Having enjoyed the first book of this series, Anna, I was looking forward to reading the sequel, Theo, to tie up all the loose ends that were still hanging and understand his side of the relationship. The author has no problem writing equally well from the male point of view and I now feel as if I have the full picture.

In the first book we met Anna and followed her through her sad childhood. About half way through that book she met Theo, who appeared to be her perfect match. Ms Prowse's relationships are never plain sailing, however, and at the end of Anna, we were left wondering what the future might hold. Satisfyingly, Theo, takes us beyond the point at which we were left in the earlier book and completes the story.

I really enjoyed the relationship Theo has with the groundsman, Mr Porter and the way this pans out was one of the highlights of the book for me. In fact there were quite a few interesting relationships in the second book, and I would say I enjoyed it even better than the first in many ways.

Anna is the first of a two book set, the second book, Theo, is due for release on March 8th. In this first book we hear Anna's story, in the second one we will get the other side of the coin. I'm hopeless at remembering the finer details in books, so I'm glad I won't have to wait too long for the sequel.

Amanda Prowse's characters have always struggled in some way, in The Food of Love it was anorexia and in The Art of Hiding it was bereavement and moving on. This time we meet Anna, left without family from an early age and struggling to find her place in the world. She meets Theo, himself a damaged man, full of hurt and resentment. Can they make a relationship work and live happily ever after?

The characterisations were excellent and the dialogue well done and I found myself looking forward to the opportunity to pick it up and resume reading, which hasn't happened for a while. For me it didn't quite reach the level of The Art of Hiding or The Food of Love, but it was still an excellent read. I shall certainly be on the lookout for Theo's story in the near future.

Three and a half star rating.
On the day Aimee is meant to be getting married, she is at a funeral - her fiancés. Various things happen to make her wonder what really happened but instead of reacting instantly, she sits and ponders, starts a new cafe, meets other people. This makes her quite annoying and so are her interfering friends. There’s a lot of pathos and loss especially at the start when the funeral is being held in the church she should have been married in. Loved the idea of this story which was engaging and also loved the ending too. It’s an appetite whetter for other books by this author.

Author: Amanda Prowse

Title: The Art of Hiding

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Nina McCarrick lives the perfect life, until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.

Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina quickly loses her life of luxury and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married. Forced to move out of her family home, Nina returns to the rundown Southampton council estate—and the sister—she thought she had left far behind.

But Nina can’t let herself be overwhelmed—her boys need her. To save them, and herself, she will have to do what her husband discouraged for so long: pursue a career of her own. Torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, Nina finally must learn what it means to take control of her life.

Bestselling author Amanda Prowse once again plumbs the depths of human experience in this stirring and empowering tale of one woman’s loss and love.

I thought the Art of Hiding could use some extra information in some places but I really enjoyed this book despite being so short and lacking some information because it touches on the fact that not everyone realizes that once you've become someones wife and mother of their children a part of a marriage and a family and a social group that you can sometimes lose who you used to be in the middle of it all, and trying to find yourself again is more difficult than you think especially when you learn that some things about the man you were married to weren't on the up and up.

Trying to find who you are and how you lost your way is only half the battle and I wish we'd gotten a deeper exploration of that. Still, its a great read and a great book.

Until next time book lovers...

Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy from Lake Union Publishing.

All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

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