Linda Janssen Janssen itibaren Chak Bishnupur, West Bengal 711410, India itibaren Chak Bishnupur, West Bengal 711410, India

Another dirty Irvine Welsh novel that follows the lives of four boys who grow up "thegither" in Edinburgh. Hilarious and harsh like most of his work, but weaves a great story of these men's lives intertwining here and there, ruining and helping each other at the same time. Mark Renton and our dear Begbie from Trainspotting even make brief appearances.

The Survivor is the third book in the Families of Honor series. This is the first series by Shelley Shepard Gray that I have read from start to finish. As I have just finished this series, I have a very satisfied and happy feeling about the way this series has gone. Although, I really wouldn’t mind one more book just to see how everyone is doing. I feel like there is still more story to tell in Jacob’s Crossing. One of the things I have really liked about this series is the fact that there has been a lot going on in each of the books. That kept them interesting and that kept them fast reads. The Survivor was a very fast read, mostly because there was so much going on, I just wanted to see what was going to happen next. Shelley’s writing style also keeps the story moving at a good pace. The only problem I had with this book is that there were a few cliches that are seen in too many romances. The back and forth thing with Mattie and Graham felt a bit overdone and not very realistic. Also, the storm I initially felt was a bit of a cliche, but Shelley used it in a positive way that fit in with the theme of the book. When I first read what the story was about, that Jenna was claiming Graham was the father of her baby, I thought it sounded a little too much like bad daytime television. But, as I have come to expect from Shelley Shepard Gray, she wrote it very well and it made for a good story of redemption. So, overall, The Survivor is a very good book. Shelley definitely took some risks with this book as she tells us in her letter to the reader, but they were well worth it and effective.