Today I am reviewing the novella by Forbes Arnone, part of the anthology by Renaissance Romance Publishing. Her novella is called In My Mother's Footsteps.
Summary;
Anela Alborn’s life is a lie. After growing up without the love of a father, her mother reveals his identity. Tragedy strikes and she sets off on an adventure that leads to more than she could ever imagine. Bumping into Christian Sivers distracts her from the real man of her dreams, her father. Will he live up to her dreams? And does she follow in her mother’s footsteps?
Excerpt;
I had grown up in Sausalito my entire life. With the exception of when I went to Berkley, I hadn’t adventured into the city much. Sometimes, I'd take the ferry to Angel Island with my mountain bike and take leisurely rides or run the hills. I hadn't done that since I ran out of my mother's house, either.
Now that I had packed up all of her belongings — with the exception a few things I wanted to keep — I was exhausted. As I sat on the deck of my small cottage and stared out into the vast ocean, I felt anxious about the file that sat on my lap. Lennie had given it to me at his office three days before and I had yet to open it. The fear at what I'd find seeped in and turned my stomach.
Focusing my attention, I looked down at the folder and decided the time had come to face whatever was inside. My hands trembled as I lifted the two metal prongs and opened the flap. I tipped the folder upside down to empty the contents, finding the usual white sheets of paper that were full of legal jargon. How I wished I didn't know what they meant. Sifting through it all, I found a copy of the deed to the house, which stated that it had been transferred to my name. Also, there was the pink slip to my mother's car to be filled out and mailed to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and a small envelope with my mother's messy, artsy script on the front. One word had been written on it: Anela.
My review
I don't claim to be a quick reader. To be completely honest, unless something catches my attention, I do anything I can to avoid loading up my kindle; or feeling the weight of a book in my hand. With In My Mothers Footsteps my interest was captured very early on. The author has a great way of taking me on a journey with the use of her characters, and the way she is doing what her mother wished of her after she died.
After recently loosing my own mother, I thought I could relate to Anela (great name by the way) - even though I am not a girl! This character had to carry the pain of ignoring her mother in her final year, while going on this holiday which turned out to be something which she will never forget.
The one thing I would have liked from this, is for the novella to be a full novel, because although it does work as a short story, I found myself wanting to get more involved with the pairing. The author doesn't have anything lacking in this, please don't miss understand me, but this is the kind of book I would love to lay on a beach and devour on a larger scale.
I kind of want to pack up my things and take a holiday after this, and I am very much an English boy who doesn't think about sunning it up much.
I wish the author much success with this.
Author Bio;
Jennifer Garcia’s (aka Forbes Arnone) love of travel began when she traveled to the West Coast to visit her father at the age of three. Her home until she was sixteen was a small coastal town near Boston. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Her lifelong love for reading and writing was put aside for many years while she made her way in the world and nurtured her young family. Even though she is older, and life never seems to settle, she’s finding her way while attending college full-time in pursuit of a B.A. in English Literature. She also runs a business, and is still caring for her family. Believing she can do it all, with the help of her family, she worked on her first novel during the late hours of the night while balancing the rest of her life during the day. Her hard work paid off, as her first novel, My Mr. Manny, will be published August 2013.
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