Intimate Strangers

by Anne M. Strick

This wonderful book is the first to focus on one aspect of man’s inhumanity to child that has crossed my path many times: that confusing world of adoptions. Anne M. Strick artfully sets up parallel adoption scenarios that immerse the readers in the very heart of the characters – birth parents, adoptive parents, and most importantly, the hearts of children themselves. With this book, she gives us the impetus to legally, practically and morally move to fulfill for our children the promise of the Pledge of Allegiance – “With Liberty and Justice for All!” Heart-catching, suspense, hot tears and hot sex.

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2011

Reviews

[Majanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intimate Strangers is the book you have to read this year. Seriously. Even if you don’t pick up any other book this year, do pick up this one. I swear it won’t dissapoint you.

We meet the two main characters, Georgie and Dru, early on. Georgie and Dru are too opposites. Georgie is raw sexuality, a greek warrior, a woman who doesn’t back off for any challenge. She is headstrong, stubborn, and persuasive. Dru is scared of her own sexuality and emotions, she is a timid, fragile thing, obsessed with hiding from the evil world. She considers herself ‘flawed’ and has trouble getting around those supposed flaws. They each have a terrible, troubling history. Georgie lost her three-year-old son, and Dru’s mother killed herself. They’re bound together, as unlikely friends, fifteen years apart of age. Their loss binds them. It keeps them united. It makes them stronger than they thougth possible.

After graduating from law school, Georgie and Dru – who met at university – open up an adoption agency, where they help people who want to give their baby away, and people who’d like to adopt a baby. Unfortunately, the reality of these adoption agencies often isn’t as joyful as they seem at first glance. Georgie and Dru are presented with the Januses case, in which the Janus couple, one of the nicest couples they ever met, who adopted a little boy named Timmy, may now be forced to return to boy to his biological Dad…A Dad who never once took care of him, and who abused his mother while she was pregnant with him. Lara and Theo Janus are devastated, and Georgie and Dru will do everything in their power to help them.

But when Georgie finds out that Mackauley, a man she fell in love with years ago, is Lara Janus’ brother, things may get a lot more complicated…

This novel is heartbreaking. The adoption cases are often bittersweet; even when a kid gets adopted, there’s always the possibility one day the biological parent wants to step up. I imagine these cases must not be easy for Courts to rule over, but a parent-child bond isn’t based on biology alone, and courts should know that, or at least try to understand that. Not only were the main characters so inspiring because they actually lived for their jobs – and it must be a tough job, one I certainly could never do without turning completely insane – but they’re also very intriguing characters on their own. How they interact with each other is very entertaining, and they way their stories blend together toward the end is sublime, and shows some great plot-writing skills on the author’s behalf.

I must say I liked Georgie a tad bit more than Dru, although I liked both of them a lot. Georgie is more emotional, even though she’s worked years at hiding these emotions. I think that’s what made me feel connected to her. Dru was a bit the same, except that she couldn’t even admit her emotions to herself.

At some points, this book made me cry. I mean it. The writing is…extraordinary. That’s all I can really say about it. I felt like I was inside the character’s minds, and I had a blast being there, even if their stories weren’t always sunshine, rainbows and happiness. The characters were so strong and complex, so unique, that they grabbed me from the start. The storyline is something I’ve never read about either, so I was immediately intrigued. I’ve read several books by author Anne M. Strick so far, but this is definitely my favorite.

There’s something in this book for everyone. Passages that will make your heart weep, intellectual decisions that will make you frown your eyebrows, passionate, vivid characters, romances that will make your toes curl, and more.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attorneys Georgie Allcheck and Dru Cunningham are partners in a law practice that specializes in adoption cases. They are dedicated to working with young pregnant women and prospective adoptive couples, assisting in the placement and adoption of their babies. They are also devoted to working on contested adoption cases, and it is such a case that is the main focus point of Intimate Strangers.

The contested adoption case revolves around the adoption of two year old Timothy Janus, who had been placed with and adopted by Lara and Theo Janus when he was four days old. After two years, Timmy's biological father has surfaced and is asserting his parental rights and contesting the adoption of his son, even though he has never taken care of his son. The Janus' are devastated that they may have to hand over their son to a man who was never in his life, so they retain Georgie and Dru to fight on their behalf. Georgie and Dru agree to take on the case and will do whatever it takes to protect the best interests of young Timmy and maintain the validity of his adoption.

Intimate Strangers is a passionate and compelling story that takes an inside look into the legal, ethical and moral issues involved in adoption cases. Author Anne M. Strick weaves a powerfully emotional and heart wrenching tale written in the third person narrative that focuses upon the journey of attorneys Georgie Allcheck and Dru Cunningham as they represent the Janus family in a contested adoption case. The storyline is well written and has intriguing subplots: the societal issue of adoption, the history of Georgie and Dru's traumatic pasts, and it even has romance in the mix. This is a riveting, emotional and thought provoking story that will pull at your heartstrings.

The author has created a variety of realistic and complex cast of characters who are human with flaws and issues that the reader can easily relate to. The focus of the story is on the relationship and past history of Georgie and Dru. They are two strong, passionate and compassionate women who fight for social justice in adoption cases. You can't help but get drawn into this story and feel empathy for the attorneys and Janus family. At the heart of the story is the social issue of adoption, as the story unfolds there are many twists and turns that engages the reader to follow along with the lives and concerns of the birth parents, the adoptive parents, the children and the attorneys.

Rich in detail and vivid descriptions, with strong characters and powerful dialogue and interactions, Intimate Strangers is a compelling story that shines a light on a very sensitive social issue that will resonate with you for a very long time.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...

[Vibina Venugopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgie Allcheck and Dru Cunningham " the princess and Pauper" duo are attorneys with adoption as their area of expertise... Their work leads them to work closer to pregnant woman, promising possible adoption, prospective couple ,they also represent adoption disputes...Timothy Janus is a two year boy adopted by Lara and Theo Janus, with the biological father emerging out of blue claiming for his paternal right there starts a tale of battle of legal right, responsibility, love, care , hope and despair....Though initially reluctant to take up the case they do everything to get justice to the child...

Human complexities are unveiled by every layer being dissected in the tale where Anne Strick explores the extremities of humans can subject themselves upon...Depredation of Janus' upon losing their adopted son who has become their soul reason of survival is strikingly portrayed..You can't help but be involved through the tale of loss and hope....Apart from the emotional instincts , the legal, and ethical side of adoption and the nuances involved are depicted in an enlightening way....The plot is powerful though the character slip a wee bit at times , yet Strick revives them into a new horizon adding to them new life for a better reading...The additional plot captured are quite captivating...The characters of that of attorneys and the Janus' family were so well done that at no point the reader can render a string of sympathy for the biological parent...The compassion with which Georgie and Dru fight the case unfolding many other vantage about the adoption and the clairvoyant approach to it only builds the plot very constructively...Many a times ideology takes up a personal preference that may not go by the regular bench mark, that is truly presented well all through the novel....

The passion for work lead Georgie and Dru to wade and surf beyond the line...The language is flawless with its elegant portrayal taking special care of each and every angle all through... I loved the way Georgie and Dru came up together to stand up for the Janus all through the twists and turns...They put in every effort bringing in detail to the argument ... Theirs is a well balanced partnership complementing each other..Their mental agony dealing with emotional moments during case, their internal struggle to to keep work all away from heart yet somehow getting it all mixed up in the middle are all done well..Even when things went complex with its strange shades, the realist characters questioning the moral side of life very practically makes it a wonderful read..I would recommend this for anyone looking for a serious read with some real stuffs..Being that said the book has a slight smear of romance too, so all in all it would make a good read...

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book centers around two law partners who specialize in adoption law and their journey to help keep a two year old little boy with the family who adopted him two years previously when his biological father comes into the picture demanding access to the son he's never me nor taken care of. Luckily for the Janus family who adopted the little boy they come across Georgie and Dru who will do anything and everything within their legal powers to help the Janus family.



This was a really well written novel. For me there were so many emotions involved in this book. I think the author did a spectacular job capturing the emotions of her characters. Their ups and downs really got to me and the amount of passion the characters had for each other, and the situation at hand was very powerful and extremely moving. In a couple spots in the book I even had a couple of tears due to the scenes in the book.



I was really impressed with this novel. The characters were well thought out and I believe that they're very life like. I could envision the characters being real people because they were so detailed I couldn't help but enjoy them.



I also thought that the overall plot of the book was well done. As with the characters the concept of the book was very real to me. I really can see a situation such as this happening the way it did in the book and it takes real talent for an author to make characters and the plot of the novel so real to the audience and it is a gift this reader was happy to receive.



If you're in the market looking for wonderfully emotional, powerful and passionate book I urge you to look into getting yourself a copy of this novel as soon as you can. The characters are endearing and the story line is addictive. I for one couldn't wait to see how it turned out and stayed up late into the night reading Intimate Strangers more than once. This would be a great book for those out there who like Women's Fiction/Chick Lit.




*I received a free copy in exchange for my free and honest review. I was not compensated in any way and all thoughts and opinions expressed therein are my own.

[Beth Cutwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first thought after reading Intimate Strangers was what a small world we live in. We've all experienced it when we run across someone from our past....sometimes it's a reminder of a memorable past and sometimes it's just down right haunting. Our story is about Georgie Allcheck, who worked her way through years of bad choices, worked hard and became a successful lawyer, in partnership with Dru Cunningham. They work with adoptive parents and young women seeking to place their babies in adoptive homes.

This is a work of fiction, but concerns us as a society and as a nation. Is a child simply a possession of the biological parents? When I was raising my babies, I know I felt like they were "mine", not so much as in ownership, but protectiveness. The story centered around a court case pertaining to Timothy Macauley Janus, a happy thriving two year old, who had been placed with his adoptive parents at 4 days old. After two years, Timothy's biological father wanted to reclaim his son. But what was in Timothy's best interest? And did the best interest even matter to the courts?

I think we can all yet remember a few years ago when a similar case brought people together throughout our nation for the best interest of the child to prevail. Not so in our courts. This was a heart rendering story about a very emotional topic that does affect society as a whole. Once I got into this novel, I found it very difficult to put it down. It is a well developed, well researched read. The characters are well developed and have their share of self inflicted hurts and flaws, but they are certainly easy to empathize with in the blurred world of rights and wrong.

Don't take my word for what a great read this was, read it for yourself. I doubt you will have any regrets. I am fast becoming a fan of Ms Strick! You will enjoy the Heart and Soul of her intelligent writing as well.

[Oana Ungureanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thoughts : You know guys, I am so happy when I found books like this one. A conplete powerfull story, full of emotions, a story which could easily melt the coldest soul. We meet Georgie and Dru, two different women, oppsoite characters, minds and temperaments. Georgie is a sexy, strong, determined and intimidating woman. On the opposite side, there is Dru, Dru the shy, hesitating and self-conscious. But they actually have one thing in common: they both lost a dear person. And this is the most bitter and sorrowfull fact in their lives, fact which makes them stronger together.

This book was incredibly well written, sometimes making me want to close it and just sit there crying. I mean, this happens very rarely to me. Not every book is so damn special to squeeze a few tears. But this was even more. I realy felt it deep in my soul, the whole story was heartbreaking.

The main character, Dru and Georgie were very well developped and sketched. They almost felt like real, like bringing the story alive. I have to say I liked more Georgie, for her selfish but still stubborn way of being. She knew exactly her purpose, going straight the way she desired.

Even if this was not a YA novel, I think this read changed my way of think, my way of acting. It meant a lot for me, I just cannot explain how I feel about it. I am not a spoiler freak, I did not give you details about the plot and I am never going to. If you want to read it you can follow the tour and enter the givewawys!

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I really enjoyed about this story were the characters. The women, Dru and Georgie, are strong but yet different, and just seemed believable and realistic. They work great together in the work realm, and despite their age difference, create a professional friendship. Their friendship does get tested though, as their pasts come in their way, and they learn something that they would never have thought was possible. Throughout the story, they are also working side by side on a case, including saving a young boy, and as said before, Georgie's past comes back to her, and this time vividly, as she retells some of it, to a man she thought she would never see or talk to again! With Dru, she is reminded of her past, but learns new things that help her understand someone that she has gotten to know very well, and she also meets a guy she can really, well perhaps fall for; she just has to believe in herself more and shut herself from her past. This whole story was a good mix of romance and social issues that are need of attention, and you'll just have to read this story, to really grasp the essence of justice and love.