They say that truth is stranger than fiction, but in Tarrin’s Bay, she’s about to find that love is stronger than time...
By day, single mother Olivia Chevalier runs the family’s bookstore and raises her nine-year-old daughter. By night, she escapes into a world of fiction where there is excitement, romance, and happy endings.
Both of her roles are endlessly rewarding, but Olivia’s life has not been without challenges, hard work, and disappointment. So when enigmatic travel writer Joel Foster walks into her bookstore – and her life – with his mantras of trying new things and taking risks, Olivia knows that nothing will change.
But when a family dilemma surfaces, Olivia is compelled to enroll in Joel’s writing course to tell the story of her grandmother’s life. With each new day and each new page, Olivia discovers secrets about her family and truths about herself, and finds herself yearning to rewrite the story she has planned and seek a life as intriguing as fiction. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
If it has Juliet Madison's name on the cover, you can bet I've read it. I adore her writing and am always looking forward to her next book. However, with her Tarrin's Bay series, I have to wait a year between novels. They're all worth the wait though! Memories of May is another sweet addition to this fabulous series. While it can be read as a stand-alone, there are some spoilers for previous novels (mainly April's Glow).
Memories had a Sarah Jio feel to it, with going between the past and present, both containing romantic dilemmas. I enjoyed the flashbacks to May's memories from when she was 20 and receiving letters from a secret admirer.
The dialogue was entertaining and sometimes humorous throughout the story. I even got teary-eyed toward the end. I liked reading about some of the situations Olivia got into, especially since I couldn't imagine partaking in her new adventures myself.
My only minor complaint was that some of the characters became too introspective at times and I would get frustrated with them over it. Maybe that was meant to happen in order to get the story where it needed to be, but it was like talking to a friend and not being able to tell them what I think they should do.
Overall, I adored this novel and am hoping to move time forward to get to June...next year!
Here's my dream movie cast!
Olivia: Abbie Cornish
Joel: Daniel MacPherson
William (past): Brenton Thwaites
May (past): Ellie Bamber
Jacques (past): William Brent
May (present): Rosemary Harris
Thanks to Juliet Madison for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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This book sounds really good. I enjoyed the review too.
ReplyDeleteYou sure make the series sound enjoyable. I continue to be blown away by your casting choices. As into TV and movies as I am, I still can't believe how many actors I simply don't know. This definitely separates you from all other bloggers. Nicely done.
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