Book Review: Stop the Rain by Kassie Angle

He left his entire world in Iraq. So why did the war follow him home?

Harley Keane and his best friend Nigel were just kids when 9/11 rocked their world and changed their lives forever. When they’re finally old enough to join the Army, all their childhood dreams seem about to come true. But war wasn’t supposed to be like this. A kid’s dream isn’t supposed to become a living nightmare. Fellow soldiers aren’t supposed to bleed out in front of your eyes.

Back home, safe and unwounded, Harley feels anything but. Why would God spare him when so many others were taken? Why won’t the nightmares stop, even when he’s awake? And how long can he hide the truth that threatens everything he has left? When Harley’s invisible scars refuse to stay hidden, will he let anyone close enough to help? And how do you go on with life when “okay” isn’t okay at all?

My rating:

Some scars can't be seen. 

Goooooodness gracious.

I just...no words for how this book touched me.

(also, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my U.S. friends! And a very happy Thursday to the rest of you. Kinda fitting that I post this review today, as Thanksgiving is actually in the book. And it's my favorite holiday. *grins*)

I adored every one of the characters, but the ones especially worth mentioning are Harley, Dallas, Paul, Trey, Russell, annnnnd...pretty much all of them. *grins* They're amazing.

I mean, Nigel is, too. But if ya know, ya know.

It's a slow book that starts out with lots of flashbacks that, at first confused and frustrated me. But then I realized just how important they were to the plot. Sure, the info gleaned from the flashbacks probably could've just been sprinkled into the rest of the 300-some page book. But...seeing Harley and Nigel as kids was so fun. And all the references to Stratego and the library and the trampoline? *grins* perfection.

There was...a lot of crying. I'm by no means an expert on PTSD, nor do I personally know someone who suffers from it. I just know guys general, and I know that guys in general that try to act all tough and 'okay' are going to keep the tears at bay no matter what. Harley tries to act tough, using a snappy and grumpy attitude to cover up what's really inside, but yet he's crying a lot. I'm not saying that this is necessarily inaccurate, just not what I've known personally.

But I've also never personally known a person with PTSD.

Other than that, I...seriously don't really have any other problems with the book.

It will romp and stomp on your heart, y'all. Let this be a fair warning. Did I cry? Nah. I've never read a book that's actually made me literally cry. I've gotten teary-eyed before, but I still have yet for a book to make me literally sob or at least have a few tears run down my face. So no, I didn't cry. But that doesn't mean my heart didn't break a lil' bit.

Harley's story is...wow. I'm not gonna say heartbreaking again, soooo...raw. Touching. And exposes a bit of the dark side of life that nobody likes to talk about. It talks about how some people come home from war and are forever scarred—not on the outside, but on the inside.

Harley Keene is broken and, in turn, his story will break you.

The cast of supporting characters, though, is phenomenal. I know I've mentioned them before but I'll mention them again. Dallas is incredible. The way he keeps saying "kiddo" is so endearing and he makes me wanna smush him in a hug. Paul is the buddy that everyone needs, and Savannah is super sweet and understanding. Nigel is also the buddy everyone needs. Trey is amazing and needs his own story. Russell has such a tiny part but such a significant part. Keith understands and that's what Har needs.

And the bit about trusting God? Uhhh yeah. So good.

Just...just go read the book, 'kay??

*I received an e-copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

Today, go read Stop the Rain...and thank a veteran.

Throwback Tuesday #3: Tucker's Revenge, Part 3

I'm getting really bad at keeping consistent with these, aren't I? *winces* When I came up with the idea for these posts, I wasn't actually considering that it...uh...took so much writing. AKA time. *cough* Anyway. Here we are, part three of Tucker's Revenge!

(Don't remember what the story is about, or you have no clue what Throwback Tuesday is? Here's part 1!)

Also, please note that I'm not trying to fix historical inaccuracies; simply rewriting the old stuff. ;)

Original will be in this font, and rewrites in the normal font!

“You’re going to what, Mr. Tucker?”  Simeon asked in a low tone.  “I think that even you would be gentlemanly enough to know not to whip a young boy; much less a girl!”

“Sheriff Abbott!  This is no concern of yours... that is, you wouldn’t let a boy get away with being clumsy, would you?  And as for this girl, she was trying to prevent me from giving this boy the punishment that he has so long deserved!  He gets paid for working here, not for breaking  and spilling things!”  Mr. Tucker sputtered.

(Mmkay, Simeon's out of his jurisdiction. He ain't gonna be known as sheriff here)

Rewrite: "You're going to what, Mr. Tucker?" Simeon's voice was dangerously low. "I would think that a man of your stature would know enough not to beat a young boy senseless, much less a girl."

    Mr. Tucker reddened, and his eyes flashed. "This is no concern of yours. The boy was clumsy, and someone needs to teach him better." He stepped forward, between Simeon and the boy, still grasping Jamie's arm. "And where the girl is concerned, she was trying to prevent me from giving the boy his just punishment." He forced a chuckle. "What's he here for, but to work—not break things?"

“Yes, I would say that it’s my concern, and I believe my brothers would love to teach you a thing or two about being a gentleman, especially for trying to harm our sister.  In fact, I see them crossing the street over here to meet us.”

    Simeon's eyebrow raised, and Jamie swallowed. She'd never seen him look so...deadly.

    "Yes, I'd say that it's my concern," he growled. "If you don't let go of my sister right now, so help me—" he broke off and took a deep breath, then started again. "My brothers are going to be here any minute, and we would love to teach you a thing or two about being a gentleman."

Mr. Tucker immediately let go of Jamie.  “I-I didn’t know she’s you sister, Mr. Abbott!  Here.  See, there’s not a scratch on her!  I don’t want any trouble.  There’s no reason to get upset.”

Just then, Reuben and Levi walked into the store.

    Mr. Tucker's face blanched and he immediately released his grip on Jamie. "I-I didn't know she was your kin, mister—honest! See? Right as rain, not a scratch on her. Let's be reasonable; all's well that ends well. There's no reason to get up—" he was interrupted when the store's front door opened.

“Well, Levi, this city is a little too citified for me,” Reuben said as he slapped his hand down on his younger brother’s shoulder. “Let’s get our little sister and-”  He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the scene at the back of the store.

“What happened here?”  Asked Reuben.

“Nothing we can’t handle,” replied Simeon.  “The question is, how do we handle it?”  He asked, turning back to Mr. Tucker.

(all the dialogue tags—*gag*)

    Reuben stepped into the room, heaving a sigh. "I don't know about you, Levi, but I've had about enough city for one day." He slapped his brother's shoulder. "Let's get Jamie and get—" he stopped mid-sentence, door standing wide open, when he caught sight of the scene at the back of the store. "What happened here?"

    Simeon turned to Reuben, then back to Tucker. "Do you want to explain, or shall I?" When the man only glared, he continued. "Seems our friend Tucker here isn't against beating children—even girls." Jamie could see his face reddening even as he spoke.

“You-you can’t hold anything against me!  I-I didn’t do anything wrong!  Just ask this kid; he knows that he needed a little discipline!”  He pulled the boy, who had been watching quietly in the background, by his side.

    Tucker's mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to form words. "I—you—we—you can't hold anything against me. I didn't do anything wrong; just ask this kid!" He pulled the boy, until now watching silently in the background, to his side. "He needed a little discipline."

Levi turned toward Simeon.  “From what I figure by reading between the lines, this man here-” he motioned toward Mr. Tucker- “Was beating the boy for a reason I don’t know, and our sister-- being the kind-hearted, caring soul that she is-- decided to interfere.

“When she did, this man grabbed her with raging fury, starting to beat her as well, and that’s when you decided to do something about it.  Am I correct, big brother?”

    Levi raised an eyebrow. "So if I've got it straight, this man—" he motioned toward Tucker "—was beating the boy for some reason or other, and our sister—being the kind-hearted, caring soul that she is—decided to interfere?" When he received a nod of affirmation, he went on, "And when she did, he grabbed her and threatened her too. So you stepped in. How'm I doing so far?"

Simeon grinned. “Yep, that’s about it.  Mr. Tucker needs a little discipline himself, don’t you think?”

Reuben, who had been miraculously quiet, turned to Mr. Tucker, his face red with anger, his eyes shooting sparks.

“Mr. Tucker, I’d like to teach you a thing or two!  Beating an innocent child!  I have a few names for you, but there’s a lady present.  Let’s go behind the store and fight it out, man to man!”

(okay, I know I said I wasn't going to cringe when I did this, but *wheezes* I'm dying over here, folks)

    Still not taking his eyes off Tucker, as if afraid that he'd vanish if given the opportunity, Simeon nodded. "That's about it. Reckon he needs some discipline himself?"

    Up until this point, Reuben had been surprisingly silent. He stepped forward, until his nose was mere inches away from Tucker's face. "Mr. Tucker," he said, voice low and controlled, "If I ever—ever—hear of you laying your hands on my sister again, or anyone else smaller than yourself, I will personally come and put you out of business. Permanently. Do you understand me?"

Simeon grabbed his brother’s arm.  “Reuben, don’t do something you’ll regret-”

But Reuben just shook Simeon’s hand off and pushed Mr. Tucker out the back exit of the store.  Everyone followed.

The first punch was delivered by Reuben, who ducked when Mr. Tucker swung, and punched Tucker in the stomach.  Levi joined in.

Jamie cringed every time one of her brothers got punched, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

At last, when the men seemed to be on their last legs, a police officer walked into the alley.

(this whole...fight thing...seems kinda out of place and dramatized. Out of character even. Time to change it up a bit)

    Sweat beaded on Tucker's forehead, and he nodded rapidly, strands of his thin hair flopping onto his forehead. He raised a shaking finger to point at the door and lifted his chin, as if salvaging his last bit of dignity. "The door, gentlemen." The last word came out in a pitiful squeak.

    "With pleasure." Levi glanced around the store with a look of disgust, then turned to exit the building when the doorway was filled with a broad-shouldered figure.

    The tin star pinned to his chest glinted in the sunlight.

This was actually kinda fun! Do you enjoy rewriting your old stories?

Book Review: The Lady of Lanaria by Michaela Bush

A kidnapped princess, a promise, and a kingdom cursed with mysterious plagues. 

"Mark my words, Evangeline; if you set foot outside this tower, you will surely die."

Evangeline has spent her entire life hidden in an ancient watchtower, gazing through a window as the world passes her by. She heeds her mother's warning closely, the truth hidden from her always. When a young guard stumbles upon the tower, Evangeline's life is changed forever. As she strikes up a secret friendship with the guard, she learns about the Kingdom of Lanaria and the mysterious plagues that haunt all who live there. But as she delves into the world she barely knows, not everything her mother says adds up. Will they find the truth before it's too late? 

A Rapunzel retelling.

My rating:

To be fair, I'd never read anything by this author, so I wasn't at all sure what to expect...but this wasn't what I expected, haha! 

I wasn't aware that it was a Rapunzel retelling...I obviously didn't read that last sentence in the blurb. *hides* so it caught me off-guard to realize that oh, I know this plot! I love a good fairy tale retelling. But when this one didn't immediately capture my interest and keep me super invested, I wondered why, aaaand I think it's because there wasn't anything super unique about the plot line. There wasn't a whole lot of imaginative creativity in this story (save for the plague and rats, but it was kinda a predictable plot twist), and it just wasn't quite my style.

(also I'm confused as to how the cover fits the book??)

What I did enjoy? I reallllyyyy liked Gabe's character. So thoughtful and kind—and Evangeline's sweet personality matched to make them perfect for each other. *grins* Though, Amaranth?? *shudders* Horrid. She drove me insane. Which, I'm pretty sure, was the point. And Horace! *smirks* Everyone needs a Horace.

I loved hearing about Evangeline's violin, and how she played it, but there were a couple of things that confused me—Evangeline said "I love you" to Amaranth more than once (without it ever being reciprocated), yet she's had absolutely zero contact with the outside world, but somehow she know that this is what people say for affection? And she knows what to ask Gabe about the outside world? And she knows how to act quiet and proper in public? Like, I get that she could've read about it in her books. She loves to read (just another reason to like her) but I wish it would've been specified more where she learned about all of this stuff.

That ending though!! *all the happy feels* So I thought the plot was finally going to be concluded and wrapped up in a bow when YIKES the author couldn't resist throwing in just one more plot twist. (Dude, I totally get that. The urge is reallllllyyyyy strong.) So I was starting to breathe easier, and relax, and then BAM they're in hiding and they're fighting and they're running and then Evangeline shows us what she's made of. *grins* And then she met *censored for spoilers* and it was all good and they lived happily ever after.

*I received an e-copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

What's your favorite Rapunzel retelling? 

The Avid Readers Tag

Today we have a bookish blog tag! I was tagged by Katja (thanks, girl!) for the Avid Readers Award, and it looks super fun, soooo let's get to it!

Rules:

-Display the blog award logo in your blog.
-Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you (don't forget to link to their blogging website)
-List your favorite 5 books
-Answer all the questions they have given you
-Nominate 4 bloggers of your choice
-Ask them 10 questions

My five favorite books:

Dude. Do you have any idea how hard it is to narrow this down?? I'm gonna need Goodreads to help with this one. Sooooo...okay, let's give it a go. In no particular order:

Fallen Angel by Jeff Struecker & Alton Gansky

Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury

Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes

Defy by Tricia Mingerink

His Watchful Eye by Jack Cavanaugh

*Cries* that was sooooo hard! Just watch, after I post this, I'll think of a different book. *sigh* oh well. ;)

Now off to the questions!

If you could pick one fictional character as your sibling, who would it be? 

Ohhh goodness...hmm. Looking through Goodreads, I keep going "Oh, that's a good choice!" But then it's always something like "Oh wait...they're estranged from their family" or "oh wait...their dad died" or something like that *cringes* buuuuut I think I'll go with...Rafe Sullivan. From A Question of Courage by Jesseca Wheaton. *nods* (Y'all have no idea how long it took me to decide that)

What’s a strong opinion you have about a trope/opinion/anything else lacking in books, especially Christian fiction? 

Oh goodness...something lacking? Um...well, I'll go with depth of story. So many books I read it seems like have a good and engaging plot, but no meat to the story, because that's just what it is: a story. When I read a book, I want to learn, to carry away something meaningful, or to be moved. I don't just wanna close a book and say, "Cool. Now where's the next one?" I want to close a book, just sit there and think about it for awhile, and say, "Duuuuude. What. Was. That?!" And, in my opinion, Christian fiction has become so cliched that it's hard for me to enjoy it. I wouldn't call this a strong opinion, but it's definitely one that I believe in. ;)

What’s a book you didn’t expect to like but fell head over heels in love with?

Dear Enemy by Jack Cavanaugh. Like, seriously. I read it in 2017, before I got into intense, suspenseful books. Like, I don't know if I'd ever read a suspense book before that. So when a friend gave it to me to borrow, she was like, "I don't know if you'll like this...it's pretty freaky." So I started reading with much trepidation. ;) But y'all. HoLY CoW. This...this is the book that hooked me on suspense novels. *clutches chest* *falls over*

What is your dream reading goal?

Uhh...all the books on my TBR? *laughs* for real though, to get all the books read on my physical shelves, kindle, and my Goodreads 'to-read' shelf? That...would be amazing. *Goes to check* On Goodreads alone, I have 186 books on my TBR. I've got over a hundred physical books I haven't read, and probably (maybe) around thirty on my kindle. Soooo it's going to take awhile. Buuuut I've read 60 books so far this year, so I guess I've got a good start? As long as I don't find any more to add to the unending pile...

Favorite quote (or two ;P) about reading? 

I...honestly don't know all that many quotes about reading. If any. So I just looked them up, aaaand my favorite(s) that I found are:

“The person who deserves most pity is a lonesome one on a rainy day who doesn’t know how to read.” 

–Benjamin Franklin

“You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” – Paul Sweeney

Your opinion on dust jackets?? 

They're vital, of course! I personally love dust jackets on books. Not when I'm reading the book, though; don't want to mess up that pretty lil' thing! ;) But yeah. I think they look soooo sharp on hardcovers. And there's just something so sharp about dust-jacket-bound hardcovers sitting on a shelf that just...*chef's kiss*

Your favorite book spine(s)?

...Dude. You do realize that I love spines basically just as much as front covers, right? And that to pick just a few favorites is soooo hard, right??? Ugh...I'll just pick from the ones on my shelves at the moment so I can take a picture of them all together. *grins*

I realized when I took this that I...apparently really like neutral/earthy tones. Well, minus the purple one I had picked out...but that one kinda clashed with the others and the decor. So there's that. (Note: I haven't read all of these. But Falls Like Lightning was super good, and Danger Close was really good...and I'm reallllyyyy looking forward to the others. *grins*)

(P.S. this is a picture I took for Instagram—if you're interested in finding me there, you can click on the picture!)

Do you like to eat while reading? 

As far as snacking goes...no, not really. I'm not much of one for snacking. But *cough* I do read at meals. If I'm in a situation where it wouldn't be rude. *hides* Y'all may think I'm insane or breaking a cardinal rule or something, but...rest assured that I'm always very, very careful when I read while eating! *pats head*

Can you read with silence or music in the background?

Both?? Like, it really depends on the setting. I can read just fine with either...but I normally prefer silence when I can. A lot of the time when I'm reading, there'll be people in the room being loud (like siblings de, of course), so I've learned to tune out noise while I read. So if there's music, I either tune it out as if it's not there at all, or I'm so unused to music instead of noise that it just really distracts me. So if I had to choose, I'd go with silence.

What’s your favorite indie book? (‘Cause we gotta spread the love!)

Well yeah, we gotta spread the love, but...do I have to choose just one?! 'Cause I love Questions of War and Freedom and The Torch Keepers and The Blades of Acktar and Stop the Rain and The Divided Nation and Untitled and—*deep breath* Okay. OKAY.

I have to pick just one, huh??

Fine. *huffs* I pick...Freedom by Faith Potts. I'm in denial. It took me sooo long to pick just one favorite, and I'm just over here pouting 'cause this is the only one I could list. (What? That list *points* up there?? That was just under my breath. Y'all didn't hear that.)

*grins* what are your opinions on aforementioned books?? It seriously made me so happy that I got to recommend so many in one post.

I tag:

Ellen

Brooklyne

Rebekah

Eliza

(I didn't realize until now just how few active bookish blogs I follow...anyone ever have trouble finding people to tag? *slowly raises hand*)

So, now ten questions for you tagged people:

-If there was one book whose ending you could change, what would it be?

-Who is your auto-buy author?

-What is the fifteenth book on your shelf—and what is your opinion on it?

-Who are your five favorite indie authors?

-How do you organize your books?

-What is your favorite genre to read?

-What are your three favorite books in that genre?

-What is a book you'd recommend for almost any age?

-What book made you cry (or very nearly)?

-What book (besides the Bible) changed your perspective on life?

Well. That was fun! *scrolls up to check the rules to make sure I haven't forgotten anything*

Thanks for sticking around through that whole post, y'all! (if you actually did, that is...anyone else have a baaaad habit of only reading half of a post unless it's really interesting...or just not reading it at all 'cause you don't want to take the time...? *hides*)

What are your favorite book spines? How many books have you read so far this year??