First in the Sisterhood suspense series revolving about a group of women gathered together to find justice for those whom the law has failed.The StoryDevastated by the death of her daughter, Barbara, in a hit-and-run accident, Myra Rutledge is suddenly jolted back to life when, as a result of a not guilty verdict against a man who had confessed to killing a woman's daughter, the woman shot and killed him on the courthouse steps. Myra realized there were too many instances where the law was protecting the criminal and decided she would use her money and her lover's expertise to fight back. Myra chooses to form a vigilante group who will find their own brand of justice for themselves and for other women. Each woman brings her skills to the aid of each other as they begin to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses.The plan is to draw a name out of a hat to determine whose cause will be brought to a conclusion first. In Weekend Warriors, justice for Kathryn will be found.The CharactersMyra Rutledge, the owner of a Fortune 500 candy business, lost her pregnant daughter, Barbara, to a hit-and-run driver. There was no arrest. No conviction. For the driver had diplomatic immunity. Charles Martin is a former MI-6 operative. Now retired and in charge of Myra's security. He's also an old love with whom she has reunited. Nicole "Nikki" Quinn is a defense lawyer and the informally-adopted daughter to Myra. A sister to the now-dead Barbara.Alexis Thorne was a securities broker who was framed by her brokerage firm. Julia Webster is a plastic surgeon who contracted AIDS from her philandering senator husband. She can no longer work in her profession. Kathryn Lucas is a long-distance trucker driver raped by three bikers. In front of her disabled husband. Waiting until he died to salvage his pride, Kathryn has learned that the statute of limitations ran out. Yoko Akia, partnered with her husband in a flower shop, wants revenge against her father for pimping out her mother. Isabelle Flanders was an architect until the accident in which a trusted employee was driving killed a family. Unconscious from the accident, Isabella was framed by that employee and spent time in prison. The lawsuits wiped her out, branded her as a felon while the guilty employee is living high on the hog from the generous court settlements. Now she works as a personal shopper under a new name.Jack Emery is, at the start, Nikki's almost-fiancé and a prosecutor with a passion for law and order. My TakeOn the whole, I enjoyed this story. And I must confess I am so on the side of real justice as opposed to what we have now. Yeah, I know it's wrong. The vigilante thing. But so is protecting criminals. Even though Michaels doesn't pay much attention to the details. Scones? For breakfast? Maybe if they'd been baked by an American and not an Englishman?? There are just too many instances throughout the story of these oddities. I mean, why does Michaels refer to Charles as Emery in the start of the book and then Martin a few pages later? Is it part of his relocation/retirement? Or is he related to Jack Emery?Nor does Michaels put much effort into depth or smooth movements from scene to scene let alone within individual moments. It's jarring. And amazingly simplistic. Supposedly they've established an alibi for Kathryn by having Isabella disguise herself as Kathryn and go to a resort in the Bahamas…to get away. Yet, Kathryn can barely afford her husband's funeral. And she suddenly "flies off" on this trip from San Francisco when she's scheduled to pick up a load even though she's actually driving her rig down towards LA? What? No one's going to notice/find out her truck's moving around California while she's supposedly in the Bahamas? Then there's the parking lot of the ladies' various cars (and truck) at Myra's farm. Okay, it makes sense for the ladies to just show up for the first meeting but after Jack notices and checks out the owners of those cars. And they still show up in their various vehicles later where anyone could see? Hullo? What is the supposedly omniscient Charles thinking??The CoverThe cover is both feminine and cottagey with its white clapboard background and the white picket fence flower box overflowing with daisies in front of an opened window, the white curtain pulled aside.The title is certainly apt as the first instance of justice is meted out against the Weekend Warriors who raped Kathryn.
When I finished this book, I decided I needed to sleep on it before I rated and reviewed it because my feelings were pretty mixed.In Weekend Warriors, a group of woman who have suffered from great injustice are brought together by a wealthy woman named Myra who's pregnant daughter was killed in a hit and run accident. The driver, a Chinese diplomat with immunity, goes unpunished. After going into a fugue state for many months, Myra comes alive again when she realizes that these injustices don't have to go unpunished.The first case they decide to take on is Kathyrn's. She was gang raped by three motorcycle enthusiasts while her wheelchair bound husband was forced to watch. Not wanting to further hurt her husband's ego and knowing he wouldn't be able to stand a trial due to his health, Kathryn kept quiet until after Alan's death. That was when she went to lawyer Nikki Quinn, Myra's adoptive daughter, only to discover that the statutes of limitations have run out. This group of women, or the Sisterhood as they come to call themselves, concoct a plan to exact Kathryn's revenge and give her attackers the punishment she sees fit. As far as the plot goes, I really enjoyed it. I don't know many people who haven't felt upset by injustices that slip through the cracks. I also enjoyed the idea of women taking back the power and deciding not to be victims anymore. So from that respect, I really enjoyed the story.The problem was with writing. The story could have been so amazing if the writing had just been stronger. I felt no real connection to any of the characters. I could sympathize with what had happened to them, but by the end of the book, I just felt like I'd never truly connected. Also, the dialogue at times just seemed to jump around too much and lacked a sense of real emotion. I think if the characters had been more fleshed out it would have helped the story out in the long run.Overall, though, I really enjoyed the premise, and I do want to read more of this series because this was such a fast paced, quick read. I'd like to see how the series develops and what kind of scenario the sisterhood finds themselves in next.
What do You think about Weekend Warriors (2004)?
Every book, movie, etc. creates its own world that must adhere to the principles the author dictates...much like the real world. This is a novel about revenge in a real world type setting that suddenly has a ghost and psychic thrown into it thereby negating the author's initial premise.I would like to have seen a hint of mental disorder with the character who saw the ghost and maybe even with the psychic as well. The thought that one or more of the Sisterhood members are headed for a mental breakdown would increase the danger factor for their missions while keeping the story grounded in the author's real life setting.As it stands, the novel is just another story quickly churned out for the masses without the beauty and sophistication of prose that truly sets an author apart.
—Bob
Fern Michaels has been a favorite author of mine for quite some time. Her books have yet to disappoint me. This book was not realistic but at the same time it was fun to read and probably something that a lot of us females have thought about doing to evil men (Lorena Bobbit style) LOL This book has it's faults and could have used a little bit more editing but it kept me interested and that's a plus :) It was a quick read and a nice change from some of the crappy books I have read lately. I probably wouldn't recommend this book unless someone was just looking for a some what funny book filled with hate and revenge.
—♥Robin ♥
This was one of those books that made me glad I've adopted a three chapter rule. After the first two chapters I was convinced that this book was headed for a early departure to the bad book graveyard. It was disjointed as the author spent more time attempting to build the foundation for a series rather than focusing on the current storyline. Also, having listened to the audiobook, the narrator was mediocre at best and made it hard to get through. However, the book takes off once the sisterhood is formed and Kathryn Lucas is chosen as their first case to avenge. While this book is clearly no literary masterpiece (the writing is ridiculously simple and amateurish), the story of these wronged women seeking their own brand of justice resonated with me to the point that after awhile it became easier to over look its flaws. In the end, there was enough here to hold my interest and reserve judgment on the series as a whole until I've read the next two books.
—Denise ~The Procrastinating Book Diva~
