Book Description:
Publisher: CreateSpace (September, 2014)
Category: Mystery/Suspense, Humor, YA, Adult
Tour Date: November/December, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 249 Pages
ROSARIO
I am Rosario Dominguez Gonzalez, heiress to one of the largest and oldest fortunes in Spain. My family is considered in both the most elite economic and social circles as one of the richest and most influential in Europe…
BALOU
That was until the day when I sensed that someone was watching me; I opened one of my eyes and was just about to close it again when something caught my attention…
Rosario and Balou need each other for very different reasons… But for one of them, it is a matter of life and death.
Balou is taken away from his mother at a very tender age and sold to a pet shop where he waits impatiently for someone to claim him and take home a black and as he considers himself, an attractive British Shorthair cat. Just when he thinks this is going to be impossible and his bags are almost packed to go to the local animal shelter, he meets young and troubled Rosario who is really not looking for a pet.
It doesn´t take him very long to realize that something is horribly wrong in her household and he takes it upon himself to protect the human he has come to love almost as much as he loves his food, his siestas and of course the time he spends outside chasing everything and anything that moves.
A Strange and endearing alliance is forged between them but he soon discovers that something is horribly wrong in Rosario’s household. ‘I Stand Corrected’ is Patricia Asedegbega’s first novel in English.
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My Thoughts:
‘I Stand Corrected’ opens with Javier taking his wife, Rosario, shopping to pick out her own gift. She really doesn’t want one but finally goes into a pet shop to take a look. Javier sees a dog that he likes and encourage her to adopt it but when she saw a black cat, she knew she wanted him and named him Balou.
Balou and Rosario are the narrators through the book. Balou tells us how he ended up at a pet shop and how he fell in love with Rosario. He found out pretty early on that Rosario needed someone to protect her and he even missed some very important siestas to do so.
With a cat narrating the book, some may assume it is a light read but you would be mistaken. Yes, there is humor in it but the dark subject of spousal abuse is at its core. Having been at the receiving end with my first husband, I can attest that Asedegbega does an excellent job writing about this touchy, important subject. She does it in such a way that the reader is entertained yet horrified at the same time.
This is a difficult book for me, it brings me back to my first marriage that lasted only one year. I was lucky that things happen that year that gave me the strength to get out early. Plus I had the support of my parents and siblings. I have noticed some reviewers wonder why Rosario didn’t leave at the first signs of abuse. However, I remember feeling like ‘a deer in headlights” at the time it was happening to me. My self esteem back then was not strong and he made threats about if I ever left and I believed him. I even felt sorry for him. He was a master manipulator, much like Javier in the book. He did not carry out those threats.
I have grown from that experience and found my self-confidence with work. I can’t imagine getting myself into that situation again. I actually loved my single life, once I gain the confidence. However, several years later, I met Bill and after a year, agreed to marry him. I have not regretted it! I hit the husband jackpot with Bill and he spoils me, when I allow it. In June, we celebrated our 18 year wedding anniversary and are still best friends.
I know I digress from my review, however, I thought it was important to share my personal experience. This book is the first book in a series and I hope for Rosario and all abused women, that their gain their voice and strength to leave like I did. Even if you don’t have friends or family who can help you, there is a way out. You just have to take that leap of faith. There are agencies that will help you find a safe place to live if you are worried he may go looking for you. I hide myself for a time.
If you are in an abusive relationship, you can do a internet search using “domestic abuse services” to find an agency in your area, that can help. You can do it at your workplace or go to a library so your spouse won’t find your search.
I loved “I Stand Corrected’ however, I don’t know if I will read the sequel, only because it brought back my past life, much like post traumatic stress. I read it in two days and I got very little sleep. I just couldn’t turn off those tapes of my past life in my head. That said, I highly recommend it!
This is Patricia Asedegbega’s first book written in English but she has other books written in Spanish. I hope that she will release her Spanish books translated in English!
5/5
I received the ebook addition for my honest review.
About Patricia Asedegbega:
Patricia Asedegbega is the author of Bienvenidos a gatos anónimos, Pasarse cuatro Pueblos and Sesenta segundos dan para mucho, Patricia Asedegbega Nieto was born to a Spanish mother and a Nigerian father in Madrid. As a child, she relocated with her family to Nigeria and later returned to Spain, where she acquired her BSc and master´s degree. She is currently living near Madrid with her family and her very stubborn cat, Merlin Mojito.
I Stand Corrected is her first English language novel.
Website: www.patriciascorner.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Patricias_Place
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricias-Corner/379333638784765
Buy “I Stand Corrected’:
Enter the Giveaway:
There is still time to enter the giveaway I have going on for one print or ebook copy of ‘I Stand Corrected’ but hurry, it ends on December 4th at midnight! You can find my giveaway at https://theteddyrosebookreviewsplusmore.com/2014/11/book-tour-giveaway-i-stand-corrected-by-patricia-asedegbega.html#.VHvyzjHF_h4
