Lola's money

Book Description:

Lola French is stunned when she wins millions on the Lottery, and she is sure all her dreams are about to come true. However, right from the start, before she even claims her winnings, things begin to change and she separates abruptly and acrimoniously from the man she has been living with.

Lola’s colleagues are initially pleased for her, but eventually begin to resent her new status. One of them, Tom, whom she really likes, asks her out; but he does it on the day that news of her win spreads through the office and she sadly turns him down. She decides to leave her job as a Financial Adviser in Edinburgh and explore the limitless possibilities of her new lifestyle.

When Lola and her mother excitedly set off on a Mediterranean cruise, it’s not long before they both meet men they are interested in. However, their holiday of a lifetime catapults them into a life-changing sequence of dramatic and terrifying events that neither of them will ever forget. When she has to return to reality, Lola unexpectedly finds herself involved with Tom again! But the storm clouds are looming overhead, and as the recent past catches up with her and forces her to confront violence and danger once more, Lola risks losing Tom forever.

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Author's Bio:

Rosanna Rae is married with three grown-up sons and lives in Livingston, Scotland. She has a B.A. (Open) in Social Science subjects and also took a writing course with The Writers Bureau some years ago. She spent 16 years at home raising her family and then returned to full-time secretarial employment in Edinburgh.

Rosanna has wanted to write fiction since she was ten years of age, after reading an abridged version of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. She is delighted to be now fulfilling that early ambition.

'Lola's Money' is the author's fifth novel; she is currently writing her sixth book.

Connect with the author:    Website  ~   Facebook  ~  Twitter

Giveaway:​

Prizes: ​ 7 print books, with 3 of those winners receiving gift cards of $15 and 7 ebooks, with 3 of those winners receiving gift cards of $15.

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Guest post

The Strangest Thing That’s Ever Happened to Me

by Rosanna Rae

The strangest thing that’s ever happened to me occurred while I was working in the HR office of a large store. During the summer university students would come to work there on a temporary basis. One of these students, who was named Tracy, had been in the office for a couple of weeks when I suddenly started calling her Helen. The first time this happened, she looked quite startled and frowned at me. ‘It’s Tracy,” she reminded me. I could see that this mistake had upset her, so I made a mental note to be careful to call her by the correct name the next time.

When it happened again a couple of days later, she threw down her pen in annoyance and marched out of the room! I was upset, too, and puzzled as to why I had called her Helen. The name is not at all like Tracy. She was young and slim and had long, dark hair. She didn’t look remotely like anyone I had ever known who was called Helen. 

The following day when I spoke to her I made a point of calling her Tracy. She smiled, but I could tell that she was just waiting for me to trip up with her name again – which I did, later that day. I called her Helen yet again. I couldn’t believe I’d done it and I put my arm around her shoulders and apologised profusely. “I don’t know why I keep doing that,” I told her. I was baffled. There were actually tears in her eyes. I expected her to draw away from me and run off to the Ladies, but instead she sat down beside me and asked me if I was psychic! I was stunned. When I asked her what she meant, she told me that her middle name was in fact Helen.

“Oh, that explains it!” I replied, adding, “I must have seen it in your Personnel file or something.”

She shook her head. “No,” she told me, “I deliberately didn’t put it on my application form.”

“Why not?” I asked, becoming more and more intrigued.

“Because I’m named after my granny Helen.”

“But why would the name upset you then?” I asked.

“My granny practically brought me up. I was very fond of her. But she died a few months ago and I miss her very much. That’s why I didn’t put my middle name on my application form, because I didn’t want to get upset at hearing it. So how did you know?” she asked.

I wanted to comfort her, so I told her it must be her granny trying to communicate with her through me, and that she must be looking down and watching over her. This made her smile and she cheered up immensely. I, on the other hand, had the shivers for the rest of that day and still cannot figure out how that very strange thing happened!

My Review

I really liked the light-hearted style, which made this book easy to read. The characters jump off the page and the reader will easily identify with them. The story is about how winning a large sum of money changes your life and that of those around you; not always for the better. Colleagues and friends have different expectations, and Lola herself doesn’t always know how to react. She has a good head on her shoulders though which she will need if she is to overcome some serious obstacles. Parts of the story were a little predictable but what I loved was the insight that the author shows into Lola’s state of mind.

4/5