LIFE IS LIKE A BLANKET OF SNOW...

...be careful where and how you step...

It's that time again. The weather is warming up and we are slowing down, just in time to crack open a brand new list of beach reads. Welcome to my first summertime pick:


OCTOBER SNOW by Jenna Brooks        

About The Story: 

Josie spent twenty years as a battered wife, dying for a hero.
Now, she's dying to become one.

Josie Kane is a "difficult" woman, a pure enigma - one who survives her abusive husband by honing her unnerving talent for playing mind games: she knows exactly how to manipulate a bully.
Finally divorced, she thinks the abuse is over, and she's free.

She's wrong. And her cynicism is building.

Josie works with battered women, trying to rescue them from a fate similar to hers. But on the night that yet another battered woman is murdered by her husband, pining for a hero as she dies in Josie's arms, her cynicism becomes a quiet, simmering hatred.

Her one remaining refuge is in her bond with Maxine and Samantha, the two friends whom she loves like sisters. When Samantha becomes pregnant by Jack - an abuser who makes known his intentions to use the baby as a weapon of control - Josie's hatred ripens to a vengeful fury.

She sets out to take on one more batterer, manipulate one more bully... And she lures Jack into the crosshairs of the ultimate mind game.

Her friends are convinced that she intends to rid Samantha of Jack.
They're right.

But with Josie Kane, as always, there's a twist.

With her friends helpless to stop her - and with Samantha hanging in the balance - Josie squares off with Jack in a life-and-death, winner-lose-all battle of wits to determine which side will win Sammy's future.

And this time, there will be a hero.

The Review:

I have to start this off with a warning: OCTOBER SNOW is not for everyone. The story opens with a violent, gut wrenching death - a scene that grabbed hold of my heart and attention, and lured me in. If you do not have a strong stomach, you may not be able to handle the graphic descriptions of the violence inflicted upon the innocent.

As you can imagine, the life of a battered woman is not an easy one. This book offers the perspective of the victims and their families via a cleverly woven tale of friendship and the many faces of love. The writing is smooth, honest, and - when appropriate - even humorous. I was especially impressed with Ms. Brooks' ability to hypnotize me with the charm and allure of the small town, making me wish I could step outside my door and visit some of the local businesses, while chatting with a few of its inhabitants. I found it sad that the beauty she created in her descriptions of the landscapes was merely a cover for the ugliness that goes on behind some closed doors.

But not all is grim in OCTOBER SNOW. The friendship of the three main characters, Jo, Sam, and Max is the basis for a support system that everyone should be lucky enough to have. And the love story between Sam and Dave is what great movies are made of.

The beginning of the book is a bit slow at times, mired down by coffee drinking and day job hating, but stick with it readers. Once it picks up, this story does not disappoint. I give it four and a half bookmarks, dipped in justice. Be sure to have tissues on hand as Jenna Brooks claws at your soul, daring you not to feel anything for the complex characters she expertly creates on the pages of this novel.

I can't wait to read the sequel, AN EARLY FROST.

Click here to learn more about the author and to order your copy of OCTOBER SNOW: http://www.amazon.com/Jenna-Brooks/e/B00AFNY6JS

I invite you to read OCTOBER SNOW and then join the discussion here. What did you think of the story? Have you known anyone like any of the characters? How would you have handled the situation between Sam and her ex, Jack? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

MORE GREAT BOOK CLUB PICKS BY INDIE AUTHORS: 

SUKI:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-reading-book-club-week-1.html 


WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/06/friends-dont-let-friends-read-alone.html?showComment=1430071350264

MY TWO FLAGS: 

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-am-master-of-my-words-captain-of-my.html?showComment=1430071350264


TRAILER TRASH, WITH A GIRL'S NAME:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/10/you-know-youre-modern-day-trailer-trash.html

MOORE THAN MEETS THE EYE:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/09/theres-always-another-story.html

WELCOME TO HEIDI:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/06/welcome-to-must-read.html

KAFE CASTRO:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-are-you-so-serious-do-it-kafe.html

BROKEN ANGEL:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2012/09/broken-angel-review.html

DEJA DREW:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2012/08/deja-drew-excerpt.html

THE GAZE:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2012/05/gaze-by-javier-arobayoyay-or-nay.html

PGB:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2012/05/javier-robayo-author-of-gaze-steps-in.html

HAUNTED HOUSE, HAUNTED LIFE:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/10/haunted-house-haunted-life.html

CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a quirky group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States. 

You can now order SUKI in paperback at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by email at info@bookrevue.com Learn more about SUKI at BOOK REVUE. 

CF Winn is the founder of Winning! Publications, a firm specializing in editing and promotion services for authors. Her latest project is the just released Trailer Trash, With a Girl’s Name, a hilarious and heartwarming story of a boy saddled with a girl’s name and forced into a nomadic existence. Order it now: http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Trash-With-Girls-Name-ebook/dp/B00IX0MIAO