Watching Glass Shatter by James J. Cudney IV

Watching Glass Shatter – Book Review

book cover

Note: On November 15^th there will be a Q and A with the author James J. Cudney IV, and a book give away. If you wish for a chance to win a digital copy of ‘Watching Glass Shatter’, subscribe to https://jamesjcudney.com

Also note that if you have a question for this author, leave it at the comments below and it will be added to the Q and A on his blog tour here on November 15^th.

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Book Review

Author: James J. Cudney IV

Genre: Fiction

Goodreads synopses:

 

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.

 

Review:

 

The moment I finished reading this book, my first thought was: There’s a bit of everything here – Mystery, romance and jealousy, betrayal and outrage, heartache and witty dialogue. It made for a complex, intriguing read.

The author shows us that ugly skeletons also live inside the closets of wealthy people, creating a drama with an intricate, though realistic twist that kept me thinking about it at odd hours of the day.

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I didn’t like Olivia’s character. She was proud, bossy and controlling and rigid, and I disliked her from the first few pages. In fact, I liked Diane, the aunt, the most.

I considered taking off some of my star rating because of Olivia, but as the story progressed, I understood  the plot would have taken a different twist if the author had created her any other way.

Olivia was a recent widow who wanted desperately to keep her family from falling apart after her husband’s unexpected death.

A woman with a brilliant life, a loving husband, and five intelligent sons, Olivia Glass was helpless to do anything as she watched her family break apart.

Her husband had lied to her for years, and her sons each hid a shocking secret, their lives far from what she had expected it to be.

“I know they love me. But will they remember me as a kind, generous, caring mother who nursed their wounds, blanketed them with kisses and offered them the keys to the world. Or will they remember me as the tough, controlling and impractical woman who simply gave birth to them?” – Olivia Glass

As Olivia tried to get closer to her sons, she stumbles upon the truths each had been guarding; secrets that lead her to question her ability as a mother.

As a mother myself, I inadvertently found myself wondering had I been in her place, what would I have done?

And it was this question that made me realize that Olivia was perfect for this story, the plot development.

As for the overview of the book, the language was easy, the characters understood, the plot and dialogue realistic. The title, ‘Watching Glass Shatter’ was a phrase that kept playing in my head every time a new twist was revealed.

As a debut novel I have nothing to compare this book with, but I have to applaud the author for this complex, character driven story and give it a five out of five stars.

If you enjoy reading character driven stories where the characters are flawed people facing hard choices, Watching Glass Shatter is the perfect read for you.

Buy it from Amazon here.

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Note that those who share or leave a comment with a question relevant to the book or the author will have an additional chance to win a copy of the book (don’t forget to leave a link back to the shared post so that I won’t miss it). You can either leave the question on the comments below, or e-mail it to jina.salameh1@gmail.com

 

Winners will be announced here on November 20^th and reblogged on the author’s blog at:

https://thisismytruthnow.com/