Don’t Call Me Mum: the Lacey Taylor Story Book 2

Lacey Taylor is the byproduct of her father's sin with another woman. Now as a grown woman, armed with the truth, she is pursuing her own life she and decided to track down her birth mother. That person turns out to be fashion designer icon Cora Maguire. Lacey and Cora’s relationship is tumultuous at best, if not downright harsh at times. Lacey begins a job as her mom's employee, hoping to grow close. In the process she dates her mom’s PR man and becomes pregnant with his child. Lacey must battle wits and wills with her business-comes-first driven mother, her I-don’t-want-a-child-interfering-with-my-career father of her child, and the ins and outs of her half-siblings and their lives and families. This is book two of Lacey Taylor story.

Ms. Bradford has created a complex family saga, with Lacey Taylor at the heart of it all. Five gold stars for deep characters with authentic voices, excellent conflict, and unique premise. Set in Ireland, it beautifully portrays a lovely place. It would have been nice had the author, who also resides in Ireland, to better describe the settings. Two major drawbacks plague the story: POV is freely given to everyone, clogging scenes with too much internalization. Second is the back half became bogged down in all the family members and their issues, the inevitable attempts of Lacey to please Cora who couldn’t care less, the indecision of the baby’s father, and all their redundant miscommunications or assumptions. This is a creative and compelling story that will tug at one’s emotions. The sudden twist when the reader reaches the end will take them by surprise, leaving them breathless!

Emerson Matthews