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Resilience
Johanna’s custody battles are over or…the least of her problems.
Louis—her ex-husband—is dead, his girlfriend is missing, and Johanna is the prime suspect.
The detective working the case is not even looking for another suspect. Johanna’s only chance is to hire a highly skilled attorney, and the best she knows is a man from her past, who likely despises her.
Will he set aside his contempt to defend her? And if she didn’t kill Louis, who did?
Louis—her ex-husband—is dead, his girlfriend is missing, and Johanna is the prime suspect.
The detective working the case is not even looking for another suspect. Johanna’s only chance is to hire a highly skilled attorney, and the best she knows is a man from her past, who likely despises her.
Will he set aside his contempt to defend her? And if she didn’t kill Louis, who did?
189 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 5, 2016
7 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Ica Iova
17 books112 followersIca Iova is a Canadian multi award-winning author of several books. In 2014, her award-winning romance novel, Boundaries, was a finalist at World’s Best Story. Also in 2014, Ica won 3rd place at Tallenge short story competition with a short story titled, The Haunted House.
In 2015 her paranormal romance She Never Got To Say Goodbye won bronze at World’s Best Story
She writes what she enjoys reading. When she is not writing, editing, or marketing, she’s a proud wife, mother, and grandmother, with a substantial sense of humor. She loves spending time with her family and pets, shopping for shoes, or just lazing around with a good book. She values the simple things money can’t buy, never compares herself with anyone else, never expects others to agree with her, and never follows the crowd.
In 2015 her paranormal romance She Never Got To Say Goodbye won bronze at World’s Best Story
She writes what she enjoys reading. When she is not writing, editing, or marketing, she’s a proud wife, mother, and grandmother, with a substantial sense of humor. She loves spending time with her family and pets, shopping for shoes, or just lazing around with a good book. She values the simple things money can’t buy, never compares herself with anyone else, never expects others to agree with her, and never follows the crowd.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 21, 2016
Johanna's divorce is final, but the war continues. Louis, Johanna's ex, is bolstered by his mother and his girlfriend(s) into behaviors that are vindictive towards Johanna, and negligent towards their children. In the wake of Johanna's court victory, Louis is found murdered, and Johanna, who had publicly threatened her ex on more than one occasion, is taken into custody. The remaining 2/3's of the novel focuses on Johanna's struggle to prove her innocence, resist her attraction to her hunky lawyer, and grow a modern woman's mojo.
I've have a few friends go through divorces that were unnecessarily vicious. The opposite of love may be indifference, but a path of hate and mutual destruction often joins the two. Regardless of my sympathy for couples set on exposing their more vile selves to the world, and one another, Johanna showed the most maturity when trying to mitigate the impact of adult decisions on her children. Other than that, the character did not hold my interest, and the long chapters describing her analyses of everything Louis, and multitudes of other complaints were exhausting to read.
The caveat is that women going through divorce or ending toxic relations may find the story cathartic as it holds a microscope on Johanna's marriage and everyone, family and friends, who try to help pick up the pieces. A budding romance is included, to lighten the heaviness of adult misbehavior, and a double murder. However, I found myself wondering why any man would consider it helpful to court a woman while she is wounded and bitter, as well as one who is facing a murder conviction. Still, as the story, for me, was flawed, I believe it may ease the suffering of certain women who are trying to heal and fix the damage bad relationships can inflict on one's character.
January 13, 2016
The start of the book beings with Johanna fighting with her ex-husband for shared for their children. As things couldn’t get more depressing for Johanna, her ex-husband is killed and she is arrested for his murder. But she didn’t do it and she intends to do whatever it is to prove her innocence.
So I have to say that I am not much of a crime-thriller reader. I tend to pull more towards romance and psychological thrillers. There was the little romance between Preston and Johanna, but I felt that was written a little stiff to my liking. The author did a good job of creating a world for the reader to get lost in, but at times, I felt that the story was being dictated to me. More telling, then showing. So I give it 4 rating.
So I have to say that I am not much of a crime-thriller reader. I tend to pull more towards romance and psychological thrillers. There was the little romance between Preston and Johanna, but I felt that was written a little stiff to my liking. The author did a good job of creating a world for the reader to get lost in, but at times, I felt that the story was being dictated to me. More telling, then showing. So I give it 4 rating.
January 25, 2016
I found the beginning of the story a little bit too like a documentary in the telling of Johanna’s tale of woe. It felt like a narrative about the pros and cons of divorce. But when Ica Iova began to apply her excellent writing skills to dialogue and description I began to be pulled into it more. I enjoyed being fooled by the various twists and turns as this contemporary thriller moved along at an acceptable pace. The main character is well-drawn and I was quite convinced by her self-analysis and roller coaster emotions alternating between bitter, angry regret and fearful hope for her future and that of her kids. When romance appeared on the scene I thought Ms Iova’s descriptions of Johanna’s doubts and raw emotion (even lust!) realistic and believable.
The main problems for me came later when the plot involved Johanna’s children and the final denouement. Having completely convinced me of her desperation to gain custody of her children it felt most unreal for Johanna to drive off for a break, getting away from it all, without her children at the exact time she had them all to herself! It was obviously necessary for the plot, but what followed on that trip seemed too much of a coincidence. The kids also came across as too mature and knowing for juveniles of 8 and 9 years old. Unfortunately, the end of the book felt too rushed, without a proper appreciation for the character of the killer being given to the reader. While I greatly admired the author’s writing and story-telling ability I felt this novel would be improved by a little more polishing. I was given a copy of the book in return for an honest and objective review.
The main problems for me came later when the plot involved Johanna’s children and the final denouement. Having completely convinced me of her desperation to gain custody of her children it felt most unreal for Johanna to drive off for a break, getting away from it all, without her children at the exact time she had them all to herself! It was obviously necessary for the plot, but what followed on that trip seemed too much of a coincidence. The kids also came across as too mature and knowing for juveniles of 8 and 9 years old. Unfortunately, the end of the book felt too rushed, without a proper appreciation for the character of the killer being given to the reader. While I greatly admired the author’s writing and story-telling ability I felt this novel would be improved by a little more polishing. I was given a copy of the book in return for an honest and objective review.
November 18, 2016
“A crooked psychologist had testified that she was an irresponsible parent.” Could divorcee mother, Joanna, hear worse news? Detective Louis White is not just trying, yet again, to take their children from her, he’s prepared to break the law he has sworn to uphold to do it. Joanna has everything to lose: Athena and Aidan are all she has left of her failed happy-ever-after marriage; the youngsters who truly love and need her. When Louis is murdered, who is the prime suspect? Joanna. Fast-paced and full of drama, this is an incredible story.
January 6, 2016
Resilience is a cleverly written romance with a nice criminal suspense twist. The emotion felt by the main character was conveyed powerfully.
May 16, 2017
Resiliency ~ The sequel starts off as a story many couples face when they are divorcing while having young children, but quickly turns into a head spinning "who done it" murder mystery which keeps you guessing right until the very end. Resiliency kept me at the edge of my seat enjoying every page of the book. The book is well thought out and well written. I'm looking forward to reading Ica Iova's next book.
January 30, 2018
I had no trouble following this book although I didn't read book 1. The characters are well built and likeable enough for you to keep reading. The story plot unfolds at a good pace and is not overly unrealistic. It has a good mix of romance, mystery and crime making it a serious story with lighthearted moments. My favorite part is of course the ending. Really glad I discovered another new author.
February 13, 2016
Emotional Roller-coaster
When I read Resilience by Ica Iova, I did not know it was the second book in a series. That now explains the feeling I had that the early chapters seemed to be too long a back story, a filling-in of facts rather than a novel progressing in the normal way. I was concerned that the expected interaction of characters had been supplanted by a single character’s inner emotions and general panic. Knowing now that the early chapters needed to bring the reader up to speed, I have to admit that Iova made an excellent job of that.
Iova has clearly decided to make her readers see the unfolding of events for the most part through the eyes of the main character, forcing us to share her every agitation. Given that events seemed to be stacked against the hapless Johanna, the reader tends to live the experience in a permanent state of hyper-anxiety, fear, and anger. It might have been an idea to give the reader’s emotions a rest from time to time with some calm or humorous scenes, but Iova’s sense of her character is strong and one imagines that the author, too, wrote these pages with a deal of angst.
Iova’s writing is excellent, as is her characterisation, and story-telling. I enjoyed the book and I warmed to Johanna despite the frenetic speed with which she was living her mental life. I have to admit, however, that there were three elements of the story that I would have some issues with.
One. I rather balked at being asked to accept that Johanna could be caught in a snowstorm over a hundred miles from home and the only other car venturing along the road at the moment of her accident was Preston, the man she’s falling in love with. That rather stretches credulity. I understand that the meeting of the two was necessary for the plot but perhaps something more plausible would tax the reader less.
Two. I’m a father and a grandfather but none of my brood ever showed the maturity and adult perspicacity demonstrated by Johanna’s eight and nine year old children. Their attitude to their mother’s troubles and the new man in her life was more adult than I would ever expect in children of this age. But then, I’m Irish. Maybe American kids mature more quickly.
Three. Having spent a good deal of my time hating the grandmother and the ex-husband’s lawyer, I was disappointed at such a skimpy recounting of the trial. I thought there was scope here for much longer ending, an ending filled with legal tensions, moments of hope shattered suddenly with doubt, disgrace and ignominy heaped upon the villains…I was disappointed to have been deprived of these moments. It seemed almost as if the writer had run out of steam and just wanted to wind everything up quickly.
Despite these criticisms, however, Resilience is a well-written book that flies along at a frantic pace. The love interest, the mystery to be solved, and the heroine’s stubborn determination, will entrance the reader and ensure that you will finish the book in a couple of sittings. A most entertaining read.
When I read Resilience by Ica Iova, I did not know it was the second book in a series. That now explains the feeling I had that the early chapters seemed to be too long a back story, a filling-in of facts rather than a novel progressing in the normal way. I was concerned that the expected interaction of characters had been supplanted by a single character’s inner emotions and general panic. Knowing now that the early chapters needed to bring the reader up to speed, I have to admit that Iova made an excellent job of that.
Iova has clearly decided to make her readers see the unfolding of events for the most part through the eyes of the main character, forcing us to share her every agitation. Given that events seemed to be stacked against the hapless Johanna, the reader tends to live the experience in a permanent state of hyper-anxiety, fear, and anger. It might have been an idea to give the reader’s emotions a rest from time to time with some calm or humorous scenes, but Iova’s sense of her character is strong and one imagines that the author, too, wrote these pages with a deal of angst.
Iova’s writing is excellent, as is her characterisation, and story-telling. I enjoyed the book and I warmed to Johanna despite the frenetic speed with which she was living her mental life. I have to admit, however, that there were three elements of the story that I would have some issues with.
One. I rather balked at being asked to accept that Johanna could be caught in a snowstorm over a hundred miles from home and the only other car venturing along the road at the moment of her accident was Preston, the man she’s falling in love with. That rather stretches credulity. I understand that the meeting of the two was necessary for the plot but perhaps something more plausible would tax the reader less.
Two. I’m a father and a grandfather but none of my brood ever showed the maturity and adult perspicacity demonstrated by Johanna’s eight and nine year old children. Their attitude to their mother’s troubles and the new man in her life was more adult than I would ever expect in children of this age. But then, I’m Irish. Maybe American kids mature more quickly.
Three. Having spent a good deal of my time hating the grandmother and the ex-husband’s lawyer, I was disappointed at such a skimpy recounting of the trial. I thought there was scope here for much longer ending, an ending filled with legal tensions, moments of hope shattered suddenly with doubt, disgrace and ignominy heaped upon the villains…I was disappointed to have been deprived of these moments. It seemed almost as if the writer had run out of steam and just wanted to wind everything up quickly.
Despite these criticisms, however, Resilience is a well-written book that flies along at a frantic pace. The love interest, the mystery to be solved, and the heroine’s stubborn determination, will entrance the reader and ensure that you will finish the book in a couple of sittings. A most entertaining read.
January 27, 2016
I was glad that I had read the prequel, Unsung Victims before I read Resilience.
For me, Unsung Victims was an outstanding book and it set the stage for Resilience and the ongoing nightmare that Johanna White’s ex-husband, Detective Louis White, continued to cause in her life, even after his death.
In Unsung Victims, Johanna quickly learned that since her husband was one of them, the police brushed aside her calls for help, effectively neutralising any help she could have expected from law enforcement when his behaviour in their private life became frightening and intolerable. When she divorced him, he also used his influence and power to discredit her, turn her children against her and make others, including herself at times, doubt her stability and sanity.
From the first line in Resilience, I understood what Johanna was going through. After four long years of fighting, once again Louis and his lawyer, Melinda Morton, were taking her to court in a bid to gain full custody and push her out of her children’s lives for good.
When Louis didn’t show up in court, I was surprised. But Melinda Morton had been by his side all the way, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think he would have left everything in her very devious, capable hands if he was working undercover on something.
Later, when he was found dead, I wasn’t surprised when the police focused solely on her as the murderer. She had threatened him in a heat of rage and there were witnesses. The members in the department had to have known how acrimonious the divorce and the ongoing battle for custody had been. It would have been a quick and easy assumption.
Johanna knew she needed the best legal representation she could get—someone who would believe in her—who would be unbiased. Preston McLeod came to mind—but would he even take her case? Preston had his own reasons to doubt her, to be biased.
Johanna has needed to defend herself for so long—even representing herself in court; when Preston agrees to take her case she has doubts about his motives, and besides that, it isn’t in her to sit back and let someone else hold the key to her future, without her input.
I really did enjoy Resilience. I love Ica Iova’s writing, but I am giving Resilience 4 stars, rather than the 5 stars I gave to Unsung Victims. This is really hard for me to do, but as a reader and a reviewer I have to be true to myself. FOR ME there were somethings in the story line of this book that just didn’t reach the standards that I have come to expect from this great artist’s work. I don’t want to leave any spoilers so I won’t elaborate.
I encourage all readers to remember that reviews are from the reviewer’s point of view.
You may LOVE, Love this book. I enjoyed it, and I still recommend it, but I encourage you to read Unsung Victims before you read Resilience, so you get the most out of the book.
For me, Unsung Victims was an outstanding book and it set the stage for Resilience and the ongoing nightmare that Johanna White’s ex-husband, Detective Louis White, continued to cause in her life, even after his death.
In Unsung Victims, Johanna quickly learned that since her husband was one of them, the police brushed aside her calls for help, effectively neutralising any help she could have expected from law enforcement when his behaviour in their private life became frightening and intolerable. When she divorced him, he also used his influence and power to discredit her, turn her children against her and make others, including herself at times, doubt her stability and sanity.
From the first line in Resilience, I understood what Johanna was going through. After four long years of fighting, once again Louis and his lawyer, Melinda Morton, were taking her to court in a bid to gain full custody and push her out of her children’s lives for good.
When Louis didn’t show up in court, I was surprised. But Melinda Morton had been by his side all the way, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think he would have left everything in her very devious, capable hands if he was working undercover on something.
Later, when he was found dead, I wasn’t surprised when the police focused solely on her as the murderer. She had threatened him in a heat of rage and there were witnesses. The members in the department had to have known how acrimonious the divorce and the ongoing battle for custody had been. It would have been a quick and easy assumption.
Johanna knew she needed the best legal representation she could get—someone who would believe in her—who would be unbiased. Preston McLeod came to mind—but would he even take her case? Preston had his own reasons to doubt her, to be biased.
Johanna has needed to defend herself for so long—even representing herself in court; when Preston agrees to take her case she has doubts about his motives, and besides that, it isn’t in her to sit back and let someone else hold the key to her future, without her input.
I really did enjoy Resilience. I love Ica Iova’s writing, but I am giving Resilience 4 stars, rather than the 5 stars I gave to Unsung Victims. This is really hard for me to do, but as a reader and a reviewer I have to be true to myself. FOR ME there were somethings in the story line of this book that just didn’t reach the standards that I have come to expect from this great artist’s work. I don’t want to leave any spoilers so I won’t elaborate.
I encourage all readers to remember that reviews are from the reviewer’s point of view.
You may LOVE, Love this book. I enjoyed it, and I still recommend it, but I encourage you to read Unsung Victims before you read Resilience, so you get the most out of the book.
April 14, 2016
Good Plot, Most Would Enjoy
I have to say that the subject matter was hard for me. Bitterness, blaming, name calling, threats, such is the game of divorce and child custody battles. So, in this sense the author captured it well. There was Joanna, the supposed victim and main character, and Louis, her ex-husband, whose shortcomings were well documented by Joanna. And, then there was the evil mother-in-law. We never heard anyone’s side but Joanna’s. I’m sure an excellent novel could be written about the psychological aspects of Louis and his mother. The Alfred Hitchcock movie, “Psycho” comes to mind. I won’t give any spoilers. I don’t think Louis’s murder is a spoiler since it happened early on. Of course, you have the prime suspect of Joanna.
I had no sympathy for the main character or Louis. Perhaps if their characters had been more complex. I was ready to hand the children, whom we had heard little from, at this point, to child services.
Of course, Joanna is going to need a good lawyer. Who, other than Joanna’s ex-boyfriend, Preston, to fit the bill. I found him to be the most stable one of the lot, at least in the beginning. What he saw in Joanna, I don’t know. There is another twist here, all centering on Joanna’s relationship problems.
She did have one saving grace as far as I was concerned, her tenacity at standing up for herself and the will to roll up her sleeves and prove her innocence in Louis’s death. Both the polices’ roll and her lawyer’s roll in this matter were rather docile compared to her own plunge a head style of taking justice into her own hands.
At the end, we finally hear from the children, clearly the wisest, of the whole bunch, in my opinion.
Overall, there was a well-laid out plot. For me, the stories that made up the people weren’t deep enough. This novel seemed complete, however, I didn’t read the first one; therefore, maybe therein lies my dilemma. As far as rating I was hesitant. This isn’t my usual type of book, but I know others would love it. Therefore, 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
I have to say that the subject matter was hard for me. Bitterness, blaming, name calling, threats, such is the game of divorce and child custody battles. So, in this sense the author captured it well. There was Joanna, the supposed victim and main character, and Louis, her ex-husband, whose shortcomings were well documented by Joanna. And, then there was the evil mother-in-law. We never heard anyone’s side but Joanna’s. I’m sure an excellent novel could be written about the psychological aspects of Louis and his mother. The Alfred Hitchcock movie, “Psycho” comes to mind. I won’t give any spoilers. I don’t think Louis’s murder is a spoiler since it happened early on. Of course, you have the prime suspect of Joanna.
I had no sympathy for the main character or Louis. Perhaps if their characters had been more complex. I was ready to hand the children, whom we had heard little from, at this point, to child services.
Of course, Joanna is going to need a good lawyer. Who, other than Joanna’s ex-boyfriend, Preston, to fit the bill. I found him to be the most stable one of the lot, at least in the beginning. What he saw in Joanna, I don’t know. There is another twist here, all centering on Joanna’s relationship problems.
She did have one saving grace as far as I was concerned, her tenacity at standing up for herself and the will to roll up her sleeves and prove her innocence in Louis’s death. Both the polices’ roll and her lawyer’s roll in this matter were rather docile compared to her own plunge a head style of taking justice into her own hands.
At the end, we finally hear from the children, clearly the wisest, of the whole bunch, in my opinion.
Overall, there was a well-laid out plot. For me, the stories that made up the people weren’t deep enough. This novel seemed complete, however, I didn’t read the first one; therefore, maybe therein lies my dilemma. As far as rating I was hesitant. This isn’t my usual type of book, but I know others would love it. Therefore, 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
June 29, 2016
It had a rough start, then it drew me in completely.
I found that the first third of this book read like notes from an insipid series of therapy sessions. Johanna is awkward, self-doubting, and through her neurotic internal sketchbook, reads to us more of a summary of her broken marriage than a chance to get inside the trauma we are to believe was her experience leading up to divorce. After this nebulous history has been floating around for a while, we move forward with the tedious steps of sorting out custody and arrangements through courtroom hearings and communications between. Slow, frustrating—this is certainly an accurate depiction of how the law serves divorced people in disagreement, but so far the whole thing had taken me for a drag in the mud.
Perhaps this was the author’s plan—maybe she meant to take the reader off-guard after a slow and sketchy start. As the pace picked up over her scumbag husband’s mysterious death, I was still out of my element as a reader. The romance between her and an ex-boyfriend (now lawyer), includes dialogue and flirtations entirely too cutesy for me, to where I was embarrassed none of these things bothered me after a while. But the accelerating rhythm of the story and the writing itself took hold, and as far as I am from being a fan of these mystery or thriller novels, I have to commend the author that much more for drawing me in.
Much of Johanna’s awkwardness seems to dissolve, as if detective work was her calling all along. The kids’ place in the story adds interest as they prod at the prospective, once ex-, boyfriend--and even go on to play a role in taking their mom to clues about the case. The excitement of peeling each layer of the mystery is complimented by the urgent ambitions of an accused woman, more assertive with each page turned as she honors her maternal instincts, and therefore her desire to stay out of jail and available to her children.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
I found that the first third of this book read like notes from an insipid series of therapy sessions. Johanna is awkward, self-doubting, and through her neurotic internal sketchbook, reads to us more of a summary of her broken marriage than a chance to get inside the trauma we are to believe was her experience leading up to divorce. After this nebulous history has been floating around for a while, we move forward with the tedious steps of sorting out custody and arrangements through courtroom hearings and communications between. Slow, frustrating—this is certainly an accurate depiction of how the law serves divorced people in disagreement, but so far the whole thing had taken me for a drag in the mud.
Perhaps this was the author’s plan—maybe she meant to take the reader off-guard after a slow and sketchy start. As the pace picked up over her scumbag husband’s mysterious death, I was still out of my element as a reader. The romance between her and an ex-boyfriend (now lawyer), includes dialogue and flirtations entirely too cutesy for me, to where I was embarrassed none of these things bothered me after a while. But the accelerating rhythm of the story and the writing itself took hold, and as far as I am from being a fan of these mystery or thriller novels, I have to commend the author that much more for drawing me in.
Much of Johanna’s awkwardness seems to dissolve, as if detective work was her calling all along. The kids’ place in the story adds interest as they prod at the prospective, once ex-, boyfriend--and even go on to play a role in taking their mom to clues about the case. The excitement of peeling each layer of the mystery is complimented by the urgent ambitions of an accused woman, more assertive with each page turned as she honors her maternal instincts, and therefore her desire to stay out of jail and available to her children.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
January 11, 2016
This book appears to be a sequel, and I have to comment that I haven’t read the first book.
Johanna has been through a nasty divorce, and at the start of the book she’s fighting her ex-husband for shared access time to their children. Then (spoiler alert) when he’s killed Johanna is the one arrested for his murder.
As can be surmised from the rating, I didn’t get on that well with this book. I found there was far too much telling rather than showing. I can understand and forgive this at the start of the book, when a reader has to be brought up to speed on what happened in the first book.
But I found this harder to accept when it came to the introduction of the love interest. Rather than showing us the start of the relationship, and the break up, we are suddenly told all about this just before Johanna asks Preston to be her defense attorney. So I also struggled a bit to understand why they were attracted to each other, other than on the physical plane, since I hadn’t seen the start of the relationship.
In addition, the suspense part of the book was a bit hard to swallow. I must admit that I’m not involved in law enforcement, but do police jump so quickly to accuse someone of murder? And, for someone who maintains that she cares so much for her children, would Johanna put her own life at risk investigating the crime herself? And not only does her family not try to stop her, but her brother steps in to help?
Sometimes the dialogue runs well. But the children didn’t sound quite right to me (and I work a lot with children this age). They seemed wise beyond their years (so much so that Preston comments on how intelligent they are). They seem to accept Preston quite easily into their lives.
Other people seem to have enjoyed this novel, but I’m afraid it wasn’t for me.
Johanna has been through a nasty divorce, and at the start of the book she’s fighting her ex-husband for shared access time to their children. Then (spoiler alert) when he’s killed Johanna is the one arrested for his murder.
As can be surmised from the rating, I didn’t get on that well with this book. I found there was far too much telling rather than showing. I can understand and forgive this at the start of the book, when a reader has to be brought up to speed on what happened in the first book.
But I found this harder to accept when it came to the introduction of the love interest. Rather than showing us the start of the relationship, and the break up, we are suddenly told all about this just before Johanna asks Preston to be her defense attorney. So I also struggled a bit to understand why they were attracted to each other, other than on the physical plane, since I hadn’t seen the start of the relationship.
In addition, the suspense part of the book was a bit hard to swallow. I must admit that I’m not involved in law enforcement, but do police jump so quickly to accuse someone of murder? And, for someone who maintains that she cares so much for her children, would Johanna put her own life at risk investigating the crime herself? And not only does her family not try to stop her, but her brother steps in to help?
Sometimes the dialogue runs well. But the children didn’t sound quite right to me (and I work a lot with children this age). They seemed wise beyond their years (so much so that Preston comments on how intelligent they are). They seem to accept Preston quite easily into their lives.
Other people seem to have enjoyed this novel, but I’m afraid it wasn’t for me.
February 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW: Resilience, by Ica Iova
Although this is a used theme, the ending makes it different. Joanna was divorce with two children and an ex-husband, Louis, who was intent on relieving her of her parental rights. In and out of court drumming up irrelevant issues, backed by his crazy mother as he repeatedly attempted to draw from Joanna everything the marriage had not.
An ugly situation just in those efforts however, when Louis was murdered that changed everything for Joanna since she was now the only ‘person of interest’ as far as the police were concerned simply because in anger, she had threatened him. Who really killed Louis though?
Sometimes it seems everybody else does the job the police are supposed to do. In her effort to find the real murderer in order to clear her name, Joanna hired an attorney, the only one she knew who she thought she could trust but feared their past may hamper his desire to help.
Some action involved in the search for the perpetrator but more than that search was the discovery of love. Resiliency the ability to overcome challenges… and bounce back stronger, wiser and more personally powerful” (definition from: What is Resiliency https://www.resiliency.com/what-is-re...)
Through the divorce, the court appearances, the fears of losing her children and the attempt made to make her seem guilty for Louis’ death Joanna stood strong and bounced back, understanding that sometimes that’s life – she survived, thrived, found her happiness and prepared to move on into the future because sometimes in life, that is the only thing left to do.
Although this is a used theme, the ending makes it different. Joanna was divorce with two children and an ex-husband, Louis, who was intent on relieving her of her parental rights. In and out of court drumming up irrelevant issues, backed by his crazy mother as he repeatedly attempted to draw from Joanna everything the marriage had not.
An ugly situation just in those efforts however, when Louis was murdered that changed everything for Joanna since she was now the only ‘person of interest’ as far as the police were concerned simply because in anger, she had threatened him. Who really killed Louis though?
Sometimes it seems everybody else does the job the police are supposed to do. In her effort to find the real murderer in order to clear her name, Joanna hired an attorney, the only one she knew who she thought she could trust but feared their past may hamper his desire to help.
Some action involved in the search for the perpetrator but more than that search was the discovery of love. Resiliency the ability to overcome challenges… and bounce back stronger, wiser and more personally powerful” (definition from: What is Resiliency https://www.resiliency.com/what-is-re...)
Through the divorce, the court appearances, the fears of losing her children and the attempt made to make her seem guilty for Louis’ death Joanna stood strong and bounced back, understanding that sometimes that’s life – she survived, thrived, found her happiness and prepared to move on into the future because sometimes in life, that is the only thing left to do.
April 16, 2016
When we meet Johanna (the main character), she is in a bad place. She and her ex-husband are embroiled in a custody battle and she is still hurting from their nasty divorce. Then, her ex-husband turns up dead and Johanna is the main suspect. Enter her ex-boyfriend/lawyer and we're off and running.
I wanted to like this novel more than I did. The thriller part of the plot appealed to me more than the romance. Who doesn't love an evil mother-in-law, shady characters appearing in the main characters day-to-day life, or the ins and outs of a murder investigation? I liked the many twists and turns in the plot and particularly enjoyed how the thriller elements were tied up well in the last portion of the book. The romance elements, on the other hand, didn't work for me. I didn't see why Preston was so attracted to Johanna. I wasn't feeling connected to their relationship, but I don't often read romances so that may have informed my reaction. Overall, I enjoyed this thriller. 3.5 stars.
Resilience is the second novel in a series, but I didn't feel I was missing anything not having read the first book. Ica Iova has a talent for laying out a good thriller and I look forward to more books from her.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a review copy of the novel.
I wanted to like this novel more than I did. The thriller part of the plot appealed to me more than the romance. Who doesn't love an evil mother-in-law, shady characters appearing in the main characters day-to-day life, or the ins and outs of a murder investigation? I liked the many twists and turns in the plot and particularly enjoyed how the thriller elements were tied up well in the last portion of the book. The romance elements, on the other hand, didn't work for me. I didn't see why Preston was so attracted to Johanna. I wasn't feeling connected to their relationship, but I don't often read romances so that may have informed my reaction. Overall, I enjoyed this thriller. 3.5 stars.
Resilience is the second novel in a series, but I didn't feel I was missing anything not having read the first book. Ica Iova has a talent for laying out a good thriller and I look forward to more books from her.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a review copy of the novel.
April 2, 2016
Joanna is a woman whose life is turned upside down when her ex-husband sues her for custody of her children. To make matters worse, she is also charged with his murder. Joanna is a strong woman, resilient as the title indicates, and she perseveres. Resilience is the second in a series, the first of which I have not read. I don’t feel I missed anything by not reading the first as the author does a good job of treating Resilience as a standalone novel.
I do love a good crime/romance. The storyline of Resilience in general is good. It flows nicely and has a few good twists and turns. Where it first falls down for me is with the grammar/punctuation. I found the errors very distracting. I also found much of the action rushed and lacking in believability. There was a disconnect with the main character, Joanna. I found her to be harsh, both in her language and reactions, and rather unlikable. I had difficulty gathering sympathy for her situation which I believe was the author's intention..
Despite the issues, Resilience does have potential. I will check out the author’s future work as I am sure she will continue to hone her skill.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I do love a good crime/romance. The storyline of Resilience in general is good. It flows nicely and has a few good twists and turns. Where it first falls down for me is with the grammar/punctuation. I found the errors very distracting. I also found much of the action rushed and lacking in believability. There was a disconnect with the main character, Joanna. I found her to be harsh, both in her language and reactions, and rather unlikable. I had difficulty gathering sympathy for her situation which I believe was the author's intention..
Despite the issues, Resilience does have potential. I will check out the author’s future work as I am sure she will continue to hone her skill.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 9, 2016
I don't usually read books like this, and to begin with I was wondering whether the story would move out of the main character, Johann's office. But is I read further, the story took an exciting turn. Johanna spent most of the story trying to prove her innocence in the murder of her husband, who to that point had been trying to ruin her life from the day they divorced.
Several factors came into play as I continued reading, like her interaction with an old flame, who she just happened to hire as her lawyer. There were a few unexpected twists and turns, which I like in a book.
For a genre I don't usually read, this story was engaging from start to finish, and I would recommend it to anyone.
*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Several factors came into play as I continued reading, like her interaction with an old flame, who she just happened to hire as her lawyer. There were a few unexpected twists and turns, which I like in a book.
For a genre I don't usually read, this story was engaging from start to finish, and I would recommend it to anyone.
*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
January 12, 2016
A bitter divorce and never ending custody battles have taken over Johanna’s life, further complicated by a talent for pushing all the wrong buttons on everyone, including herself. When her husband is murdered, she finds herself the only suspect...
Though written in third person, the story has the intimate feel of a personal confession, which garners sympathy, but requires patience. The plot may be a bit slow in building up, only to unravel rather hastily at the very end, leaving some characters and events shallow and unexplained. Since this is the second book in a series, I suspect the prequel would be worth reading first.
Though written in third person, the story has the intimate feel of a personal confession, which garners sympathy, but requires patience. The plot may be a bit slow in building up, only to unravel rather hastily at the very end, leaving some characters and events shallow and unexplained. Since this is the second book in a series, I suspect the prequel would be worth reading first.
May 5, 2016
I liked the book and the characters. I found they were well developed, maybe because this is the second book of the series. I hated Louis and Karol and even Melinda, but that was the author's intention and it worked. I had some issues with Johanna's impulsiveness and (dare I say it?) whining, but I really felt for her. I was constantly thinking: "Just give her a break!" My favorite characters were definitely Preston, Athena and Aidan.
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