True To You

Taking Chances, Volume 2

Christian - Fiction
180 Pages
Reviewed on 08/31/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Liwen Y. Ho works as a chauffeur and referee by day (also known as being a stay at home mom) and a writer by night. She penned her first children's picture book, "A Rainbow of Nine Colors" in high school and has published two novellas in the Taking Chances Series for grown-ups.

She also enjoys writing about real-life matters, such as marriage, parenting and faith because truth can be just as strange and entertaining as fiction. Her work has appeared in various online publications, including LiteraryMama.com and MomLifeToday.com and she is a regular contributor at StartMarriageRight.com.

She has a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Western Seminary and loves makeovers of all kinds, especially those of the heart and mind. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her techie husband and their two children, and blogs about her adventures as a recovering perfectionist at www.2square2behip.com.

Sign up for Liwen's newsletter for news about her upcoming releases, book giveaways and more at: http://eepurl.com/bt2nEL
And feel free to contact her at mamaho@2square2behip.com. She would love to hear from you!

    Book Review

Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite

Melanie Koo, a physician skilled in helping others, can't fix her own love life. So her mother comes up with the perfect, albeit unusual, remedy - an arranged marriage. I loved the nationalities that were explored in True To You: A Novella (Taking Chances) (Volume 2) by Liwen Y. Ho. The idea of a prearranged marriage is such a foreign concept for many Americans today, and it was surprising to read that for someone from Hong Kong the idea might be more tolerable. I loved reading about the sentences in Cantonese, the teas the families liked to drink, and even how the family dynamics are different in this different culture.

I liked how the author embraced the Chinese stereotypes and tried to show just how crazy they are for all of the parties involved. Melanie is strong enough to want to buck these stereotypes and live her own life, but also scared of her family and the repercussions that she might have to face because of her decisions. Ben wanted to overcome these stereotypes, too, admitting that he had never dated a Chinese woman before but did it really matter?

I think this book will appeal to anyone who has ever wanted an honest to goodness, real romance, but was afraid to allow themselves what they really wanted. It will appeal to anyone who puts their family's feelings ahead of their own, or who carries out the wishes of the family because they are a good child and worry about their parents' affections. This is such a heart warming and uplifting story I think most readers will really appreciate the messages. Nicely done and very educational!