Book Description:

There are names that have been passed down through thousands of years which have powerful and deep-rooted meaning to their bearers. Other names have been adopted from other languages, cultures and from the big screen. They all have one thing in common. They are with us from birth until the grave and they are how we are known to everyone that we meet.

There are classical names such as Adam, David and Sarah that will grace millions of babies in the future. There are also names that parents have invented or borrowed from places or events in their lives which may last just one lifetime or may become the classic names of tomorrow. 

Whatever the name there is always a story behind it. In What’s in a Name? – Volume One, twenty men and women face danger, love, loss, romance, fear, revenge and rebirth as they move through their lives.

Anne changes her name because of associations with her childhood, Brian carries the mark of ancient man, Jane discovers that her life is about to take a very different direction, and what is Isobel’s secret?

My Review:

In What’s in a Name? – Volume One, Sally Cronin’ brings together characters in her short stories, framed and shaped by their names in one way or another. Her gift to evoke a scene, a sense of place, runs parallel with her knack of homing in on the minutiae, to bring to life situations and relationships. And, as always with all this author’s work her innate empathy for the human condition shines through while at the same time she writes to entertain the reader. Each tale, whether coming to a foregone conclusion or having a unexpected twist at the end is such a satisfying read.

Highly recommended 

I loved this first volume so was thrilled when Sally gifted me the second: What’s in a Name? Volume 2: Stories of Life and Romance, in return for an honest review…

Book Description: 

Our legacy is not always about money or fame, but rather in the way that people remember our name after we have gone. In these sixteen short stories we discover the reasons why special men and women will stay in the hearts and minds of those who have met them. Romance, revenge and sacrifice all play their part in the lives of these characters.

Kenneth watches the love of his life dance on New Year’s Eve while Lily plants very special flowers every spring for her father. Martha helps out a work colleague as Norman steps back out into the world to make a difference. Owen brings light into a house and Patrick risks his life in the skies over Britain and holds back from telling a beautiful redhead that he loves her.

Meet Queenie and Rosemary who have both lost their husbands and must face a very different future. One that will take courage and the use of new technology.

Sonia is an entitled princess whose father has reached the end of his tether and Theresa has to deal with a bully in the checkout. Usher is an arrogant narcissist with a docile wife and is used to getting his own way and Vanessa worries about the future of her relationship with her teenage son. 

Walter is a loner and is happy with just his dog for company, Xenia is the long awaited first baby of a young couple. Yves is a dashing romeo who has the tables turned on him unexpectedly and Zoe… Well she can see into the future.

In one way or another all these characters will be remembered by those whose lives they have touched.

My Review:

And I can honestly say I enjoyed this set of stories even more than the first volume. In this the reader finds stories continuing the alphabet of names, male and female; here there is joy and despair,  true love and duplicity,  romance and companionship.

 What’s in a Name? Volume 2: Stories of Life and Romance shows, yet again, what a consummate storyteller Sally Cronin is. This author carries the reader into the world of fiction; ever willing to be swept along by the words; by the willing suspension of disbelief.

 As always, I won’t give away any of the stories; they are there waiting to be discovered.

All I can say is that I wholeheartedly recommend this collection of innovative short stories.

I’m more than happy to give both these volumes 5*

Buying Links:

 Amazon.co.uk: What’s in a name:  http://amzn.to/2wu4ve9

 What’s in a Name? Volume 2: Stories of Life and Romance: http://amzn.to/2ij2NXJ

Amazon.com: What’s in a name:    http://amzn.to/2weFR1h

What’s in a Name? Volume 2: Stories of Life and Romance: http://amzn.to/2fWXMTP

About the author

 Sally says:

After working in a number of industries for over 25 years, I decided that I wanted to pursue a completely different career, one that I had always been fascinated with. I began studying Nutrition and the human body twenty years ago and I opened my first diet advisory centre in Ireland in 1998. Over the last 18 years I have practiced in Ireland and the UK as well as written columns, articles and radio programmes on health and nutrition. 

I have always been a reader and that fuelled my imagination as a child. The ability to write is a gift that millions still do not have and it makes my stories and novels even more precious to me. I hope you will enjoy them too.

 Links to sally’s books:https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/my-books/