To Love and Be Loved

Product Information

The sadness and grief is, at times, overwhelming. But it is also punctuated with some beautiful moments in Prowse's trademark style. Despite Ruby being painted as the insecure sister, Merrin seemed self-absorbed in many scenes. It was about her most of the time. Even when I understood what she went through, I couldn’t continue feeling sad for her for the rest of the book. I love all of Amanda's books, and she is an author, I auto-buy. I jumped at the chance to read and review this book, and I was not disappointed! Multiple POVs (in the limited third person) but none for Ruby. I wanted to know her more. She seemed more real and vulnerable than many others. But, she has to mend her broken heart and again, build her life and feel confident. Facing those that treated her badly will help her get peace and start to move on.

Merrin Kellow is young and vibrant. Merrin is marrying her person. The one that completes her. The one that makes her happy. The one that she loves, she is looking forward to marrying Digby Mortimer. Their families have a long history in their costal town town in Cornwall. She is the daughter of fisherman and Digby lives in the big house. In their community everyone knows everyone and it is the wedding of the year until it becomes something different. It changes everything for Merrin that she leaves the town she loves, the people she loves to rebuild all that she has lost.

This book was a little outside of my comfort zone. I don't really do romance, but again, I'm not sure I can class this book as a romance either. Sure it has a wedding in it, the whole story is centred around Merrin's marriage not happening, and her later relationship with Miguel, but then again, I don't feel like the romance was ever the main factor of the story. I feel like this story circled a lot around Merrin's darkening sense of self. At the start, she's a pretty simple character. Happy, settled, and looking forward to a simple future of being a wife and a mother, but by the time the book ends, she's almost too independent, which I understand is because of Digby. I didn't like how she treated Miguel a lot of the time, when the man was clearly head over heels for her, she decided to keep him on a string, which was a little toxic in my opinion, but it added complexity to her character which is always a positive. You continue to work at practicing your new behavior, but it’s not a struggle any more. ... Some people simply remain in this stage.

Amanda Prowse is an international bestselling author of twenty-eight novels published in dozens of languages. Her chart-topping titles What Have I Done?, Perfect Daughter, My Husband’s Wife, The Coordinates of Loss, The Girl in the Corner and The Things I Know have sold millions of copies around the world. I loved this book with its strong themes around humanity, unexpected champions, life-affirming grace, and family love.

Newsletter

Sometimes an author plops you down in an idyllic setting and surrounds you with a great cast of characters and it just feels right. In 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 there isn’t a lot of action or steamy scenes, but once you meet Merrin and the Kellow family, you won’t want to leave the seaside village of Port Charles. Life in a small town can go for wonderful to stifling in a minute. People seem to remember the a memorable incident, at least until the next one comes along. But, some incidents invoke heartbreak, a touch of scandal which never goes away and always a look of pity, whether real or imagined. Until we realize that we are in control of either fueling the fire or putting it out. Merrin is so excited to start her new life in the fishing village where she grew up. What starts with so much promise, ends completely different and Merrin is forced with making hard decisions. Amanda has such a unique gift of understanding and explaining everyday lives and events which makes the reader connect to the characters so easily. As I was reading the book I was matching some of the characters to people that I know in my life and the similarities were remarkable. Also some of the life experiences I have had were so well portrayed it was like the author could read my mind. The process by which we take in and use the attachment we have received in becoming a loved person is called internalization.” The “About the Author” section of Amanda Prowse’s To Love and Be Loved ends with “Amanda’s ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning off the bedside lamp at night, that ensure you walk every step with her great characters, and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades….” I don’t have to turn off the bedside lamp since I read on my Kindle ☺, and I have already started my next book because that’s what I do☺, BUT this story will be on my heart for a very long time.

The book showcases the power of words and phrasing to capture the intricacies and feelings of moments in time. Whether describing the comfort of the blue sea and green fields of Cornwall or the devastating physical pain of heartbreak, Prowse makes sure her reader is there for a full experience. I read this book because I struggle with my own selfishness and with not being more loving (not thinking of romantic love necessarily, but generally loving others).

A Note From the Publisher

Other novels by Amanda Prowse include A Mother’s Story, which won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBook of the Year Award. Perfect Daughter was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016. She has been described by the Daily Mail as ‘the queen of family drama’. Amanda is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades... I found myself being taken in by Merrin’s charms, even though she was a very self-willed and at times, selfish character and didn’t always consider how her actions were affecting those around her. Although there were times when I did feel that the book was slightly overwritten as poor Merrin seemed to go through so many emotional / life-changing events at such a very young age, but in saying that, the author did give us all hope, that even after going through so much, and having to make far too many difficult decisions in her early twenties, Merrin showed us all that things can change, and that we just need to be patient. I loved this family, and Bella, Merrin’s best friend, is one of my favorite characters - a peacekeeper, yet she tells it like it is. This story has humor, heartbreak, warmth, and a family secret too.

The characters were absolutely fabulous! I wanted to know everyone. Heather and Ben are Merrin’s parents. They are salt of the earth. Her older sister is Ruby and her best friend is Bella. Her Gran lives next door. They are such a lovely family. There is great love between the parents and something we all strive for in our lives. There is a little sibling rivalry between the sisters but, Ruby will stand up for little sister Merrin. For the most part this family is pretty near perfect. Author Jim Towey had been a high-flying Congressional staffer and lawyer in the 1980s until a brief meeting with Mother Teresa illuminated the emptiness of his life. He began volunteering at one of her soup kitchens and using his legal skills and political connections to help the Missionaries of Charity. When Mother Teresa suggested he take up shifts at her AIDS hospice, Towey realized he was all in. Soon, he gave up his job and possessions and became a full-time volunteer for Mother Teresa. He traveled with her frequently, arranged her meetings with politicians, and handled many of her legal affairs.

Table of Contents

Merrin lives in the beautiful fishing village of Port Charles in Cornwall, it's her happy place, filled with childhood memories and where she intends to stay for life, that is until she is faced with the worst humiliation possible, she flees the village and the comfort of her family, to escape the gossiping that every small village is known for.