Love Denied by Margaret Lynette Sharp

Love_Denied

The author sent me an ARC of this book (mobi format) in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars

Plot
(by Goodreads)

At thirty-one, Elizabeth, a music teacher fulfilled by her craft and dedicated to her students, is still single and living at home. Unexpectedly, the father of one of her students seems to want to court her. Edward, a well-heeled solicitor still recovering from the tragic death of his young wife, invites Elizabeth to dinner at his home – a home complete with a magnificent piano that he invites her to play.

Out of the blue, Elizabeth receives a letter from her former admirer, Tom – a sheep-farmer, living in Scotland. Will the contents of this letter change Elizabeth’s destiny? What startling secrets will it reveal that may upend Elizabeth’s entire view of her life?

This latest work by award-winning Australian author Margaret Lynette Sharp promises to be an engaging read for lovers of well-crafted, sweet romance.

Genre: Romance, New Adult

Series: n.a.

Length: 98 pages

Release date: June 11, 2016

Teaser

“And what do you mean by that, Mother?” I returned without ease.

“Well, you know what men are like… You’re an attractive girl, Elizabeth,” she continued.

“Not so much a girl any more, Mother,” I replied. “I’m thirty-one.”

My Opinion

This book introduces you to Elizabeth, 31, piano teacher, still living with her parents as she cannot afford moving out.

With Love Denied, Margaret Lynette Sharp provides us with a romantic novella about a young woman, her job, and her non-existent love life. The latter is mainly due to her mother’s negativity on that matter. Once again, the readers find themselves in Australia of the 1950s, including the mindsets of that era. Romance is not my typical genre, therefore I really like that this novella is not a hard-core romance. This book has a story to tell and gives a good insight in Elizabeth’s feelings. The story is touching, makes the readers remember and/or wonder about Elizabeth’s situation. I automatically hoped the best for Elizabeth; she is a very likeable character. The characters are real enough to be family members, friends or acquaintances. I had a good time reading Love Denied; it would be nice to see it on television, one day.

This is for you if you like romance with a background story and some surprises, and shorter reads.

In brief:

Writing	Good
Plot	Predictable with some twists
Mood	Light-hearted
Pace	Steady
Characters	Developed
Violence	No violence
Sexual content	No sexual content
POV	First person

About the author

Margaret Lynette Sharp spent her early years in an inner city suburb of Sydney, moving with her family to a leafy, outer suburb at the age of ten.

A self-motivated student who loved to seek out information, she matriculated just before her eighteenth birthday. Her enthusiasm for literature led to further studies, with a particular focus on Short Story Writing.

Shortly after the death of her elderly mother whom she cared for, Margaret met and later married Ronald Sharp B.E.M., the creator of the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ. She believes that, without doubt, he is her greatest fan and motivator.

Excelling in English himself, Ron has edited her work.

To date, Margaret has 18 titles available.

Connect with the Author:

Website: http://margaretlynettesharp.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargaretLynett1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5753963.Margaret_Lynette_Sharp

Buy Link:

Amazon.com

Please take a look at my statement on reading in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂

My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about Love Denied? Or – if you did not yet read Love Denied – are you now interested in reading it yourself?

My question for you cinephiles:
If Love Denied was filmed – who should direct it, who could you imagine as actors?

I am looking forward to reading your comments. 🙂