LAST BITE OF THE CHERRY by Margaret Cullingford Dark #Romance @CullingfordMags #RNA @RNAtweets

Last Bite of the Cherry by Margaret Cullingford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last Bite Of The Cherry is a dark romance, more of a tale of slowly unfolding life-stories which culminate in another chance for some of the characters.

The book opens in 1969, Monica Sommers is just fourteen, she witnesses her parents arguing, then a near fatal accident. A distressing time for the young Monica.

A couple of chapters later and it is now the year 2000. Monica is in training to be a nun, is involved with a refuge for abused women and she also counsels. She hopes to help Rosaleen Westlake, a women suffering from depression. Through their sessions Monica finds similarities in their lives and this unleashes her own past.

The book hops back and forth with time-slips throughout Monica’s life. Much of it involves her re-telling these events to her very good friend Father Malachy O’Brien.

This is an intense read, often dialogue lead, but with sprinkles of rich descriptions as the storyline builds in layers. There are also some enjoyable characters who bring their own wide ranging local dialects to the book. I particularly liked Dora.

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Book Description

Monica Sommers, during counselling sessions with depressed Rosaleen Westlake, is reminded of her own tumultuous past. Monica, only child of warring parents, loves unwisely. Insecure, impulsive, she betrays with irreversible consequences, Will Ackroyd, the love of her young life. Will loves her above all else. Seeking atonement, she meets and falls in love with Malachy O’Brien, her chance of a last bite of the cherry, if love, like life, is a bowl of cherries. Malachy is everything any woman would want in a man. But, can he love her in return? Malachy is a priest. Cherries have stones. 

About the author

Mags Cullingford, escaping the rumpus of a university department, decided to generate uproar she could control. She realized a long-term ambition to write fiction. Although ‘romantic’ is not how she would describe herself, Last Bite of the Cherry is a love story, with issues and then some. Otherwise there would be little fun in either writing about, or reading of the characters she conjures up, or so she thinks. 
She has now completed her second novel, Twins of a Gazelle, and is currently working on a third. 
Mags is a founding member of the indie publishing group, The New Romantics 4

Goodreads | AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Twitter

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Dani reviews How To Climb the Eiffel Tower by Elizabeth Hein

Today we have a review from team member Dani, she blogs at http://onlybooksandhorses.wordpress.com/

Dani chose to read and review How To Climb The Eiffel Tower by Elizabeth Hein

Here is Dani’s review.

This book has become one of my all-time favourites. My ability to form a coherent review may be severely stunted by how much I loved it.

The story follows Lara Blaine, a super-fit workaholic who’s running from a tragic past. When she gets diagnosed with cancer, the world of relative safety she’s built around herself is shaken to the foundations.

While the story and beautiful characterisation is poignant and moving, it’s also acutely relatable. There were times when I looked up from the pages half convinced that I had cancer – that’s how realistic Ms Hein’s character is.

In spite of the sober subject matter, the story is one of hope, of healing on more than one level and of fresh starts. It’s a grounded, accurate and enlightening tale of friendship and overcoming fears.

How to Climb the Eiffel Tower is fantastically written, and the plot was a perfect amalgamation of all of the factors in Lara’s life. I loved the careful growing of relationships (especially with Vanessa) and the way we get to see our protagonist grow as a person. I was, however, a little thrown by the suddenness of her romantic pairing (I was rooting for Tom!).

Jane and Lara also have a great relationship – their selfless natures and their unfamiliarity with the art of friendship make them a joy to read about.

My only real complaint about the book doesn’t affect the text at all; it’s just that I felt the cover image didn’t quite do the novel justice. This isn’t a wishy-washy rom-com, but a candid, down-to-earth story of life and – more importantly – of hope.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Letter P on The A to Z April Challenge 2014

Today I bring you letter P on the A to Z Challenge. Today my book is The Potter’s Daughter by Daniel Arthur Smith. Genre: Life Story Romance

The Potter’s Daughter is a slice of life story about Abby Bellen and her father Will.

After a promise to her dying mother, Abby Bellen, the estranged daughter of an aging ceramic artist, feels obligated to return to her home on Willow Lake to put her father’s life in order. Years have passed since Abby fled the home of her youth and a past she would rather forget. Now Abby has no choice other than confrontation as the long buried rift that exists between the two surfaces and they must together face the failures of their misspent relationship as she discovers, with the help of new romance Mitch Carlson, what she needs to make herself whole.

E-book

UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Potters-Daughter-Literary-Daniel-Arthur-ebook/dp/B00CNUWJ2W/

US http://www.amazon.com/Potters-Daughter-Literary-Daniel-Arthur-ebook/dp/B00CNUWJ2W

AU http://www.amazon.com.au/The-Potters-Daughter-Literary-Series-ebook/dp/B00CNUWJ2W

Print

UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Potters-Daughter-Daniel-Arthur-Smith/dp/0988649314/

US http://www.amazon.com/Potters-Daughter-Daniel-Arthur-Smith/dp/0988649314/

US http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-potters-daughter-daniel-arthur-smith/1115323521

Links to your author sites

Author Pages (Amazon)

UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Arthur-Smith/e/B00A7IO4MK/

US http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Arthur-Smith/e/B00A7IO4MK/

Author Twitter

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/authordasmith

Author Website

http://www.danielarthursmith.com

Facebook

http://facebook.com/danielarthursmith

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6893816.Daniel_Arthur_Smith

Serial Sites

http://pottersdaughter.com

http://thecatharitreasure.com

Here are some randomly selected links to other bloggers who are taking up the A to Z Challenge, please find the time to visit them.

http://irenewaters19.com/

http://sabrinagarie.com/

http://northofandover.wordpress.com/

During April we are asking people to leave as many comments as they can on blogs, any supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.

Guest Author Sarah Solmonson

Today my guest on the blog is Sarah Solmonson, please join me in welcoming Sarah to the blog, here are Sarah’s replies;

1) Tell me your name

Sarah Solmonson

2) Where do you live?

Less than a mile from the beautiful Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota.

3)When did you start writing?

In kindergarten I used to think I was writing when I added words to my books. I still have a stack of construction paper books from the first grade – the collection grew from there!

4)What type of books do you like writing the most?

Narrative non-fiction

5)Pass on 3 tips about writing or publishing.

1. Secret to meeting word count goals? Place bum in chair and write. It’s that simple. 2. Never stop learning. Read craft books, read blogs, study from the best of the best who have paved the way. 3. Promote and cheer on others 90% of the time, promote yourself the other 10%.

6)What was the last book that you read? How would you rate it?

The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult. 3/10. I actually yelled at the book a few times and threw it across the room once.

7)Now choose just one of your books and add a link to it.

Taking Flight

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Flight-ebook/dp/B009T631WA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1363835981&sr=8-2&keywords=taking+flight+sarah+solmonson

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taking-Flight-Sarah-Solmonson/dp/1480121789/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368385271&sr=8-1&keywords=Taking+flight+by+Sarah+solmonson

For the next thirty minutes I was untouchable in my joy. The sky was clear, the sun already tempting me to spend another day at the beach. I had my best friend by my side and a boy who loved me. It was about this same time that you were inching down the runway, lifting off the ground for one of the hundreds of take-offs the FAA required your experimental aircraft to make before you could expand the distance you were permitted to fly. It was about this time that everything changed… David Norton lived for two things: family and flying. With the help of his wife, Jan (self appointed parts manager) and teenage daughter, Sarah (lifelong co-pilot), David worked for six years building his very own airplane in his basement workshop. His dream became a reality in the spring of 2000 when N256DN took its first flight. Three months later, David was performing a routine take-off when a fluke change in wind brought his plane down. David was killed instantly. Jan and Sarah were thrown into a whirlwind of grief and depression that nearly destroyed the family David so dearly loved. I was unhealthy in every way a person could be, intensified by the fact that I kept pretending to be fine. Or doing my best to pretend, to fit into who I was before. I cared about nothing but went through the daily motions of school, homework, and hanging out with friends, as though these were still the most important parts of my life. I felt like I was outside of my own body most of the time, watching from the side-lines as Sarah smiled. Now a grown woman with a family and dreams of her own, Sarah looks back on the depression and darkness of teenage grief and the unthinkable transformation of her family following her father’s death. Taking Flight is a journey through loss, a story of love, and a lesson in following your dreams – no matter what the cost. Life is beautiful and brief – get your copy of Taking Flight today and find the inspiration to touch the skies of your dreams.

Lillian’s Story by Sally Patricia Gardner

Lillian’s Story by Sally Patricia Gardner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book, it tells of one woman’s story who was born in 1900 and lived through two world wars and countless other experiences. It’s fast paced and full of wonderful memories of lives, loves and losses. A good piece of British history.

View all my reviews