Leaving Winter

Rating:
Summary: 4 and 9/10 stars!
Review: Heroine: plump/voluptuous

Cordelia Brown is certain she is having the worst Christmas ever. Her loving parents have passed away and her beautiful but unkind sisters can't forgive her for inheriting the family home. So she escapes to Rome as per her father's final wishes in the hopes that she'll find some happiness there. Perhaps while in Italy, away from the glares of her sisters, her plumpness will magically transform into voluptuousness and she'll be able to hold her head up high and even appear graceful now and then.

But Cordelia's lack of self-confidence and grief over the loss of her parents follow her to Rome, as do hurtful emails from her sisters. The distraught young woman wanders around the city and happens across a tiny, ancient church that looks like the perfect place to lick her wounds. While weeping in one of the pews she meets a kind but mysterious stranger, an attractive man who hides half his face from her, but she catches a glimpse of it and sees that it is horribly disfigured.

Suddenly Cordelia finds she is not as alone in the world as she thought, or as unattractive as her sisters insisted. But her new friend's scars are more than skin deep and threaten to keep Cordelia from ever growing closer to him.

Can Cordelia win the trust and love of this lonely kindred spirit and turn her worst Christmas into one she'll cherish forever?

What worked for me:

The author described Rome so beautifully that I find I want to go there and see it for myself now.

Aside from a spot or two which could have been polished to an even higher sheen, this story just sang for me! Such wonderful attention paid to minutiae, and what beautiful dialogue was shared between the struggling lovers.

The jump from the narrative about Cordelia and Frank to letters written by their relatives was a bit of a shock, but the e-mail exchanges certainly were a unique way to paint the family portraits.

Size-wise Cordelia thought she was large and ungainly but Frank didn't agree in the least.

What didn't work for me:

Those sisters! Thank heavens I was blessed with a brother instead. (I could go for having a niece like Pam, though.)

Overall:
"Leaving Winter" is a delightful, darling story. Don't miss it!

Warning: This book has some sensual moments and coarse language within its pages. Also, you'll want to have a box of tissues handy.

If you liked "Leaving Winter" you might also enjoy "Lady Blue", "Teacher's Pet", "Etta Mae's Little Theory", "A Worthy Heir", "The Legacy Tree", "The Bridesmaid's Reward", "More to Love", "His Seductive Revenge", "Truth and Lies", "Carried Away", "The Independent Bride", "His Email-Order Wife", or "The Librarian's Passionate Knight".

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I loved this book. It tells a great story. I read the book in one day. I would recommend this book to all of my friends!

Rating:
Summary: Best Book In Years
Review: Powerful, moving, funny and heart-rending, Kathleen Quinn's wonderfully written Leaving Winter held me enthralled to the very last word. This is a writer of substance, with much to say about the human condition. The story is that of the finely-drawn Cordelia and Frank, who find each other in the face of the injuries life has inflicted on them. A journey into the heart, that left me feeling uplifted and deeply moved. Can't wait for her next book!