Review & Giveaway: A Monumental Love by Susan Alyworth

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

A Monumental Love is FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!

Synopsis

Roxelle McCann is eager to meet the family of her best friend, so she takes a mini-vacation to the Navajo Nation. Roxelle expects to find out more about Navajo language and customs and to be awed by the beauty of Monument Valley. She does not expect to find love among the monuments. The man she meets offers both a surprising possible future and a tender reminder of the past.

My Review

I appreciated the unusual setting in this novella of a remote Indian reservation. It was interesting and Roxelle was respectful of the heritage and culture of her friend. Roxelle had a rough childhood but it helped her bond with her roommate and they became unlikely best friends. I liked that Roxelle worked hard and has a bright future ahead of her, but she really dwelt on the past and how it shaped her. After a bit of a mix up, she has a wonderful encounter with someone she admired from afar, and I enjoyed seeing them get reacquainted. I would have liked to see more conversations and scenes as their relationship deepened. Even though it looks like they will have to sacrifice their dreams in order to be together, everything works out in the end. A sweet love story!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

About the author

Susan Aylworth loves books, poems, plays, words in almost all polite forms, and good raspberry 
jam. Her first book, started when she was nine, "was a rip-off of Black Beauty. I wrote eight 
whole pages." For her fifth grade career day, she stated her ambition to become "a rich and famous 
author." Decades later, she is pleased to have achieved the 'author' part of that goal.

A former university professor, she enjoys researching backgrounds and careers for her novels. "It's 
one way to live many lives all at once." Servant to two spoiled cats, she lives in northern California 
with her writer husband, Roger. She wishes the kids would visit more often.

Susan loves "travel, great music, and hearing from readers." Reach her at 
susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com, post on her wall at:
www.facebook.com/Susan.Aylworth.Author or follow her @SusanAylworth. "If you enjoy my 
books, please tell everyone you know: friends, relatives, neighbors, the person who delivers your 
mail, people you meet in line in the grocery store, everyone!" She welcomes ideas for new books 
and characters.

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Tour Schedule

Feb 25: Katie’s Clean Book Collection / Peggy Urry Writer

Feb 26: Mel’s Shelves / Getting Your Read On

Feb 27: Wishful Endings / Bookworm Lisa

Feb 28: Heidi Reads... / The Bibliophile Files

March 1: Literary Time Out / My Book a Day / Books are Sanity / Singing Librarian Books

Spotlight, Excerpt & Giveaway: Rescue by Susan Aylworth

   

Rescue by Susan Aylworth 

What will it take to stay alive? When Dulce wakes up hanging in a giant mapajo tree, she fears she may be a lone survivor, stranded in the Amazon rainforest. What comes next may be even worse. The last thing sixteen-year-old Dulce Donovan wants to do is move away from her friends and hot new crush. But her parents insist, and she has no choice but to get on the airplane taking her to Lima, Peru. When the plane crashes in the middle of the Amazon jungle, Dulce feels lucky to survive. But as she faces injury, disease, and deadly insects and reptiles, she discovers that the price of living is high. Injured and miles from any civilization, Dulce must push her way through a dangerous jungle, looking for any miracle that might come her way.  

   

Praise for the Book 

"RESCUE is exciting and fresh and inspiring. When Dulce is one of the only survivors of a plane crash deep in the Amazon jungle, she faces all kinds of dangers as she fights to survive. A fascinating insight into one of the most mysterious places in the world and a strong heroine that will make you cheer for her determination." 

"I found myself unable to put the book down. The story is well-crafted, with twists and surprises that kept me a little on edge, frankly--wondering what would suddenly leap out (or slither up to!) Dulce next. Aylworth cleverly weaves her considerable understanding of survival skills and of the native peoples of the Amazon throughout the story. I found myself mentally cheering Dulce on, impressed with her ingenuity at dealing with the harsh realities of her environment." 

"I really liked this book. It was very interesting how this young woman was able to survive this terrible tragedy." 

Excerpts 

"For a time I just sit, my head pressed backward against the seat, my eyes closed, thinking of how desperately I don’t want to be here, how I can’t face this, how frantically I want this all to go away. But the minutes pass and I’m still hanging in the tree, recognizing that if no one has come to my rescue yet, it’s possible no one is coming. I may just have to rescue myself." 

"'I am not going to die here,' I say aloud. Then I shout it to the whole forest: 'I am not going to die here!' I grasp that little lump in the tree bark with my left hand, reach up with my right, and grab my toe, yanking it free. There’s a moment of elation until I realize my left foot is slipping. I scrabble with both hands, trying to find anything to hang onto, but there’s nothing. The next thing I know I am sliding, the mapajo’s slick bark slipping by beneath me. Then there is nothing but air." 

 "I’m almost out of the clearing when I’m stopped cold. What I see looks like a thick, bright green vine curled around the limb of a tree. What I recognize is the ambush-hunting strategy of a pit viper, a seriously venomous threat. I know what it is because Chambi pointed one out on one of our jungle walks. Silently thanking him, I change direction. We’ll avoid that risk by leaving this clearing in an entirely different direction. Even as I think it, I realize it may be foolish; we could run into poisonous snakes anywhere. I’ll just have to be careful to keep a close watch on the foliage." 

"I’m home! I don’t know how I got here, but I am standing on the porch of our home in Santa Cruz and there’s my mother! She’s running to me and I’m running to her. She is saying, “Marissa! Oh Marissa!” over and over and I just keep saying, “Mom, Mom, I missed you so much!” We hold each other and cry and then …I wake up aching, wishing my mother were here. I’ve never missed her or needed her more than I do now. I have never imagined I would miss her or want her this much. The missing is so painful, it almost chokes me." 

 

Author Susan Aylworth 

 

 Susan Aylworth started her first book when she was nine. "It was called Buff, The Proud Stallion. I wrote eight whole pages." For her fifth grade career day, she stated her ambition to become "a rich and famous author." Decades later, she is pleased to have achieved the 'author' part of that goal. A former university professor, she enjoys researching backgrounds and careers for her novels. "It's one way to live many lives at once." Susan lives with Roger, her husband of 48 years, who is also a writer. Although they maintain a home in northern California, they currently serve as addiction recovery missionaries in the Navajo Nation. Susan loves hanging out with her seven children, their perfect-for-them spouses and 26 grandchildren. When she can't be with her blood family, she hangs with her fictional characters, the children of her mind. Rescue is her fifteenth published novel. 

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Giveaway Details $50 Amazon Gift Code or Paypal Cash Ends 6/5/18 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.     

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