Blossoming Flower (Wildflowers #1) by Vivian Winslow-Review and Book Tour

BLOSSOMING FLOWER
Wildflowers #1
by Vivian Winslow
Genre: adult,contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: October 19, 2015

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

In the wake of the collapse of her father’s business empire, Flor, the gorgeous twenty-one year-old daughter of disgraced former Brazillionaire Gustavo de Lima, is forced to forge her own path in life. Flor decides that none of it—the private jets, the vacation homes and the luxury cars—were real. Or at least they really didn’t matter. The only thing that’s real for Flor is her love of horses and her desire to go to veterinary school. Heading into her final year of college, Flor seeks out the help of an unlikely benefactor to secure a summer internship working with horses. Arriving at the secluded Belo Horizonte ranch, Flor is awed not only by the majestic beauty of the place, but also by handsome cowboy and skilled horse trainer, Collin Taylor. Yet nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. When the hidden past is revealed, will love end up blossoming for Flor?

REVIEW

4 out of 5 for this reader folks!

Blossoming Flower by Vivian Winslow is the first book in her Wildflowers series which is a spin off of her Gilded Flower series. A wonderful contemporary romance with more mystery and lies that blends in with the previous series beautifully. Bringing back a character that one loves to hate, Vivian allows us to to become reacquainted with familiar characters and story lines while introducing us to a whole other branch of the story.

Flor is the daughter of Gustavo de Lima (he is the man we love to hate and hate to love from the previous series). Trying to hide from the scandal that is unfolding by her fathers incarceration and ruin, Flor is determined to move on with her life without all the privileges money enabled her to have. After seeing Poppy (remember Lily and Dahlia’s bad mommy?? LOL), Flor decides to spend her summer on a ranch where she knows she’ll feel more free with the horses she connects to so easily.

Collin Taylor is one moody dude. Having been brought up on this ranch and having quite the past himself, he does all he can to fight off his attraction to this Brazilian beauty that has come to the ranch. When he realizes that there is more to Flor than meets the eye he decides a friendship is possible. Having secrets of his own, Collin finds it way to bask in Flor’s company and before we know it the inevitable happens.

With secrets, mystery and betrayal blanketing the entire ranch, Flor comes to realize that not all is as it seems. Is the love that Collin and Flor share enough to allow then to ponder a future, or will her name de Lima once again make her run for the hills?

Another solid book by Vivian Winslow. A little slow at times, but her love scenes certainly make up for any of that. The chemistry between Flor and Collin was HOT and so believable and I absolutely loved all the secondary characters. I enjoyed meeting Gustavo and Poppy once again and I dare say that I am not thinking this story is done just quite yet. I would recommend reading The Gilded Flower series first as it’ll add to your understanding of where Flor comes from and how she became to be the person she is. I do suppose you could read this as a stand alone but you would miss out on so much if you did!

HAPPY READING! 🙂

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Rachel

Spotify Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/user/vivwinslow/playlist/3Spgf47w10a8MLDvzZQoKs

The 5 books my HEROINE loves best and why …

Flor is a lover of classic literature, and her love of books is peppered in throughout the story (probably because I’m such a booklover as well).

1. Daisy Miller by Henry James – Flor loves the story of the naïve Daisy’s adventures in Europe. She can relate to the young woman’s desire for fun and freedom while ignoring the societal rules she’s expected to follow.

2. Nana by Emile Zola – Flor studied French Literature at her Swiss boarding school. Sex and prostitution in 19th century Paris fascinated Flor, who grew up sheltered by her parents.

3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – Flor is no stranger to life’s ups and downs, much like Pip, the main character. The humor, passion and humility with which he learns to navigate his world serves as an escape to Flor as she attempts to ignore her own family issues.

4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – Flor defines herself as a feminist. This dystopian tale was an awakening for Flor who found it offered a new perspective on the double standard of living in a male-dominated world, such as living in Brazil.

5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez – Beautifully written story of the Buendía family over several generations. It made Flor aware of how history tends to repeat itself and question how and when she may be subject to her own family’s destiny of misfortune.

Vivian Winslow was born and raised in Southern California. Before becoming a writer, she made a career out of moving around the world every couple of years thanks to her husband’s job and her incurable wanderlust. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and two elementary school age children, and is grateful to finally have a place to call home for more than two years.

New York is the perfect city to indulge her love of fashion, the arts and especially food. If she’s not at home writing or running around the city with her kids, you’ll most likely find her eating at the newest restaurant in her beloved Lower East Side or having a cocktail at her favorite bar in Alphabet City. That said, she’s still a California girl at heart and would gladly trade in her heels for a pair of flip-flops to catch a sunset on the beach.

Website: http://www.vivianwinslow.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8183361.Vivian_Winslow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivianwinslowauthor?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VivWinslow
Blog: http://www.vivianwinslow.com/blog

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