**In Love With Romance Book Tour** ~ The Quintessential Gemini

Welcome to my final stop on the In Love With Romance Book Tour! I would like to express my extreme gratitude to Sapphire Star Publishing, who presented this tour in honor of Valentine's Day, for allowing me to participate in the tour and for introducing me to some amazing authors! 

Today, I'm reviewing The Quintessential Gemini by Linn B. Halton. And before I get started, I want to say that I LOVE this book because it is quintessentially British! :)

Synopsis from GoodReads
For twenty-one years, the focus of Katherine Dale's life has been her work. Love interests and hobbies came and went, but what has always been there for her was her nine to five habit. Until she's replaced. With her confidence dented, Katherine is angry at life and at herself. She's ignored hints of "changes to come" in her horoscope forecasts, written by the wonderful and renowned astrologer, Mark Ainsley-Thomas. Mark is now an "A" list celebrity in the UK and his new Agent is determined to raise his profile in America, so he has to take on the new, but talented, astrologer James Kingman to help him run his web-site. Katherine lives her life according to her daily horoscope. When Katherine finds James has been writing her daily horoscopes rather than Mark, Katherine's life explodes in confusion and, unexpectedly, love as the three lives become inextricably tangled. Now Katherine has to learn that the stars might be telling her that love is going to feature in her life, but when Katherine finds herself implicated in the headlines 'Mystic Love Triangle Surprise' she's just as surprised as everyone else None of the men in her life are love interests - so what exactly does fate have in store?

****************
My Review
What a lovely story! Reading this novel is like sitting down with an old friend and catching up on life. And it was such a pleasant chat! :)

Katherine Dale is a woman who has always lived her life in a well though out, pragmatic and sensible way. She has devoted her life to work - as an accountant - and it has always worked well for her. Now she suddenly finds herself having to forge a new life. She's been made redundant (laid off for non-Brits) and it's thrown her into a bit of a tailspin. You see, Katherine has always kept close tabs on her horoscope and yet she didn't see this coming! However, paying close attention to her forecasts, she has made the well-considered decision to try her hand at writing a novel. Problem is, she can't seem to make sense of her forecasts recently and she's therefore, a bit off-kilter.

James Kingman has been a bit down on his luck lately. However, he has recently accepted a position to assisting a renowned astrologist, Mark Ainsley-Thomas, in writing the daily forecasts, as he has become a bit of a celebrity as of late and due to publicity commitments is in need of help. It is all going so well for James until he gets a rather nasty email from a follower complaining of his forecasts. However, after both sides calm and apologize, James embarks on a relationship or sorts with one Katherine Dale.

Mark Ainsley-Thomas, the genius astrologer whom Katherine has followed for decades, unwittingly becomes the third in a mystical love-triangle with James and Katherine. This comes about when Mark agrees to a book signing and talk for Katherine's writing group. It's all silliness due to his sudden celebrity and Mark manages to keep his cool as well as aid James and Katherine as they wade through the media spectacle. In many ways, Mark is a father figure/mentor to both James and Katherine.

All the characters of this novel are very well developed. It really is like sitting down with a friend and chatting about the goings-on with all the neighbors you grew up among. Even Katherine's cat, No. 4, has a distinct personality and I could imagine him purring on my lap or taking a swipe at my hand while sitting at Katherine's dining table. I must admit to not being that knowledgeable about astrology. I know the basics and that's about it. But I enjoyed the astrological element to this story. I particularly liked how Ms. Halton incorporated the personality traits of a Gemini - Katherine's sign - into the plot. Geminis are said to be pulled in opposing directions and throughout the story, Katherine experiences just that.

Besides this being such a pleasant read, I also liked the insight offered into human nature and relationships. For example,

"I resolved never to let the stupidity of other people grind me down again; compared to one's health, it's all petty."-Katherine

"However, if you've lived a full life, you have a wealth of memories that you can re-live in your head each day, remembering people you knew and loved, places you've been. It serves to remind me that life is all about living in the moment - you can't keep putting things off because  you don't know what tomorrow will bring."-James

"It's not really about people; it's about people who matter to you. You can be surrounded by a multitude and still feel as if you're alone."-Katherine

"This is a reminder that life is all about the people with whom you choose to surround yourself; what happens outside of that circle really doesn't matter."-Katherine

The Quintessential Gemini was thought-provoking and profound for me. I also appreciated that James and Katherine matured - showing that even though you're supposedly grown-up, you can still develop emotionally. I don't mean to say there wasn't humor intertwined as well. Thought-provoking can be fun too! :) Overall, I am delighted to have read this novel. Not only did I giggle while learning about astrology but I garnered some life lessons as well!

**I received this ebook from Sapphire Star Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

Linn B Halton lives in the UK, in the small Gloucestershire village of Arlingham, on the banks of the River Severn with her adorable husband and cat with attitude – Mr Tiggs! She writes romantic fiction with a psychic or astrological theme and many of the paranormal events that feature in her books are real life experiences.

Linn is also a featured new Author on http://loveahappyending.com/ and Editor of the feature ‘Author & Associate Catch-Ups’ including ‘Reader/Author Team Reports’ on the website’s magazine-style blog.

Find Linn here:

Author page: http://loveahappyending.com/linn-b-halton/
Twitter Account - @LinnBHalton: http://bit.ly/ksXMDS
Facebook- Author Linn B Halton: http://on.fb.me/mnvJJs

Buy The Quintessential Gemini here:

Amazon Kindle
Amazon Paperback
B&N