Good afternoon friends and welcome. Thank you so much for visiting last week. The blog meant a lot to me and thanks to all for liking it. This week I’m extending the holiday season with my book review for author Amy Dunne – ‘Season’s Meetings.’ As many of you know, Christmas is a favorite time of mine.
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”
~ Jane Austen
The players of the story are Catherine and Holly, who go on an unplanned adventure together at a mutual person’s home, who happens to be Catherine’s only friend, Beth.
Catherine is a workaholic and uses her job to cover up an old love pain. However, she does outreach work to heal emotional scars. At the same time she is uptight and needs a release so she can enjoy the beauty that life has to offer. Her vibe is standoffish and she can’t relax at all.
“I’m sorry, Cat.”
“For what?” Catherine asked. Her palms grew sweaty and she blotted them on her trousers.
“I’ve tried to be reasonable with you. I’ve given it my best shot, but you’re right. I can’t change your mind. You’ve left me no choice.” Beth sighed dramatically. “I’ve got to use my secret weapon. I’m sorry.”
Holly is young, energetic and is starting out on her own. She is Beth’s cousin and was invited for the festivities. She keeps her life simple and it works for her.
I found Holly to be delightful and playful. Never did I sense negative feelings from her. Even in the worst of times, she still manages to be optimistic. Her character touched me.
A twist comes into the play putting the two women into danger. This got both of them to rethink their priorities and realize what is really important. I was chilled as I read along.
There is a lot of suspense that kept me on edge. Also there is plenty of good drama between several of the characters. Maybe even a catfight. I felt the hairs on my neck standing up during these scenes. The interactions between the players flowed flawlessly.
And of course, there is romance in the story, which was tender and loving. Both of the women were equally involved and made a nice steamy scene, that gave me excitement. They were descriptive, but not over the top. I felt the love between them and couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next.
This book is sweet and I enjoyed it. It kept me in the Holiday spirit. The author is clear with her descriptions and atmosphere. It took me about five and a half hours to read and I would recommend carving out an afternoon where you can do just that. You are going to love how this story unfolds.
After I read the book, I got a chance to listen to the audible version. It is very smooth and easy to get into. The narrator voiced all the characters, creating a robust and rich experience. You will be very pleased.
Five Stars
Excerpt 1
Catherine straightened her shirt with both hands. She disliked this part of her job but also happened to be rather good at it. “So, if we don’t dramatically increase our sales before the Christmas break, January’s going to be a bleak month. With the current economic situation I’m sure I don’t need to emphasise how difficult finding a new job is. If you want to still have a job in the New Year, you’ve got to sell more in the next two and a half weeks than you did for the whole of last month.”
Tom, a lanky man with thinning blond hair, raised his hand. Catherine nodded curtly, giving him permission to speak.
“Isn’t that basically a threat, Catherine?”
Catherine folded her arms and regarded him coolly. “No, Tom. It’s an honest prediction of what’s likely to happen. I’m not here to be nice, to be liked, or to tell you comforting little lies. I’m here to get results.”
“But it’s so close to Christmas,” Alice said in an infuriatingly nasally whiney tone. She was plump with grey hair and a bright red nose from her incessant nose blowing. Large novelty Christmas tree earrings hung from both earlobes. “What you’re asking is practically impossible.”
“What I’m asking is difficult, but not impossible,” Catherine said. Exasperated by the attitude and glares she was receiving, she tried to boost their morale. “If we follow the strategies and give our all, we can achieve our targets. We’ve a distinct advantage. While all the other departments and sale companies dramatically slow down and take their eye off the prize in the lead-up to Christmas, we can reap the benefits. Unfortunately, there are going to be some restrictions. From this moment on, no more annual leave requested before Christmas will be authorised—”.
Excerpt 2
“Glad you see sense.” Catherine pulled out a chair from under the table. “I have another surprise.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I need you to sit down here, plug these earphones in, and close your eyes.”
Holly looked confused but sat as requested. Catherine removed Holly’s plate to one side. When Catherine handed her the earphones, she hesitated and searched Catherine’s face.
“Do you trust me?” Catherine asked, her heart beating a little bit faster.
“Totally,” Holly said. She plugged her ears and clenched her eyes shut.
Catherine quickly set up her tablet. The screen flashed, and when faces appeared she plugged the earphones in.
Holly physically jumped from the sound. Her eyes flew open and she stared at the screen in disbelief. After three quick blinks, her hands shot to her mouth, and she let out a gasp.
Catherine’s work was done for the time being, so she stepped away from the table. She watched Holly closely, storing everything to memory, especially the expressions and the few stray tears of what she hoped indicated joy.
“Mum? Dad? Shit! How’s this even possible?” Holly asked. Listening to an answer Catherine couldn’t hear, Holly nodded at the screen, and then looked over to her. Swallowing and clutching her chest, she mouthed the words, “thank you.”
Catherine shot her a wink and left the kitchen, patting her thigh for Kimmy to follow her into the bedroom. Her plan for at least the next thirty minutes was to take Kimmy for a walk so Holly could have some privacy while talking with her family in Canada.
I want to give you all a special thanks for joining us today. Also I’d like to send a thank you to Amy Dunne for creating this wonderful book. Stay tuned for next week when I’ll be featuring Artist, Jen Chef.
Until next time,
Lynn
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