Rocks and Flowers in a Box

Hello Everyone! I’m super excited to be a part of the Blog Blitz for this fabulous book, Rocks and Flowers in a Box by Cynthia Hilston and being able to share my review with you! First as always a big thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for allowing me to participate and a thank you to Cynthia Hilston for giving me the privilege to read and review her book. Now to find out more about this book…

(Lorna & Tristan #2)

Cynthia Hilston

Tristan Blake/Lorna Ashford

rocks-and-flowers-in-a-box-ch — **Published:** December 21, 2019

My Rating: 5/5

BookBlurb

The wedding bells for Lorna and Tristan Blake toll doom right as the honeymoon begins with an unexpected turn in Tristan’s health. While World War II winds down, Lorna receives a letter from the War Department informing her that the brother she thought killed in action is still alive. She is overjoyed, but his return will dredge up a devastating secret about their parents’ tragic death –a secret that could destroy her new marriage and threaten her husband’s physical and mental well-being. What unfolds is balancing act of keeping the faith and shattering the pieces of the life she’s worked so hard to put back together. Review_RmA

Rocks and Flowers in a Box is the second book in the Lorna & Tristan series by author Cynthia Hilston. Set in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1940s towards the end of WWII, this story takes up where the previous book left off. Although this book could definitely stand on its own, I highly recommend reading both together to appreciate Lorna and Tristan’s story!

For those of us who read the previous book, we are now rejoining Lorna and Tristan after their marriage, and as they start to build their life together. If you’re starting with this story and have not read the previous one, no worries, as Ms. Hilston gives a recap of the previous book to summarize what you missed. But if you have the chance and the time, I highly recommend you pick up the previous book to read the beginning of Lorna and Tristan’s story!

Lorna and Tristan have not had an easy road to get to the point they are now. Hoping that their marriage is the starting point to a happy life together, they start to take steps to move forward from the past. But life still has some unexpected twists and turns on their path to their HEA. Shortly after their marriage, Tristan’s health deteriorates and Lorna’s brother Chuck, who everyone thought was killed in the war, is discovered alive. His imminent return is a happy occasion but also brings past secrets to the forefront that can destroy Tristan and Lorna’s newfound happiness.

Ms. Hilston really pulled on my heartstrings with this one! With Tristan’s health issue and Chuck’s return, I truly despaired that Lorna and Tristan would ever find peace to finally get their HEA. The return of Chuck from the war and watching him struggle with life and the secrets of the past was difficult to watch, but I understood how devastated he was feeling. In this story, we watch as Tristan, Lorna, and Chuck learn to navigate their lives around the past and try once again to move forward. Ms. Hilston did an excellent job with the writing and I really liked all the characters in this book. The secondary characters were fabulous and truly added a spark to the story! This was such a beautifully written story about faith, forgiveness, hope, and love, with an absolutely perfect ending! Highly recommend!

~ Rose

AbouttheAuthorlg

Cynthia Hilston is a thirty-something-year-old stay-at-home mom of three young kids, happily married. Writing has always been like another child to her. After twenty years of waltzing in the world of fan fiction, she finally stepped away to do her debut dance with original works of fiction. Visit her website at http://www.cynthiahilston.com for more information.

In her spare time – what spare time? – she devours books, watches Doctor Who and Game of Thrones, pets her orange kitty, looks at the stars, and dreams of what other stories she wishes to tell.