Today we're thrilled to be sharing The Lilac Cadillac, an epic love story at a time of war by Jane Harvey Berrick
"Amazingly beautiful and powerful"
"Heart-wrenching and poignant"
“I have no words to tell you how beautifully this is written. You give the whole war new meaning for those who didn’t live through it. This story is epic.”
“Better tell readers to get that box of tissues out ready”
SYNOPSIS
Two women, two lives, divided by an ocean – and a secret hidden for 75 years. London, 1939, Sylvia marries her sweetheart, Harry, in the days before he’s sent to war. It will be four, long years before she sees him again.
In 2019, Fiona McCloud is struggling to make ends meet in her small Iowa town but has big dreams of a more glamorous life. In private, the plus-size woman fantasizes about being Marilyn Monroe. In reality, she’s a part-time hairdresser and beautician at the Cedars Retirement Village.
Fiona’s favorite resident is 97 year-old Dolly. The world thinks Dolly is disgraceful, with her octogenarian lover and addiction to fast cars.
And then there’s Joe Fox, the sulky and sensual gardener, a Native American with flowing black hair and wary eyes.
When Dolly decides to take a road trip to Las Vegas, she persuades Fiona and Joe to come with her. They don’t know that Dolly has an ulterior motive, or that this journey will change their lives forever.
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EPILOGUE
© 2021 Jane Harvey-Berrick All rights reserved.
Life is a journey. That’s what they say, isn’t it? We’re all traveling toward some unknown destination, not knowing when or where we’ll stop, when we’ll pick up passengers or wave goodbye to others.
We grow up, we grow older, and the direction of the journey changes. Sometimes we choose our path and sometimes our path chooses us. But sometimes, just occasionally, someone else picks a different path for us, and we’re traveling down it before we even realize.
What happened to me is a combination of all these things: two very special people who changed the course of my life. And a large, ugly and uncomfortable car, a lilac-colored Cadillac.
It really was ugly. But I ended up loving it, because … well, it’s a long story.
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EXTRACT
© 2021 Jane Harvey-Berrick All rights reserved.
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Meet Jane:
Writing is my passion and my obsession. I write every day and I love it. My head is full of stories and characters. I’ll never keep up with all my ideas!
I live in a small village by the ocean and walk my little dog, Winnie, every day. It’s on those beach-side walks that I have all my best ideas.
Writing has become a way of life – and one that I love to share.
Connect with Jane:
Website | Facebook | Facebook Reader Group
Twitter - @jharveyberrick - Instagram
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon U.K | Amazon U.S
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I love Jane Harvey-Berrick’s books, and The Lilac Cadilac is no exception. As mentioned in the blurb, this is the story of Fiona McCloud in the present day, well 2019, and Sylvia Woods in WW II England. The book’s journey is the discovery of how these two unrelated stories connect. Secrets are revealed, and lives are changed on the journey.
Fiona: Fionna lives in a rundown trailer in Strawberry Point, Iowa. She is a cosmetologist working three part-time jobs to make ends meet. She works in a salon, in a funeral home, and a nursing home. She greets her customers, even the dead ones with, “Hello my name is Fiona. It’s nice to meet you. I’m your cosmetologist and I’m here to make you look beautiful for your special day.” Fionna works hard to keep positive and spreads joy to the people she meets. I could relate to her from the start. Her struggles, dreams, and an obsession with Marilyn Monroe made her real.
Dorothy Porter a.k.a. Dolly. Dolly is one of the residents of Cedar Court retirement village and nursing home. At 97 Dolly knows she doesn’t have much time left. She wants a last adventure and convinces Fiona and Joe Fox to give her this wish. Dolly wants to go to Vegas for her last hurrah. All three travelers make discoveries as they drive cross country in a lilac Cadillac.
Sylvia Woods is the heroine in the World War II flashbacks. I adore her until about sixty-five percent into the story where she makes decisions, especially the one at ninety percent, that I didn’t agree with at all. Regardless of whether I agree or disagree, Sylvia is a great character. She volunteers with WAAF to do her part to support her husband serving in the RAF. She is amazing. A young woman who dropped out of Oxford, she competes with many people older and better educated. Her determination and strength is inspiring.
There are great support characters in the past and present. They all bring so much detail and development to the story. I found myself cheering for, angry with, laughing at, and crying about all of them at different times throughout the story.
I’m not a big fan of flashbacks, however, these are well done. It took me a few chapters to get into the flow. The main reason is I wanted more about the person who’s POV I was reading at the moment. When Fiona’s chapter ended, I gave a sigh because I wanted more about her and vice versa. After my brain settled on the flow of events, all was good.
The historical facts are educational. So many of our parents and grandparents lived through WWII. It is emotional to realize what their lives were like. What they gave up for freedom and the legacy they left for future generations. I found myself Googling events to get more details as I read. That is a great writer who makes the reader want more. Jane did that for me. The Lilac Cadilac has it all; an outstanding story, characters, settings, and emotion producing. You must read.
5 STARS
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