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The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

I have read a previous book from author Rosy Thornton, Crossed Wires and enjoyed it, so when Rosy asked if I would review her latest novel, The Tapestry of Love, I had no problem accepting. I’m saddened that I didn’t like this story as much as Crossed Wires. The heroine is Catherine, who sells her home in England and moves to the Cevennes Mountains after her divorce and her kids have grown and moved out of the home. She desires to set up a small business as a needlewoman, creating tapestries among other items for the locals. She must adapt to the mountain life, to her neighbors, and fight to run her business against the demands of the French bureaucracy.
I was about nine chapters into this story and still I was confused on what the plot was. Was there a romance between Catherine and any of her neighbors? Did she want her husband back? I wasn’t sure which direction the plot was going to lead me to, and I felt very confused and a little lost. This novel was just a bit too quiet for my taste. Not a lot of drama, mystery, or passion seemed to by hiding. I didn’t get a real emotional involvement with any of the characters, except for when one of the locals sleeps with Catherine’s sister because “she needed him” and he was doing her a favor. That made me dislike this character the rest of the way. Thornton’s writing is very beautiful though, and her descriptions are picturesque and vivid enough to make me feel like I’m in the Cevennes Mountains. I only wish the characters would have pulled me into the story more, and the plot would have been a bit more enticing.
Rating: 2.5/5

The Tapestry of Love Recipe Giveaway

I have a new twist on the giveaways I usually do! Author Rosy Thornton is releasing her latest contemporary romantic novel, The Tapestry of Love, on October 14th, and she wanted to do something a little different than usual. To celebrate this release, Rosy wants to share with all of you her recipe sheet that goes along with the novel.
The Tapestry of Love is set in the Cévennes mountains in France, and the local cuisine plays a large part in the atmosphere of the book, so Rosy decided to whip up some of the delicious recipes that are featured in the novel and share them! It’s simple to get the recipes, just comment on my Facebook page, RT the post on Twitter, or leave your name and email address in the comments section on this post. If you post on Facebook or Twitter, I will message or DM you for your email. And that’s it! Once I have your email, I will send you over the recipes from Rosy. No chosen winners, no limited numbers! Be sure to post your name and email below to get yours!

In My Mailbox: Week of September 26th

In My Mailbox: Week of September 26th

Title: Haunted Honeymoon
Author: Marta Acosta
Received: From Marta Acosta
Synopsis: THERE’S MORE THAN HER HEART AT STAKE. . . .As the only human to survive vampire infection, Milagro de Los Santos has become quite a celebrity among the blood-drinking elite. Too bad the perks of her condition—increased strength, super-fast healing—don’t pay her condo fees. There are other complications too. She’s feeling guilty about her fling with enigmatic Vampire Council member Ian Ducharme, and pining for her ex-fiancé, Dr. Oswald Grant . . . the fabulous man whose kiss changed her life. It’s when Milagro—irked by Ian’s attentions to his neighbor—travels to London and enjoys a sexy flirtation of her own, that the blood really hits the fan. Suddenly, those around her are dying gruesome deaths and Milagro’s being interrogated. Who would kill to set her up as a murder suspect? Milagro just wants to turn back the clock and have another chance to make things right, but no sooner has she escaped to Oswald’s ranch than an accident obliterates her memory. Will the murderer come after her now? And will amnesia spark a romantic do-over with Oswald—or will she make all the same mistakes before she ever gets to say “I do”?

Title: Anyone for Me?
Author: Fiona Cassidy
Received: From Fiona Cassidy
Synopsis: Meet feisty fun-loving Ruby Ross – thirty four, mad red hair, mad (in general) adopted and searching for answers (most pressingly being precisely whose genes are responsible for the most unmanageable bonce in the country?). She’s impulsive, compulsive and unaware of what she’s about to unleash in her quest for the truth. Her journey will take her from the Tyrone village of Swiftstown to Belfast to the rolling hills of Donegal (where the scenery is lovely but the roads are bad and burst tyres are plenty.)

Isobel Ross is larger than life, living in a picturesque cottage in Donegal in the grounds of an old manor house which has been turned into a hotel – but why are the new owners so keen to get rid of her? She’s harbouring secrets from the past and fiercely protective of her adopted daughter. Can she stop the wilful Ruby from opening a nasty can of worms or will the hand of fate intervene and give Ruby the answers she doesn’t expect or might not want.

Throw in Ruby’s forthcoming nuptials to the lovely Luke, Frankie, her best friend and bling loving bridesmaid, a wedding planner called Gabriel who wears more make-up than the bride-to-be and a dusty box found in an attic which leaves many questions unanswered and you have a bewildered and rather ferocious Ruby asking is there….Anyone For Me?

Title: The Tapestry of Love
Author: Rosy Thornton
Received: From Rosy Thornton
Synopsis: A rural idyll: that’s what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you’re no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbors, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that’s before the arrival of Catherine’s sister, Bryony.

Title: Blind Faith
Author: CJ Lyons
Received: From CJ Lyons
Synopsis: When her husband and son are murdered, she thought she’d lost it all. But for Sarah Durandt the nightmare is just beginning… Her search for truth leads her to a trail of lies and unearths a killer. In a race to save everything she holds dear, Sarah is forced to place her faith in the man who betrayed her…her husband.

Title: The Kiss Test
Author: Shannon McKelden
Received: From Shannon McKelden
Synopsis: Margo Gentry’s life is perfect. She loves her job as a country music DJ, and she has a great boyfriend who accepts her need to avoid marriage and tolerates her Elvis obsession – even the velvet Elvis painting in their bedroom. But then it all falls apart. The radio station changes formats and fires all the DJs. Margo’s boyfriend decides he wants kids and a house in the suburbs and kicks her to the curb. And to top it all off, her Mom is getting married — for the 11th time! — and expects Margo to be there as maid of honor. With no job and no place to live, Margo has to bunk on the couch of her best friend Chris, whose revolving bedroom door has played host to half the women in New York – at least, the ones that pass his “kiss test.” Worse, he’s insisting she attend her mother’s wedding, and is personally driving her cross-country to ensure she shows up. Forget about surviving the road trip – can their friendship survive The Kiss Test?

Title: Planning to Live
Author: Heather Wardell
Received: From Heather Wardell
Synopsis: Thirty-something Rhiannon is an obsessive planner and goal-setter, but somehow nothing she achieves ever seems good enough to her. Determined to lose forty pounds for her best friend’s August wedding, Rhiannon flees her parents’ house in a Christmas-day blizzard to avoid the temptation of all her favorite foods, but her car skids off the deserted road into a tree.
Unable to escape the car, with her leg trapped and bleeding and her cell phone out of reach, Rhiannon is at first certain she’ll be rescued and writes notes to her friends and family to pass the time. As the weather cools and her condition deteriorates, though, she recognizes the possibility that her life might be over. Interspersed with increasingly desperate escape attempts, her letters become deeper and more heart-felt as she comes to see what really matters in life.

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

Mina is a single mom working at a car insurance call center. Peter is a widowed father of twin girls, who crashes his car into a tree stump trying to avoid a cat. When Peter calls the insurance center for help, Mina answers the phone. From that simple phone call, two complete strangers who live miles and miles apart begin a friendly relationship, each wondering if it is possible they found love.
Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton is a charming love story. I enjoyed reading about not only Mina and Peter’s relationship, but the lives the supporting characters lead. Peter’s twin daughters struggle with growing apart, while Mina’s daughter can’t come out of her shell. There is also a little mystery played out with Mina’s troublesome younger sister that kept my interest. Overall, I thought the over the phone love story was too drawn out, that it took too long for the characters to meet face to face. The sub plots almost held me over, but the last few chapters I found myself frustrated that Mina and Peter had yet to meet. I still enjoyed the read, and I would love to see sequel on how the merging families have turned out.
Rating: 4/5

Author Profile: Rosy Thornton

Author Name: Rosy Thornton

Website: http://rosythornton.com/
Bio: Rosy is an author of contemporary fiction, published by Headline Review. Her novels could perhaps be described as romantic comedy with a touch of satire – or possibly social satire with a hint of romance. In real life she lectures in Law at the University of Cambridge, where she is a Fellow of Emmanuel College. She shares her home with her partner, two daughters and two lunatic spaniels.
Titles: Hearts and Minds, More Than Love Letters, Crossed Wires, and The Tapestry of Love.

In My Mailbox: Week of June 13th

In My Mailbox: Week of June 13, 2010

Title: Crossed Wires
Author: Rosy Thornton
Received: From Rosy Thornton
Synopsis: This is the story of Mina, a girl at a Sheffield call centre, whose next customer in the queue is Peter, and Cambridge geography don, who has crashed his car into a tree stump. Despite their differences, they’ve got a lot in common-both single, both parents, both looking for love. Could it be that they’ve just found it? This is a story about the small joys and tribulations of parenthood, about one-ness and two-ness, about symmetry and coincidence, about the things that separate us and the things that bring us together.

Title: Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker
Author: Marla Martenson
Received: From Marla Martenson
Synopsis: In Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker, Marla takes her readers for a hilarious romp through her days as an L.A. matchmaker and her daily struggles to keep her self-esteem from imploding in a town where looks are everything and money talks. From juggling the demands her out-of-touch clients to trying her best to meet the capricious demands of an insensitive boss to the ups and downs of her own marriage to a Latin husband who doesnt think that she is domestic enough, Marla writes with charm and self-effacement about the universal struggles that all women face in their lives. Readers will laugh, cringe, and cry as they journey with her through outrageous stories about the indignities of dating in Los Angeles, dealing with overblown egos, vicariously hobnobbing with celebrities, and navigating the wannabe-land of Beverly Hills. In a city where perfection is almost a prerequisite, even Marla cant help but run for the Botox every once in a while.

Interview with Rosy Thornton

Q: Why did you start writing?

I managed to make it to the age of forty before it ever occurred to me to write a word of fiction. Then, in 2004, I watched a BBC television adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic novel, ‘North and South’, and fell in love with the wonderful Richard Armitage in the lead role. I went on the internet to read more about him and about the programme – and discovered a world of North and South fanfic. That was how I began – having a go at my own fanfic, while still in a Richard Armitage-induced romantic haze.

Q: Did you ever think you would be a published author?

In my day job, I am a lecturer at Cambridge University, where I teach law, so I had already published a fair bit, but all of it a far cry from chick lit. My last book had been the sexily titled ‘Property Disrepair and
Dilapidations: A Guide to the Law’. It never occurred to me in a million years I could write a novel!

Q: Where did you find the courage to submit your writing after never attempting it before?

There were several of us writing North and South fanfic who branched out to try our hand at our own original fiction, and we encouraged one another to have a go at pitching for publication. Of the original band of us, five are now published novelists! Without that support and camaraderie, I’m not sure I’d have dared to make the attempt.

Q: Your contemporary fiction novels are tinged with romance and comedy. Why did you choose this genre, or did it more “choose you?”

I think romantic fiction was a natural choice after starting out the way I did. Blame Richard Armitage! But the contemporary settings and humorous voice just seemed to come from nowhere.

Q: You have your fourth novel coming out in July, The Tapestry of Love.
What can you tell us about this story?

The new novel is set in France, in a remote mountain hamlet in the Cevennes, where Englishwoman Catherine Parkstone moves to begin a new life.
Divorced, with grown children, she has decided to set up in business as a seamstress – and also makes tapestries of the scenes around her. It’s not quite the rural idyll she’d imagined, though: there is mountain weather to contend with, and French bureaucracy, and the reserve of her new neighbours. Among them is the intriguing Patrick Castagnol, who seems to be
a man of secrets And that’s before the arrival of Catherine’s forthright
sister, Bryony, who throws everything into confusion.

Q: Where do you find the inspiration for your characters and plots?

That’s a very difficult question to answer. The characters, I suppose, have traits of people I’ve met, people I know – but then on the page they take on a life of their own. And as for plots, these just appear from nowhere. I am not a planner: I begin with some characters and an initial situation of conflict, and the story then just goes where the characters take it.

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?

As you might guess from the source of my original inspiration, I love the
classics: Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot. Among contemporary writers I love Anne Tyler, Anita Shreve, Barbara Trapido, Kate Atkinson, E Annie Proulx, Jane Smiley. My favourite chick lit author is Phillipa Ashley.

Q: How do you enjoy your free time?

What free time? I have a full-time job, daughters of 13 and 11, and am moonlighting as a novelist. If I do have any time, I like to spend it with my girls, my partner and our two spaniels, at the beach or walking in the countryside.

Q: Are you more of an indoors or outdoors person?

Too often indoors, working or writing – not often enough outdoors with the kids and the dogs!

Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?

Read as much as you can, and read books you know are better than you could ever write yourself. Then just write. Write every day, if possible, even if it’s only a couple of sentences – but write!

Q: What would be your dream vacation?

Since writing ‘The Tapestry of Love’ I have had a hankering to spend a holiday in the Cevennes, in Catherine’s mountains. I set the novel there because of two wonderful holidays we had there before we had the girls – and now I am longing to go back.