FIVE STARS

Recently, an author friend casually asked me if I “had read any good romances lately?” Still under the rosy influence of just finishing “Winter in Bloom” by Anita Higman, I promptly recommended my friend read this book. Asked what I liked about the story, I replied “everything…it was absolutely awesome!” In fact, Ms Higman’s story is my current favorite.

The book’s lovely cover implied to me that it was a good read – and I felt lured to follow the cover’s character down the path she was walking. So…I did. When I opened the book to the first chapter, I met Lily Winter as she sat on an international 747 flight to Melbourne, Australia, trying to calm her oncoming panic attack with a prayer. Lily was startled by the voice of a child “You have to ask yourself: what am I most afraid of?” Lily thought to herself that God enjoys showing off His sense of humor in strange ways. “Who is this kid?” Her name was Jenny and she possibly was an angel in disguise to assuage Lily of her fear of flying. The conversation with Jenny brought out Lily’s full confession of her tale of woe and why she was on this plane….beginning this astonishing story to light up the stage in my mind’s eye.

Lily’s story began with gloomy and shocking revelations. Reminiscent of a classic fairy tale where the sweet innocent girl knocks on the front door of a mysterious castle; the big door squeaks slowly open to reveal a witchy woman with breath like a dragon. Ok, it wasn’t exactly like that. Lily Winter had been widowed one year earlier and her only child Julie was away at college. Having been estranged from her mother for ten years, Lily decided to face the dark memories of the dysfunctional family in which she was raised and visit her mother at the family mansion. Her mother was unchanged and worsened over the years, still an atheist that only believed in worshiping her flowers. Strange things happening there were noticed by Lily, particularly the odd relationship with Dragan Humphreys the “creature” she met at the front door. Lily was not prepared for her mother’s abrupt heartless disclosure of the outrageous family secret that Lily had an identical twin sister, Camille Violet Daniels that lived in Melbourne, Australia. The only clue her mother gave was that Camille attended St. Paul’s Cathedral. “And that is why I’m flying on this plane from Houston to Melbourne.” Lily ended her story to Jenny and made her exhausted landing in Melbourne and began her search for Camille.

Anita Higman wrote an amazing love story about an intriguing mystery confronting Lily Winters. It’s so unpredictable, insightful, romantic, laugh out loud humorous, and deliciously imaginative. Touring Melbourne with such eventful discoveries gave Lily much more that she ever expected or dreamed of. There was more personal satisfaction in reading Anita’s book than I dreamed of receiving. Rich in love, redemption, healing, heart changes and miracles led the well developed characters to surprising ends to solve more than one mystery through God’s guidance. Anita Higman is a brightly shining star that can look forward to a brighter future in writing. Hopefully, we’ll hear more in the future about Lily, Camille and the entire cast in Texas.

(Thank you to Litfuse Publicity Group for sending me a copy of Winter in Full Bloom. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.)