My review

There are few books that I have been saving for December which I know to be good reads, books which would touch my heart and fill me with warmth. Well, isn’t December a month of goodwill and happiness?? 

My first book by Cathy Lamb, and she was fabulous. Her writing, her words, her recipes, all were covered with heart warming, soul nourishing love. And of course the cakes… Oh yumm… I am not a cake person, but she made me want to eat one. It is not the recipes which made me long for one, but the warmth and genuine love between the 3 women which made me long for it. 

Cathy has given us 3 strong women, the grandmother Gisele, the mother Mary Beth, and the daughter Olivia. And each of them had their own story, their struggles, and their own strengths. I was left amazed by them, at the end of the book. 

I breathed in their story and held each of them close to my heart and I think I would be carrying a part of them as courage when the going gets tough. There are very few books who can do that… 

Olivia rushes to her grandmother and her mother when the future of her adopted girls is threatened. She finds an old recipe book in the attic, and it contains the secrets, the tears and the blood of her ancestors, all waiting to be revealed by the grandmother. Her mother the doctor, has brought up her daughters when her husband deserted her. And Olivia has her own secret reason of leaving her husband Jace 2 years ago. 

All this combined together make a beautiful story weaved by ancestry, pain struggle, and the ever binding love….

Not many authors can make their main character strong and decisive, with their own opinions and self-respect, and the author Cathy Lamb has not only given us one, she has given us 3 of them. Let me not forget all the supporting characters who deserve to have a mention as they brought smiles, laughter and feelings in this story. 

There is a quote which I absolutely adored, when the Deserter father tells Olivia that blood is blood —

We cannot choose our family members, and when one of them is only going to bring a wrecking ball of destruction and hurt, I feel no obligation to have a relationship with them. Blood is blood, they say. And usually the person who’s saying it is the toxic one and using emotional manipulation to sneak their poisonous self back into your life… 

I found these lines extremely poignant and direct to the point. 

My first book by Cathy Lamb and definitely not my last, was everything what I want from a family saga. 

I thank Ms. Lamb for giving me so much warmth on this cold winter evening.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Kensington and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating : 5 stars 

About the Author 

A Cathy Lamb lives in Oregon. She is married with three children. She writes late at night when it’s just her and the moon and a few shooting stars.

Book blurb 

Two years ago, Olivia Martindale her Montana hometown and her husband, Jace, certain it was the best decision for both of them. Back temporarily to protect her almost-adopted daughters from their biological mother, she discovers an old, handwritten cookbook in the attic. Its pages are stained and torn, their edges scorched by flame. Some have been smeared by water . . . or tears. The recipes are written in different hands and in different languages. In between the pages are intriguing mementos, including a feather, a pressed rose, a charm, and unfamiliar photographs. Hoping the recipes will offer a window into her grandmother’s closely guarded past, Olivia decides to make each dish, along with their favorite family cake recipes, and records her attempts. 

Even more surprising is the family history Olivia is uncovering, and her own reemerging ties to Montana, and to Jace. Generations of women have shared these recipes, offering strength and nourishment to each other and their loved ones. Now it’s Olivia’s turn to find healing—and determine where her home and her heart truly belong.

Product Details 

Publication date : 29th August 2017

Publisher : Kensington 

Language : English

Available on Amazon