The Family You Choose by Deborah Nam-Krane

 I'm honoured to welcome Deborah Nam - Krane back to Beyond My Writing Space.  Back in March Deborah brought us the fabulous first in The New Pioneers series  The Smartest Girl in the Room and she back with the follow up and another fantastic read The Family You Choose. 

The Blurb

Miranda Harel has been in love with her guardian Alex Sheldon since she was five years old, and Michael Abbot has despised them both for just as long. When Miranda finds out why she wants both men out of her life for good and questions everything she believed about where and who she came from. Finding out the truth will break her heart. Without family or true love, will her friends be enough? The Family You Choose is Book Two in The New Pioneers Series

My Review

We meet Miranda Harel in the first book (The Smartest Girl in the Room) and are given the sneaky suspicion there's more to her story. And boy is there more to her story!

Miranda is a loving warm character and her innocence is endearing. For someone who is orphaned and alone by the age of five, terrorised by bad boy Michael for entire duration of her childhood and beyond, she learns to love her friends like siblings. But she is tainted with the knowledge of how the world of old money and blackmail works. So when she finds out her life has been the product of this darkened world the good girl goes bad. And she's awesome angry. Miranda has a feisty 'so you thought you could mess with me did you?' kind of attitude that makes you want to punch the air and shout "you tell 'em girl!" - I love her!

I also spent a great deal of this book falling for Miranda's love idol Alex, mysterious Alex who is also Miranda's guardian with a multitude of sins just waiting for you to discover, and the rest of the time despising Michael, and wondering whether the girl was for real... Is he a leopard who can change his spots? When Miranda was happy finally having chosen what she wanted in her life, more layers to her past are revealed. I so did not see the twist at the end coming. 

Miranda's journey is a heart wrenching tale focused on discovering who you are and who your family is. There's a well known saying 'you cant choose your family' and Deborah Nam-Krane explores the possibilty of what if you could beautifully. 

The Family You Choose is an enlightening look into the past for all characters who play an integral part in Miranda's life while also giving fans of The New Pioneers an insight into what happened to the other characters you came to love in Deborah Nam - Krane's first outing.

It definitely gets the thumbs up from me and I can wait for the next round. Watch this space for The China Doll by Deborah Nam - Krane coming soon. 

Grab the Family You Choose at 

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Family-Choose-Pioneers-ebook/dp/B00FIMIZIY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

And for all other platforms at Smashwords 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/345252

I received an advanced review copy from the author. This has not affected my opinion.