Winter In Full Bloom by Anita Higman, Book review and GIVEAWAY

Publisher: River North; New Edition edition (July 19, 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-0802405807

Synopsis:

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.


Here are my thoughts: 

Anita Higman's novels gathers good reviews as she readily grabs your attention from the onset and offers fans and new readers always a good read. For my part, I enjoy her fresh style and gentle reminders each of us can make a difference in the world with Him by our side.

Winter in Full Bloom features the loveliest cover I have seen in a long time! The artist gets my vote! You just feel your fingers reaching for the novel whilst your imagination soars!

Ten years have gone by since Lily last saw her mother. When she attempts a reunion with her estranged parent, a family secret is revealed: unbeknown to her, she has a twin living in Australia.
Horrified, Lily packs her bag and flies to Melbourne, to investigate the possibility of reuniting with this unknown sister, a postcard of Melbourne's beautiful cathedral her only clue.

Winter In Full Bloom guarantees a few chuckles at Anita's illustration of Lily's fear of flying. Meeting the most unlikely fellow passenger certainly brings out a little levity to Lily's uneasy feelings! 
As we follow Lily in her sightseeing we discover the beauty of  Melbourne, the Yarra river and the magnificent St Paul's Cathedral and find a myriad of little details certain to make us love the land Down Under all over again. 

When Lily is befriended by an Aussie/Texan she finds herself looking forward to her stay in this beautiful land whilst searching for her sister's whereabouts. In doing so she glimpses a whole new life for herself if she is only willing to take a chance.

Thus so far, I enjoyed the narrative as you cannot but like Anita's male protagonist. He plays bagpipes after all, speaks with an Aussie accent and obviously cares for Lily very much!

Winter In Full Bloom's plot line is arresting if you enjoy reading about the complexity of dysfunctional and even angry filial love. I do not. 
Even seeing it through Anita's rosy coloured lenses, the whole forgiveness concept was too unlikely to sound true. 
Finally, but for Lily and her sweet Aussie/Texan, none of the other characters were engaging and I lost any enthusiasm in the ensuing plot line.

3 stars!

(St Paul's Melbourne)

Landing page: 

http://litfusegroup.com/author/ahigman

About the Author:

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.

Visit her website (HERE)

Anita Higman's latest novel, Winter in Full Bloom, has just released. She's teamed up with her publisher, River North Fiction, for a fun giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party on August 29th.

 
  One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD
• Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 28th.Winner will be announced August 29th at the Winter in Full Bloom Author Chat Party on Facebook. During the party Anita will be hosting a book chat, talking about family, announcing the winner of the Kindle Fire, and giving away a ton of books, gift certificates, and more. Oh, and she'll also be giving party goers an exclusive look at her next book.

So grab your copy of Winter in Full Bloom and join Anita on the evening of August 29th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)

 

DON’T MISS A MOMENT OF THE FUN! RSVP TODAY.  

HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE 29th!

I received a paperback copy of this title from LITFUSE as part of their blogger review program . I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.