Over the Edge by Suzanne Carroll Blog Tour and Review

Guest Post:

What is it like to be an Australian author, and were there any difficulties in writing
for a global audience?
Funny you should mention that…
Most of Over the Edge is set in Sydney, like me, and there were a few funny emails
and calls with my editor about “Australianisms”. Like lasagne with an “e” on the
end. Lift instead of elevator. Loo for bathroom. We don’t go antiquing, but we will
go and look at antiques. You fall “out the window”, not “out of the window”. Mostly,
we say “got” instead of “gotten”. We had a few chuckles over these things, my editor
and me.

I don’t think it’s difficult writing for a global audience because even if a word
or phrase is unfamiliar, the scene and surrounding conversation usually gives
it context. I didn’t have to change anything to make it more global, though I did
wonder if the line… “I’ll have a schooner of New, thanks” would need to be changed
to “I’ll have a glass of beer, thanks.” But it wasn’t. You’ll see the sleazy guy in the
pub still orders his schooner of New.

~~~~~~~~



Summary of Over the Edge:

In six weeks Zoe Harper will marry Dan Costi in an over-the-top Sydney society wedding, complete with fire-eaters and belly dancers. But when she receives an unexpected gift from her future mother-in-law, Zoe realizes she’s making a huge mistake. In a blazing sidewalk argument, she breaks up with her fiancé, and his mother—who has joined the fight via conference call.

Following the advice of friends and co-workers, along with some inspiration from late-night-television self-help guru Dr. Pam, Zoe sets out to find the life she thinks she should be living. Always a planner, she makes a list of goals: travel, career, tattoos, and no romantic entanglements. It’s all carefully laid out, until she meets Angus Creed.

Angus is supposed to lead the opening waltz at a charity ball in New York City. Only problem is the handsome billionaire construction magnate with the tabloid past can’t dance. Not one step.
Tainted by gossip and with a well-publicized failed engagement behind him, Angus has become a master at keeping an emotional distance. Until he meets Zoe.

What starts as dancing lessons, slowly becomes something more. Angus begins to let down his guard and open his heart, even when his past makes an unexpected and unwelcome return. As Zoe discovers the real man behind the headlines, she questions where her new choices are taking her. Her goals look good on paper, but are they what she really wants? And by the time she realizes where her heart lies, will it be too late?

Review:

When a gift from her future mother-in-law arrives,  future bride Zoe Harper sees the path her life will take if she goes through with this marriage and it is not a path of eternal happiness.  Zoe ends her engagement six weeks before the big day to find herself in limbo, what does she want to make out of her life.  Step one is  a self discovery/retreat weekend by herself, sounds easy enough but does it take a wrong turn when she finds herself being cared for by her box CEO Angus Creed.

Angus has been burned badly before and has no plans to do it again, but everything about Zoe  has him fascinated.  He knows she is healing a wounded heart,  but is willing to form a unique friendship that is only the two of them to keep her close by.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story.  It was primarily about Zoe finding herself but Angus was by her side and not in a purely romantic way, more like two wounded souls leaning on one another.  I thought the pacing was perfect and was enchanted throughout the story.  Will be picking up more of Suzanne Carroll’s books in the future.

Author Bio:

Suzanne lives in Sydney with her husband and children.  By day she works in an office where she sneakily scribbles plot ideas on yellow sticky notes and hopes they don't accidentally end up on the departmental monthly report.
One such sticky note has turned into her first novel, Over the Edge.

Buying link: http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/74