Thursday, February 6, 2014

Where The Wildflowers Grow by Vera Jane Cook ~

Publisher: Musa Publishing (March 8, 2013)
Genres: Womens Fiction, Southern Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Tour Dates: January, 2013
Available in: ebook only 312 pages

The Story of Sassy Sweetwater was the Finalist for the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards for 2012! Won the Eric Hoffer Award for Sassy Sweetwater for 2013 – Honorable Mention Best ebook Fiction!
Sexual confusion and dysfunction cause the unraveling of the perfect American family in small town Georgia in 1960.
Rose Cassidy’s fantasy life is a haunting reminder that she’s living a lie. So when she has the opportunity to act on those fantasies, she dives in without any thought to consequences.
Rose’s husband, Ryan, has fantasies of his own, and his actions cause unimaginable pain to the very children he tries so hard to protect.
When the happiness each member of the Cassidy family seeks so desperately to find is shattered by shame, guilt, and ultimately murder, they must each face the truth that lies deep within their souls.
My take on this book:
I became a fan of Vera Jane Cook after reading Sassy Sweetwater, so I really had high expectations for Where The Wildflowers Grow and Ms. Cook delivered in spades. Her ability to provide a richly detailed drama that pulls the reader not only back in time, but also takes you on a trip into the south is something that she seems to do with ease. She tells the story of the Cassidy family who for all intents and purposes seemed to have it all together, thing is this family has it's secrets and when those secrets start to come to light we learn that some secrets are far worse than others. I so enjoyed witnessing the story thru the eyes of each character, because it really brought each character to the forefront allowing us to see their flaws and frailties, glimpsing the lives they live and why they are unhappy. I can't really say that I had a favorite character, because each touched me in their own way, but the story of Rose and the path that she chose had me wondering how that choice might be accepted. I found myself feeling empathy for Lily, who was continually looking for love because of something that happened in her teens. Fans of family drama, sagas will find plenty to enjoy with this dysfunctional family, and if your thing is a good tale set in the south well then Vera Jane Cook is the author for you.  Well written with more than a few twists to keep the plot moving along, I found myself pulled into the life of this family, becoming engrossed in this story right up until the end. I will warn there are sexual situations written into this story, but the author does it with very good taste, allowing those scenes to enhance the overall story. On a scale of one to five I would easily give this book a six because it's just that good! 
About Vera Jane Cook:
Vera Jane Cook, writer of Award Winning Women’s Fiction, is the author of The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Lies a River Deep, Where the Wildflowers Grow, Dancing Backward in Paradise and Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem.
Jane, as she is known to family and friends, was born in New York City and grew up amid the eccentricity of her southern and glamorous mother on the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan.
An only child, Jane turned to reading novels at an early age and was deeply influenced by an eclectic group of authors. Some of her favorite authors today are Nelson DeMille, Calib Carr, Wally Lamb, Anne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Her favorite novels are too long to list but include The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Cheri and The Last of Cheri, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Wuthering Heights, Look at Me, Dogs of Babel, The Bluest Eye, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Body Surfing, Lolita, The Brothers Karamazov, She’s Come Undone, Tale of Two Cities, etc., etc., etc.,
The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Vera’s second published southern novel, was a finalist for the ForeWord Book of the Year Award for 2012! The novel also won the Eric Hoffer Award for 2012 – Honorable Mention Best ebook Fiction! Vera’s first published southern novel, Dancing Backward in Paradise, won the Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction in 2007 and the Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence, also in 2007. Both books earned five star ForeWord Clarion reviews!
The author works by day for an education publishing company as an account manager and lives on the Upper West side of Manhattan with her long term partner, her Pomeranian, Daisy, her Basenji/Chihuahua mix, Roxie, her Chihuahua, Peanut and her two pussy cats, Sassy and Sweetie Pie.
Vera Jane Cook’s Website: http://www.verajanecook.com/
Vera Jane Cook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/verajanecook
Vera Jane Cook on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vera.j.cook
Buy Where the Wildflowers Grow:
Follow The Tour:
So Many Precious Books Jan 20 Review & Giveaway
Joy Story Jan 21 Review & Giveaway
Carole Rae’s Ramblings Jan 23 Review
Romance & Inspiration Jan 27 Interview
Wall to Wall Books Jan 28 Review & Giveaway
Romance & Inspiration Jan 31 Review
From Isi Jan 31 Review & Giveaway
Back Porch Reservations Feb 3 Review (postponed)
The Book Review Feb 5 Review
WV Stitcher Feb 7 Review
I Feel So Unnecessary Feb 10 Review & Interview
Manic Mama of 2  Feb 14 Review
Indie Reviews Behind the Scenes Mar 29 12 pm cst Interview- Live on Blog Talk Radio


1 comment:

  1. Thanks for taking part in the tour. Wow, a 6, I'm glad you loved Where the Wildflowers Grow so much!

    ReplyDelete

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