Friday, September 19, 2014

Come What May by Sherryl Caulfield ~ Review & International Giveaway

Title: Come What May
Author: Sherryl Caulfield
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: The Iceberg Trilogy #2
Publication Date: 19th September
Pages: 468
Book Source: Author via NetGalley

Synopsis: The second instalment of The Iceberg Trilogy, Come What May, continues the story of Samuel and Rebecca Dalton through the lives of their children, most notably, their beautiful, troubled daughter, Evangeline — Gene to all who knew and loved her.

In 1951, the summer of her eighteenth year, Gene embarks on a northern odyssey with her eldest brother, Jonathan. Under the northern lights they travel as part of a medical expedition to remote Cree settlements across the grand Canadian wilderness. There, she encounters people and events that will influence her life forever, including the unflappable Sonny Marlow, a young pilot not long returned from Europe where he served as part of the Allied forces in the Berlin Airlift operation.

Drawn together by love but kept apart by her fears, theirs is a tumultuous relationship that is as unpredictable as the woman Gene becomes. From the Saskatchewan prairies to the Rocky Mountains, from James Bay to Vancouver, life and love hold many surprises and trials for Gene and Sonny. Only when Gene can walk away from the devastating shadows towards the light can she and Sonny live the life that held such promise when they were young and on the edge of love.

My Thoughts:
After falling in love with Sherryl Caulfield's exquisite writing and Seldom Come By earlier this year, I've been a wee bit excited waiting for Come What May. Beginning Come What May, my friend Karen (who guest reviews here) was angst-texting me as she read Seldom Come By ... all the emotion of that epic love story came rushing back.  

Sherryl writes from the heart, her affinity with nature and the love and care she takes with her characters is evident. Come What May is such a sensory feast, lyrical writing, whether the simplest of phrases or vividly descriptive, it played like a movie in my mind.  

I didn't have the same connection with Gene as I did with her mother Rebecca in Seldom Come By but what I loved was the emotion that Sherryl Caulfield pulled from me ... dislike, guilt, admiration, horror, sadness, so much sadness, but joy too. I love it when an author's writing encourages you to consider more and judge less, I like being encouraged to think about a person's character, their motivations. For me it means an author has done her job brilliantly, whether I ultimately like a character or not.

Having finished Come What May, I'm still torn about Gene; she's complex, there's a lot going on with her, some of it confronting, which had me constantly swinging between compassion and dislike but then there were times when the sun shone through and I saw 'her'.   

Auld Lang Syne was one of those moments  ... without fail Auld Lang Syne brings me to tears, so much emotion and so many memories in those simple words.   

I loved the scenes describing the Canadian wilderness, Cree culture, the running of the huskies, I love Gene's brothers; for their good hearts, for all they have been through. And Sonny, my hero ... I love you. 

There's so much more I want to say about Come What May, it's a difficult one to review without spoilers, so let me finish with ... I'm emotionally wrung out, but oh my heart, I loved it.  

Come Full Circle can't come soon enough ...


Connect with Sherryl Caulfield
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Come What May












INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY: 
To celebrate the release of COME WHAT MAY, I have a print copy of COME WHAT MAY & SELDOM COME BY up for grabs. Thanks to the delightful Sherryl Caulfield. And it's open worldwide. Aren't the covers gorgeous?

Leave a comment telling me what most appeals to you about The Iceberg Trilogy and please ensure you're easily contactable.
Like Sherryl's Facebook Author Page or follow Sherryl on Twitter 

Autographed - Australian
Not autographed - International 

Extra Entries: 
+2 tweet giveaway and leave a link
+2 comment on SELDOM COME BY and let me know

Giveaway ends 3rd October and winners will be announced on my blog. Good luck everyone! 


*Don't forget Sherryl has a fantastic 3 book giveaway on her blog - enter here. Open til 25th September.*

And if you can't wait to start, grab Seldom Come By right now ... at $4.99 you are in for a treat.
@B&N




15 comments:

  1. Will I be texting with the same urgency as I was reading Seldom Come By???

    I am really looking forward to reading Come What May. It was your review of Seldom Come By that brought my attention to the series, but also the covers are just delightful. The Iceberg really had me interested because my husband and I have always had a desire to do a cruise through Alaska and the Antarctic and I think they would be truly magical to see.

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    1. I think that's a pretty safe bet Karen ... I'll be waiting ;)
      I didn't know Alaska and the Antarctic were on your bucket list, you'll get more magic in Come What May.

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  2. There is south about Seldom Come By that I loved...so much. Like you said, the writing is exquisite. Sherryl's writing pulled me into the story very quickly. I love how she made the setting as much a part of the story as are the characters. The icebergs were so intriguing as was Newfoundland on the whole. Sherryl was also able to make Canada and England fascinating too. I loved the epic-ness of the love story. I loved the journey. Thank you Sheree...you brought my attention to this series. I am glad I listened to the voice that said, "if Sheree is this excited about the book then it must be good" so I grabbed a copy quickly. Can't wait to read Come What May.

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    Replies
    1. Ugh to auto-spell and typing out a comment on the phone. "South" should be "so much"

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    2. Deanna, when you love a book, you hope all your friends love it too, so I was really happy to hear you loved Seldom Come By. Can't wait to see what you think about Come What May.

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  3. These sound like some good books, even though I have never heard of them before! The covers look okay, but your review is what really draws me towards them. Even though you couldn't connect with Gene as much, she still seemed like a character you loved, and emotional stories are my type!

    Check out my review: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/09/the-legacy-blog-tour-review.html

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  4. I am intrigued and excited to begin this series due to the setting! Wandering across northern Canada, great atmosphere, and will make for wonderful historical fiction. Thanks for the chance.

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  5. I am really looking forward to reading these books and it looks like I caught Seldom Come By at an even better price than above - it was my lucky day to read your thoughts on it earlier in the week., and to get very sucked in. I love books that another reader is passionate about. Loved the angst texting!!

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  6. I do think that the setting will be beautiful. Gorgeous covers. The books do sound amazing.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  7. the covers are AMAZING!!
    thank you for the giveaway!!

    cyn209 at juno dot com

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  8. commented on Seldom Come By as Cyn209........

    cyn209 at juno dot com

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  9. The locale, the beauty, the setting, and the story all beckon me. How enthralling and ideal. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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