Blog Tour: SWEET BITTERNESS by Tricia McGill

 

Sweet Bitterness

by Tricia McGill

 

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GENRE:   contemporary romance

 

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BLURB:

 

First love can be wonderful—albeit at times tortuous. Rarely does it last, and at times is so painful it brings nothing but heartache. Often it is the girl who has a passion but in the case of twenty-year-old Tony, his feelings for seventeen-year-old Melody become what can probably be termed an obsession. An obsession that stays with him as years pass and their lives go in different directions.

Sadly, often a third party steps into the mix, diverting the course of the lives of young lovers. In Melody’s case, it is her father who shatters the hopes and dreams of this pair. Not only is Melody’s parent an overbearing and obstinate man but he happens to be an unprincipled police inspector who does not hesitate to use the power his position entitles him to exercise.
Shattered by the events that ensue, Tony takes off to the other side of the world and makes a successful life in Australia. Always the dream of returning to England and claiming his lost love stays with him. Many obstacles crop up, making his dreams seem impossible. Meanwhile Melody is left to face a loveless life forced on her by her father where escape to happiness drifts further away as the years pass.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

The local dancehall contained the usual Saturday evening crowd. For a while, Tony watched a vision of perfection as she danced—not with everyone who asked her, he noticed. The two mates he came along with had disappeared, probably gone off with the girls they danced with earlier, but Tony suddenly had no desire to hold anyone in his arms but this raven-haired beauty with the figure of a goddess. Dare he ask her—his world tilted when she accepted his offer. Above average height himself, she reached his chin and felt like a delicate porcelain doll as he pulled her as close as he dared.

 

After dancing without speaking, apart from exchanging names, the bandleader announced that they were taking a break, so Tony asked tentatively, “Can I interest you in a drink?” To his great delight, she accepted with a nod. “That’s an unusual name, by the way,” he commented as they stood side by side with their drinks—no fancy tables and chairs in this place. “Is it your real name or did you choose it?”

 

“Of course, it’s my real name, silly.” She nudged his arm. “My mum chose it, after seeing a movie where the leading lady was called Melody; she said she decided to call her daughter that, if she had one.”

 

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Review: It begins with Tony and how he met Melody, the girl of his dreams.

“Within a month, he was totally besotted by her charms—and a slave to her every whim.”

Everyone kept telling him that she was leading him on and using him, but he refused to listen to any of them. After seeing her manhandled by her boss, jealousy and possession start to take root. There was no question about it: she was his. Then the best time of his life turns into the worst moment when she confides that she can only marry him if he was rich. She promised that she would if Tony came back rich. But when he returned and found out that she had already married, his whole world—including his heart—shattered. He knows that the baby is his and that Melody is the one for him, so he tries to run away with her, but she never showed up. With that being the last straw, Tony leaves for good.

In this extensive prose, we see the courtship of the main characters. It would seem that Melody was one deceptive and lying shrew…until it’s revealed that Melody’s father, a cop, was abusing his power and doing everything he could to sabotage her relationship with Tony.

For years, Tony and Melody lived separate lives with her being stuck in a bad marriage and him dating someone new that doesn’t compare to the love he lost. The 2 never forgot each other.

Story has a slow and simple narrative. It’s an interesting read overall—full of drama, love, and, of course, sweet bitterness. It can be long and complicated at times. Still, turned out to be a fairly nice read.

 

Rating: 3.5 stars

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Award winning author Tricia McGill spent her early days in England, and moved to Australia many years ago, settling near Melbourne. The youngest in a large, loving family she was surrounded by avid readers, who encouraged her to read from an early age, is it any wonder she became a writer. Although her published works cross sub-genres, romance is always at their heart.

 

Tricia’s love of animals has always shown up in her books. Tricia devotes as much time and money as she can spare to supporting worldwide conservation groups and is passionate about supporting those who do all they can to preserve our wildlife for future generations. She also volunteers for a local community group that helps disabled adults and children to connect to the internet with provided computer equipment. When people ask what she does in her spare time, she is heard to ask, “Spare time, what is that?”

 

www.triciamcgill.com

http://triciamg.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/authorTriciaMcGill

https://www.amazon.com/Tricia-McGill/e/B002DBFNJC?

 

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GIVEAWAY :

 

Tricia McGill will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway