{"id":632,"date":"2014-04-02T07:53:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-02T13:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.com\/goodreads-review-thanks\/"},"modified":"2023-08-15T18:49:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T18:49:00","slug":"goodreads-review-thanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/02\/goodreads-review-thanks\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodreads Review &#8211;  Thanks!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;\"><span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/17931583-the-coin\" itemprop=\"url\" style=\"font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;\">The Coin<\/a><\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;\">by<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;\">&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;\"><span itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/7093896.Maria_Elena_Alonso_Sierra\" itemprop=\"url\" style=\"font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;\"><span itemprop=\"name\">Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;<span>(Goodreads Author)<\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"reviews\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Review\" style=\"font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;\">\n<div style=\"float: left; padding-top: 5px; width: 420px;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px; width: 400px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/user\/show\/25945418-katherine-stoelwinder\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 10px; padding-top: 2px; text-decoration: none;\"><span style=\"color: black;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"25945418\" src=\"https:\/\/d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net\/users\/1385245675p2\/25945418.jpg\" style=\"border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;\" \/><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/user\/show\/25945418-katherine-stoelwinder\" itemprop=\"author\" style=\"font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;\">Katherine Stoelwinder<\/a><\/span>&#8216;s review<\/p>\n<div style=\"float: right; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;\"><span itemprop=\"publishDate\">Mar 31, 14<\/span><span title=\"2014-03-31\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: right;\"><\/div>\n<div itemprop=\"reviewRating\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Rating\"><span title=\"4\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/blogger.g?blogID=5077701164135803910\" style=\"background-image: url(data:image\/png; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; display: inline-block; font-size: 0px; height: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap; width: 75px;\" title=\"really liked it\">4 of 5 stars<\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 13px;\">bookshelves:&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/25945418-katherine-stoelwinder?shelf=first-reads\" style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;\">first-reads<\/a><\/p>\n<div>Read from March 16 to 31, 2014<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br class=\"clear\" style=\"clear: both; display: block; font-size: 1px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"reviewBody\" style=\"font-size: 14px;\">I won this book in a first-reads giveaway.<\/p>\n<p>The first thing that struck me when I received it was how low the resolution of the cover picture is. Compared to the boldness and crispness of the title it looks a tiny bit amateurish. It does, however, completely fit in with the story and was a clever way of showing what the bracelet described in the book looks like.<br \/><a name='more'><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The first 2 words in the blurb are &#8216;France, 1993&#8217; Scenes were clearly set in the outskirts of Nice but there wasn&#8217;t really much to suggest what year the story is set in. Unless the weapons mentioned were issued then. But I wouldn&#8217;t know and I don&#8217;t know if readers would have made that connection.<\/p>\n<p>I had this clear image in my head of Richard being tall, dark, and immaculately handsome until I read that he has ash-coloured hair and is covered in scars earned from his career. I like to lose myself in the world the book creates and something being disclosed earlier on other than his height would have helped me.<\/p>\n<p>I suspected quite early on in the book who the person that was after Gabriela was. I still don&#8217;t really know who it was that was involved in the car park incident, but when the location was disclosed for the unveiling of her illustration I had my assumptions about what was going to happen. I was almost right. But what I wasn&#8217;t expecting was what happened between her and Richard to do so while her husband was in the vicinity!<\/p>\n<p>It was really nice when Gabriela finally confessed how she truly felt. I&#8217;ve been in the position before of not knowing whether or not that was really what I wanted to say and I felt genuinely happy for Richard. He seems a good guy (well not always, but at least he&#8217;s honest) and he deserves a woman with her strength and inner beauty.<\/p>\n<p>Something I&#8217;m wondering&#8230;is what excuse was given when guards were sent to protect Gabriela&#8217;s children. It must have been a pretty elaborate one to go without a hitch and therefore be unmentioned again in the entire novel.<\/p>\n<p>The fact it is an independently published novel rather suits the very personal feel of the story. It&#8217;s obvious the whole thing was a brainchild stemmed from a personal experience and when I read at the end how Maria and the book are linked I wasn&#8217;t surprised. Not that being unsurprised is a bad thing in this case- the story behind the story is a heartwarming one.<\/p>\n<p>From the revelation in the picture in the last chapter I think Gabriela is a little bit more of a heartbreaker than was enclosed in the entire previous of the book. I would love to read the next book and find out what happens between her and Richard. I&#8217;m hoping they end up together, as the way they met is so unlike your usual love story and it would be a unique happy ending. But perhaps if it stays as a fling the fire won&#8217;t ever need rekindling.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"float: right; margin-top: 8px; text-align: right;\"><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/rating\/voters\/853849822?resource_type=Review\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"text-decoration: none;\"><span>1 like<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp;<span><a data-like-container-id=\"like_container_review_853849822\" data-method=\"delete\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/rating\/23875844?format=json\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgb(237, 237, 237), rgb(196, 196, 196)); background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(157, 157, 157); border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(157, 157, 157); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(157, 157, 157); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(157, 157, 157); border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgb(221, 221, 221) 0px 3px 3px; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.6; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; zoom: 1;\">unlike<\/a><span><\/span><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;\u2219&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/flagged\/new?resource_id=853849822&amp;resource_type=Review&amp;return_url=%2Freview%2Fshow%2F853849822%3Fbook_show_action%3Dtrue%26\npage%3D1\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"text-decoration: none;\" title=\"Flag this review as inappropriate.\">flag<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 8px;\">\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/show\/853849822?book_show_action=true&amp;page=1#\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgb(243, 243, 231), rgb(231, 226, 197)); background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(144, 113, 100); border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(144, 113, 100); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(144, 113, 100); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(144, 113, 100); border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgb(221, 221, 221) 0px 3px 3px; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; zoom: 1;\" title=\"follow Katherine Stoelwinder's reviews\"><span style=\"color: black;\">follow reviews<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; color: #aaaaaa; display: block; font-size: 1px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #181818;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Coin&nbsp;by&nbsp;Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra&nbsp;(Goodreads Author)&nbsp; Katherine Stoelwinder&#8216;s review Mar 31, 14 4 of 5 stars bookshelves:&nbsp;first-reads Read from March 16 to 31, 2014 I won this book in a first-reads giveaway. The first thing that struck me when I received it was how low the resolution of the cover picture is. Compared to the boldness &#8230; <a title=\"Goodreads Review &#8211;  Thanks!\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/02\/goodreads-review-thanks\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Goodreads Review &#8211;  Thanks!\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2617,"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632\/revisions\/2617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mariaelenawrites.webcraftersdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}