STORY-LINE OVER THE IVY WALL BY ROSA SOPHIA:
Clara Pendleton’s had a wonderful life until her parents are killed when she’s six years old. All the love and caring disappeared from her life when sent to live with her Uncle Harris and Aunt Nan. Harris, abusive and a drunk, makes Clara’s life a desolate place. Restricted to the boundaries of his estate, she has never been off the property, never talks to anyone other than her cousin Tammy, and she’s denied public schooling. Clara hides from her abusive Uncle and his “tendencies”. Clare has invented creative places and ways to avoid Uncle Harris.
While hiding at the ivy covered wall, in a moss-covered niche, she’s surprised by a visitor. Gaven Bridge, sent to live with his Uncle, finds Clara when walking in the woods. Gaven is different from other people; he has Asperger Syndrome. Taking medication, he has no emotions, talks and walks stilted and formal, and awkward with women. However, a bond’s forged between these two needy damaged people. Giving each other courage, Clara decides to spread her wings. My romance book review of Over The Ivy Wall follows.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
Monsters come in all shapes, sizes, and social economical backgrounds. In Over The Ivy Wall, Rose Sophia placed her monster in a mansion with a political background, an old prominent family, and clout. One who shows one face to the world and another to Clara and her cousin, Tammy. In the dead of night and after a drinking binge, Harris becomes a monster. Over The Ivy Wall, faces the issue of sexual and physical abuse head on.
Sophia demonstrates how broken the spirit becomes when a person is abused, isolated, repressed, and terrified. Clara is such a person. A damaged broken spirit who Sophia slowly developed as she took that first step with Gaven towards independence. Clara wants the same thing everyone wants; happiness.
Gaven’s just as damaged as Clara, however, for a very different reason. Asperger Syndrome makes his life hard to live. He’s unemotional with an analytical scientific mind as well as wooden and closed off from everyone. Clara compared him to Spock on Star Trek. With Clara, Gaven feels something he has not felt for anyone since he started taking drugs to control his moods. He knows the drugs increase his emotionless state; emotion’s alien to him.
Over The Ivy Wall grabbed me immediately and did not let go. A sweet clean romance, I loved Clara and Gaven; two damaged people, fate brought together. Sophia crafted Clara as the perfect love for Gaven. Clara, isolated and restricted from people has a limited idea of normal; for her Gaven is normal. In Clara’s innocence young eyes she sees Gaven as a wonderful comforting man. In turn, Gaven gave Clara the strength to step over the wall to freedom, a shoulder to lean on, and a hand to hold. The road is rocky and hard as Clara took the first step over the wall with Gaven. Sophia created a heart warming and informative novel which highlights the effects of abuse, isolation, repression, and developmental disorders such as Asperger Syndrome and, of course, alcoholism.
Even though, Over The Ivy Wall, deals with oppressive subjects, this is a feel good book. As I closed the last page, I gave a sigh of satisfaction for characters which I loved. As well as, feeling indignation and crying for justice; missing the accountability of Uncle Harris. I found the characters well-developed and the pace smooth and steady.
Finally, in concluding my romance book review, I found the plotting of the book kept me glued to the pages with well-developed characters and a fresh original story-line. Sophia’s talent shines in Over The Ivy Wall. I would not hesitate to buy this book for my self or a friend.
OVER THE IVY WALL RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4
FINALLY, PLEASE NOTE:
In addition, I received this book from the Books Unleashed and the author. I chose to voluntarily review the book with an honest romance book review of Over The Ivy Wall. Lastly, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews on-line and under my name, are my opinions. No one influenced my voluntary romance book review of Over The Ivy Wall.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rosa Sophia is the author of several novels, including Meet Me in the Garden and The House Guest (Limitless Publishing) as well as Over the Ivy Wall and Orion Cross My Sky (Sunshine Press). Rosa is an automotive mechanic, but everyone thinks she is a librarian. She lives in Florida and hopes to earn an MFA in Creative Writing one day. As a trigeminal neuralgia patient, she also writes about her condition– read Orion Cross My Sky and Meet Me in the Garden –in the hope that it will spread awareness of this rare disorder.
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