** BLOG TOUR ** Beneath the Apple Blossom by Kate Frost

This book was published by Lemon Tree Press on the 1st August 2016, my thanks to the author for sending my review copy.

Four women, linked by blood ties, friendship, betrayal, loss and hope, struggle with the choices they’ve made and the hand that life’s dealt them. 

All Pippa’s ever wanted is marriage and kids, but at thirty-four and about to embark on IVF, her dream of having a family is far from certain. Her younger sister Georgie has the opposite problem, juggling her career, her lover, a young daughter and a husband who wants baby number two. 

Pippa’s best friend Sienna has a successful career in the film world, and despite her boyfriend pressurising her to settle down, a baby is the last thing she wants. Happily married Connie shares the trauma of fertility treatment with Pippa, but underestimates the impact being unable to conceive will have on her and her marriage. 

As their lives collide in a way they could never have predicted, will any of them get to see their hopes realised? 

My Thoughts:

This is a story that is told from the viewpoint of four different women. Connie, Pippa, Sienna and Georgie are all very realistic characters, and are extremely well written. 

I would say this book is a portrayal of the pressures of modern life on women and of course it is a story of infertility and motherhood. Pippa longs to have a baby and is going down the route of fertility treatment, her sister Georgie has a baby already but doesn't seem to be enjoying the experience, Sienna doesn't have a thought of having a baby and is far too interested in her career to conceive. 

Different women and different lives that intertwine within this novel. I don't have children, nor do I particularly want them. So in context please don't be put off this book. The characters and their lives shine through. I liked some of the characters more than others but that is what made them so realistic. 

I found the sections about infertility the most emotive and you could feel Pippa's pain coming off the page on occasion.  This book highlights the fact that real life is never perfect and sometimes far from it. There are sometimes hard times to bear and conflicts and pain but also there are the good days.

If you like women's fiction and enjoy intertwined stories of friendship, motherhood and lifes decisions and actions then you may well enjoy this one. 

I found it realistic and emotive and actually felt quite invested in the outcomes of the stories. 



About the Author:

Kate Frost has wanted to be an author ever since she wrote her first novel during the long months she spent off school following open heart surgery when she was seven. The novel was called London's Burning and was a time travel story set during the Great Fire of London. 

Over the years Kate has worked in a cinema, a bookshop, a factory and at NHS Direct. She's also worked as ground staff at Edgebaston Tennis Tournament, as a Virgin Vie consultant and as a Supporting Artist in the films Vanity Fair, King Arthur and The Duchess. Kate has a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and has also taught lifewriting to Creative Writing undergraduates there. She has had articles and short stories published in The London Magazine, New Welsh Review and QWF. 

Kate lives in the UK with her husband, young son and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her debut novel The Butterfly Storm was published in 2013.

To find out more about Kate and her writing you can visit her at www.kate-frost.co.uk.

Kate is also on Twitter: @Kactus77

Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.