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Seize the Day #1
Seize the Day
Professor Fiona Reid feels it is now too late for the life she would have wished. "I want so much more than this dusty book jacket I've allowed myself to become." She accepts the offer to take a group to Italy as their courier.
Kale McBride a successful outgoing writer of lesbian fiction is a member of the group. "I do miss being part of a couple…the relationship, but it's hard as you get older to meet women who interest you intellectually and sexually. Or find women interested in you!"
Will Fiona find the courage to admit her sexuality?
Kale McBride a successful outgoing writer of lesbian fiction is a member of the group. "I do miss being part of a couple…the relationship, but it's hard as you get older to meet women who interest you intellectually and sexually. Or find women interested in you!"
Will Fiona find the courage to admit her sexuality?
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2013
16 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Annette De Burgh
16 books19 followersAnnette De Burgh was born in Liverpool UK. She moved to Scotland where among other things she did family counseling, served on the Children's Court for Glasgow (known as Children's Panel) and was then appointed a magistrate for the City of Glasgow and then the City of Coventry. Anne suffered a severe stroke in 2016 - but she continues to write.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 9, 2014
I thought I had the love of my life, Kale. Will I ever be true to myself and find the love of my life, Fiona. How big of a deal is age when you find the love of your life? Old age is mentioned quite a bit throughout the read, some have thought too much. What I like is the positive attitude about aging. It is a slow moving story but the story makes you think about love, relationships and aging. In my opinion, that is a good thing.
December 30, 2014
I actually really liked this book... I lost sleep over it! it started a bit slow, but I felt myself becoming more curious as Fiona and Kale became more interested in each other. Some of the choice in dialog made me stop for moments of introspection.
June 4, 2017
If I never read the word ‘gesticulated’ again it will be too soon!
March 27, 2022
Seize The Day - Expressed Perfectly!
This book was recommended to me from another writer. Not sure why as these were written in 2013. I liked the summary so I plowed ahead.
What a ride! Being in my sixties, the book was easier to understand. You have Fiona, a fifty year old virgin who has not nor will ever be able to handle her sexuality. Being a professor, she has held her standards high and this occupation has held her families praises high even though she is a shell of herself. Her sister convinces her to try being a courier for a trip through Italy so she can use her academics and still meet people. When she meets her group and the complaints and the different personalities start at her, she becomes overwhelmed and realizes this was a mistake but pushes ahead with her head held high. In her group is a woman that she has been informed about Kale McBride. A writer who is trying to stay anonymous. She knows she is a seventy year old women who has reserved a double room for herself at each stop. But Fiona was not prepared for this outspoken, always late, disinterested but very smart women to get under her skin. What transpires is a trip through Italy which is hell but the history of the places they went was not as important as the slow connection that Fiona and Kale were developing. Sometimes we think we are content in life until someone comes along and upsets the cart. You have then two options, continue pretending or seize the day! What a great read! Now going on to the second book of their story…..
This book was recommended to me from another writer. Not sure why as these were written in 2013. I liked the summary so I plowed ahead.
What a ride! Being in my sixties, the book was easier to understand. You have Fiona, a fifty year old virgin who has not nor will ever be able to handle her sexuality. Being a professor, she has held her standards high and this occupation has held her families praises high even though she is a shell of herself. Her sister convinces her to try being a courier for a trip through Italy so she can use her academics and still meet people. When she meets her group and the complaints and the different personalities start at her, she becomes overwhelmed and realizes this was a mistake but pushes ahead with her head held high. In her group is a woman that she has been informed about Kale McBride. A writer who is trying to stay anonymous. She knows she is a seventy year old women who has reserved a double room for herself at each stop. But Fiona was not prepared for this outspoken, always late, disinterested but very smart women to get under her skin. What transpires is a trip through Italy which is hell but the history of the places they went was not as important as the slow connection that Fiona and Kale were developing. Sometimes we think we are content in life until someone comes along and upsets the cart. You have then two options, continue pretending or seize the day! What a great read! Now going on to the second book of their story…..
March 5, 2020
Good read
A "coming of age" love story between older women was a delight to read. The ending seemed a little rushed and abruptly ended but it is a book I would recommend.
A "coming of age" love story between older women was a delight to read. The ending seemed a little rushed and abruptly ended but it is a book I would recommend.
July 22, 2016
If you want a really slow-paced, meandering love story, this book is for you.
For me, well, it was not for me. It was exceptionally slow-paced, and there wasn't even romantic tension to make the slow pace enjoyable. We were told that the two characters were falling for each other, but I never really felt it. They both seemed kind of awkward and wrapped up in themselves, and I couldn't see what the spark between them was.
The whole book was a case of telling rather than showing. We were told they felt sad/lonely/conflicted/etc., but we weren't really shown them living those emotions. I didn't really understand the motivation behind a lot of their actions (other than what I was explicitly told about it). Actually, one of the few emotions that was shown and which came through loud and clear was Fiona's sense of discomfort with nearly all the situations she found herself in throughout the course of the book. Usually, when I'm reading, I have a clear image of the characters in my head, but not so for Fiona and Kale. I was told a lot about them, but I never really felt like I met them. In fact, the only lasting image in my head is of Fiona's much-maligned orange tent-dress.
And the ending was
So... not for me.
For me, well, it was not for me. It was exceptionally slow-paced, and there wasn't even romantic tension to make the slow pace enjoyable. We were told that the two characters were falling for each other, but I never really felt it. They both seemed kind of awkward and wrapped up in themselves, and I couldn't see what the spark between them was.
The whole book was a case of telling rather than showing. We were told they felt sad/lonely/conflicted/etc., but we weren't really shown them living those emotions. I didn't really understand the motivation behind a lot of their actions (other than what I was explicitly told about it). Actually, one of the few emotions that was shown and which came through loud and clear was Fiona's sense of discomfort with nearly all the situations she found herself in throughout the course of the book. Usually, when I'm reading, I have a clear image of the characters in my head, but not so for Fiona and Kale. I was told a lot about them, but I never really felt like I met them. In fact, the only lasting image in my head is of Fiona's much-maligned orange tent-dress.
And the ending was
So... not for me.
July 30, 2014
3.5 stars, bit of a slow start.
So I actually tried to start reading this a couple times but ended up quitting on the first page a couple times, but I was finally in a mood to just sit and read this and I made it through the book in a couple days. I kind of liked that the first two chapters were straight up character introductions, the first dedicated to our Professor and the second to our Writer. That didn't leave a whole lot of room for wondering about the characters' actions through the rest of the book - in a good way, insight into people's motives is my favorite thing about reading. That being said, the first 50-75% of the book was pretty slow, but it was kind of nice for a romance to set such a solid foundation for the lead characters, especially given that this is a later in life romance. The slow part managed to stay just this side of boring and once the tour ended, I was genuinely engaged and curious about where the rest of the story was going. There was decent character growth without unbelievable personality flips, just a late bloomer finding self-acceptance and, well, two ladies seizing the day - sorry, I had to :)
I would recommend this to patient people looking for a sweet romance and those who need hope for later in life romance!
Just a heads up, there is about a 20 year age gap between the love interests. May/december romances aren't usually my cup of tea, but it worked in this story so don't let that be a deal breaker, just be aware :)
So I actually tried to start reading this a couple times but ended up quitting on the first page a couple times, but I was finally in a mood to just sit and read this and I made it through the book in a couple days. I kind of liked that the first two chapters were straight up character introductions, the first dedicated to our Professor and the second to our Writer. That didn't leave a whole lot of room for wondering about the characters' actions through the rest of the book - in a good way, insight into people's motives is my favorite thing about reading. That being said, the first 50-75% of the book was pretty slow, but it was kind of nice for a romance to set such a solid foundation for the lead characters, especially given that this is a later in life romance. The slow part managed to stay just this side of boring and once the tour ended, I was genuinely engaged and curious about where the rest of the story was going. There was decent character growth without unbelievable personality flips, just a late bloomer finding self-acceptance and, well, two ladies seizing the day - sorry, I had to :)
I would recommend this to patient people looking for a sweet romance and those who need hope for later in life romance!
Just a heads up, there is about a 20 year age gap between the love interests. May/december romances aren't usually my cup of tea, but it worked in this story so don't let that be a deal breaker, just be aware :)
January 23, 2014
Nice story, if a bit draggy in places, but what really made me want to give it only 2 stars was the lack of editing. I realise that self-publishing is a perfectly valid way of getting your work out to the public. Possibly even the preferable method, especially for new writers and those in less popular genres. But...it's really no excuse for not editing. Or, perhaps it's fairer to say, Word is not an editor. I didn't notice any egregious misspellings, so the word processor did it's duty, but it can't be expected to have a function for "I don't think that word means what you think it means." Or, one for "Wow, you've used the metaphor to death! Want to try something different?" Nor can it deal with "Wait...what? You say you've hardly spoken, and never heard her laugh, when just 10 pages ago, you had a conversation that ended in mutual laughter?" And last, but not least, no word processor will ever be able to explain why Nicki left poor Ellen in Italy and came home with some stranger named Helen.
All of which is to say I enjoyed it, I'm happy to have read it, but it could have been much better.
All of which is to say I enjoyed it, I'm happy to have read it, but it could have been much better.
November 24, 2014
At its best, Carpe Diem is a sweet, leisurely romance and a lovely character study of two women escaping the circumscribed lives into which fear, age, grief and expectations threaten to bind them.
In its middling bits, it's a pleasant wish fulfillment story.
At its worst, it can be awkwardly written.
I particularly wish the author had let Fiona speak for herself a bit more. For example, we are assured that Kale enjoys Fiona's wit and subtle sense of humor - but we must take it on faith as those conversations happen largely off stage. Indeed, for all the time we spend hopping in and out of Fiona's head, she remains peculiarly vague in many ways.
It's also a pity that, despite a generally precise command of language, the text is so very riddled with bizarre auto-correct substitutions. I'm still guessing what some of the words were meant to have been.
Yet, for all my grumbling, I got caught up in Carpe Diem, and I cared what became of the characters. One might argue that that's what really matters.
In its middling bits, it's a pleasant wish fulfillment story.
At its worst, it can be awkwardly written.
I particularly wish the author had let Fiona speak for herself a bit more. For example, we are assured that Kale enjoys Fiona's wit and subtle sense of humor - but we must take it on faith as those conversations happen largely off stage. Indeed, for all the time we spend hopping in and out of Fiona's head, she remains peculiarly vague in many ways.
It's also a pity that, despite a generally precise command of language, the text is so very riddled with bizarre auto-correct substitutions. I'm still guessing what some of the words were meant to have been.
Yet, for all my grumbling, I got caught up in Carpe Diem, and I cared what became of the characters. One might argue that that's what really matters.
August 26, 2015
The story of 2 elderly woman’s Fiona 50 and Kale 70 who falling in love together get me to the point to say: age is just a number on a paper. The characters Fiona the academic lady and Kale the author are well written by the author. The story is romantic and full of love.
The description in this book of places in Italy made me feeling I was in that country. Just beautiful. I visited Italy often but never saw the places what was describe in this story. Tuscany is on my list one day.
I really love this book the author wrote a nice romantic story that made me laugh very often but to be honest 2 times my eyes became wet. Especially the coming of Fiona on christmas and the not understanding family. It was a fight but later Kale came to support her.
This won’t be the last book of this author I’ve read. I give 5 stars fort he book.
The description in this book of places in Italy made me feeling I was in that country. Just beautiful. I visited Italy often but never saw the places what was describe in this story. Tuscany is on my list one day.
I really love this book the author wrote a nice romantic story that made me laugh very often but to be honest 2 times my eyes became wet. Especially the coming of Fiona on christmas and the not understanding family. It was a fight but later Kale came to support her.
This won’t be the last book of this author I’ve read. I give 5 stars fort he book.
November 1, 2013
Interesting story. At times it drug on, but it works. The author has an unhealthy love for the word 'gesticulate' as she uses it often. Minor gripe, really.
If you're looking for hot lesbian sex and lots of it, this book is NOT for you. This book is not about sex, but about romantic love between two women. It never pretends otherwise.
This book may be offputting to American readers, since the author uses British spellings of many of the words. This didn't bother me, personally, though it might bother some folk.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes well developed characters and personal angst/agony in a will-they-or-won't-they story.
I enjoyed it, and that makes it all worth it.
If you're looking for hot lesbian sex and lots of it, this book is NOT for you. This book is not about sex, but about romantic love between two women. It never pretends otherwise.
This book may be offputting to American readers, since the author uses British spellings of many of the words. This didn't bother me, personally, though it might bother some folk.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes well developed characters and personal angst/agony in a will-they-or-won't-they story.
I enjoyed it, and that makes it all worth it.
February 28, 2018
A nice love story - woman meets older woman, woman falls for older woman, woman struggles with her attraction to older woman and so on. Slow to get going. It would have been a much better read if it had been edited more, hence only three stars. Definite overuse of some key phrases and terms, for example, '...there is dichotomy in sexual orientation and religious belief...' and a clear love of the word 'gesticulate' towards the end of the book. That said, it's not a bad book for a self-published author. Worth a read if you can get past the poor editing.
April 16, 2014
I am really not enjoying this book at all. Neither protagonist is at all likeable, and I am really not interested in them getting together. I am considering not finishing it. There are very few books that I have not finished in my reading life, and though this one isn't poorly written, which is usually my only criteria for not finishing a book, I think life is too short for me to bother with the rest of this story.
April 4, 2014
Ok
Ok
It has taken me awhile to read this book in its entirety because of it being long winded and drawn out. It didn't hold my attention for long periods of time, there was a lot of repetitions making it boring in parts, but in saying that, I kept coming back to it between finishing and starting other books just to find out how it ended. it was a nice story and believable also just too much filler.
Ok
It has taken me awhile to read this book in its entirety because of it being long winded and drawn out. It didn't hold my attention for long periods of time, there was a lot of repetitions making it boring in parts, but in saying that, I kept coming back to it between finishing and starting other books just to find out how it ended. it was a nice story and believable also just too much filler.
August 25, 2016
This book has a lot of unfulfilled potential, but I still enjoyed it.
I agree with others that it drug in spots, and the lack of romantic tension left the story feeling like there were parts untold.
With that said, I really enjoyed reading the struggles of coming out late in life. Of finding love again in the sunset years. I really enjoyed how much Kale was true to herself above all.
I agree with others that it drug in spots, and the lack of romantic tension left the story feeling like there were parts untold.
With that said, I really enjoyed reading the struggles of coming out late in life. Of finding love again in the sunset years. I really enjoyed how much Kale was true to herself above all.
October 4, 2013
A wonderful love story, so true you are never too old to fall in love. Age is but a number and a state of mind. Loved Kale 's wit and her take on life.
October 17, 2013
Great book
May 29, 2014
Loved this story. Very romantic and the views of Italy were wonderfully written - felt like I was on a visit.
December 27, 2014
Nice, easy read, dragged a bit in the middle.
March 8, 2016
I loved this book.
Seize the day is a beautifully written book. I can't say enough good things about it. The story and all the emotions it brings out in the reader are very moving.
Seize the day is a beautifully written book. I can't say enough good things about it. The story and all the emotions it brings out in the reader are very moving.
June 10, 2016
Great book
I recommend this book it was a great experience it teaches us that love is timeless and at any age can't wait to read the sequel.
I recommend this book it was a great experience it teaches us that love is timeless and at any age can't wait to read the sequel.
July 12, 2016
Great book
I really liked this book about late life loves. It is nice to see you can fall in love at any age.
I really liked this book about late life loves. It is nice to see you can fall in love at any age.
September 1, 2018
Very well written book!! Lovely characters!! This was a book I just devoured!!
August 15, 2013
A beautiful story.... It is never too late to love someone.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews