Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Debut Novel, Remembrandt, by Robin LuBean King, review and giveaway

It's always such a pleasure and joy to see a new author release their first book. This is experience is somewhat like a mother having her first baby. All the pain, discomfort, stress, worry, work and effort are all worth it when you hold that beautiful book in your hands for the first time. There is such joy, fulfillment and sense of wonder at the process of creation, no matter what form.
This debut novel, Remembrandt, by author Robin LuBean King, is a powerful story full of suspense, secrets, excitement and romance. Here is a brief summary of the story:

Alexandra Stewart doesn't just walk down memory lane, she lives on it. Her eidetic memory records her experiences and plays them back, DVD style. It's great when she wants to ace a test, but not so great when she topples over a cute boy in the hallway and the humiliation plays back over and over and over . . . Brown University seems like the perfect place for the seventeen-year-old to forget her past. Hope for a normal life comes in the form of a handsome new running partner who makes her heart race and body perspire even before she laces up her shoes.

When her Russian professor gives her a puzzle that seems impossible to solve, Alex discovers that he has a secret—one that will catapult her into a world of cryptic codes and covert missions. As she tries to find a balance between the two different worlds vying for her attention, she wonders if she can have relationships with the ones she cares about while hiding a clandestine life, uncovering the truths of an underground enemy.

One thing is for certain, whatever happens will be forever etched into her memory. And some things are better left forgotten.

This book had everything to offer for a reader who is looking for a book to pull them in from the first page and keep hold of their attention to the end. Author King introduces tension in the first scene that sets the tone for the story, but it's not until the main character Alexandra Stewart becomes acquainted with her Russian professor that we begin to understand why.

Alexandra is an interesting character with an eidetic memory and a past full of secrets. I found her likable and fun. I wasn't sure what to think at first about her Russian professor, especially when he offered her private tutoring, but I soon learned that his intentions were to recruit Alexandra to be part of his team. Even though I found it a little hard to believe that she would accept a ticket from her professor to go to Russia and, at the young age of seventeen, go there unknowingly, I went along for the ride.

After the trip to Russia, Alexandra's professor presents her with a unique opportunity that involves intrigue, adventure and espionage.

With a tightly woven plot, great characters and full of thrills and chills, I think you'll enjoy the book Remembrandt.

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