But I Smile Anyway…

A couple of months ago I reviewed a book called Anna by best selling author, Amanda Prowse. You can read that here.

I was so honoured to have been approached by such an amazing author in the first place, and gobsmacked that my opinion had been sought about this first of a two-part series!

Now, I was totally fangirling!

Amanda is an inspirational author and it was such fun to pop into various shops, and see her books on the shelves! I found myself pointing them out to my daughter, saying “Look! That’s my author friend’s book!”

She was even on The Wright Stuff, and I was grinning away at the recorded episode I saw her on!

Back to the book!

Anna was the first book in a twosome with the tagline One Love, Two Stories.

The idea was that you read the same story, but from the perspective of both halves of the couple.

And I was so touched to receive the second book in the twosome last week, just in time for my weekend away! I have to say, I enjoyed it so much I finished it pretty quickly, grabbing every moment I could to sneak reading time! Then when I was pages away from finishing, I didn’t want it to end, so I put it down, late at night, in order to continue the pleasure through to the next day!

What is the book about?

The official blurb reads:

There are two sides to every love story. This is Theo’s.

Theo Montgomery grew up in a rich family where he had all the toys and trinkets money could buy. But his childhood was full of neglect and he was bullied at school. Now he is an adult, he longs to find a soulmate. Someone who understands him. Someone who will love him unconditionally.

Then, one day, Theo meets Anna Cole in a lift. Anna grew up in a care home, and has always wanted to create the noisy family life she never had. She brings love and laughter into Theo’s life. But she wants a baby, and Theo can’t imagine bringing a child into this cruel world…

Theo and Anna are two damaged souls, from two different worlds. Is their love for each other enough to let go of the pain of their pasts? Or will Anna and Theo break each others’ hearts?

My take?

Anna came from a tough background, having experienced the loss of both parents, and her brother, being in care, and then finding out her real father, who she had been looking for, had also died. She spent her life writing letters to her two future children, Fifi and Fox, and her dearest wish was to be able to have a family, and create the family life she had wished for.

She met the man she wanted to fulfil her dreams with, Theo.

A guy from a very affluent background, all posh boarding school, and holidays abroad. Working in his family business when he and Anna meet, they couldn’t be from more opposite backgrounds.

But the similarities in their situations are evident. While we learn of Anna’s background in the first book, the second gives you the lowdown on Theo and his childhood.

Theo is just as troubled, having been forced to follow in his father’s, and grandfather’s footsteps, to a school where he never fit in. He then finds himself in college, where he had a brief respite from thinking of his family honour and was able to be himself for the first time. Things take a downward twist and he is again on the road following his father, this time in the family business.

He’s dealt with the fact that his father is an adulterous flirt, who has actually fathered another child, that his mother would actually prefer to stay with her cheating husband, and that Theo himself is almost an inconvenience in their life, especially as he doesn’t appear to be cut from the same cloth as his father… a square peg being forced into a round hole, as he sees it.

School was bearable, purely because of the advice and companionship of an older gentleman, a groundsman named Mr Porter, who ends up being made to leave his job, leaving Theo floundering again

His only friend at university is Spud, a lad from Wigan, who, despite not being from Theo’s background, is a grounding influence on him, and an unwavering source of support through many revelations that Theo has to deal with.

Meeting Anna changes Theo’s life.

A woman who had been through so much, in her short life, but still understands him, and gets that, though he has led what many would consider a ‘privileged’ life, he’s just as damaged as her.

Their own personal ups and downs, seen through the eyes of Theo, help to complete the whole picture of these two stories that show one love.

And my review, available to see on Amazon here and Goodreads here:

I absolutely loved Anna, and was impatient to read Theo.
Was I disappointed?
Not at all!
It’s an interesting concept, to write the same story from both parties eyes.
I really felt for Anna, learning her story in the first book, and reading Theo’s story cemented my feelings that it is circumstance that creates the person you become.
Theo was never a bad guy. He may have made mistakes, but hey, don’t we all?
He tries to overcome so much to create a life, and a future for him and the woman he loves, despite all sorts coming back to bite him all the time.
Yes, I kinda knew what was going to happen next in the latter half of the story, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. In fact, it heightened it, as I learned the why’s behind some questions I had at the end of Anna.
Would I recommend it? Yes, 100%! Do yourself a favour, if you haven’t already… get both the books and look forward to a great ride!

And my rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was provided with a copy of the book in exchange for honest comments regarding the story.

About Amanda:

Amanda has always obsessively crafted short stories and scribbled notes for potential books, but it wasn’t until she was forty that she began writing full time. The result was Poppy Day, the story of an army wife, whose incredible love for her husband gives her the courage to rescue him from hostages in Afghanistan. This was followed by the number 1 bestseller What Have I Done? Amanda now has ten novels and four novellas published.

All of Amanda’s books in the No Greater Love series share common themes in that they are contemporary love stories, the main characters are women, just like you and I, who find themselves in extraordinary situations for love.

Her new series is the No Greater Courage series, tales of women facing the trials that life throws at them and having to dig deep to find the will and strength to succeed. This series includes the A Mother’s Story and Perfect Daughter, which continue to receive brilliant reader and press reviews.

Amanda’s ambition has always been to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades…

Currently, Amanda lives in the West Country with her husband and their 18 & 19 year old boys Josh and Ben.

Follow Amanda on Twitter @MrsAmandaProwse, or join Amanda on Facebook.

Check out her website: http://amandaprowse.org/