Title: Lady Catherine Macalister’s Hard Struggles: A Short Story About Catherine’s Struggles
Author: Graham Lomas
Publisher: Balboa Press AU
ISBN: B07FB8K77L
Pages: 214
Genre: Romance
Reviewed by: Jennifer Weiss

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Lady Catherine MacAlister lives with her father, the Earl of MacAlister, in the beautiful country of Scotland in the 1900’s. With a beauty beyond compare, Catherine strives to help care for her epileptic half-brother. One night after Matthew had fallen off a cliff, Catherine called on a cousin to check in on him. As the doctor proclaims him well, Catherine vows to devote her life to her beloved brother and cares for him as a mother would care for a child. She takes it upon herself to make sacrifices in her own life to ensure that his is one full of happiness and joy.

Author Graham Lomas presents his readers with a beautifully lyrical novel showcasing a sister’s love for her brother. The tale opens with a brief introduction to Catherine and invites the reader to come along and see what troubles this beautiful young woman. This style draws the readers into the story and makes them interested in her character and interested to see where her story will go. It leaves the reader wondering will she find romance, will she experience harsh trials, will she struggle with loss? Right off the bat, the reader is invested in her. Lady Catherine Macalister’s Hard Struggles is the perfect example of exceptional storytelling.

This is a novel that very much tells the reader what happens with passages such as “the door opened, and his guest was ushered in. The Earl rose and bode him welcome…” With this kind of storytelling the reader doesn’t question what happens and when, they know exactly what is going on. Lomas continues the same quality of descriptions when talking about setting and character interactions. Lomas leaves nothing to for the reader to question; there are no gaps in the story. Thus makes Lady Catherine MacAlister’s Hard Struggles feel complete and whole rather than feeling like it is missing something. We get the whole story of everything going on in Lady Catherine and Matthew’s lives.

With a storyteller like Graham Lomas, it is easy to fall in love with this novel. Its books like this one that creates, captivates and cultivates a lifetime of reading and love for novels. When one reads this book, you get a story full of ups and downs, emotion, vivid imagery, compelling characters. You won’t want to give this book up and hope Lomas continues writing about these characters and lives. Because of all this, Graham Lomas’ Lady Catherine Macalister’s Hard Struggles: A Short Story About Catherine’s Struggles is an excellent book.