Annette Bower

I received a free download of this book in return for my honest opinion.

How would you feel if the wonderful guy you’re about to marry suddenly ups and dies just a week before your wedding day, then you’ll know precisely how Anna felt when her fiancé, Murray, had died. Unfortunately since that tragic day, on a daily basis she would receive an onslaught of condolences, gazing looks of sympathy, etc. from both friends and strangers alike.

Eventually Anna had taken all she could bare and decides ditch her current environment and move to the cottage she’s inherited from her fiancé and his family in Regina Beach.

As a child of the 1950’s I can remember those autograph books we used to use when we graduated junior high school [9th grade at the school I went to] where we would say congratulations to our friends. etc. Sometimes we would write little fun things like:

2 GOOD
2 B
4 GOT 10
[which was written as an addition problem] or things like:

“Don’t make love by the garden gate. Love is blind, but the neighbors ain’t.”

This is the kind of place Regina Beech is, a place where everyone has to know everyone else’s business; and this is especially true when it came to someone who’s just moved there.

Along with Anna who’s here to recover from her drastic loss, we have Nick, a Sergeant in the Canadian Army who came home to recover from his tragic accident where he lost a limb due to an IED explosion. Both of these two main characters were there to find some sort of solace from their own predicaments, and it’s a chance meeting her first night in Regina Beach which and brought these two “lost” souls together.

I loved how the relaxed dialogue shortly ensued soon afterwards and then eventually led their relationship to blossoming into one of a more serious nature. However, this could never grow into a truly open relationship since she refuses to talk about her past, and he refuses to talk about his future, especially where it concerns his desire to return to active duty. Who will be the first one to break the silence and share their secret? Will their relationship become a happy ever after one? I’m not saying, but I am giving Ms. Bower’s book 5 STARS !!!… (más)

Anna and Nick are the main characters in this book. This book uses Canadian English spelling so it may be a little off to some people. Please remember that it is not a grammar/edition mistake. That is how the words are spelled in Canada. Yes, it is correct I ask a friend I work with who is Canadian. I did not do this to verify who was right or wrong. I did this to help understand the book more.



Anna is trying to move on from the horrible past. It is something that everyone has tried to accomplish before. To move to a new city, a new job, a new house or apartment. To try anything to help forget the past that is haunting us over our shoulder. What Anna does not realize is that in a small town you can never run or hide from the past even if you are someone new. The natives their will want to know your whole life story. They will do anything to get it out of you or make up something just to satisfy their inquisitiveness.



I did not know until looking on a map that Regina Beach is an actual city in the Saskatchewan territory. When looking at the city the author actually used the real street names. I love an author that goes beyond normal when writing a book and that is what Ms. Bower completed in this book. To use actual street names shows how much she cared about the accuracy of this book.



I know that I am not providing a very good description of this book but if I talk too much about the plot or characters I will give some major spoilers and I honestly do not want to add those. Therefore, this was an amazing book. Thank you for such a great pleasant read Ms. Bower. I cannot wait to read another book you have written.… (más)

Reviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews
www.readyourwrites.blogspot.com

Robin “Robbie” Smith is a twenty-five year old grad student majoring in Human Resources. Robbie’s thesis is to determine how society treats people who are different from them. Mainly how society judges people who are obese. In her case, how obsese women are treated.

Jake Proctor is a thirty-five-year old professor of Anthropology. He has been accused of stealing $15,000 from his project’s fund. He is taking a leave of absence while the investigation into the missing funds is going on and he is using the time to spend with his dying grandfather, the only family member he has left.

With the help of three women, Mavis, Sharon, and Margaret, who are all overweight themselves and struggling with and finding their own ways to deal with society’s perception of them, Robbie transforms from a small sized woman into a large woman.

On Robbie’s first outing as Robin, she meets an elderly man named Frank Proctor. Frank is the grandfather of Jake and he is also dying of leukemia. Robin reminds Frank of his late wife Mabel. They quickly begin a friendship.

In the beginning, Jake is suspicious of Robin and thinks she’s trying to pry upon an old man. Frank and Robin like each other and get along really good. Once Jake realizes that Robin isn't trying to pry upon Frank, he asks Robin to spend more time with his Grandfather. Jake is even willing to pay Robin for her time; something she is very upset by. Jake’s heart is actually in the right place. He’s concerned about his Grandfather being alone too much in the final days he has left.

While Robin is forming a bond with Frank, she’s also forming a friendship with Jake. At different points in time throughout the book, Jake and the real Robbie meet on various occasions. Robbie is terrified that at some point Jake is going to figure out what she’s up to. Jake seems to become very comfortable with Robin, but not so comfortable with Robbie. It appears that Robin with her size and her caring nature reminds Jake of his Grandmother.

Jake accidently discovers that Robbie is actually Robin and that she put on a fat suit for the purpose of her thesis, on the same day his Grandfather passes away. This discovery makes Jake question just who Robbie/Robin really is and if everything about her was just part of her act. Jake has to come to terms with his past and be willing to look inside himself.

Woman of Substance is categorized as being a woman’s fiction/sweet romance book. For me, Woman of Substance is simply about realizing that it isn’t what a person looks like on the outside. It’s about realizing that the true heart, soul, spirit and beauty of a person is what’s on the inside.

Source: Blog Tour Host… (más)

A country romance for all ages, “Moving On: A Prairie Romance” by Annette Bower is a cozy read. The type of novel that gives readers an escape into a world where helpful neighbors are abundant and the strife of daily living is soothed by the gentleness of a country lifestyle.

Anna Jenkins and Nick Donnelly have each become the unexpected beneficiaries of property owned by their families in Regina Beach. For Anna, a trained nurse from Toronto who had been adopted, the windfall is a gift she was lucky enough to receive from being accepted by the right family. For Nick, a former peacekeeper in the Canadian Army, the Donnelly land along with the local bed and breakfast isn’t an inheritance he feels he earned from his father Jack and his grandfather Henry but was passed down to him, and he wasn’t even sure if he wanted the responsibility.

Bower paints a picturesque world in Regina Beach where integrity for one’s work is a requirement and raising a good family is a priority. Working the land is an everyday occurrence and a necessity for the families of Regina Beach. Everything is homespun, homemade and done with love. The peaceful aesthetics of the rustic town shows few flaws until the tension between Anna and Nick stir up its tranquility.

Anna is fearful of dogs, a remnant of being attacked by one as a child and Nick is the proud owner of one very big, black and gentle dog named Molly. Nick has a hidden wound as well. His prosthetic leg keeps him from engaging in an intimate relationship with a woman.

How Anna and Nick overcome their insecurities and give themselves the license to fall in love takes on a real life tone or tempest as the case becomes. Their interaction gives these characters an authenticity that warms the reader’s hearts welding the homey feel of Jillian Hart and a sense of family values reminiscent of Sherryl Woods. “Moving On: A Prairie Romance” is a cozy story that readers can cuddle up with during a moment of privacy.… (más)