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Bookzilla

Ari Bookzilla

A serial reader.

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Unmasking the Spy
Janet Kent
Naked
Kelly Favor
Exposure
Iris Blaire
The Nature of Cruelty
L.H. Cosway
Bloodfever
Karen Marie Moning
After
Varian Krylov
The Liberator
Victoria Scott
Abby Road
Ophelia London
The Long Last Summer - M.J. Lawless If I had to pick out a book to read, it wouldn't have been this one. As usually, with the way I choose my reads, that would have been a mistake, so luckily I got sent an ARC of this to read in exchange for an honest review.This book is not the ugly-cry read, it was more of a silently-weeping-why-is-life-so-unfair? kind of thing for me. I was tearing up throughout because it's just such a heavy subject portrayed in a very touching manner that you just can't but be moved by it.I won't talk about each and every character because it would be too much, but the complex relationships are what made this book for me. Sibling rivalry, a widowed woman torn between motherhood and finally starting to live again, her family who disapproves of her "illicit" relationship, overbearing brother... And it's all handled in a really good way so it never gets over-the-top.For those wondering, there is a bit of romance in there, and I found myself really rooting for Kitty and Reuben to overcome all these obstacles and just be together.When it comes to writing, first I want to get something out of the way. There is so much head hopping in this book. In three paragraphs, you could be in three different characters' heads.I'd like to say it worked, but I'll never say that about head-hopping. I just need a clear POV transition. Still, it didn't annoy me as much as it usually does, and it didn't confuse me much.The language gets a bit flowery, but nothing you can't get over.The children are written very well, their unshaped, naive minds, especially little Mark's view of the world which sometimes made me smile but mostly made me sad. He is one tough little boy and it made this book all the harder to read.The book is also laced with religious talk and this just may be one of the very few times it didn't bother me and it wasn't preachy.However, there was a scene just before the end that I thought was a bit over-the-top and shouldn't have been in there and I can't talk about it because it's spoilerish.Additionally, I have to say that the whole conflict of why Kitty's family was so against Reuben just fell flat for me, but then again, these are the seventies, and I can't really relate to this time period. They all just seemed misogynistic and judgmental to me, for no good reason.There are no graphic sex scenes in this book, but there is just a bit of mildly graphic language. You don't see the "act" but characters think about it.Overall, I liked this book, as hard as it was to read it at times. I'd recommend it for everyone who think they can handle the subject (a little boy suffering from leukemia and his whole family and friends dealing with it).I haven't read M.J. Lawless before, but it seems like she's an erotica writer! This really amazed me, because the book is so far from erotica it shouldn't be anywhere near each other. I'll give her other books a try as well, and see how she writes those, but I do love me a versatile author who can write anything.