Origin

Alexandra's Order #1

by Emilia I. Rutigliano

A New Series from the author of Layers of Veronica… Alexandra Kamin is everywoman. At 42, she has a loving family, terrific children, a great career with a superlative income, a gorgeous face with a terrific figure, and a loving boyfriend. Most impressive is that she is in complete control of every ambit of her life. Where do you go when you are at the top? ORIGIN takes you back to the beginning… the beginning of Alexandra’s life in America, the beginning of the truest of love affairs, and the beginning of an entrepreneurial life. Through a series of flashbacks and conversations, Alexandra explains every nuance that made this beautiful family a dynasty that you want to root for. Schooling, work, child rearing, and family affairs are all under Alexandra’s Order. Come join the family

396 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2014

About the author

Nothing surprises Emilia more than the fact that she is an author. (Except the antics of her children; those surprise her on a daily basis.)

Emilia is a lawyer, and she is neither retired nor hating her life. She likes litigation, which she does on a daily basis in the benevolent kingdom of New York City.

Three years ago, after quite a few drinks, a girlfriend dared her to write a book. So Emilia 'wrote' a book. It got passed around in Word format by email, and friends continued to ask for more. Thus, Veronica got a fanbase.

Layers of Veronica has seven books. a septology.

Then Emilia retired from writing, and wound up at GNO (at another bar) where 'the girls', who are all fans of Veronica, declared that her retirement was unacceptable and sent her back to the computer, and also took her to London for a writing trip. Not to be outdone, her husband took her to Asia for more writing information, and then to Hawaii so that she would be appropriately-versed.

And so Alexandra is really a beloved product of a lot of people. Alexandra's Order has four books, they are available on all e-readers and in paperback.

Emilia has now retired from writing once again, and thus her new books are coming out on a regular basis.

Emilia was born in what is currently Russia, but grew up in Forest Hills, New York and practices law in Brooklyn. As such, she is most proud of her accent. She is currently forty-six years old, and loves saying forty-without the 't' in forty which she finds superfluous.

She is happily married to the crazy Italian she's been with since college, who still suffers from a severe addiction to travel (in very acute form). Emilia is also blessed with three precious darlings who are now teenagers. They occasionally acknowledge her existence when the internet malfunctions and when they need money.

Emilia's books, not unlike Emilia, don't belong in any proper category. The books are for a mature audience, but they aren't quite romance or erotica. Both series are literary sagas, and are geared toward readers who enjoy a full story about multi-dimensional characters.

Because LAYERS and ORDER take place in many locations with many different cultures, Emilia doesn't write it unless she visits each location and meets the people who speak, think and act the same way as the characters in the book.

It's a tough life, but she perseveres... and she is very active on FACEBOOK.

Please join us...
We LIKE you there...
Go back Save biography

Reviews

[Carleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely an incredible read! The pace is fast, but can be confusing at times. There are many characters and flash backs, so it may take the reader a little bit to catch on, but once you are familiar with the writing style you are good to go. The main character, Alexandra is complex and well developed. We are introduced to Alexandra and her story in this first book of the series. Alexandra is strong and not a stranger to adversity. It is very important to pay attention to some of the minute details within the writing because they will make a difference in the end. There is explicit sexual scenes in this book, so reader beware. I would definitely recommend this book to a mature adult who is looking for a strong female lead character. The way that Alexandra's role is written, the reader can not help but fall in love with her and want to see her succeed in all of her endeavors. You will be captivated by her charm and will be unable to put the book down. Then you will be craving for the next book in the series. My only criticism is that the sex scenes could have been limited and not be so explicit; however, if the author was going more for the romance novel, then I understand. I do, however, feel that this novel would still be just as wonderful without as much of the sexual details due to the fact that the author had developed such amazing characters. One of the amazing aspects of this book is that it could be a true to life tale. Many of the situations that occur in the book reminded me of the quote from the movie Forest Gump: "Life is like a box of chocolates..You never know what you are going to get." I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Linda Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kamins’ world revolves around Alexandra! But this isn’t a story about a fairytale princess who doesn’t have a clue beyond her own wishes. Alexandra “Alex” Kamin is always doing what is expected of her from her family. And let me tell you the Kamin’s are extremely nosy too. They know more about each others whereabouts than the FBI does on suspects.

Alex grew up in humble beginnings though. Her family emigrated from Russia and settled in Brooklyn. The author mentions the hardships the Kamin’s endured as Jews in the former Soviet Union. I have read extensively about the former USSR and have friends who also faced similar experiences.

My favorite character is Jill Levin, who also happens to be Alex’s therapist. Jill also has a similar background to Alex, which is probably why she has able to open up more. Jill understands Alex, through and through. She gets Alex to reveal her heart when it comes to Jason Sterling. All the drama associated with their love affair results in chaos on a daily basis. I must also point out that the author effectively infuses Russian and Hebrew into the dialogue. It was a pleasure to read phrases from both languages, although I am less familiar with Hebrew. What I didn’t expect was for Alex to show such bold kindness to Bill. When you read this book, you will understand. What will Alexandra do next?!

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Origin is a really interesting look into one woman’s past and how it effects her current life and decisions. Alexandra Kamin is a successful forty year old woman, with a great job, close friends, great kids, and a boyfriend who makes her happy. But all of this comes only a few years after the death of her husband, with which she had a happy marriage and children. Her friend is worried that she hasn’t fully moved on from that relationship and the tragedy, and that this will eventually sabotage her happiness with her new relationship. So she makes Alexandra an appointment with her therapist, hoping that Alexandra will be able to move on.

This story has an interesting mix of Alexandra living her life, and chapters with her telling her past experiences to her therapist so that we have a deeper understanding of her actions in the present. I liked that she was actually telling the stories of her past, it made the revelations more intimate and interesting seeing what the character held back and what made her uncomfortable. I thought that this was a great approach to the story, and I found myself very curious about what the character would reveal next. Definitely an engrossing story!
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kme_17 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have received this as a first read. I liked this book. It is a interesting story about how one woman's past can effect her relationships and her future. This one was a very fast pace read. This made it a very engaging read.