07 Nov BLOG TOUR + REVIEW: ‘CONDITIONAL LOVE’ BY CATHY BRAMLEY

Hi guys,

today is my stop on Cathy Bramley’s blog tour for ‘Conditional Love’. This is actually Cathy’s debut which she self-published in 2013, but on 5th November a rewritten version was published by Transworld with a new gorgeous cover. I’d like to say massive thanks to lovely Sarah Harwood from Transworld and Cathy, for the opportunity to be part of this amazing blog tour. Make sure you visit the other tour hosts for more awesome content.

A takeaway, TV and tea with two sugars is about as exciting as it gets for thirty-something Sophie Stone. Sophie’s life is safe and predictable, which is just the way she likes it, thank you very much.

But when a mysterious benefactor leaves her an inheritance, Sophie has to accept that change is afoot. There is one big catch: in order to inherit, Sophie must agree to meet the father she has never seen.

Saying ‘yes’ means the chance to build her own dream home, but she’ll also have to face the past and hear some uncomfortable truths…

With interference from an evil boss, warring parents, an unreliable boyfriend and an architect who puts his foot in it every time he opens his mouth, will Sophie be able to build a future on her own terms – and maybe even find love along the way?

Buy Conditional Love on Amazon

* Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review  *

‘Conditional Love’ is Cathy Bramley’s debut which she self-published back in 2013. Soon after releasing it, it went flying up the charts and winning the hearts of so many romance readers. It was just a matter of time till she snatched a deal with a publisher (Transworld). Two years after the first release of her debut, Cathy’s rewritten it and this time published it under the wings of Transworld. The book also got a brand new cover which is simply gorgeous!

‘Conditional Love’ is a delightful story, which is centered around Sophie Stone who’s probably experiencing the worst Valentines Day in her life. After almost a year of relationship she expects things to get more serious with Marc, but instead of taking their relationship to the next level, he cruelly dumps her. However, things might get worse as Sophie finds out she’s inherited money from a mysterious person, a person they claim is her great aunt from her father’s side. She’s to inherit a property and money but there’s a catch, as stated in her great aunt’s will, she’s to receive them only if she meets her father. Sophie’s never even met her father, he’s left when she was just a baby and never got in contact. Her mother rarely spoke about him and hen she did, she always called him bad names. Naturally, Sophie never even wanted to meet him, however she’s put in a really hard situation right now. If she only had a more decent salary or her flat mates could earn, maybe she wouldn’t have to even consider her great aunt’s deal.

As months go by and in a time frame of a year, we see Sophie going through so many life changing situations. We see just what kind of a piece of work her ex-boyfriend is, how badly he treats her, but also we get to see Sophie transforming into a smarter, stronger person.

This is one of those reads you’ll absolutely fly through. I finished it in about 4 hours or so, which definitely says a lot about just how much I enjoyed it. To be honest, I didn’t like Sophie in the beginning. I actually started to like her half way through the book, which might be late for some readers. Through the way she allows Marc to treat her, I got to the conclusion she’s a weak, boneless, brainless woman who needs a man to make her feel completely. And I assume, she’ll be perceived by many readers the same way. There was a point when I honestly thought she’s the weakest romance heroine I’ve ever read about. However, as the story progressed more and more things started happening and I started seeing her in a completely new light.

And this is one of the things that I loved the most, the fact I got to see Sophie transform in front of my eyes. I also loved the fact this in not yet another romance story, as Ms Bramley has cleverly interwoven the family drama through a very complicated father-daughter relationship. In a light, funny at times, way Ms Bramley shows us the importance of family but also the importance of self-growth through accepting what we are as well as accepting our past.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me long to warm up to Sophie, but it’s very clear what Ms Bramley wanted to achieve with portraying her like that. ‘Conditional Love’ is indeed a charming book perfect for curling up on the sofa after a long and exhausting day. Enjoy!

Buy Conditional Love on Amazon

My rating: 8/10

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathy is the author of the best-selling romantic comedies Ivy Lane, Appleby farm and Conditional Love. She lives in a small Nottinghamshire village with her husband, two teenage daughters and Pearl, the Cockerpoo.

Her recent career as a full-time writer of light-hearted romantic fiction has come as somewhat of a lovely surprise after spending eighteen years running her own marketing agency. However, she has always been an avid reader, hiding her book under the duvet and reading by torchlight. Luckily her husband has now bought her a Kindle with a light, so that’s the end of all that palaver.