4 stars
Based on true events, this book follows Samia Yusuf Omar, a Somalian woman who ran in the Beijing Olympics. As an eight year old girl in a war-torn country, she decides that she is going to win a gold medal and her best friend, Ali, will be her coach. She continues to run as the situation in Somalia gets worse and worse and the strictures on women get more strict. She is able to participate in the Beijing games and is cheered on as she takes last place. Both disappointed and galvanized by her performance, she decides the only way to become a better runner is to leave her country behind. This is a heart-wrenching story that is especially interesting to read with the current Olympics on in the background. The odds that Samia had stacked against her are insurmountable but she kept training and chasing her dreams. The writing of this book is a bit simplistic and staccato which may just be how it translates, but that in no way takes anything away from this remarkable story. I received an ARC of this book from Penguin's First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
The Highlander by Kerrigan Byrne
4 stars
This is the third in the series that I have read and this author continues to tell romantic and passionate stories with likable, but flawed, characters. Mena is escaping a horribly abusive marriage that ended with a stint in a mental hospital. She ends up as a governess to a Scottish nobleman's children who is also known as the Demon Highlander. He has a violent past and a complicated family tree and is overwhelmed by his feelings for the English governess. I enjoyed this story and the characters. Mena is especially well-written and while Liam is at times overly angsty, he is also very easy to root for. The book also introduces Liam's brother, Gavin, who will not be the hero of the next book but I can't wait for his book to be released. I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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