Review : Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman (Fiction)

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17290454-winter-in-full-bloom

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Book Blurb

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.

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Book Blurb

Lily is feeling empty nest syndrome now that her daughter Julie has gone off to college. She has also been a widow for a year and her loneliness is engulfing her. She decides to try and patch her relationship with her own mother whom she hasn’t spoken to in 10 years. She tries but her mother remains the cold and unfeeling woman she has always been. She doesn’t want to have the relationship with Lily that she wants. Instead she drops a bomb that shocks Lily to the core. She has a twin sister names Camille and she lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Lily can’t believe that her mother kept this a secret for forty years. She doesn’t understand how this could be happening. Her mother won’t even tell Lily what happened. So Lily has a name and a city. That is not much to go on but she hops a plane even though she hates to fly and makes it to Melbourne. She begins her search. She isn’t having any luck and meets with more disappointment. Then she meets Marcus. He volunteers to help Lily. He knows his way around Melbourne and decides he likes her company.

They team up and resume their search for Camille. They finally find her by chance, but the reunion is nothing like Lily thought it would be. Her sister revealed what really happened and Lily is shocked a second time. Camille doesn’t want anything to do with her mother or her.

Lily is devastated and Marcus takes it upon himself to help. He talks Camille into at least meeting with Lily. A slow relationship begins with Camille after the first meeting. They continue to get to know each other and try to find their way forward. Lily has another relationship blossoming with Marcus. He is making her feel like she is living her life. She hasn’t felt like this in a long time. Her feelings for him are growing fast. She is finding a way to build them both in a short amount of time. Life is complicated and Lily hopes for the best for all.

This was a sweet story. It was intriguing when the giving away of the twin sister was revealed. The reader was as shocked as Lily, especially when her mother refused to give details. Her mother is a horrible woman and I wondered throughout the story why she was like that. She also influenced two other lives with her decision and now the consequences are coming to light. I felt sorry for both Lily and Camille who lived without each other as a result of their parents’ selfishness.

I also liked Marcus a lot. He was a sweet companion for Lily and was exactly what she needed at this point in her life. I was fascinated at how fast they clicked and how quickly their relationship evolved into more. It was a lovely story.

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I give it a 4 out of 5