Defined By Others (Defining Ways Series Book 1) - By M.c.v. Egan

• Date: 06.02.2016
• Book: Defined by Others (Defining Ways Series Book 1)
• Author: ColdCofffee

Review

Like so many in our mobile society, Anne had left her upper middle class town to live, work, travel, get married and have children away from her small town roots, family and friends. At age forty-seven Anne finds herself back in her hometown, where very little has changed. As bad as the small town rumor mill is, time has added a cyber aspect where it seems everyone ‘knows’ and this increases Anne’s pain, guilt, frustration, devastation and anger that her husband has left her for a ‘man’.

Anne prided herself in knowing just the right word for every situation. What word will come to mind after her high school friend Amanda dies? Amanda’s casket had just been lowered into the ground when Anne finds herself alone in an Attorney’s Office starring at Amanda’s final message on video. Almost in a trance, Anne leaves the office with the inheritance held tightly in her hands as questions swirl around in her head.

Connie whose marriage had also taken a bad turn, is a welcome old friend that makes herself at home in Anne’s childhood home. Connie and Anne reminisce, eat, drink, explore Anne’s mother’s secret room and slowly go through and digest the inheritance that Amanda has left.

Together Annie and Connie tap into what they call “our inner bitch” to deal with the cards that life had dealt them. Intrigued by a “game” that Amanda started and manipulated by the detailed instructions left by Amanda; this game engages them in “harmless” cyber fun that allows Annie and Connie to toy with the emotions and even love interests of mutual acquaintances.

If you could secretly know everything about your friends and neighbors, would you want to know?

If you could secretly manipulate those who had hurt you in the past, would you?

How far would you go?

Would you heed the message on the cover of this book? “If you share a secret it will no longer be a secret.^^^Keep your secrets safe.^^^Do not share your secrets.^^^.It will destroy you.^^^Secrets give power.”

I always quote a couple passages from the books that reads, so here goes.

P56 “power is great because it makes you the dominatrix. The psychological manipulator, which is the perfect description for what Amanda was.”

P150 “As we sat there judging and discussing our generation we were ridiculously oblivious to our own behavior. Apparently women often do not realize they are addicted until they are in a heap of trouble, and we were no exception.”

P151 “We were addicted to a variety of deceptions: love deception and sexual deception.”

You must read this book to see exactly what was included in the inheritance that Amanda gave Anne, what was involved in perusing Amanda’s game and what if any consequences, real or imagined in life and in cyberspace.

Defined by Others (Defining Ways Series Book 1) by M.C.V. Egan is a well written Women's Contemporary Fiction with realistic dialog between the characters and a twist of generational similarities and differences.

Cold Coffee Press/Café endorses Defined by Others (Defining Ways Series Book 1) by M.C.V. Egan as a well written Women's Contemporary Fiction with realistic dialog and a twist of generational similarities and differences.

I hear rumors that ‘Climbing Up The Family Tree: Defined by Pedigree’ is next in the series. Meanwhile make sure you read The Bridge Of Deaths: A Love Story and A Mystery by M.C.V. Egan. We reviewed this book from Print/Kindle/PDF format. The review was completed on January 27, 2016. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press http://www.coldcoffeepress.com/ and Cold Coffee Café http://coldcoffeecafe.com/

Kindle Purchase Link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QHM0SO8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00QHM0SO8&linkCode=as2&tag=colcofpre-20&linkId=CLBB5ZZQA2TPSX5A