Butterfly Dreams - A. Meredith Walters

Goodreads summary:

In a powerful romance for fans of The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay, New York Times bestselling author A. Meredith Walters tells the story of a troubled young woman and the unforgettable guy who teaches her to live—and love—to the fullest.

She’s waiting to die. . . . Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way.

He’s learning to live. . . . As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find.

Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now.


My review:

4/5

There are some books that you just know are going to be good. When I picked this one up, that's exactly the feeling I had, and I was not disappointed. 

While I was expecting some sort of love story, I was surprised to find that this story is more about Corin's mental illness. It wasn't a bad surprise at all, because her character development is absolutely insane. She goes from an unstable character in denial to an amazing woman who's been through many things and is now much stronger. It was great seeing her change so much while staying true to herself. Also, I loved discovering more about hyponcondriac people, because I don't know much about this illness. My mother's cousin has it, but I haven't seen her for a couple of years now and her mental state was just confusing to me then. Now, I feel like I understand a lot more about how she must have felt, because part of the story is told in Corin's perspective and she has to go through this every day. 

That being said, I still really enjoyed reading about her and Beck's love story. They're the cutest together and I loved reading what Beck thought of her, because he's the only one who can see her for who she really is, which I found amazing. They never give up on each other and I wish there were more stories like that, where the characters are always there for each other and they become strong as a whole. Beck's past (and present, to be honest) is very sad, especially since he was such an active person and he had to give up on anything close to exercice. I may not be like him, but with the way his feelings were explained, I really felt like I understood precisely how hard it was for him. I'm glad he gets better with Corin, because it shows how being together fights back their issues. 

Overall, this story is really great. I loved every page of it and I'm glad I got to read such an awesome book. 

(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas

Goodreads summary:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!


My review:

5/5

IT WAS SO SO SO SO GOOD!!! I'm incredibly happy to have finally read this book. I totally get the hype, so if you're one of the only ones who haven't read this novel yet, please do.

I love Sarah J. Maas, but I can't pretend I'm her most loyal fan. In fact, even though I have watched and read many of her interviews and I know many things about her, I hadn't read anything else from her than Throne of Glass. I do plan on reading the rest of the series, especially after finishing this novel, but as much as I enjoyed reading TOG, I didn't get addicted to it or anything. I've heard that this series keeps getting better, so I'm really excited, but the difference with ACOTAR is that I was hooked from the very first page. There's something about retellings that's very addicting and exciting, so I loved the story from the beginning and I kept marvelling at how amazing it is.

I started by loving the characters. Feyre is extraordinarily kind, which usually annoys me because of how impossible some characters seem, but it seemed honest and real from her. She made me want to cry when she acted so selflessly and got absolutely nothing in return, which made me hope things would get better for her. I also loved all the little details we learn about her family, from the way they lost all their money to their passions and hopes. Every character is different and they're easy to imagine. Then came the hot guys. Seriously, I don't know if Maas has an incredible imagination or if she's been enough to have sexy, kind and funny men in her life, but there's something about her male characters that makes me wish I lived in a fictional world like hers. I thought Tamlin was a mysterious, complicated yet understandable character that I grew to love, while Lucien made me smile and laugh (and wish I had him for myself). There are also very hot scenes in this novel, which I can't say I didn't enjoy. I didn't know Maas could write such sexy and explicit scenes without actually going into many details, because it's something I had never seen before. I thought they were perfectly described, since they're not telling too much or too little.

This world is also a very interesting one. I do have difficulties imagining faeries, but it's always been like that for me, so it's not Maas's fault. I loved the descriptions about art, houses and landscapes, which made my artsy self very happy. Every historical detail intrigued me and kind of made me wish there could be a novel set during the War so that I could see it through different eyes and understand it even more. The fact that faeries are immortal is also very weird to think about, because I've always wondered what immortal people do with their lives and how weird it must be to age so slowly. I hope there will be more about that in the next books, because it's always nice to see one's opinion of immortality.

I found the storyline gripping. I couldn't wait for Feyre to stop thinking about ways to escape when she first got to Tamlin's place, because I wanted to see more of the place and the characters. The mystery about the world and the characters, especially Tamlin, made me want to read further and further, only to find more intriguing details. I was surprised by the way this book turned out, because until halfway through the book I was really not expecting something like that to happen. I love how it's getting more and more different from Beauty and the Beast, because it would be boring if everything was the same. I can find so many differences between the two stories that it's hardly a retelling, just a story inspired by another. Also, Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale, so the fact that some parts of the story are inspired by it makes me really happy.

There's something about the writing and the general looks of the book that made me immediately get into the story and appreciate every second I spent reading it. Feyre's feelings are very well described throughout the entire story and I always felt like I understood where she came from and why she took her decisions. I analysed many actions, since I knew some of them might give me answers, and I loved getting back to them when I discovered the reasons behing them.

I'm very happy about this book. I would absolutely recommend it and I think that for once, I have found a novel that's worth the hype.

Cheesy Novel Recommendations

I'm the kind of person who thinks way too much and ends up really tired at the end of the day. Whether I'm tired from school, from work, from meeting new people, from exercising, from worrying or from life in general, I need ways to energize other than sleep, since I can't possibly just go home and sleep for 20 hours every day.  My favorite way to compensate for a draining day is simply to curl up on my bed with a good light-hearted book, a cup of tea, a scented candle burning in the corner of my room and soft music playing. During these moments, I don't look for complicated dystopian novels or huge classics, but cheesy YA books. Those are basically my addiction, as well as my guilty pleasure. I just love to read swoon-worthy, heart-warming and short books that will lift my spirits and make me all giddy and happy again. I know these might not be everyone else's taste, but believe me:  some of them are true gems. Here's my list of recommendations in no particular order.



Since You've Been Gone
Morgan Matson



It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger? Um...
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what?









These Are the Moments
Jenny Bravo

You can't go back.
You can't go back.
You can't go back. Wendy Lake... Big dreams. Small bank account. Back home from college, she's the girl with the day job, the girl whose mom still packs her lunches, the girl with the memories she can't shake.
Simon Guidry ... The boy who holds her past in his pocket. And maybe her heart, too.
This is the story on-again, off-again Wendy and Simon, told in the now and then of their relationship. As the couple is thrown back into each other's lives through their friends' wedding, These Are the Moments dares to ask the questions:
Do people ever really change?
Do two people, who can never make it work, actually make it right?
And most importantly, do they even want to?








On the Fence
Kasie West
For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.








Attachments
Rainbow Rowell


Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.
By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
What would he say . . . ?








The Distance Between Us
Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.
So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.
She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.




The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Jennifer E. Smith





Four minutes changes everything. Hadley Sullivan 17 misses her flight at JFK airport, is late to her father's second wedding in London with never-met stepmother. Hadley meets the perfect boy. Oliver is British, sits in her row. A long night on the plane passes in a blink, but the two lose track in arrival chaos. Can fate bring them together again?













The Start of Me and You
Emery Lord


Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?









Second Chance Summer
Morgan Matson

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.








Un jeu vers le soleil
Pascale Gingras

Véronique a besoin d'air?! Cet été, c'est décidé, elle ira travailler en Ontario, question de se dépayser un peu. Garder un enfant de 4 ans, pour elle, ce n'est pas un boulot très exigeant, mais à son arrivée dans la famille de Max, elle aura la surprise de constater que son petit protégé a un grand frère... de 19 ans?!
Secret et distant, Thierry a tôt fait d'intriguer Véronique, qui décide de se mettre sur son cas. Pourquoi refuse-t-il de sortir de la maison?? Et, surtout, pourquoi évite-t-il son regard?? Gagnant peu à peu sa confiance, Véronique découvrira le drame qu'il vit, ses craintes, ses douleurs profondes et essayera de l'aider. Même si c'est malgré lui.
Pour son premier roman, Pascale Gingras nous offre une histoire remplie d'humour et de bonne humeur, mais surtout délicieusement romantique. Un récit intense qui se déploie tout doucement, comme les nuages s'écartent devant le soleil.









Confess
Colleen Hoover

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.
The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…









Confessions of a Virgin Sex Columnist
Kay Marie

My name is Skylar Quinn. I just moved to New York with my best friend Bridget, and I have a confession. Well, more than one. Okay, quite a few really. Fine, here goes!
Confession #1: I'm a sex columnist. Hold on, that's not really the confession. You see, I'm sort of a virgin...sex columnist.
Confession #2: I'm kind of in love with Bridget's older brother, Oliver. No, I was. No, I am. Wait, was? Am? Crap.
Confession #3: I've been avoiding Oliver for four years. Or I was until today, because he just moved in. Yes, you read that correctly. He's my new roommate. So that night we've both been pretending never happened, well, we might not be able to keep it a secret any longer.
And trust me, this is only the beginning.










The Fill-In Boyfriend
Kasie West

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.
The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.
Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.








Just One Day
Gayle Forman

Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.
A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.
The first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!












Something Borrowed
Emily Giffin

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.









Those are my recommendations! You can just click on the book covers to get to the books' Goodreads pages. Two of these books were sent to me in exchange for an honest review, but the others weren't. I hope you have a good time reading (and swooning)!

Interview: Linda Ballou

Nothing pleases adventure-travel writer, Linda Ballou, more than seeing gorgeous country from the back of a good horse.  Her articles have appeared in Equus, Horse Illustrated and numerous travel magazines. Being a stowaway on a cross-country course in Ireland is detailed in her story Irish Mist which was included in the anthology Why We Ride with a forward by Jane Smiley.  She is also the author of Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales, and Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i an historical novel that transport the reader to the Islands as they existed prior to missionary contact.  The Cowgirl Jumped Over the Moon which takes you from the show jumping arena to the high Sierra and back is her first “new adult” novel. I recently interviewed her and became very interested in her personal story, so keep on reading to discover what an amazing person she is! If you haven't yet, you can read my review here.

 

What inspired you to write The Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon?

LB: I was crawling from my bed to the refrigerator on my knees for about six weeks due to extreme nerve pain when it occurred to me that I had to do something, or I was going to go crazy. I was told that I had to give up riding, give up my mare and that if I was lucky I wouldn’t have to have surgery on my back. Crying didn’t help much. Writing this story took my mind off my predicament and the tremendous sense of loss I was feeling. John Muir’s book My First Summer in the Sierra prompted me to take a couple of horse pack trips into the Eastern Sierra’s that imbued me a deep love and respect for nature. Many of the details in this story were collected on those journeys. I always wanted to return and trail solo in the high country, but had to let Gemcie do it for me. Writing Cowgirl was a big part of a healing process for me. I gave my mare to Hearts and Horses where she helped with handicapped children. When I was able to walk again, I went on to become a travel writer with a penchant for guest ranches and International riding treks. .


What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

LB: While I was writing Cowgirl I was reading On Writing by Steven King, considered by many to be the best book written on the subject. I didn’t realize until I reached the last chapters that he too was writing to distract himself from the tremendous pain he had to endure while his body healed from an accident. I didn’t know that he had been run over by a van and that he had extensive injuries that made my garden variety herniated disc seem like a cakewalk. Feeling connected to this great writer and his suffering helped me through this very difficult time. As for research, I was immersed in the riding world and had read just about every book written on riding technique, horse psychology. My first published article “The Art of Falling” appeared in Horse Illustrated. After that my byline turned up in Equus, and Western Horseman to name a few. I was doing three-day events at the time of my injury and my whole life revolved around the horse world.


How did you come up with the title?

LB: That’s funny you should ask. A girlfriend gave me a t-shirt with that tag over the picture of a cowgirl jumping over the moon on a starry night. It just stuck with me. I always loved the image and cut it out when it was time to toss the well-worn gift away. I wrote the first draft of this story many years ago and that little reminder was pressed inside the journal that contained the notes for the story that has it found its way to fruition.


Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

LB: The Mariposa equestrian facility in the story is modeled after what I observed in the celebrity-owned ranches nestled in Hidden Valley in Southern California. I was a groupie at horse shows trying to absorb the courage of the riders like Susan Hutchison, recently inducted into the 2015 National Show Hunter Hall of Fame. I so admired Susan’s riding skill and bravery that I kept her foremost in my mind while writing the riding scenes in the book. She is the protégé of the legendary trainer Jimmy Williams, who I was privileged to interview in 1993, not long before his passing. The character Billy is modeled after this authentic “horse whisperer,” who was a giant in the riding world.


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

LB: I actually have two authors that I admire. Tim Cahill, author of nine adventure travel collections, is my travel-writing hero. I went to his home in Livingston, Montana to interview him. The outcome of that conversation is in my book Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales. Jack London, the master of adventure writing, said that desire incited struggle followed by action creates character arc. He wrote in a crisp, succinct manner that I love. In my piece Jack London and Me I talk about how my personal path and that of one of America’s finest writers have crossed. 


What book are you reading now?

LB: Mustang-The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West by Deane Stillman. This book provides a comprehensive history of the horse from the beginning of time to the present with focus on the wild herds of mustangs that still roam 10 western states in the U.S. I became interested in the plight of the herds that are being rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management in response to ranchers whose cattle are competing with them for natural feed resources. It seems the answer is to exercise birth control in the herds. This is more humane than the slaughter house, but will eventually cause the wild horse to go extinct if it is effective.


What are your current projects?

LB: I am an adventure-travel writer with a host of articles on my site. I am anxious to get back to taking great trips and writing about them. In September I am spending time in St. Croix in the American Virgin Islands with Sharon Pohl who has invited me to test drive the Wellness Week for Equestrians she plans to offer. Sharon’s site www.Zealoushorses.com (in the pre-launch stage) will provide many exciting tips for horse lovers including a couple of my articles on horse treks I’ve taken.


What was the hardest part of writing your book?

LB: It was physically difficult because I had to write it standing up at my breakfast bar. Sciatic pain in my right leg would not allow me to sit for any length of time. Like a shark I couldn’t rest and had to keep moving. Deep emotions over the loss of what I cherished washed over me during the first raw draft. I needed to put the story away for many years. Still, I loved the characters and the environmental message delivered through Brady’s actions became more important to me over time. It took huge self-discipline for me to steal a nine-month chunk out of my life to focus on getting the story right, but I needed to finish what I had started. Reader response is making me feel that it was worth the effort. 


Have you ever hated something you wrote?

LB: No, but I wrote a story that everyone who read it hated. It was a short story about the controversial use of an anti-rape device. I thought my story leveled the playing field, but apparently it flattened it and offended readers male and female alike. I finally put it back in my drawer and will never share it again. However, in my mind it remains one of my best efforts.


Do you have any advice for other writers?

LB: Writers write. Builders build. Surgeons cut. If you say you are a writer then write. Keep notes of your stay on the planet. Journal about your experiences. Reflect upon what you see and try to capture the essence of it in words as a painter tries to capture it in colors and images. You will not remember the details that make a story vibrant. You have to write your impressions and feelings down as you go along. Then when you have time to organize your thoughts and know what it is you are trying to say you can go back to your notes and extract details that will enliven your work. Don’t wait to be a writer. Life go goes by too fast. Simply be a writer and see what happens.


Thank you for answering!



Adventure-travel writer, Linda Ballou, calls Topanga, California home. She shares Great Outdoor days in L.A, as well as a host of travel articles on her site, along with reviews of her books travel memoir, Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales, her historical novel Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i and her latest action-adventure novel The Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon at-www.LindaBallouAuthor.com. Her quest today is to get to as many beautiful places as she can before they are gone. Subscribe to her blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com and receive updates on her books, and travel destinations.

Here's the book trailer for The Cowgirl Jumped Over the Moon:

The Cowgirl Jumped Over the Moon - Linda Ballou

Goodreads summary:

Gemcie and her Irish Hunter, Marshal, are about to capture the World Cup when a nasty fall dashes their chances. While she is mending, her arch rival seizes this opportunity to catch a ride on Marshal, and to seduce her young husband. Confused and dazed by her new circumstances, Gemcie heads for the high Sierras hoping the majestic spires that captured the heart of the father she never met will provide the answers she seeks. She finds strength and solace riding solo on the John Muir Trail, but a bear attack ends her time of introspection and places her in the care of a solitary cowboy manning a fire lookout. Brady, who seems to love animals more than people, shows her love and gives her the courage to get back in the saddle. Haunted by images of Marshal being abused by his owners, Gemcie returns to rescue him and fly high with him once more. Ballou’s prose gallops ahead at breakneck speed as she takes you along on this wild ride.


My review:

4/5

Horse-related books make me feel so alive... Especially when I'm away from my horses and I desperately want to ride them. This one was no exception and I truly enjoyed my time reading.

I found the beginning of the book rushed and hard to keep up with, which is why I feared it wouldn't be as good as I expected it to be. However, as soon as I started reading it again, the story hooked me and I couldn't stop reading. The landscape descriptions, the feelings of freedom, the calmness of the mountains... Everything made me relax and want to know what would happen next. I didn't expect the story to develop this way, but I'm glad it did, because I didn't experience once more the lack of interest I had at the beginning.

I loved how passionate Gemcie is. All she has ever known is a world of horses and her only hopes are to get to the World's Cup. I admired her for her courage and her determination and her love for Marshal reminded me of my own for my horse, making me wish I could've raised her, too. I wish Gemcie had realized how lucky she was to be supported that much by her mother, because it took her a lot of money and hard work to allow her daughter to pursue her dreams.

Part of the reason why I wasn't interested in the story at the beginning was the fact that I couldn't care less about Jorge, Gemcie's husband. Since the story begins when they're already married, I didn't get much details about their love, the only ones not really helping me believe they were right to marry so young. I was surprised to learn that Gemcie was already someone's wife, especially since I didn't think it was wise of her with all her dreams, so not believing in their love made it hard for me to be interested in the story.

I loved how realistic the story is and how much Gemcie grows from the beginning to the end, because everything that she went through changed her forever, and for the better. All of her friendships and relationships created during her hard times made me smile and happy for her. The story shows how hard it actually is to ride, which I know very well, and how much support from the people around you you need to get to such a high level of competition. I think even readers who don't ride would enjoy getting to know more about this sport, although it might be hard for them to understand all of the terms.

I would recommend this novel, especially to my horse lover friends here.

(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

 

I also did an interview with the author, which you can read here.