The Precious One: A Novel by Marisa de los Santos

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Belong to Me, Love Walked In, and Falling Together comes a captivating novel about friendship, family, second chances, and the redemptive power of love.

In all her life, Eustacia “Taisy” Cleary has given her heart to only three men: her first love, Ben Ransom; her twin brother, Marcus; and Wilson Cleary—professor, inventor, philanderer, self-made millionaire, brilliant man, breathtaking jerk: her father.

Seventeen years ago, Wilson ditched his first family for Caroline, a beautiful young sculptor. In all that time, Taisy’s family has seen Wilson, Caroline, and their daughter, Willow, only once.

Why then, is Wilson calling Taisy now, inviting her for an extended visit, encouraging her to meet her pretty sister—a teenager who views her with jealousy, mistrust, and grudging admiration? Why, now, does Wilson want Taisy to help him write his memoir?

Told in alternating voices—Taisy’s strong, unsparing observations and Willow’s naive, heartbreakingly earnest yearnings—The Precious One is an unforgettable novel of family secrets, lost love, and dangerous obsession, a captivating tale with the deep characterization, piercing emotional resonance, and heartfelt insight that are the hallmarks of Marisa de los Santos’s beloved works.

my thoughts:

The Precious One is a fantastic story about family, love, and letting go of the past.  I absolutely loved this book!

Taisy, her twin brother Marcus, and their mom are a family.  Her father abandoned them all ages ago for the woman he knocked up and left her mom for.  They never hear from him and have grown up fatherless.  So, of course they all have issues with their dad, Wilson.  How could they not?  Especially when its been nearly twenty years since you've seen your father! 

Now in her thirties, Taisy has grown up to be successful and happy.  Life is great.  And then she gets a call from her father inviting her to visit.  He even asks her to bring her brother along for the visit.  Taisy is excited that this means her father will finally express his love for her and Marcus.  Her brother is against the visit from the get go and urges her not to go.  Taisy of course goes and winds up disappointed when she finds out that all Wilson wanted her for was to write his memoir - you see, she's a top ghostwriter and he knows this and wants to use her writing skills to tell his story.  Talk about a slap in the face!  Once again, Wilson is showing his lack of love for Taisy.  Nonetheless, she agrees to the task and sets out to uncover her father's past.  She wants to find out what made him become so heartless toward her, Marcus and their mom.  Why is it that he can be so passionately in love with Caroline and obsessed with his daughter Willow, but pretend that his other children and ex-wife don't even exist?

Filled with family drama, sibling rivalry, first loves, heart breaks, and so much, The Precious One is a moving and heartfelt story that will just melt your heart.  Reading Taisy's interpretation of her family's dynamics compared to Willows is eye-opening.  I loved learning all about Willow's childhood with Wilson and how she's adjusted from home-schooling to attending a local high school - talk about bullies and sexual predators!  As for Taisy, the more she unearths about Wilson's past, the more she learns that he is just not a nice man (nor a nice child).  Oh, and sometimes first loves really do endure.  Cripes, there's so much I want to tell you about this book, but I can't and won't.  You need to read it for yourself and find out what all the fuss is about, because it really is a wonderful story.  Suffice it to say, this is one book you won't want to miss.  I found the writing to be superb, the characters to be unforgettable, and the story to be unputdownable.  I just loved this book!  I would definitely recommend The Precious One to fans of women's fiction and fans of Marisa de los Santos - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Precious One

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book tours for providing me with a copy of this book!

Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos

This book is lovely. Just lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the lives of Cornelia, Teo, and Clare. Their characters are engaging and easy to connect with and fully fleshed out so that you feel as if you've known them for quite some time. The writing is splendid - I just loved the way in which the author described the clothing, cooking, and cafe in such terms that you could imagine each of these items so clearly. I laughed out loud at the banter between Cornelia and her best friends Teo and Linny; and I cried my heart out when I read about how much pain Clare was in without her mother. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos is one of those books that you can't help but fall in love with. Upon first glance you imagine this book to be a chick lit type of novel, and perhaps to some extent it is (Cornelia and Martin, Martin and Viviana, Teo and Ollie, Cornelia and Teo, Linny and Hayes), but there is more depth to it than a typical chick lit novel. The story itself unfolds rather simply, which is quite nice. You almost expect to know the outcome and in a way you do know what is going to happen, but you don't get the entire ending right; which I think is great. We have Cornelia Brown, manager of Cafe Dora, who hits it off with Martin Grace and finds herself soon in a lukewarm love affair. Enter Clare Grace, Martin's daughter (whom Cornelia knows nothing about), and Viviana (Clare's mother and Martin's ex-wife) into the picture. We find ourselves learning about Clare and her fear that her mother is slowly going crazy. Each chapter alternates between Clare and Cornelia's perspective of what is happening to them and around them, which I think played out quite nicely in developing the storyline along. As Martin and Cornelia's relationship progresses we learn that Cornelia is not in love with Martin; and we learn that Clare's mother has left her on the side of the road and driven off, leaving Clare to fend for herself. At work one day Cornelia turns to find Martin standing before her with Clare, who suddenly begins to cry. Cornelia rushes to Clare's side and immediately begins to care for her. And so the story moves forward with Cornelia discovering more and more that she really does not know Martin; with Clare realizing that she is not alone and has Cornelia and Teo in her corner; with Teo and Cornelia realizing that they are more than just family; and with the return of Viviana, Clare's MIA mother. I could tell you the end and all the details surrounding each character, but I don't want to reveal anything else. I want you to read this book when you get a chance. Borrow it, buy it, or mooch it - but definitely read it! And now I am off to read some Wodehouse - The Code of the Woosters! Happy reading!!