Vigilare by Brooklyn James

When the authorities do not handle cases in an acceptable way, who is going to get justice on those who have caused irreversible damage to a victim’s life? Who will step up when no one else will to punish rapists and sex offenders? Vigilare.

Vigilare is watching over everyone in Vanguard. Vigilare punishes sex offenders for their crimes when they get off too easy in the court system.

When Detectives Gina DeLuca and Tony Gronkowski are assigned to a case that appears to be serial murders, the details get weirder and weirder. There is talk of a vigilante, a superhero of Vanguard who is punishing these men for raping women in the city. The name they give this superhero, Vigilare.

They talk about Vigilare having glowing green eyes that captivate its victim. It can look into their soul.

When Detective Gronkowski goes investigating on his own one night in pursuit of a known molester, what he finds turns the case completely upside-down.

This book is completely different from Brooklyn James’s other book that I reviewed recently, The Boots My Mother Gave Me. That one was heavy and memoir-esque.

Vigilare is pure fiction mixed with paranormal and science fiction story lines.

It builds suspense well, and while I guessed the twist, I was never 100% positive that was it until it happened. I always love a good twist.

Also I am a sucker for a good courtroom scene, and this book delivered that.

The writing was great. It pulls you in right from the beginning. I really like how Brooklyn James goes into plenty of detail in her books, but it isn’t so overdone that the chapters drag on. Every detail is important to the story in some way and that really keeps it interesting.

It ended sort of abruptly, but there is a sequel to it so it makes sense to leave off where it does.

The character development was spot on. I liked the characters that you are supposed to root for, and I disliked the ones you are supposed to be skeptical about.

The dialogue flows naturally, it doesn’t feel forced which is one of my biggest turn offs with reading sci-fi/paranormal books. Sometimes the dialogue is really forced and hinders the flow of the novel. The dialogue complements the novel and was written very well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of sci-fi books or “superheroes” you might want to pick this one up.

It has a very strong female character, so if you like all of those things, I do not think you will be disappointed with this read.

4.5/5 stars

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The Boots My Mother Gave Me by Brooklyn James

This is a heavy novel.

A few trigger warnings: It deals with abuse and suicide. If you aren’t comfortable with either of those topics, this one isn’t for you.

This book follows the main character Harley as she progresses through her life and finding herself along the way.

It is more than just that, though. As a big picture, it seems to be about the three main women in the book finding themselves; Harley, Kat, and their mother.

Harley and Kat grew up in an abusive household.

Their father was a veteran and when he didn’t have a job to occupy his time, his mind would take over and he drank way too much and became mean and violent when he did so. Her mother couldn’t find it within herself to leave him and take Harley and Kat with her.

All Harley could dream about was getting out of that town after she graduated high school, and that is exactly what she did. She lived a gypsy life; never staying in one place long. It is easy to run when you don’t know what exactly you are running from.

She could never really get away from her town. There was always something . . . or someone calling her back

That person was Jeremiah Johnson, Harley’s childhood sweetheart. The boy she always ran to for comfort when she needed escape from her abusive home. It is easy to root for these two to be together in the end.  Their story reminds me a bit of the movie Sweet Home Alabama.

This was a page-turner. I was hooked from the very beginning. It will take you through so many emotions. Be prepared to laugh, to get angry, to cry.

The writing and character development were both just great. I feel like there was great attention paid to each character in the book whether they are a main or supporting character.

It was a well-rounded story. I didn’t come out of it feeling like anything was left out or that any one part was less significant than the others.

5/5 Heartbreaking, but also full of hope. 

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