Welcome to the blog tour for Winter In Full Bloom by Anita Higman!
Lily Winter's wings are folded so tightly around her daughter that when empty nest arrives, she feels she can no longer fly. But Lily's lonely, widowed life changes in a heartbeat when she goes to visit a woman who is almost a stranger to her---a woman who also happens to be her mother. During their fiery reunion, her mother reveals a dark family secret that she'd been hiding for decades---Lily has an identical twin sister who was put up for adoption when they were just babies.
Without looking back, Lily---with her fear of flying---boards a jumbo jet and embarks on a quest to find her sister which leads half way around the world to Melbourne, Australia. Befriended by imprudent Ausie, he might prove to be the key to finding her sister. But her journey becomes a circle that leads her back home to attempt a family reunion and to find the one dream she no longer imagined possible-the chance to fall in love again.
Purchase the Book: http://ow.ly/nIIcx
Without looking back, Lily---with her fear of flying---boards a jumbo jet and embarks on a quest to find her sister which leads half way around the world to Melbourne, Australia. Befriended by imprudent Ausie, he might prove to be the key to finding her sister. But her journey becomes a circle that leads her back home to attempt a family reunion and to find the one dream she no longer imagined possible-the chance to fall in love again.
Purchase the Book: http://ow.ly/nIIcx
Meet Anita: Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has over thirty books published (several coauthored) for adults and children. She's been a Barnes & Noble "Author of the Month" for Houston and has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends.
Connect with Anita at:www.anitahigman.com
Connect with Anita at:www.anitahigman.com
Review:
Lily has led a lonely life being estranged from her mother. Her husband also recently died, and her daughter moved away to college. On top of all that, her cold and cruel mother has revealed that Lily has a twin sister that was give away at a very young age. Lily decides to throw caution to the wind and fly to Australia to find her twin with little more than a hope and a prayer. As it turns out, Lily finds much more than just her sister. She finds a way to get past everything and move on with her life.
So I put off writing this review for a while, but I can't put it off forever. There were some really great things about this book, and then some things that completely put me off it. Let's start with the good stuff. The story was interesting. I found the idea of Lily not knowing she had a twin a little far-fetched, but I guess it could happen. It put her in an interesting place and allowed the plot to move forward, so I forgive that. The relationship she tries to forge with her sister felt realistic, so I liked that. Lily's suddenly falling for a handsome stranger was also one of those things I don't find realistic, but I forgive because it's a fairly typical trope for a romance-type novel.
My problem was with how the non-religious people were treated. I get that this is a Christian romance novel and has a certain audience in mind, but that is no reason for what I consider disrespectful statements about agnostics and atheists. There was one plot line in particular that involved Lily's dead husband and another person. I don't want to spoil anything, but I found the entire way the other person was characterized as distasteful at best. Maybe most people in the desired audience won't have a problem with it. I most certainly did. It's a shame because other than that I found the book to be interesting. There were a lot of great things, but those problem I had just ruined it for me.
Book provided for review.
So I put off writing this review for a while, but I can't put it off forever. There were some really great things about this book, and then some things that completely put me off it. Let's start with the good stuff. The story was interesting. I found the idea of Lily not knowing she had a twin a little far-fetched, but I guess it could happen. It put her in an interesting place and allowed the plot to move forward, so I forgive that. The relationship she tries to forge with her sister felt realistic, so I liked that. Lily's suddenly falling for a handsome stranger was also one of those things I don't find realistic, but I forgive because it's a fairly typical trope for a romance-type novel.
My problem was with how the non-religious people were treated. I get that this is a Christian romance novel and has a certain audience in mind, but that is no reason for what I consider disrespectful statements about agnostics and atheists. There was one plot line in particular that involved Lily's dead husband and another person. I don't want to spoil anything, but I found the entire way the other person was characterized as distasteful at best. Maybe most people in the desired audience won't have a problem with it. I most certainly did. It's a shame because other than that I found the book to be interesting. There were a lot of great things, but those problem I had just ruined it for me.
Book provided for review.
No comments:
Post a Comment