Lola's Money by Rosanna Rae- Blog Tour+ Guest Post + Giveaway

Lola French is stunned when she wins millions on the Lottery, and she is sure all her dreams are about to come true. However, right from the start, before she even claims her winnings, things begin to change and she separates abruptly and acrimoniously from the man she has been living with.

Lola’s colleagues are initially pleased for her, but eventually begin to resent her new status. One of them, Tom, whom she really likes, asks her out; but he does it on the day that news of her win spreads through the office and she sadly turns him down. She decides to leave her job as a Financial Adviser in Edinburgh and explore the limitless possibilities of her new lifestyle.

When Lola and her mother excitedly set off on a Mediterranean cruise, it’s not long before they both meet men they are interested in. However, their holiday of a lifetime catapults them into a life-changing sequence of dramatic and terrifying events that neither of them will ever forget. When she has to return to reality, Lola unexpectedly finds herself involved with Tom again! But the storm clouds are looming overhead, and as the recent past catches up with her and forces her to confront violence and danger once more, Lola risks losing Tom forever.


MY REVIEW:

Lola's Money by Rosanna Rae
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lola's Money by Rosanna Rae is a 2015 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mo' money, Mo' Trouble. We've all heard variants of that at one time or another, but who among us can deny we have not fantasized at one time or another about winning the lottery.

Lola will learn that money really doesn't buy you love, in fact, it could put her and her mother in serious danger....

After her major win, Lola has no intentions of leaving her job or going on huge shopping expeditions. The major change that takes place in her life is in dumping her no good boyfriend, Alan, and moving back home with her mom.

But, her work environment gets strange as her co-workers begin to treat her differently and Tom, the guy she is interested in only notices her AFTER her lottery win becomes public knowledge. He promptly begins dating another woman when Lola calls him out on it.

So, despite her attempts at normalcy, Lola gives her notice, goes shopping, changes her looks, and books a cruise for herself and her mother. Why not?

Well, once aboard the cruise, Lola and her mother meet men and experience whirlwind romances. But, both decide to pursue their new relationships after the cruise is over. Each accuses the other of moving too fast, and for the first time Lola and her mother feel a shift in their once close relationship. However, one of these ladies does indeed chose the wrong man to become involved with and will pay a high price as a result.

This book is written in three parts beginning with Lola's lottery win, the breakup with Alan, the decision to leave her job and take a cruise.

Part two introduces us to the new man in Lola's life, her decision to see where the relationship will take her and the distance it puts between her and her mother. But, it also leads us to understand the two ladies are in imminent danger.


Part three has Lola coming full circle as she and her mother return home from their travels and attempt to to put their lives back in order. But, their troubles are not over by a long shot. Tom and Lola do manage to put any misunderstandings behind them, but not everyone is thrilled by this, and it would seem Lola has a stalker. Is it one of the men Lola met on the cruise? Tom's ex-girlfriend? Or Alan?

Before all is said and done, Lola will have learned who her real friends are, and what is really important in life.


I think the author did a fantastic job of capturing the difficulties one might face after coming into a large sum of money. People came out of the woodwork and wanted to establish relationships with Lola, and despite her attempts to keep the money a secret and not let it change her, it is impossible for something like that to stay hidden. Once people knew about Lola's windfall, they were the ones who changed towards her. It wasn't until this happened that Lola began to change.

This is evident once she starts to plan the cruise. Her personality changes, she becomes haughty, over confident in her choices, and begins to disrespect her mother. After going through a harrowing ordeal, Lola begins to morph back into her old self again , having learned some valuable lessons in the process.


Lola made for an interesting character study because she was trusting of complete strangers but did not trust Tom or her mother. She was naïve when she should have been cautious, cynical when she should have been more trusting, which did cause many of Lola's problems. Other issues, such as with Tom, were not in her power to control. I did want to like Tom and believe in him, but his immediate involvement with someone else and his inability to make it clear to this other woman that he had feelings for Lola didn't exactly endear me to him. I thought he was too wishy washy in some areas, but he was also protective of Lola when he saw she was in danger and comes to her rescue making him a hero in the end. Tom also provided a wry sense of humor to the story that gave him an irresistible charm.
Lola's mom is a sensible character I really liked and she helps keep Lola grounded by offering sage advice and insights.

I enjoy Rosanna's storytelling a lot. She has a unique writing voice that pulls the reader deeply into story and keeps them there. This book was a little different from her previous books, yet it still adheres to her focus on an entire family and not just the one character. In this case it was Lola and her mother, Betty, who are almost co- protagonist at times. This story has a bit of a edge to it compared to the other books I have read by this author. This book should firmly reside in the romantic suspense category, but is also a comfortable fit for contemporary fiction. 4.5 stars rounded to 5

Buy the book:      Amazon

PLEASE WELCOME ROSANNA RAE TO THE BOOK REVIEW TODAY!  

My fears and phobias

by Rosanna Rae

I am claustrophobic, have a fear of heights and a strong dislike of spiders, especially large ones! These fears have been little more than a nuisance, and have decreased in strength as I’ve grown older. I would never do a bungee jump, climb a mountain, enter tight underground tunnels or throw myself out of an aeroplane! I consider these fears are my brain’s way of keeping me alive and healthy.

I also have a full-blown phobia. It’s not related to safety – it is most probably the result of adverse events during my youth. I am terrified of speaking in public. Any time I became embarrassed in front of the class I would flush deeply and develop unsightly blotches on my face and neck, making my classmates stare at me as though I was some kind of freak. I began to associate speaking in public with these unpleasant physical effects and I was determined to avoid doing it whenever possible.

In my final year of High School, however, I experienced a situation where I was given no choice in the matter. The upper school pupils were attending a church service where readings had to be done. The teacher drew me and a couple of other pupils into the aisle and informed us that we would each be doing a reading. I tried desperately to tell her that I couldn’t possibly do that, but she wouldn’t listen to me. “Oh, of course you can. Don’t be silly,” she said, telling us to sit down as the service was about to start.

Needless to say, by the time my reading came around, my heart was thumping so hard that I could scarcely breathe and I was already deeply flushed. All my instincts told me to run outside to escape, but I was so self-conscious that I couldn’t face the thought of everyone staring at me and laughing as I ran from the church. So I stayed. I stood up on the altar and started to read. Soon the words began to dance in front of my eyes and I had to blink a lot and speak very slowly. I thought I was going to pass out. Everyone else did, too, and the silence was deafening. I somehow managed to finish the reading and stumble back to my seat. My teacher’s face was white and she looked horrified, as well she might. No one should ever be forced into doing something they hate or fear. If you want to face your fears, it is important to do it very gradually, when you have chosen to do so.

When I had my first book published, I actually managed to speak in front of quite a few people at the Book Launch, so I know that this fear has also diminished. I am tackling the issue of fears and phobias in the novel I am currently writing, which is called ‘Hazel’s Home’. I hope to complete it next year.

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Author's Bio:

Rosanna Rae is married with three grown-up sons and lives in Livingston, Scotland. She has a B.A. (Open) in Social Science subjects and also took a writing course with The Writers Bureau some years ago. She spent 16 years at home raising her family and then returned to full-time secretarial employment in Edinburgh.

Rosanna has wanted to write fiction since she was ten years of age, after reading an abridged version of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. She is delighted to be now fulfilling that early ambition.

'Lola's Money' is the author's fifth novel; she is currently writing her sixth book.

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