Do you know what hope smells like?
It’s a combination of the sea, of exposed seaweed and salty air.
Of wet sand on a winter’s day.
Jayne was mid forties when she experienced the worst and the best times of her life.
She fell in love, so desperately in love.
She lost everything overnight.
But no matter how bad life gets, how far down that dark tunnel you are, there is always a glimmer of hope.
From her dream house in Kent, via the nuthouse, and eventually to a cottage in Cornwall, Jayne takes a journey that is to wound, to destroy, and eventually heal her.
This is a story of one woman’s quest to find herself, and learn to love herself again.
Contemporary Romance for readers over the age of 18.
Amazon Universal Link: http://myBook.to/AVirtualAffair
Review
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
“I smiled when I thought of my parents. They lived nearby in Crinkly Bottom as they called it. It was a complex for the elderly.”
“Before I turned out the light I noticed a white shirt in the laundry bin. It was one of Michael's. I pulled it out and held it to my face. It smelled of him, of his aftershave. It smelled of her perfume too. I took the shirt into the garden and lifted the lid off the BBQ. I squirted lighter fuel over the top and with my lighter, watched it go up in flames.”
“Watching my dad die, witnessing the process of death, would live with me forever. As would the smell. There were no words to really describe the smell of death, but it permeated the air, my clothes, and my hair. It was acrid with hints of acetone.”
“I'd never slept naked before. I had that silly thought instilled from childhood – never sleep naked in case the house caught fire. I had a fear of the fireman having to help me down a ladder with my bare arse on show.”
“I wanted you from the moment you stumbled on a speed boat. I don't know what it is about you but I need you. I've never connected with someone the way I connect with you. You pull me, all the time.”
“'I can't let go of you,' he said. 'Don't let go of me,' I whispered.”
My Review:
I finished Tracie Podger's latest masterpiece of A Virtual Affair with my bruised yet hopeful heart in my throat, tear tracks down my face, and a smile on my lips. Poignant is a word that comes close to describing this book – but it doesn't quite do it justice. Let me add in real world, relevant, heart squeezing, painfully honest, highly emotive, cleverly insightful, masterfully written, and sneakily humorous. As I read through the book, I frequently mused to myself that Ms. Podger knew far too much about depression and personal pain to be able to give such vivid detail and perfectly descriptive words and passages to the dark feelings of despair and sorrow. In reading her ending letter I found that the book contained, “many truths and a lot of made up stuff,” bingo!
During a cold and unhappy marriage, the main character of Jayne had gradually became a ghost of herself - and like many caged and neglected animals in a zoo - had became complacent in her misery. Following a traumatic loss she tumbled into a steep spiral. The inner narrative of her struggles and recovery was deeply moving, and my eyes seemed to develop a strange wetness that just wouldn't go away. But I don't want to give the impression that the book is morose and maintained a constant level of gloom and angst - NOT! As with any and all Tracie Podger stories, A Virtual Affair also contained stealthy and welcome hits of clever levity throughout, as well as a few deliciously steamy sensual scenes. Ms. Podger has mad skills, as well as a wicked and underhanded sense of humor that I just adore – more please!
Empress DJ
Book Trailer –
About the Author
Tracie Podger currently lives in Kent, UK with her husband and a rather obnoxious cat called George. She’s a Padi Scuba Diving Instructor with a passion for writing. Tracie has been fortunate to have dived some of the wonderful oceans of the world where she can indulge in another hobby, underwater photography. She likes getting up close and personal with sharks.
Available from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo & Nook
Fallen Angel, Part 1
Fallen Angel, Part 2
Fallen Angel, Part 3
Fallen Angel, Part 4
Evelyn - A Novella
Rocco – A Novella
Robert
Travis
A Virtual Affair
Coming soon
The Passion Series – Jackson
Letters to Lincoln
Rocco: The Missing Years
Stalker Links
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