This was a good action romance story that tackles social and political issues. Sharleen and Clint who used to be high school sweethearts meet each other after many years and their lives are completely different. Sharleen has become the rich wife of a big-time mafia boss and Clint has become a financially- challenged husband to an ill wife. That alone, is very intriguing, but there’s more to it. The story not only focused on Sharleen and Clint, but also the people who have been victims of unlawful events. This story delved into issues such as racial discrimination, human trafficking, and corruption, and that’s what made this book hard to put down. Definitely a 5-star read for me!
Everyone’s Heroine!
Sharleen is everyone’s heroine! I love her great desire to help people and prove that it is never too late to find happiness. Though this book has the kind of female spirit that will instantly pull in female readers, I doubt that male readers can resist Sharleen and her good heart. What is mostly intriguing about this book are the topics involved like racism, corruption, and human trafficking. This action romance story was such a heartwarming and informative read. I recommend it to mature readers for its sensitive contents.
Never Too Late Review
Summery
Clint and Sharleen were high school sweethearts. After many years, they meet again, both with very different lives. Sharleen is the wife of a big-time mafia boss and lives in a mansion on Long Island with all the money she could ever need. Clint, on the other hand, is in financial distress because his restaurant’s renovation has gotten out of hand, and his wife, Sharleen’s best friend, is suffering from a terminal illness. With Sharleen back in his life, will she be able to save Clint from bankruptcy and start over as friends?
Review
Never Too Late is an action romance novel by Harold Fischel. The story is about Clint and Sharleen, the people around them, as well as the people they meet along the way. This book is rich with different characters who are victims in different ways, and the story tackles sensitive issues like racial discrimination, unjust government systems, and human trafficking.
I like that the author incorporated social, political, and other issues instead of just focusing on Clint and Sharleen. This book is rich with backstories of different characters who are victims of unlawful events, and my favorite character is Mikie, a handicapped boy.
I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is heartwarming and very informational. I recommend this book to mature readers who are into action romance. The story lived up to its title in more ways than I have expected.
Never Too Late Review by Roy T. James
Completed on: 7/6/2015
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed By Roy T. James for Readers’ Favorite
Never Too Late by Harold J. Fischel begins with Clint Crawley, who happens to bump into his old friends at a recent reunion and is shocked by the news of an impending financial disaster, finding his business threatened by banks. One of those friends, an old flame from his high school days, Sharleen, uses her connections with the underworld in helping him. Clint’s wife dies, he meets Sharleen off and on to her husband’s annoyance, and finally, they decide to move together to start a new life in Bermuda. There they ‘continue to be a magnet for people with strange stories,’ like Ana with a disadvantaged and mentally challenged young man, Mike, or Nina, a woman rescued from a local modeling agency which actually is involved with human trafficking.
Never Too Late by Harold J. Fischel is many novels compressed into one. Quite a few of the characters, seen to be part of Sharleen’s life, can very well have an independent existence. Sharleen interacts with a variety of people from different walks of life, and in each instance the association leads to desirable inputs from her as well as happy reactions from them, establishing her strong character. With a narration that is deft and absorbing and a plot that is rich in its variety and content, I got the feeling that the eventful lives pictured in the novel finished too soon. This prompts me to say, ‘It is always too early to finish Never Too Late.’
Never Too Late Review by Melinda Hills
Review Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed By Melinda Hills for Readers’ Favorite
It is ‘never too late’ to make up for past mistakes and that is exactly what drives Harold J. Fischel’s novel by the same title. High school sweethearts Clint and Sharleen went their separate ways after graduation, but a class reunion brings them back together in an unexpected way. Clint is tapped out on financing for his restaurant, partially due to medical expenses for his wife, Jada. Sharleen has married a Mafia boss and has plenty of money at her disposal so she secretly backs a new loan for Clint. Jealousy and old-world mentality put both Clint and Sharleen in harm’s way, so they flee to the safety of the reservation where Sharleen was brought up. Together, they establish a restaurant in Bermuda where they encounter a number of different people who have special needs of their own. Clint and Sharleen try to help everyone, even when it puts them in danger. Can their love see them through or will the hardships of the world ruin their chance at love?
Never Too Late is an exciting story about hope, forgiveness and second chances. Harold J. Fischel presents a variety of social problems through the actions of the outstanding characters and demonstrates that love and understanding can go a long way in making the world a better place. Vivid descriptions of places and people, as well as exciting action and thought provoking dialogue, keep you turning the pages, anxious to see what happens next. Never Too Late is an entertaining and engrossing story that makes you alternately hold your breath and cheer as Clint and Sharleen navigate the issues that plague them.
Never Too Late Review By Cheryl E. Rodriguwz
Review Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed By Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers’ Favorite
Never Too Late by Harold J. Fischel is an action packed romantic drama. Frederick High’s class reunion begins a chain reaction in the lives of the once golden couple, Sharleen and Clint. They were high school sweethearts, but their romance ends soon after high school. Clint leaves to play baseball for the Dodgers and Sharleen heads for Hollywood to become a star. Clint gets injured, moves home, and takes over the family restaurant. Believe it or not, Clint has married Jada, Sharleen’s childhood best friend. Meanwhile, Sharleen becomes the wife of a Mafia boss, Giovanni Fuentes. Sharleen’s husband is a jealous, domineering man; he keeps Sharleen well protected and on a tight leash. However, Sharleen is a good hearted woman, who is always willing to give a helping hand to those in need. When Clint’s life begins to unravel financially, Sharleen secretly secures a loan for him. This begins a series of events that unites Sharleen, Clint and Jada into a three-stranded cord that is not easily broken. Sharleen believes that fate has brought them together. “Never too late” becomes a driving force to guide them.
Harold J. Fischel’s Never Too Late proves the bonds of friendship, family and love. But hold on, it is not your normal romantic tale. It is fast paced; the short chapters keep the action moving, resulting in a captivating read. Anything and everything is thrown into the melting pot of conflict in this narrative – drug addiction, racial discrimination, cancer, Mafia hits and international sex trafficking. Characters are multiracial and Fischel highlights and portrays their different heritages throughout the story. The characters range from the self-righteous Italian mob to the traditional and numinous ways of Native American Indians. The heroine is strong, charitable and a romantic at heart, but believes that she has bad luck. The hero is masculine, yet at times vulnerable. These traits make the couple magnets for the down and out, causing their lives to intersect with many. However, the supporting cast of characters propels the action. The plot is a blend of romantic love and vendettas, benevolence and hatred, fear and faith, hope and despair.
With such a vast cast of characters, I believe that some of the lasting traumatic effects they endured were minimized, especially regarding the recovery from being a victim of sex trafficking and witnessing the brutality of violence. There was many characters to keep up with, in this instance, I believe focus on less characters would have made a more enjoyable read. Nonetheless, the happy ever after ending, is a contributing factor the romance genre.
Never Too Late Review By Julia Schemmer
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed By Julia Schemmer for Readers’ Favorite
A rekindled love is a beautiful thing, but what happens when your lover has already found someone else? For the characters of Never Too Late by author Harold J. Fischel, this is exactly what occurs. Meet Clint and Sharleen, two star- crossed lovers whose different ambitions forced them to part to their own separate galaxies. When they are destined to cross paths again, this time it’s a bit more complicated. Both are married; Sharleen to a mafia boss and Clint to her best friend. Can you say awkward? When trouble strikes for Sharleen, it’ll take unfathomable courage and the help of her friends to get her through. Will Sharleen come out victorious and survive the odds, or has her time come? An inspiring tale of bravery, resiliency, and adventure; you do not want to miss out on this read!
My favorite books are not only the books that will leave me reading at 1 a.m. because I’m hopelessly drawn in, but ones that bring attention to pressing social issues. Luckily for me, Never Too Late by Harold J. Fischel fits both descriptions. Not only is the book a romance and an adventurous tale, but Fischel uses the power of his words to draw attention to issues that are commonly ignored, such as human trafficking and the existence of mafias. Through this book, I gained a new perspective on these issues due to his relatable characters that put a mental image on the issue. This book was truly a treasure to read, and I give it my highest recommendation.
Never Too Late Review By Anne-Marie Reynolds
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers’ Favorite
Never Too Late by Harold J Fischel tells a story of loves past and future. Sharleen and Clint used to be high school sweethearts, but one day his career on the field is destroyed by a shattered arm. By the time he recovers, Sharleen has moved on, and gone to Hollywood to become a starlet. Years later, they meet again at a school reunion. Both are now married, Clint to her best friend from high school and Sharleen to a notorious Mafia boss. Clint’s business is failing, heading for bankruptcy, and his wife is sick. Can Sharleen help out on both counts? She has a strong connection to the Mafia that protects her, especially when she is arrested and locked up. But that connection cannot secure her bail. Her stepson, Freddy, steps in to help and is joined by Sharleen’s cousins to help her escape from where she is being held prisoner. Join Sharleen on her adventures through life as we learn that no matter what life throws at you, it really is never too late to find what was meant for you.
Never Too Late by Harold J Fischel isn’t quite the story you think it is going to be. It isn’t as simple as meeting up after many years and falling in love all over again; life isn’t that easy. Through all the to-ing and fro-ing, the arrests, the terror of being held at knife point, Sharleen still has so much to give and give she does. The underlying message here is that it isn’t too late to find true love and happiness, and Mr Fischel has demonstrated that perfectly in this novel. The storyline itself was well thought out and written in such a way that I read it in one sitting. A good book and well worth the time it took to read it.