Review: Block 24 by Evan Tyler

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*BOOK SUMMARY*

A re-emergence of the past…

Natalie Clarke might be spiteful at best and vicious at worst, but was that reason enough for Phillip Gise to leave her lonely and diseased? Fortunately, she has a set of devious plans that just might keep her busy enough to forget her present situation.

Guy Lewis has played Best Friend Extraordinaire to Natalie since grade school, supporting her through all of her daily drama. This time around, Guy runs into his own troubles when his fierce, wealthy manager gives him the type of attention he never asked for…or expected.

Julia Clarke, Natalie’s younger sister, has arrived in Brooklyn to uncover their grandmother’s secret life in Block 24, the site of Auschwitz’s little-known brothel. What Julia discovers proves more relevant in the present age than ever before.

Both heady and sobering, Block 24 is a look at the ways evil from the past can so insidiously visit the present. 

***MY REVIEW***

First I'd like to clarify that this book is not a typical romance, but considering it's one of my favorite books, I decided to feature it here on the blog, because I feel that not nearly enough people know about this powerful and inspiring novel! 

***

It had taken breaking the rules for him to realize that he needed them. Maybe he had to experience the opposite of love to realize how valuable love was and how it didn’t come at the price of one’s soul.

Block 24 surprised me, in the sense that I expected one thing and got something completely different. The more I read, the more I loved it. Towards the end, I couldn’t part with the book. I finished it in 6 hours, it’s what my e-reader says. 

The story is divided into two parts. We have two sisters Julia and Natalie Clarke and they’re complete opposites. In one part of the story, Julia is making a film about their grandma’s time in Block Twenty-four – Auschwitz’s little-known brothel. And the other part deals with Natalie and her issues. The Auschwitz part I liked less actually. I was more immersed in Natalie’s schemes. She is one of the most messed up characters I’ve had the chance to read about. 

I’ve read my fair share of Holocaust novels, and Block 24 didn’t really make me emotionally involved that much. It tells us the story of Adina (Julia’s grandmother) and her little sister Avi and how they fell in love with an SS – Hans during WWII. I can’t exactly pinpoint why this part of the story left me cold. I felt detached somehow, just waiting for Natalie’s chapters. I also felt the book was maybe too short to properly describe all the war horrors. The whole atmosphere didn’t feel authentic enough, IMO. Perhaps, had the book been longer, I think I would’ve enjoyed the *PAST* part as much as the *present.*

However, while I felt the book was lacking with the actual story, it completely made up with its characters.

Natalie Clarke. Words can’t describe how dark, damaged and malicious she is. She’s driven by hate and destroys everything good around her. She plays with other people’s lives, takes fate into her own hands. What Natalie wants, Natalie gets. Can such a poisonous human being have a chance at redemption, at happiness? There’s nothing better to read about, I say. I like nothing better than when the author creates such twisted, messed up characters and makes you care for them. I loved reading about Natalie and her evil ways and seeing how she would claw her way out of her dark hole. Will she even? It’s a defense mechanism which so far has worked. But her boyfriend Philip can only take so far. How far is enough?

This was what it meant to hate life, to hate everything about it. This is what happened once a person tossed away something that couldn’t be recovered, when a person lost everything she loved because she hated herself.

This book really made me wonder. It asks important questions: What gives the person the right to play with others’ lives? Can love truly heal all wounds? Is love even enough to heal a person?

I thought I would like this book, and I did, but not for the reasons I initially thought. I love historical fiction and WWII novels are some of my favorites, but that’s not the reason Block 24 resonated so strongly with me. This book proved to be an excellent case of a character study. How is it possible that an author made me care more about the struggles of one vicious woman than about surviving Holocaust victim? That’s the reason my rating is somewhat lower. I know the author is capable of great writing; Natalie’s character proves that, so I expected the same emotional investment with the part narrated in the past. I wanted more cohesion and the same level of emotional intensity.

But that could be just me. You could end up loving the part about Avigail, Adina and Hans and stay indifferent towards Natalie’s black heart. Either way, I recommend you pick up this book! 

BLOCK 24 is one truly inspiring story which tells us how people are capable of evil, regardless of the age we live in.

xoxo,

Beatrix

ARC REVIEW: Mark of Cain by Kate Sherwood

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Genre:

MM Contemporary Romance

Synopsis On Goodreads:

When a man is consumed by hatred, is there anything left to love?

After a tough day of counseling sessions, Anglican priest Mark Webber is looking forward to a relaxing dinner at a local restaurant. When he sees who’s bellied up to the bar, though, he reaches for his cell phone to call the police.

It’s Lucas Cain, the man who killed Mark’s brother three years ago. Apparently he’s out of jail and hanging out with his old crowd, which has to be a breach of parole, right?

Pulled over upon leaving the bar, Lucas blows a clean breathalyzer and hopes this isn’t a harbinger of things to come. He’s ready to build a sober, peaceful life. His friends aren’t ready to let him move on, though, and he ends up taking refuge in an Anglican half-way house.

Thrown together, Mark and Lucas find common ground in the struggle to help a young gay man come to terms with his sexuality—and the fight against homophobic townsfolk. As attraction grows, the past is the last stumbling block between them and a future filled with hope.

Warning: Bad boys being good, good boys being bad.

RATING:

*** REVIEW ***

~ Arc provided via Netgalley by Samhain Publishing in exchange for honest review ~

Don't be misled by the synopsis, because this is not your typical mm contemporary romance about Anglican priest falling for ex prisoner. This story is so much more than that. Above all it's about acting reckless and immature and unintentionally making that one mistake and then dealing with the consequences til' the rest of your life. It's about forgiveness, sacrifice, faith and discrimination. It's about the bonds of family and friendship, and yes it's about love, an unlikely type of love which catches off guard both of the MCs when they are at the very bottom.

"It had felt like Lucas was being swept along in a powerful river and he'd reached out to grab hold of Mark, standing safely on the bank. But Lucas hadn't wanted to be rescued, he'd wanted to pull Mark into the current with him."

No one would have ever thought that people like Mark and Lucas could ever fall in love considering their background. An Anglican priest to fall in love with his worse nightmare and the person he hates the most? Impossible, right? I was really intrigued and to be honest skeptic after I read the synopsis about how the author is going to pull this through and I ended up pleasantly surprised. The author did a great job in my opinion in introducing and making acceptable a type of relationship upon which most of the people would frowned upon in real life. 

The romance was excruciating slow-building and I think it was the smart and right way to approach to this sensitive subject. The story introduces us to the MCs at first separately and later on intertwines their life paths yet again. Once you get to know the characters it's impossible not to sympathize with the things they've been through and the things they are still going through. The story had me on the brink of tears at times, especially when it comes to Lucas, the ex prisoner whose life it seems ended even before it began and I don't think that anyone will stay indifferent to his story.

Religion and faith also present an important part of this book, mainly with the views of Anglican church regarding homosexuality, but many of the points explored here can apply to any type of religion (btw. for those who aren't familiar with anglicism- Anglican church approves homosexuality and Anglican priests can get married and have either heterosexual or homosexual relationships.) I'm a fairly religious person, but not exactly a fan when authors focus too much on church and its views in my books. It didn't bothered me here, because I felt that the author made some interesting and intelligent points important for the progress and understanding of the story and its characters.

"Anglicanism, in its structures, theology and forms of worship, is commonly understood as a distinct Christian tradition representing a middle ground between what are perceived to be the extremes of the claims of 16th-century Roman Catholicism and the Lutheran and Reformed varieties of Protestantism of that era. As such, it is often referred to as being a via media (or "middle way") between these traditions." (Wikipedia)

My favorite secondary character was definitely the witty, charming and simply adorable 16 years old boy Alex who brought a fair dose of humor to the story and who was also at times the only voice of reason despite his age and lack of experience when the grown-ups started acting immature. I would love to read a book with him as the MC. 

"And you were spraying me on purpose? I just thought you had the world's worst aim with a hose?"

"Ah, Luke," Alex said loftily. "You are so innocent."

Bitter-sweet, touching and thought-provoking.

You can forgive, but can you really forget and move on ? Buy the book and find out. This was my first book by K. Sherwood, but definitely not the last. Highly recommended!

xoxo,

Purple