Yes! Today I am giving away a book! I wasn’t going to, but my big box o’giveaways for October is filling up. Yes, I’ll not only be reviewing Jackie Bouchard’s Rescue Me, Maybe, but giving away my copy. Stay tuned, at the end, for photos of Roxy’s mom’s gorgeous jewelry!
Y’know, this being Talk Like a Pirate Day and all, I was tempted to write the review in pirate speak. Maybe the jewelry review. 😉 Here’s the blurb from Amazon’s book page:
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]If you lost both your spouse and your dog to cancer within weeks of each other, but you were sadder about the dog, would you tell anyone? Maybe your closest friends. Unfortunately, Jane Bailey’s closest friends are on the other side of the country. That’s where Jane plans to go now that she’s free to leave Philadelphia, the too cold, beachless, street taco-deficient city her husband dragged her to six years ago. But with no job prospects in her hometown of San Diego, Jane is roped into helping out temporarily at her uncle’s southwestern small-town B&B. En route to her new role as innkeeper and breakfast chef, she finds a stray at a rest stop. With her heart in pieces from the loss of her dog, she’s determined not to let this mutt worm its way into her affections. She’s also determined to have next-to-no interaction with the B&B’s irritating guests, and the even more annoying handyman who lives next door. Can Jane keep her sanity–and her secret that she’s not really a grieving widow–while trying to achieve her dream of getting back to the place she thinks is home? [/quote]
Y’all, the book’s premise just dragged me in. She lost her husband AND her dog to cancer back to back? And was sad about the dog, but not her husband? Well, I could have related to that about fifteen years ago (my Hunny is the love of my life – now). Poor Jane. But how did this book read? Here’s what my book review on Amazon had to say:
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]I don’t usually read dog books, but I loved Ms. Bouchard’s first book, What the Dog Ate, a light, romantic beach read, so I gave this one a shot. Rescue Me, Maybe isn’t anything like her first book. And it’s not really a dog book. It’s a book about a woman in pain who is adopted by a dog.
The characters have more depth, are more snarky than her first book. Jane, the main character, is almost painfully passive and introverted. I loved seeing her grow in this book. I love that there wasn’t a fairy tale ending. It’s very real on so many levels.
And the humor – I can hear the character in my head when I read. Her struggles with her mother-in-law make me wince and laugh. I fell head over heels in love with her father-in-law. And her dog, Maybe. Laughing the entire time.
Y’all, this reads more like a first novel, but one well done. It comes across as personal, making the characters very three dimensional, relate-able. Worth your time and money.[/quote]
Rescue Me, Maybe made me laugh out loud so many times. I also put it down several times, cringing. The relationship between Jane and everyone else, especially her mother-in-law, is sometimes difficult to read, primarily because it strikes so close to home at times, reminding me of my own relationships from my past. But, like my own life (a little), Jane grew and faced into life. The dog is a huge factor in her growth.
Long story short, I’m excited for the winner of this book. I think you’ll enjoy it. And laugh out loud.
Jewelry! Mary, Roxy the Traveling Dog’s mom, does amazing beadwork and makes pretty jewelry. She and her husband and dogs travel all summer, selling their work at craft fairs, mountain man events and what not, participating and dressing the part. Its sounds like an amazing life. Mary had an end of season sale on her Etsy site and gave away jewelry on the blog. I won. WOOHOO! Lookit!
No, I’m not giving either of these away. I just wanted to show them off. I’m cruel that way. You’ll just have to leave a comment in hopes of winning the book. I’ll announce the winner of the book on Monday morning. So you don’t leave thinking I’m too cruel, here’s a photo of my youngest child. Cute kids are good, right?
Well. Think what you will. ARGH! Also, I hear Krispy Kreme has something going on for this Talk Like a Pirate Day. Go eat a donut.
Until I write again …
Flea
