Winter in Full Bloom

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When I received my review copy of Winter in Full Bloom, I didn’t realize how much this book would strike home for me. You see, the book is about a woman whose family life gets turned all upside down and she has to sort through the pieces to arrange the puzzle again. Everyone has family issues at one point or another; it’s just that my family issues happened to occur when I was reading this book. This book about reconnecting with family members was a dose of irony for me.

Winter in Full Bloom tells the story of very likable characters. Each of them has a strong personality, so I halfway expected there to be a lot more clashing than there was. The dialogue, plentifully dished out in the novel, felt very realistic. Ironically, the cover seems completely off base to me. For some reason the cover image makes me expect to read about a nineteenth century spinster looking for a husband in the winter of her life. Right??? It is truly a beautiful cover but unfortunately is so misleading. Instead, the story is deep and scarred like the bitter family divide that Lily has experienced. As I read this book, my mind often wandered to relate to my own family’s issues. This book helped me to remember that everyone has a kink in the family web every once in a while. Lily, the main character, seemed like a woman who would be a friend in real life. I’m around the same age as Lily so I could see myself in her shoes. The situations in the book were interesting yet believable. Never having traveled to Australia, it was interesting to read some of the eccentric foods that are commonly served there and phrases that are part of the dialect. I pictured Camille visiting East Tennessee and drinking some sweet tea from Pal’s. That thought gave me a bit of a smile.

This is a book that echoes with love and forgiveness. We don’t get to choose our family and we certainly don’t get to choose how our family members behave. Even when we don’t like the choices we see our loved ones making, it’s important to remember that God’s love needs to shine through our words and actions. Reading Winter in Full Bloom reminded me that family is family, no matter the distance or the decisions that part us.

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!)