The last I heard near to 150 authors (myself included), from all genres have signed up to be a ‘Secret Santa’. We’ll gift readers a free book! If you are on Facebook join the group here : https://www.facebook.com/groups/DangerouslyDarkDarlings
On the 4th December 2020, watch out for a flurry of posts from authors, join in on the post for a book you’d love to win, and see if you’re picked. Easy!
Thank you to NetGalley for my free review copy. All opinions are mine. I really wanted to dig the bones off this book of poetry! Man!! With all that’s going on in the world, I was so excited. I was sucked in by the blurb and promise. I think it just boiled down to one main thing. Let’s get into the review.
Book Blurb:
Ode To America is a song both difficult and sweet as it touches upon America’s extant soul as it struggles to impress itself upon a girl so unfamiliar with its aloof persona. It is written in poetic form, daring its readers to catch up, as it takes flight into issues both far and near to every person’s aching heart, in a country so treasured and bold. It covers topics such as race, relationships and capitalism, urging its readers to take its form of compassion, grace and good sense in its attempt at repairing American culture.
Poetry is such a beautiful thing, and as a reader of it I can never really review it honestly as I could or would fiction, or even non-fiction. It’s too different, and serves a different purpose. Not to mention a different reading experience from these other genres. All I can go on is: did I understand it, enjoy it, or even dig the poet’s style? Does it Resonate? In this case I found it really hard to adjust to the author’s writing style, or poetic flow. I missed the key meanings in their pose and work. That’s all it boiled down to.
The poems are all rather long also, more like short stories but for me it was hard to appreciate and get into, I could not adjust. The subject matters themselves of the poems as you can see from the blurb, and from myself reading Ode to American–they are wonderful! Timely! Very educational! And I think I just expected something different, or I am the wrong kind of reader/audience for the author.
For me 2.5 stars but I do recommend the book to all those who have an interest, or who are drawn in by the blurb. Give it a try, you may find the poetry resonates more than I did. I thank the author for allowing me to read their work, and NetGallery too.
Thank you to NetGalley for my free review copy. All opinions are my own. I was glued to this story to start with. It is such a heart-warming story, showing a woman’s fight for survival. That said, I closed the book and asked myself ‘what was missing?’ Let’s get into the full review.
Book Blurb:
When a Muslim woman in an arranged marriage is discovered having an illicit affair with an American man, violent, fatal consequences ensue, catapulting her into the epicenter of a political firestorm fueled by anti-Muslim hysteria.
“A gorgeously written book with a protagonist I’ll never forget.”
—Lily Brooks-Dalton, author of Good Morning, Midnight– Now a Major Motion Picture: The Midnight Sky
Zuleikha arrives in Texas via arranged marriage from Pakistan, and soon realizes how different life in America is from the portrayals in the confiscated contraband books and movies her father trafficked in to pay for her education and dowry. Having trained as a pianist without ever owning a real piano, she finally has one—a wedding present from her husband. As Zuleikha learns to navigate her new role as suburban middle-class housewife, she begins to feel diminished by her seemingly kind husband’s regular dismissal. She offers piano lessons to the neighborhood kids, and in doing so begins to find her identity and independence.
Everything changes when Patrick—the father of her young son’s friend—signs up for lessons himself. Zuleihka and Patrick grow closer, and Zuleihka finds herself in love for the first time. Zuleihka is caught between being a good Muslim wife and obedient daughter, and following her heart.
Despite how careful she is, the affair is eventually discovered, and leads to horrific violence with gruesome and fatal consequences. The ensuing circumstances catapult Zuleihka into the glare of the public eye in a foreign land, where she finds herself at the epicenter of a political firestorm with both sides using her situation to advance their own agendas.
The blurb really pulled me in I felt like this would be such a good read, I could not wait to read it. I hate to give away some of the plot, but I need to to fully give my honest reading experience. We follow the story of a woman married off from Pakistan, to an Asian-American man. The struggles she had to adjust to the new environment were interesting to learn about. In the main story, an affair starts the husband finds out, sadly she is pregnant by her husband. However, she ends up in a legal battle with her husband, as she loses her child in a miscarriage due to his actions. The twist is was it an accident? Or intentional? She can’t remember, or finds it hard to make this call.
This is where the story really got interesting, but also the main part that lacked for me. It’s such a catch-22, I felt as I read as a female reader myself, the main character Zu lacked the real emotion and reactions a woman in her position may have expressed. As I placed myself in her shoes she seemed so ‘okay’ with it all. No mourning a child lost, no regret, nothing!
She loses a child late in pregnancy, due to her husband’s actions, and already has one child to fend for. The Muslim community looked down on her, (culture it’s her fault she had an affair). While the American community see her as the victim, ( she lost a child, he is a monster). This played out wonderfully, as I read the conflict. But what about Zu? There was no real emotion from her at all, her thoughts, feelings, anger, sadness at all. It appeared as though she just flowed with the motions of whether to prosecute her husband. At the end it was still not clear what she did. But she heads off into a new life, with her son and minus a husband. What happened to him? There was also no mention of her husband, during the actual legal parts either. It felt one sided to read.
Overall it is a wonderful story, heart-warming, and worth a read, I did enjoy many parts of it. I don’t know if it’s because the author (from my reading) missed out the key part– ‘a deep dive’ into Zu’s feelings and that of her husband’s I had many questions at the end. To me as a reader I felt like I never got the full, raw, reality of this story when you think about the fact that, these cases are very real in real life! This could have made it an outstanding 5 star read for me! Zu was in a very hard place, and so was her husband. I would have loved to read this part.
I would read another book by the author I do like their writing style, but this one here The Black Marketer’s Daughter is 3 stars from me.
I can never put into words how it feels to watch someone ‘unbox’ your book. It’s such a humbling, heart-warming, and special feeling that never leaves you. It’s not the first time I have seen it, but the feeling of gratitude never leaves me. Yesterday I was tagged on Facebook as Author Kristi Tailor an American romance author, who has turned into a very good friend of mine, went LIVE on Facebook. She unboxed my new release in paperback. It’s also funny as I’ve not even got my hands on a paperback yet myself. I need to order! LOL
I just want to share this video, and the feedback from a reader-author just like me. Who is obsessed with books too! I am so grateful for every reader.
It’s still .99 cent in e-book probably until the end of the book tour! Check out Amazon here. https://bit.ly/3dS232U
What the World Needs Now is an environmental children’s book series for ages 4-8 that aims to connect the world’s youngest book lovers to the importance of nature, and our place in it.
Each book in the series follows a friendly animal through its habitat, helping kids learn about one thing the world needs now, be it more trees or bees or less plastic, to maintain a healthy planet.
The series is designed to help parents and educators lay the foundation for future learning on the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. But for our littlest kids, the connection starts at a much simpler point: their first job is to fall in love with nature – because you don’t protect what you don’t love.
The books support engaging with our kids on how we can better respect and care for the only planet we have.
This is a brand-new adventure for me – completely independent and self-published! And it feels like the culmination of everything I have ever worked on.
When was the last time you bought a book that offset its own carbon emissions and preserved critically threatened rainforests? So proud to say that when you buy “What the World Needs Now: Trees!”, you will be doing just that.
Meet Jefri! He’s the adorable main character in the first book of my series called What the World Needs Now: Trees!. He was created by my talented illustrator Zuzana Svobodova. For me, it was love at first sight!
I knew I wanted my first book in the series to be about trees, and after my World Bank mission to Sumatra in 2019, I knew I wanted my main character to be an orangutan. They literally have everything to lose by tropical forest loss. And since they share so similarities to humans, I thought an orangutan would be the perfect animal to underscore the ways in which we are all connected to trees.
Watch this amazing video to see Jefri come to life!
Meet The Author
Amazon link http://bit.ly/2sX7ADJ
Grab a heart-warming, ‘enemies to lovers’ holiday romance for free, up until the 5th! Detective Samuels in on a mission to claim his lady for Christmas.
Blurb:
From enemies to lovers two lonely hearts become one with a heart warming twist …
Not Just For Christmas is book # 2 of the Romance in The City series of stand-alone, novella length, romantic, steamy stories set in fast paced cities all around the world. Readers are taken on a romantic journey set in London, during the festive season following two characters originally opposed to each other fall in love. There’s enough warmth and sensuality to keep readers warm at any time of year.
As Christmas draws near thirty five year old social worker Ava Green, finds herself desperate to not be alone at her favorite time of year. Following the break up of her engagement earlier in the year, Ava has spent ten months on a mission to get over her ex. With the support of her two closest girlfriends Tasha and Marie, Ava makes a bold move that surprises her girlfriends in order to find a companion for the festive season. Ava’s path crosses with tall dark and handsome Detective Jerome Samuels, an older man and a divorcee in search of love, the sad thing is Ava can’t stand him. Once their paths cross after a few bumps along the way there’s no turning back, these two characters are caught up in a whirlwind of sensual and heart warming romance, once they settle their differences.
Amazon link http://bit.ly/2sX7ADJ
Check out below giveaway guys. Good Luck.
*****GIVEAWAY****
Fall is the season of giving
$175 amazon gift card
To be won
1st November 2020- 30th November 2020
The more times you enter the more chances you can win
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/585e5a223/?
Happy Halloween my loves! Treat yourself to some suspenseful, page-turning, and creepy reads! The Suspenseful Collection Volime #1 is free for one week on Amazon. Please leave Didi and I a review! We appreciate you.
Amazon link http://bit.ly/30Le9WE
Amazon link http://bit.ly/30Le9WE
Author, Kim Knight 