Guam Goddess in Training Does a Book Review! 'Scarlet Lies' By Lani Young

“Scarlet, are you a cynic?”
“No, I’m a realist. I think you’ll find many romance writers are.”

*SPOILERS.

This is a book review of Lani Young’s ‘Scarlet Lies’ (Book One of the Scarlet Series). I was excited to receive this book from Lani herself in April. There are so many reasons I love anything Lani does and so many ways I loved ‘Scarlet Lies’ even before reading it. For one, Lani has become one of the strongest female voices for Pasifika writers. Her ‘Telesa’ series (YA) is a force upon itself. Young’s work is important because it offers islanders of all backgrounds a connection to characters who reflect their culture. We need more stories about US in this sea of literature, and she is a pioneer. Photo:jennphotog.com

I nibbled at ‘Scarlet Lies’ at first, getting to know Scar, the heroine of this story. Sometimes I devoured entire sections of the book; much like Scar would when faced with a tasty dessert. I had many LOL moments and many moments of cultural connectedness. I’ve discovered so much of the Samoan life reflects my life as a Chamorro from Guam. As I jumped from chapter to chapter, I highlighted sections in blue that hinted at Scar’s tortured past, pink for cultural observations, and brown for progression in her connection with love interest, Jackson.

Jackson=perfection. I’ll leave it there and let you discover more about him. #JasonMomoa

Young does an excellent job of giving you glimpses of the true pain that Scar has lived with. The Scarlet Letter A, so to speak that she’s been branded with controls her life in so many ways. And aren’t we all tortured by something in our past? Being from an island, they don’t let you forget it, do they?

The writing, every delicious layer, kept me eager to find out more about Scar. The broken Goddess that she is, Scar begins an evolution in this story. Scar is such a real person in my mind that I want to be her friend and bask in her unknowing awesomeness. I love that she is a dessert fiend and also blogs. Big Brown Beeetch.com, I wish it existed, trust me I checked. But Scar’s blog exists in this book and Young folds it into the story expertly. And Lani's blog link is here.

Without giving away too much more about this lovely story, because you should really get a copy and read it for yourself, I will praise Young’s writing magic and the journey I took with Scar. I identified with lovely Scar immediately—from being more woman than the norm #curves, to her predilection for anything sweet #croquembouche, and her admiration for sculptured physiques #mancandy, ‘Scarlet Lies’ is a complex, sophisticated dessert of a story and I cannot wait for the next serving, ‘Scarlet Secrets’.

The Indie Bookshelf REVIEW of SECRET SHOPPER, 4.5 STARS!

So, I'm really happy that my first official book review is completed and the results weren't as terrifying as I thought. I was hoping for 3 stars and a small blurb, praying they would put my Createspace created book cover up at the very least.

But, Erin Roth one of the fabulous reviewers who support INDIE authors did so much more. She gave me a perspective from someone other than a Chamorro. She helped me realize that my novel, Secret Shopper and my beloved character, Phoenix Lizama Farmer could survive outside the bubble of Guam or Chamorro life.

Erin gave Secret Shopper 4.5 STARS out of 5. Be warned, there are many SPOILERS--so if you don't want to know yet (until you've read the book), check her review out later. You can read her full review by clicking here.

Secret Shopper was a fun, interesting book. I loved being immersed in the culture of Guam, a place I know little about--I'm a super dork, I had to wiki, and then spent at least an hour clicking around. Taimanglo did an amazing job of incorporating the language, food, and customs of "a good Chamorro girl" into the story without it reading like a guidebook, even blending in a little of Phoenix's Korean heritage via her mother (I want some Phoenix rice, STAT!).

I was fascinated by what I learned, and I think that the comedic voice really made the culture accessible to the reader; every time Phoenix said "like a good Chamorro," I heard my mother-in-law telling a story about her childhood, always including "like a good Polish girl."

Secret Shopper was funny, sweet, and romantic. I was rooting for Phoenix and Thomas all the way and I think I'll continue to root for them in spirit. I hope to see Taimanglo grow and thrive in the romantic comedy genre--she was definitely spot on with this one!
--Erin Roth, The Indie Bookshelf

Thank you, Erin! I'll be doing my Carlton Happy Dance now.