The X by Lorena Bathey - a book review

About the book:

Clarissa Hadonfield had it all. She lived in a lovely home surrounded by affluent intellectuals, had a successful husband, and two phenomenal teenage boys. With the ring of a doorbell she finds her life substituted by one where she has to fight for her children against an evil she never knew existed and had been sleeping next to for the last twenty years. When Clarissa's X shows his true colors, she finds she must become a strong woman who cannot only grow prize-winning flowers but can place a devastating roundhouse kick. Teaming up with Bryce Brightman, an ex-FBI agent, she uncovers a woman whose only goal is to save her children. This story is about what a woman can do when she put her brains, her brawn, and her boots into changing the course of her life and protecting the ones she loves
My thoughts:

I got this book out of the mailbox at around 12:30-1:00. I started reading it an hour or two later and was done that night. This shows you that it was a page turner from start to finish. The chapters were short enough to keep you in the mindset of reading just one more and the cliffhangers kicked you into doing just that. This being said I wouldn't rate this book with 5 stars and here's why.

While I found that the characters were easy enough to get to know and love, I would have liked to see her fill the novel in more. I found some situations very realistic while others were just a little too convenient, which brings this book to an "enjoyable weekend read" status and wouldn't be the first thing I would grab off the shelf. It just felt like a young adult book with adult situations.

I did like the realistic human nature displayed in this book. The emotions that Clarissa was going through and the way she handled herself were very real and believable. The reactions of both the boys (as different as they were),  made it extremely easy to relate to the characters. In many of the reviews I read that there was female empowerment bursting through the chapters but I was very glad to see that it was more of a "mama bear" story and not so much a women's lib statement. Overall, I would give this book 3.5-4 stars out of 5. The base was strong and the meat was there but the flavor was a little weak for me to want the recipe (if you know what I mean). I would still be happy to read any other books by Lorena that I come across. After all, it was quite enjoyable and easy to get into.

About the Author:

Lorena Bathey has always been a lover of the written word. Happy Beginnings was her first book and was written to give comfort to women who have experienced or are going through loss, grief and hardships. This memoir was her own journey after her own loss of her mother and husband. With the title perfectly selected it was the happy beginnings of characters being born and stories that needed telling. You can read more about Lorena Bathey by going to her website at http://www.lorenabbooks.com. Thank you Lorena for allowing me to review your wonderful novel. You were a pleasure to talk to and I loved your inscription!

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