Reivew: Filter (The Von Strassenberg Saga, #1) by Gwenn Wright

Title: Filter

Author: Gwenn Wright

Series: 1st in Von Stranssenberg Saga

Pages: 392

Published: Available now CreateSpace

ISBN: 9781461053002

Source: Author sent for honest review

Description: In this darkly romantic family saga, Rocky Evans searches for a way out of her stepfather's self-inflicted poverty. Just weeks before graduation, with a plan to go anywhere the alcoholic slug of a man wouldn't find her, a car pulls up alongside her on the dark streets of Nashville. The young attorney in his flashy car speaks cryptically of the family she never realized she might have. In a fast paced, heart wrenching first installment of The von Strassenberg Saga, Rocky Evans begins on her journey to unearth the roots of her family tree. What she will learn is there is a reason some roots are best left deeply buried.

I Give This ...

This book is way more than the description even hints at.  A storyline depicting two very different and yet the same teenager and living in two different centuries.  While, I had an idea how they were connected, how the story played out was a pleasant surprise.  

Our present day heroine is Rocky Evans.  Her mother died during childbirth living her with the only man she knows as a father, even if he's the furthest thing from it.  When a young lawyer finds her on the streets of Nashville claiming she's the girl they've been looking for, it's just enough to make the decision to leave.  While waiting for the results of the DNA test, she gets a taste of the life that just might be hers.  And if along the way, she learns a little bit about the love she's never really had, well what's the harm in that.

Our other point of view is Katherine.  She lives in the late 1700's in St. Louis.  Her family is wealthy, which of course means she lives a life of privilege.  She's also considered weak and generally unhealthy, so she spends a lot of time in bed reading.  She longs to have the life she reads in her books.  When she meets Viktor, she finds a kindred spirit, although she finds him infuriating at first.  

The story changes view points with each chapter, but it does so flawlessly.  Rocky's story hints at a darker side but it's Katherine's story that truly takes over as the highlight of this book.  I wasn't expecting it to be so dark and haunting.   There are so many things going on inside of Viktor's home, that its worth discovering for yourself.

While I did find the book engaging, it was a little slow and drawn out in places.  Rocky seems a little bit shallow for all she's gone through.  But, maybe it's just the novelty of the new life presented to her and it will were off.  There was also a lot of unanswered questions in Katherine's story.  I'm hoping they will be addressed in the next installment!