If you don’t understand the instinct to merely survive, you will never understand me.I’ve done my penance and paid a heavy price for my choices.It was never for selfish reasons that I became the person I am today.No, I can be called many things but selfish will never be one of them.It was always for them. My children.No regrets and no do-overs.The grim reaper is knocking on my door. It’s my … time.I was fine with it. I knew this day would eventually come and I was ready.I was tired of living a life of battles in order to survive. Then I was forced to see how overwhelmingly beautiful life is and how tragically short my days could be.With limited time, I have to find a way to finish my job and get my sons ready for what is in store for them.They want me to fight and I will but in return, they too must fight.Am I ready for the battle of my life?Will they be ready?
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Catherine is back and she has made one of the hardest decisions that she has had to make. But she follows through and shows what an amazingly strong character she is. She also shows numerous times why she became the person that she is, and how. She is definitely a ruthless characters, but everything she has done has been for love. Even if it doesn’t seem like it.
The boys each come into their own in this story, but one of them thoroughly irritated me. But … I can empathize with his character partly. However, he also pulls is head out of his backside and shows what a son of Catherine Stern is made of.
This family and those that are closest to them are strong and have deeply ingrained themselves into my heart. Each of them has shown strength that is unparalleled and a willingness to do what needs to be done. The women in this family are amazing as well. Each one has a strength that is different from the others, but each one only increases the strength of the others.
I am not going to give anything away, but I will say that a lot of loose ends are tied up in this book and some people find out truths from the lies. There is so much emotion from this book that it was at times hard to read, but I think that is what ultimately kept me moving forward. All in all, this is an awesome ending to an amazing story.
For anyone that hasn’t read the whole series .. you really need too! You need to experience each characters story and then finish with Catherine. The whole series is epic and shows strength and perseverance galore!
An emotional conclusion to the saga of Catherine Stern’s story. Get your tissues, a glass (bottle) of wine and prepare to block out the world with this one. I literally could not put this book down. The struggle that Catherine tells in this story is so real that you help but feel as if you are a part of it and her family. And the evolution of her character has taken some many twists and turns but she has remained a force to be reckoned with. I have devoured every book in this series right from the beginning and found book six to be just as captivating as the first. Monique Orgeron is amazing story teller. I want more!!.
What an emotional read.
Catherine and her story will leave you in shambles and but it will put you back together at the end. Catherine decided to fight her cancer with everything coming to head and the risk of enemies coming after the family will they be able to stand tall and keep running things or will they fall down and have a mess? An a amazing read with twist and turns you won’t see it coming
What a fantastic, emotional and amazing ending to the Sterns family saga. Catherine’s story was one of struggle and strength…an emotional overload! I loved every…single…second of this book.
Oh ma chère Monique! Vous avez certainement dépassé toutes les attentes que j’avais dans mon esprit pour ce livre! BRAVO!
Even though I am not feeling, I couldn’t or didn’t want to put this book down. Not even to rest! This whole series is captivating! It’s extremely well written. Exquisitely so! If I could give this a billion stars I would! Thank you Monique for all the passion, pride, and love you put into this series!
Wow, I am totally blown away! Every time I think that this author cannot do any better, she ups her game! This is the second part and conclusion of Catherine’s story, where she is in for the fight of her life, and having to relinquish control of the family legacy over to her son Gabriel. This is a beautifully written story which is gritty, emotional, heartbreaking, intense, loving, and all round powerful tale. I was totally captivated throughout this addictive page turner. I cannot wait to read what this exceedingly talented author brings to us next, and I highly recommend this phenomenal series for all readers.
I absolutely loved this book! Catherine decides she’s going to fight cancer and she is in for a battle. Her family is also going through the battle but also have to fight when some of the crime bosses turn on the Stern Family. This author did not sugar coat the battle of a woman dealing with breast cancer. I really appreciated this. The fight is real not only for the woman but also her family. She covered all aspects and it was done her research. Just a warning…you will need tissues. I ugly cried more than once.
Wow!!! A fantastic book and conclusion to Catherine’s journey. Catherine’s story is heartbreaking and loving filled with grit and determination of a woman making it in a man’s world. I highly recommend this story and this whole series!!!
This book is book two of Catherine’s story. It’s not a light story. It is in fact a heavy one. It deals with every day life. The difficulties we deal with and the choices we make in dealing with them.
If you were to ask me to describe this book and author to you in one word, it would have to be PHENOMENAL!!
What a book ! It wrapped my heart around the characters and twisted it ! I loved this story and the whole series !! A must read series !!
Art of Survival Part 2 of 2 by Monique Orgeron in A Stern Family Saga. This continues the story of Catherine Stern. This book picks up with Catherine coming to terms with the cancer diagnosis but also changing her actions to those of a fight to overcome this disease. Catherine is dealing with turning over control to her oldest son and her other kids along with working on what has happened to her in the past. This was an emotional read for me and one that I couldn’t put down. This whole series has been such a great one and I am so glad I found this author. I would love to read more books from Ms. Orgeron. Loved this book and series!!
Art Of Survival Part Two
This is not a standalone, you need to have read the first 5 books before starting this one.
Now before I start my review let me start off by staying this is my favorite book in the series to date.
Make sure you have a box of tissues close by, you will need it.
This is a highly emotional read, it picks right up where we were left in part 1.
Catherine is ready to fight but it’s not just her life she’s fighting for. With her family by her side, she’s preparing them for what’s to come. In true Catherine style she’s right once again… The war has started and now the she family needs to be vigilant and deal with what’s thrown their way..
I loved the secondary characters that are introduced in this book, and hope to see more of them in the future
This book contains love, loss, anguish, heartache, blood and is action packed.
It’s about survival of the fittest. I absolutely love this book if I could rate it any higher I would. It’s definitely a 10 star read
The final installment to Catherine’s story delivered so many emotions as we witnessed Catherine enter the fight of her life not only against cancer but her battle to relinquish control of the legacy she had created… handing over the reins to Gabriel. The empathy felt as she lost herself, her identity and her femininity to the deadly disease. This was so very powerful as it could be anyone of us… it is so very real and that’s what makes it so emotional; as woman we can connect with what this character was going through. We saw her at her weakest, regroup and come out the fighter that we know her to be. Stronger and a better version of herself. The love between her and Theo was just an inspiration, a love that stood the test of time and transcended through their own marriages to other people. The sorrow as she told Gabriel of her life with his father and I admire the fact that she didn’t try to influence her children’s opinion of him.
Told from a multiple POV; the book takes you on a journey like no other. I love books with strong female characters and this book delivers exactly that! The passion in the writing is evident as the book flows beautifully. My only criticism is that each character’s POV was delivered in a very similar style… I felt it would have better to give the men more of an edge to the tone in which they told their part… This doesn’t detract anything from the writing or the story whatsoever. It’s just something I notice when reading different POVs
WOW!! Monique hit this one put of the park! I couldn’t put it down! Just when you think you know what’s coming she throws you something new. Just be sure you have the tissues ready because this one gets the emotions flowing! I highly recommend this entire series! #SternFamilySaga
This book is everything. Anytime I read the last book in any series I start out a little melancholy. But this book GUTTED me I was in tears more than once. But to say bye to a set of characters that feel like family is always hard this book was the same. I loved every second of it and DEVOURED all these words. I LOVED this series and this book didn’t disappoint it is an amazing way to end the series.
Part two picks up with Catherine fighting for her life, literally. Turning over control to someone so she can fight is not easy and causes a lot of turmoil in the Stern house. But cancer or not, Catherine is still a bada$$!. I’m still mad at Gabriel and I still want to throat punch him. Fallon made me so proud, and you can totally see her taking over the reins of the family from Catherine some day. You definitely need to read part one to understand everything that is going on this book. I love these characters and the stories are so well written in this series. The series is a must read!!!
OMG she did it AGAIN. This author continues to hit it out of the park with every swing! This was the conclusion of the matriarch Catherine’s story and it DID NOT disappoint. Bombshell after bombshell about what went in to making this such an amazing family, not always on the right side of the law but usually on the right side of the greater good. I’m always interested in the thought process of WHY characters make the decisions they make, and hers were certainly intriguing. I have grown to love her through her kids stories but mad respect for her through her own story. And Theo, what a fiercely protective Papa Bear! So happy we get deeper into his mind. Such a gentle giant. Do NOT cross that man’s family! Catherine deserves someone that devoted to her. This whole series has been amazing and I can’t wait to see what the author brings us next. I’d love to see cameos of this family in her future work because I’m not ready to leave the Stern – Trehan world, its a fun place to visit!