Tag Archives: romance novels

Two Romances

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I recently read two very different romance novels in which the authors couldn’t be further apart.  Sisters and Rivals was written by an Australian writer while Second Chance Romance was written by an American Southern writer.

Second Chance Romance is Jill Weatherholt’s debut novel while Sisters and Rivals  is one of thirty or so books published by Margaret Lynette Sharp.

Yet, they have in common their ability to create characters which draw you in, whether they are sweet and kind or selfish and sneaky.

Sisters and Rivals by [Sharp, Margaret Lynette]

It’s the mid nineteen fifties, and the nascent romance of two young Sydneysiders is about to be challenged. The heroine, Linda, is being courted by an ambitious young carpenter named Harry. Seemingly without effort, he passes the scrutiny of her parents and they encourage her alliance with him.

Trouble brews, though, when her sister Tessa lays eyes on him and, despite her engagement to a young accountant, makes her feelings abundantly clear. Will Tessa’s overtures ruin the fledgling love between Harry and Linda?

My Take

Ah, to be young and in love and having to face the heartbreak of betrayal. Anyone who has experienced betrayal will surely find comfort in reading this book.

The setting takes place in fifties Australia but it could easily have been in Canada or the US for its accent on the values and day to day universal details of an era absent of internet or cellphones and sex was well…perhaps more chaste then.

I found the book to be suspenseful enough to keep me reading and found the fifties era to be wonderfully portrayed.

Visit Margaret’s author page here.

 

 

Second Chance Romance

Jackson Daughtry’s jobs as a paramedic and part-owner of a local café keep him busy—but the single dad’s number one priority is raising his little girl with love and small-town values. And when his business partner’s hotshot lawyer niece comes to town planning to disrupt their lives by moving her aunt away, Jackson has to set Melanie Harper straight. When circumstances force them to work side by side in the coffee shop, Jackson slowly discovers what put the sadness in Melanie’s pretty brown eyes. Now it’ll take all his faith—and a hopeful five-year-old—to show the city gal that she’s already home.

 

My Take

Second Chance Romance is one of these feel good books which gives us hope in the goodness of humankind.  An inspiring book for anyone embarking on a relationship with someone who has small children. The relationship between the adorable five year old and her father’s girlfriend is worth paying attention to. 

It was refreshing to read a book where the characters are sweet, honest, good people. Also refreshing that they were middle-aged.

The book warmed my heart with its tenderness and honest abiding characters and its warm and friendly rural setting. 

Definitely a pick me up book.

Visit Jill’s author page here.

 

 

How I Got Published: Phil Fragasso

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Last May, in honor of Chick-lit month I wrote a post titled Chick Lit: Can Men Write it? That post linked to an article that raved about the enormous success of such male romance writers as David Nicholls and Nicholas Sparks and also included three other male writers in this genre.Today, I’m happy to add Phil Fragasso to that list and feature him on the series How I Got Published.

 

Phil Fragasso sold his first article at the age of sixteen and has written continuously since then. After a career as a marketing executive, he left the corporate world a few years ago to focus on activities that were more fulfilling on a personal level and more contributory to the world around him. Today he focuses on writing and teaching. He’s often said “I live the American dream” and that is indeed how he feels. With a wonderful wife, two grown children, great friends and a couple of rambunctious Labrador retrievers, he stays very active and involved.

HOW I GOT PUBLISHED

 I’ve often said that my tragic flaw is having too many interests. I’ve written in a wide variety of genres and my most recent books have been nonfiction. My first published book, however, was a YA novel and I love the characters I created to this day. During the years when my kids were young and my career was taking off, I put fiction-writing aside and focused on books and articles related to business. I decided to return to my original love — in the form of commercial fiction — and committed myself to fiction.

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