The Sweet Life
by Sharon Struth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Women's Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Mamie Weber
doesn’t know why she survived that terrible car accident five years ago.
Physically, she has only a slight reminder—but emotionally, the pain is still
fresh. Deep down she knows her husband would have wanted her to embrace life
again. Now she has an opportunity to do just that, spending two weeks in
Tuscany reviewing a tour company for her employer’s popular travel guide
series. The warmth of the sun, the centuries-old art, a villa on the Umbrian
border—it could be just the adventure she needs.
But with adventure comes the unexpected . . . like discovering that her entire tour group is made up of aging ex-hippies reminiscing about their Woodstock days. Or finding herself drawn to the guide, Julian, who is secretly haunted by a tragedy of his own, and seems to disapprove any time she tries something remotely risky—like an impromptu scooter ride with a local man.
As they explore the hilltop towns of Tuscany, Mamie knows that when this blissful excursion is over, she’ll have to return to reality. But when you let yourself wander, life can take some interesting detours . . .
But with adventure comes the unexpected . . . like discovering that her entire tour group is made up of aging ex-hippies reminiscing about their Woodstock days. Or finding herself drawn to the guide, Julian, who is secretly haunted by a tragedy of his own, and seems to disapprove any time she tries something remotely risky—like an impromptu scooter ride with a local man.
As they explore the hilltop towns of Tuscany, Mamie knows that when this blissful excursion is over, she’ll have to return to reality. But when you let yourself wander, life can take some interesting detours . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
In
the driver’s seat sat a square-faced man with a full Romanesque nose and short,
dark hair. He greeted her with a wide smile. “Ciao, bella.”
She
climbed the steps and smiled back. “Hello. I mean, Ciao. Sorry I’m late.”
Before
the nice man in the driver’s seat could respond, a man standing about halfway
down the aisle said, “I’m sorry, miss. You’ve got the wrong bus.”
Whoever
he was, his cargo shorts and faded Led Zeppelin T-shirt didn’t carry any
authority. But he held a clipboard, and his tone suggested he meant business.
His Gaelic-looking face carried a slight boyish quality, hardened into a manly
appearance due to his trimly cut mustache and beard. Wavy hair the color of
cognac peeked out from beneath a gold cap with orange and blue lettering
reading Wanderlust Excursions.
“I’m
sure the hotel front desk can help you find the right tour.” He gave her a
now-hurry-along smile and turned back to the man he’d been talking to.
“Did
I just talk to you on the phone?”
He
lifted his chin and raised a brow. “We’re waiting for Felix.” His gaze traveled
her from top to bottom then he looked her in the eyes. “I’m pretty sure you’re
not Felix?”
“No,
but...” Mamie became aware of the silence and scanned the passengers.
Everyone
in the full bus stared back. Quiet. Curious. She squirmed and her gaze drifted
back to the man who seemed to be in charge.
“No.
I’m not Felix, but if this is Wanderlust Excursions, it’s where I’m supposed to
be.”
He
squinted. “Wait. Are you the woman who answered Felix’s phone?”
“Yes.
I’m taking his place on the tour.”
He
snorted. A short, patronizing laugh. “I don’t think so.”
“Why
not?”
“Because
you’re clearly not Felix.”
“But
he transferred his vouchers to me.”
“Nobody
told me. Our company rules state that purchased seats are not transferrable
without prior home office approval.” He frowned and studied her again.
“Besides, this is a specialized tour and you’re not a member of this group.
Felix is.”
“How
do you know I’m not?”
His
lip curled into a little smirk. “Did you attend Woodstock?”
“The
concert?”
“Is
there another one?”
“Well,
no, but...” Mamie scanned the other passengers more carefully. Other than the
guide—everyone else was probably over fifty-five. Maybe even over sixty. “What
group are they part of?”
“They
are”—the guide, whose company sponsored tag read Julian, glanced at his
clipboard—“the Woodstock Wanderers.”
“Felix
may not have been part of it either.” Mamie never heard him mention them
before.
“Are
you kidding? Felix was one of our founder members.” A man with thinning white
hair, dark-rimmed glasses, and a full white beard sitting in the front seat
winked at Mamie. “Bernie” in capital letters sat square in the center of a
nametag with a tie-dyed background. Beneath his name it said, “Favorite Woodstock
Song: ‘Let’s Go Get Stoned,’ Joe Cocker.”
Mamie
would’ve never put Bernie together with that song, but... The bus’s silence and
everyone watching her jarred her back to the problem at hand. “Felix never
mentioned your group to me.”
Guess
she knew Felix but didn’t know him. The truth about how she and Felix knew each
other, though, wasn’t something she could share.
So
she did the only thing she could do. Staring Julian square in the eye, she
said, “Uncle Felix wanted me to take this trip. I’m his niece. He insisted I go
in his place.”
“His
niece, huh?” The tour director rubbed the back of his neck and considered her
again. He shook his head. “I’m sorry he’s decided not to come, but on the
transfer, I can’t budge. Rules are rules.”
A
thin gentleman sitting a couple rows behind Bernie, with salt-and-pepper
patches of hair above his ears, piped in. “Julian. Dude. Can’t you just go with
the flow? She looks harmless. Let her come.”
Mamie
squinted. His tag read Bob, but before she could read more, the others joined
in with choruses of “yeahs,” and she looked away.
“You
know what they say, Julian.” A woman with curly brown hair, peace sign
earnings, and a pretty smile said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Mamie
noted her nametag read Martha and her favorite Woodstock song was “Suite Judy
Blue Eyes” by Crosby, Still, and Nash.
Julian
pursed his lips. “All due respect Martha, me losing my job isn’t exactly small
stuff.”
Martha
grinned slyly and winked. “We promise to keep it a secret from the boss.” She glanced
around. “Right everybody?”
Another
chorus of loud “yeahs” filled the bus.
One
slim man with thinning hair who sat in the last row fist bumped the air. “We
aren’t afraid of the man.”
The
passengers murmured and nodded, complete agreement on that one. Mamie loved
this solidarity. Though she’d never considered herself a hippie—more like a
loner—she had an incredible urge to be part of this group.
Julian
watched them, frowning. He refocused his attention on Mamie. “Sorry. I’m going
to have to ask you to step out so we can start. We’re already running late.”
Normally,
Mamie respected timeliness, schedules, and rules. But she had a job to do. A
mission to accomplish.
“Please.
My uncle, he really wanted me to go and—”
Julian
took several swift steps to the front of the bus and stopped close to her. He
dropped his voice. “Listen, this isn’t personal. The last thing I need is to
lose this job. Do me a solid and go see if you can get any of your money back.”
She
quietly replied, “You don’t understand. I need to go on this tour.”
He
narrowed his hard green eyes, but before he could say a thing, a chant filled
the air.
“Let
her stay. Let her stay. Let her stay.”
A
blond-haired woman with a cherub face who sat at Bernie’s side spoke up over
the chant. “Doesn’t she remind you of Tracy, Bern?” Her nametag read Sandra and
her favorite Woodstock song was “Amazing Grace” by Arlo Guthrie. She patted
Julian’s arm in a very maternal way. “Tracy’s our daughter. We’d love having
some young energy around. Tracy’s just too busy working to spend any time with
us.”
Julian’s
lower lip dropped. He drew in a deep breath, looked at Mamie, and motioned to
the door. “Let’s talk outside.”
She
turned and headed off the bus. Little did he know, she wasn’t about to back
down. Nothing would stop her from getting on this bus or making the most of
this adventure. Two very good reasons existed for fighting the good fight.
The
memory of her husband and daughter.
My Review:
My Review:
I'm glad that I chose to review The Sweet Life. I loved the characters who were both wounded and in need of a reboot in life. I also thought the romance in the story was very sweet. The author has a flair for description. The passages about Italy are pure poetry and made me want to go see Italy myself. You can't help rooting for Mamie and Julian to work all their trouble out and find a happy ending. And speaking of endings... The book didn't end exactly the way I thought it would even though hints were given that in time it would. If that sounds mysterious I'm sorry. I can't figure out a better way to say it. 4+ stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Sharon
Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The
Hourglass, her debut novel, is a finalist in the National Readers' Choice
Awards for Best first Book, and her Blue Moon Lake Novels include the
bestseller, Share the Moon.
When
she’s not working, she and her husband happily sip their way through the scenic
towns of the Connecticut Wine Trail, travel the world, and enjoy spending time
with their precious pets and two grown daughters. She writes from the
friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut. For more information,
including where to find her published essays, please visit www.sharonstruth.com or visit her blog, Musings from the
Middle Ages & More at www.sharonstruth.wordpress.com.
Buy Links:
Please note: This book will be on sale for 99c
during the tour.
Find Sharon on Social
Media at:
Twitter:
@sharonstruth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Sharon Struth
will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner
via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting and reviewing The Sweet Life!
ReplyDeleteThanks 4 hosting and congrats on the tour.
ReplyDeleteI love your cover and I would love to read your book.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover on this book. Enjoyed both the except and your review.
ReplyDeleteThe book cover is simply lovely.
ReplyDeleteI have come to see that the Tuscany landscape is beautiful as is your cover design.
ReplyDeleteA smirk twisted on face at the words from excerpt: "Let her stay....". Lol
ReplyDelete