Gemma It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do it. It was more like I never expected anyone would really make me see it through. I had no idea it would come to this. I mean, what were the odds? One in four hundred and thirty? And only if I got called? That was nothing. I’d never even won with a scratch ticket. Fortunate just wasn’t my gig. Frankly, I did it for the free tote bag and the unlikely—but … for the free tote bag and the unlikely—but more likely than this—shot at the $100 raffle prize. I had no idea what I was really signing up for the day I opened my mouth to let them swab at me. Needless to say, here I am. Lucky, lucky me.
Destiny
It wasn’t that I didn’t need to go through with it. I mean, what person wants to die before they even turn thirty? I just felt bad about the stranger who’d have to come so far—1,200 miles from my best guess—out of her way to help me. Being helpless just wasn’t my thing. I was the chick who managed to make it to and from chemotherapy treatments for two full rounds before my family even knew what was going on with me. And then, everything changed and the only thing that could save me was marrow from some woman who didn’t even know me. Lucky, lucky her.
Paul
It wasn’t that I didn’t care about what was happening with Destiny. I just knew better than to ask too many questions. She was always independent, and a guy like me knows better than to get in a woman’s business; especially when she’s your sister. But when she lost her hair and forty pounds, it would have been strange for me not to step in. I had to ask, even though I already knew the answers. And so, I did what I needed to do to help her fight the battle of her life. Little did I know, that the strange woman from down south who held all the cards for fixing Destiny, could be so complicated. Silly, silly me.
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Risking Destiny is the story of Gemma Wade, a woman with a mysterious past and the unique ability to save Destiny’s life. The day the letter arrived from the Bone Marrow Registry was a day that changed everything. Will Gemma give up everything to help a stranger? How desperate will Paul become to ensure she does? Could they, too, be a match? Or, are some things just stacked too far against the odds?
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This was an AMAZING read from Erin Lee. It had all the feels that I have come to know and love from Erin Lee’s books!!!
Once I opened this book up I could not put it down. The lengths that Paul went to to save his dying sister is something that you just don’t hear about anymore. The gift that Gemma gave to Destiny is again something that you don’t hear about these days. The ultimate sacrifice that both Paul and Gemma succumbed to at the end of the book is still fresh in my mind 24+ hours later after reading this book!!!
If you are looking for a quick read that packs a HUGE emotional punch, Risking Destiny is the perfect read for you!!!
I enjoyed getting to know Gemma and her life and circumstances. It definitely gave the beginning of the story a dismal and somewhat hopeless feel.
Getting to know Destiny, her illness, and how she had been dealing with it demonstrated her strength. Here was a girl who had a plan for the future, only to have those plans completely shattered by illness. It showed me that whole “life is unfair” thing in vivid color.
Paul was a character that embodied determination and love for his sister. It was heart-warming to see all that he was willing to do to help his sister have a chance at getting well.
Gemma in Chapter 4 had my blood boiling a bit with her nonchalance about the possibility of saving someone’s life and staying sober. Wow. Selfish much? And the more I got to know of Gemma, the more I absolutely loathed her and her attitude.
Watching Paul and Gemma over the time they spent together was very interesting. And Gemma grew on me at that point as she seemed to change before my eyes. I felt so good in Chapter 11 believing that everything was going to work out and end in a HEA. Chapter 12 introduced more shocking information that I was unprepared for and that got my blood boiling again, only at Paul this time. The ending was so tragic and yet Destiny was able to take a lesson from all that had happened and move forward. This was a great story!
Erin Lee in her normal fashion has wrote that is a close to real life as you can get. This story about Destine a young woman with cancer and Paul her brother who is risking everything to save her. The human factors of love and hate, respect and determination come in to play. Gemma is the hope for Destine but will she be willing to put her life on hold for someone else. Lee takes you thought the process of self awareness and what could happen in the name of love and family. When it’s all said and done there’s a reason for everything and unfortunately it’s not always what you think it will be. I love the way Lee drawers you into the book and has you turning pages to see what is in store for the characters. This book is well worth the read, you won’t be sorry.