitude is Best Served with a Money Maker Cocktail
I found this one on the Food Network
Ingredients
- 1/4 ounces pear-flavored vodka
- 1/2 ounce green melon liqueur (preferably Midori)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions
- Combine all in a shaker full of ice
- Pour into a chilled short glass
- CHEERS!
Thanks for sharing In Servitude with your friends and for your thoughts. I’m actually totally hooked to my mobile so this is one of many ways Grace differs from me – haha!
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Ha ha! I never would have guessed! All of your characters seemed to almost hate technology! Thanks for having me on the tour, the book was great!
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Thank you Nicole for this refreshing and wonderful review. Have I told you today how much I love you? ♥️♥️😘😘
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Ha ha! You haven’t, but I’ll let it slide. 😘 Love you too, babe! 💖💖
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I was laughing away imagining you being so angry at the I and you… Hehehe.. I too used shortforms till I started blogging. Now I don’t use. But in a crisis, I want my man to call me and be with me, sms would have killed him. Ya another murder mystery hehehe
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Exactly! I mean… I’m pretty sure a death in the immediate family AT LEAST warrants full words!! 😂😂☠️
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A money maker cocktail huh?? If only that cocktail could really generate some money. That would be awesome.
Well…I can definitely relate not being used to cellphones. I have one…but only since a little over a year, and I still don’t know half of the things that it does. I was able to get it to make phonecalls so there is that 😂😂 Don’t quite know if this is a book I would necesarrily like, but I have to be honest that the plot intrigues me enough…and…your review as always made me curious. Guess I have to do a few updates on my Goodreads page this weekend lol 😂😂 Great post! 😊
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OH, COME ON! Learning a cell phone only takes a few miurts….. Minuts…. Uhhhh… Dammit. 😉😘 LOL! I hope you enjoy it if you do read it! 💖🍻
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Don’t laugh here…but I actually had to get a tutorial from a friend to get me trough it all. And still I ended up going back to explain some things again…yep….you may laugh now 😂😂😘😂😂
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I wouldn’t laugh…. You know what a techno boob I am, myself. Lol! I may have received a cell phone earlier than you.. But it was an extended leash saddled on me by my parents, and I hated it. I lovingly called it “the brick” as it looked like Zack Morris’ phone in “Saved but the Bell”, I lived up to a flip phone which I clung in to for dear life FOREVER and didn’t get a smart phone until I basically had no choice. Ha ha!… I hate cell phone. I feel they are ruining society. (sorry, the power of my tin foil hat kicked in a little…)
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Haha…well I probably have the same tin foil hat, as I pretty much think the same. It’s especially weird when you see two people sitting in a restaurant at the same table and both of them texting. Seriously…what is up with that?? 😅😅😂 So well…probably not ever going to like cell phones. Unless I enter a mind altering state at some point 😂😂😂
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Well, just stay away from those drugs and you’ll be safe. 😘
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oooopppsss….too late 😅😅😂😂
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That book sounds interesting and convoluted in plot. Love the drink, though I’d probably leave out the melon and lemon. 😉
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Ha ha ha!!! Ya. I actually agree with you this time!! Melon liqueur is a little syrupy for my tastes!
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Great review, Nicole, and I always love your pairings–money maker cocktail? 😁 Perfect! And, btw, enjoyed the quotes!
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Thanks for checking it out!! I CAN’T WAIT until next week and things get back to… Normal? Ish? And I can go check out other people’s reviews!! 💖💖
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Wonderful review Nicole. And I love the cover. I also love the drink you chose to go with it. You are the Queen of Books and Drinks!👸🏻
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Aww… Thank you, Kim! 😶😶🙃💖
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Isn’t that you now, with your new job? In servitude? Bahahahahahahaha! I kill myself!
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HA AHA AHA HA!!😂😂😂 OK. That’s a good one. 😘 Lol!!
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Nice review, Nicole. The author wouldn’t like me. I am a social media addict.
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Well, apparently I read too much into her characters! She’s apparently addicted to her cell phone, so I guess she’d love you! 😄😂
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AHAHA the boyfriend’s text! I would NOT respond well to that, either. 😂 This sounds like an interesting one, Nicole, great review! 😀
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I know, right?? WHO DOES THAT?? It was definitely an interesting read! 👍 I can’t wait to check out what YOU’VE been reading! 😊
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Found that bit about the author not liking how attached we are to cellphones funny hahah Definitely an interesting element to add to a story! 😛 Great review, Nicole!
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Well, apparently I was off on that one… Maybe I was projecting. 😂😂😅
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