Love, Now and Then Kindle Edition

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Then-Margaret-Lynette-Sharp-ebook/dp/B01C6PGR
When I need a break from my busy schedule, I like reading something positive, yet romantic enough to make my day. Thus I enjoy reading Margaret Lynette Sharp. Her sweet romances are reminiscent of times when the world was less chaotic and life was still going to be okay the next day, because folks fell in love, despite life’s many ups-and-downs, settled down and as far as I’m concerned, lived happily ever after.

Story One: Jenny and Richard’s romance is taken from “Of Love and Secrets”. This is the link to (http://www.amazon.com/Love-Secrets-Margaret-Lynette-Sharp-ebook/dp/B00RURJWFU/), should you wish to read the whole book, not just this one story as it appears in this two-story anthology, “Love, Then and Now”.
This is an interesting YA story written in the first person – in this instance starting adult life and its challenges as seen and described through the eyes of 18-year-old Jenny – a distinct, perhaps atypical main character, trying to find her feet in an as yet, undiscovered, adult world. The author weaves an artful tale of Jenny’s ups and downs when it comes to surviving the break-up of her first romance and dealing with a most antagonistic mother (who has her own demons to fight and in her quest to do the best for her daughter Jenny, often does just the opposite). Jenny has to make a success of college life and faces the challenges of a brand-new romance with Richard, who has an interesting past.
http://www.amazon.com/Uncertain-Love-Margaret-Lynette-Sharp-ebook/dp/B01BL5ECJ2/
This second story takes the reader into the thoughts of a young 21-year old girl who’s uncertain of her feelings for Kevin - someone she's known for a long time. His family is status conscious and wealthy. This fact in itself makes her feel unworthy of him - just being a legal secretary - because his family are architects and more.
At a turning-point in her life, she goes for a milkshake with her school friend, Sally and at Sam's Milk bar, she meets Todd. They hit it off and she finds it easy to talk to him. They have much in common - their love of music and singing - for example. Where will their friendship go? The plot weaves a masterful tale of uncertainty, highs and lows in Amanda's life and a nagging mother, which leads to a few life-changing decisions.
The author has a way with words, for example, "A tsunami of self-consciousness overwhelmed me ..." and her short descriptions of the beach, the calming effect of the sun, rustling wind in a woodland, help to set the scene for good, believable dialogue.
I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology and sighed with contentment when I finished reading it. Another positive for me is that the author has a very natural writing style, uses natural, easy flowing dialogue and develops true to life scenarios into a delightful romantic tale. If you're looking for a clean, romantic read and a respite in your busy schedule, I’m sure you’ll enjoy “Love, Then and Now”!

This pair of character-driven, page-turning romantic short novels by Ms. Sharp is a terrific bargain you should seize upon. Both novels have been published previously to enthusiastic reviews from prominent bloggers and authors -- and this reviewer as well, so I won't repeat myself other than just to say that Margaret Sharp writes stirring romance (with completely authentic and believable heroines) in exquisitely poetic, spare, well-crafted prose that makes her work a delight to read. And you'll save ($2.49) by enjoying both in this dual volume, currently available as a "twofer" at $3.49. Individual reviews follow.

Uncertain Love:

This is a story about that most essential element in any relationship, *trust*, and the turmoil felt by the heroine, Amanda, when she finds herself compelled to reevaluate her perceptions of someone she has come to trust very closely. Up until now, Kevin, her boyfriend, has increasingly stirred in her the kind of deep affection and trust that she associates with finding that elusive person: "The One." But seeds of suspicion have begun to spring in the flower bed of her seemingly perfect relationship -- something seems "not quite right" -- and not knowing whom to "trust" with her feelings, she confides her misgivings to someone who is little more than a stranger, and with consequences that she may not begin to foresee, but that will engage both her and the reader fully in a web of conflict and dangerous realizations.

Of Love and Secrets:

I think that, in order truly to become invested in a novel, you need a character to love or to hate. Jenny, the protagonist of Sharp's latest and best work, is extraordinarily likeable.

You'll *hate* Jenny's mother. It takes some considerable measure of literary skill to conjure up a character you'll so much want to loathe -- whom you'll so much enjoy detesting -- and Sharp, who has matured from a writer of delicately poetic vignettes into a thoroughly engaging (and even more eloquent) novelist, unquestionably has it. 

Jenny's and Richard's romance is tentative, then intense, then (to Jenny's perception) sporadic and unreliable, but throughout, it's clear to the reader that it's all authentic, and when Richard wants to commit and move with her to forge a very promising life in a distant city -- the promise not only of love and a life, but *oxygen* to a young woman literally asphyxiated in the nest of her mother's making (past the point of normal separation), then the question is whether she'll take the offer. Or suffocate. You'll be captivated by the story, strongly involved with the characters (and Jenny is particularly endearing), and swept to the conclusion, which also offers a revelation and a twist. But no further spoilers here. The book will appeal both to a YA romance and a more general literary audience.