5 stars for Sworn to Fly by @MariaImbalzano #romanticadventure #womensfiction #romance #bookreview
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  • N. N. Light
    • Jun 15, 2021
    • 4 min read

5 stars for Sworn to Fly by @MariaImbalzano #romanticadventure #womensfiction #romance #bookreview



Title: Sworn to Fly

Author: Maria Imbalzano

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romantic Adventure, Contemporary Romance


Book Blurb:


Risk-averse ER nurse, Alyssa Beckman, is about to lose her job because of yet another bad decision. In order to put her life back on track, she books a week at a rustic mountain resort to ponder her next steps and rejuvenate. But when she arrives, she learns she’s enrolled in boot camp, an adventure program far out of her comfort zone.


While there, she meets Gabriel Sutton, a world-traveling high fashion photographer who is in danger of losing his clients as well as his status if he doesn’t start following the rules. While hiking, kayak racing, and participating in team challenges, sparks fly between Alyssa and Gabe as they encourage each other to take different life paths. But will those paths lead them farther apart or bring them closer together?


My Review:


All Alyssa Beckman wants is a vacation from her boring life...what she gets is an adventure of a lifetime. With her nursing career on the ropes, Alyssa Beckman needs time away to figure out what direction to take. She makes a reservation at Glenn Pines resort thinking it will be relaxing. She never expects to enroll in a boot camp for adventure seekers. She also never anticipates finding romance with sexy fashion photographer Gabriel Sutton. She can't imagine what he sees in her but cannot deny her burgeoning feelings for him. The more time they spend together, the more she opens up to him. They both are out of their element at Glenn Pines, but together they discover love is the ultimate adventure. But when their vacations are over, will they go their separate ways or fly together in harmony?


Sworn to Fly is book three in the Sworn Sisters series and while it is listed as a romance, it's more women's fiction or romantic adventure in my opinion. Alyssa needs to step out of her comfort zone to move forward and soar high in the sky. It's a hard lesson for her to embrace but on many levels, the same is true for each of us. Alyssa is such a relatable character, a fish out of water, and I loved reading her story. The way she interacts with other characters endeared me to her. Gabriel, on the other hand, was hard to connect with. I found his attitude standoffish and annoying. But together, sparks fly as does their combative dialogue. The descriptive narration plunged me inside Glenn Pines and I could almost hear the flies buzzing and the birds chirping. Sworn to Fly is a rugged romantic adventure I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend!


My Rating: 5 stars


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Author Biography:


I was born in Trenton, NJ, in the heart of Chambersburg, the Italian section of town. My father was a barber and my mother, a State employee, who also taught me to jitterbug at the tender age of four. We loved to dance in the living room while watching American Bandstand. Hardly star material, but I was driven nonetheless. The product of a Catholic School education, I learned the basics, and took for granted I would be successful doing something, even if it entailed cutting hair. I attended Rutgers University as a psychology major, but after three years decided I liked political science better. My first job led me to Manhattan where I worked as a paralegal for four years before attending Fordham University School of Law. There I learned to think like a lawyer, write like a lawyer, and speak like a lawyer, all while living like a pauper in the city of my dreams. Living in New York City, albeit on a tight budget, allowed me to indulge my love of ballet, art museums, and theater. Did you know you could walk into a theater after intermission and no one checks your ticket? I enjoyed the second half of many plays as well as ballets.


My love of reading dates back to my childhood when I would borrow at least four books from the library every week. During the summer, I would sit in the house and read, until my mother, totally frustrated, would send me outside to play and lock me out. I always found my way back in. However, I must confess, I hated to write. In every English and writing class throughout college, I dreaded trying to be creative. As a friend from law school so aptly put it, “The reason why we’re here is because we don’t have a creative bone in our bodies.” I agreed.


Despite my dislike of creative writing back then, I embraced legal writing, and was first published in Volume 5 of the Fordham International Law Journal. My article was entitled “In re Mackin: Is the Application of the Political Offense Exception an Extradition Issue for the Judicial or Executive Branch?” I would advise you against reading it, for you will surely fall asleep.


Following law school, I returned to central New Jersey and took a job at a local law firm where I have been a partner for many years. My area of practice is divorce, and while emotions run high and clients are living through the worst time of their lives, I find the practice very satisfying. In addition to litigation, I have added mediation and collaborative divorce to my repertoire, which are much more civil ways of dealing with issues in family law cases.


In addition to practicing law and raising two daughters, I’ve been working towards my second career. Memoranda of Law and Legal Briefs, although fascinating, pale in comparison to writing romance/women’s fiction. So how does one transition from divorce lawyer by day to romance writer by night? That’s the beauty of having two distinct passions.


Social Media Links:


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@mariaimbalzano

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Reviewed by: Mrs. N

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