The Lives Between Us. Theresa Rizzo

The Lives Between Us
Theresa Rizzo
Published: Rizzo Publishing
Date:  July 1st 2015
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 441
Genre: Fiction
Source: Author

How far would you go to save the one you love?

Reporter Skylar Kendall has run from commitment all her life, pushing people away before they leave her, until her niece worms her way into Skye’s heart and settles in tight. Skye relaxes into a career she enjoys and relishes being a doting aunt.

Then her niece becomes gravely ill. Unable to bear yet another loss, Skye is determined to find a cure, but the girl’s only hope lies in the embryonic stem cell therapy Michigan Senator Edward Hastings repeatedly opposes. When Skye fails to find alternative treatment in time, she vows to end the senator’s political career.

Curious about the woman behind the scathing articles on his best friend, Mark Dutton pursues Skye. Dating Mark gives her access to Hastings’s life and secrets that would launch Skye's career and satisfy her need for retribution… Only she hadn’t counted on falling in love.

Can she avenge the lives lost to politics at the expense of her new love and friends?

The Lives Between Us by Theresa Rizzo was a fascinating read and kept me engaged right the way through. I was a little thrown by the ending - read it twice and had to admit to myself I was still unsure.  It wasn't until I read the questions for discussion at the end of the book that things clarified a little for me.  Hmm... interesting.

As I began the book I was soon on to Google to find out a little about stem cell therapy and in particular embryonic stem cell research and therapy.  Just enough to focus myself.  This book explores the ethical, political, financial and emotional aspects of this research and therapy.  It gives the pros and cons along the way and the differing view points.  

The story itself was good and on the whole I liked the characters.  Skylar is a reporter with a tenuous job at a local newspaper.  She has it in for the local Senator who is against embryonic stem cell research and has been partly funded by pro-life supporters into office.  She harasses him when and where she can, because she believes that embryonic stem cell research can save lives. And oh... her extremely ill niece just might benefit from it.

When Skylar meets Mark she meets Senator Hastings at a more personal level and her views begin to develop and change about him.  Mark on the whole is a great guy, although I was a little disappointed in him at one point. I liked the Hastings family and Skylar's family too.

I don't really want to discuss the plot  or characters too much in case you read the book, as this book really depends on you not expecting or knowing. There are enough twists and turns that had me wondering - what next?

 No doubt you will have your own personal beliefs that you bring to the book, you might have pre-formed thoughts on where you stand.  For me it was an exploration, an opening up to thinking about this topic and appreciating the varying viewpoints. Like many issues today, ethics and integrity play a big part.

This book would make a great discussion book for a book club. It's the kind you'd want to think about and talk about.

Find Theresa on the web at www.theresarizzo.com, or connect with her on Facebook, twitter or Amazon, and Goodreads.