This is a story about Gabby, a woman with a consistently positive outlook on life and a "things could be worse" attitude. Readers are informed of Gabby’s tough upbringing and loss, hence her view of the world and her love for escapism. However, in one short moment, Gabby’s home, friends, and routine change and Gabby has to adapt to her new life alongside the Countess, someone Gabby has always admired.

The story revolves around human nature and emotions, using Gabby as a prime example of bottled-up feelings and wearing a mask to protect themselves from sadness and sorrow. Fortunately for Gabby, the Countess is her safety net to allow herself to open up and be her true self, accepting herself as a newborn Gabrielle. Using her inherited Bed and Breakfast, Gabrielle explores a new side of herself and encounters interesting characters while embracing her new lifestyle.

This is an extremely descriptive story that is tremendously soft and steady-paced. The narrative is character-driven, and the story delves into who Gabby – later Gabrielle – is as a character, ultimately someone whose lifestyle has drastically changed for the better. Occasionally, readers gain perspective into other characters featured in the story, such as the Countess, so there is a greater overview of the characters’ thoughts and backgrounds.

Conversely, the narrative is quite convoluted and rushes the timeline now and then; so, it’s difficult to catch up on how much time has passed. The narrative also seems a bit scattered. An event occurs that distresses Gabrielle, but nothing is done to resolve the issue. And once Gabrielle informs the Countess, getting the information out of her system, she resumes as if nothing happened. Nonetheless, Gabrielle re-addresses the issue later on in the story.

This is also a good story for older readers due to the lack of activity featured in the book. Personally, the story is possibly too gentle and slow, consisting of information that doesn’t really push the narrative forward. There is more talk than there are visuals; there is no leeway for imagination or the ability to escape into the story since the point of the narrative is to self-reflect and understand the world from Gabrielle’s point of view to apply those thoughts to the real world. It is also very difficult to care about the characters’ interaction when they spend a lot of their time reminiscing.


I received a free review copy. Thank you to OnlineBookClub and author. ( )

This is a story about Gabby, a woman with a consistently positive outlook on life and a "things could be worse" attitude. Readers are informed of Gabby’s tough upbringing and loss, hence her view of the world and her love for escapism. However, in one short moment, Gabby’s home, friends, and routine change and Gabby has to adapt to her new life alongside the Countess, someone Gabby has always admired.

The story revolves around human nature and emotions, using Gabby as a prime example of bottled-up feelings and wearing a mask to protect themselves from sadness and sorrow. Fortunately for Gabby, the Countess is her safety net to allow herself to open up and be her true self, accepting herself as a newborn Gabrielle. Using her inherited Bed and Breakfast, Gabrielle explores a new side of herself and encounters interesting characters while embracing her new lifestyle.

This is an extremely descriptive story that is tremendously soft and steady-paced. The narrative is character-driven, and the story delves into who Gabby – later Gabrielle – is as a character, ultimately someone whose lifestyle has drastically changed for the better. Occasionally, readers gain perspective into other characters featured in the story, such as the Countess, so there is a greater overview of the characters’ thoughts and backgrounds.

Conversely, the narrative is quite convoluted and rushes the timeline now and then; so, it’s difficult to catch up on how much time has passed. The narrative also seems a bit scattered. An event occurs that distresses Gabrielle, but nothing is done to resolve the issue. And once Gabrielle informs the Countess, getting the information out of her system, she resumes as if nothing happened. Nonetheless, Gabrielle re-addresses the issue later on in the story.

This is also a good story for older readers due to the lack of activity featured in the book. Personally, the story is possibly too gentle and slow, consisting of information that doesn’t really push the narrative forward. There is more talk than there are visuals; there is no leeway for imagination or the ability to escape into the story since the point of the narrative is to self-reflect and understand the world from Gabrielle’s point of view to apply those thoughts to the real world. It is also very difficult to care about the characters’ interaction when they spend a lot of their time reminiscing.


I received a free review copy. Thank you to OnlineBookClub and author. ( )

Title: Like a Lily Among the Thorns
Author: Karen S. Bell
Publisher: K.S.B.
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Like a Lily Among the Thorns" by Karen S. Bell
My Assessment:

'Like a Lily Among the Thorns' was some fantasy and women's lit genre read that featured a moderate cinderella named Gabrielle Bernstein. This author gives the reader quite an awakening to humanity told through climate fiction with a 'mix of mystery, love, suspense, myths, and mythology.' This read is rather long, but if you stick with it, the story will be worth the good read.

We find the heroine of this story has a horrible past, but she survives as she pushes hers onto the brighter side of life, ending up in Vermont, where she becomes the owner of a B&B that her dead father left her. For some reason, the weather changes radically due to the interference of humans, so the mythical Goddess intervenes, gathering Gabrielle and her friends to teach them about what is happening. What was this all about as the reader sees the main subject of the concern is over climate change? This author looks quite a bit at the global crisis and makes it feel real as it is applied to the real world. This is a well-written story of a 'wake-up call to humanity.'

Be ready for a story that deals with 'gods, goddesses, mythology, and fantasy as the author combines real-world events with these events. If the reader is into any of that...you will enjoy this fantastic read of love, bonding friendships, and the call to action. ( )

This PG contemporary polemic could possibly be read in one day, but I found parts of it heavy going. Gabrielle Berstein's mantra of "It could be worse" threatens to falter with the mounting evidence that it not only could be but IS worse than we are generally willing to admit. I had an ARC and this voluntary review is my own opinion. 3 1/2 * ( )