Saturday 25 August 2012

Desert Rice by Angela Scott - Book Tour & Giveaway


YA Contemporary
Title: Desert Rice
Author: Angela Scott
 
Date Published: 8/13/12
 
Samantha Jean Haggert is a beautiful twelve-year-old girl—but no one knows it. All they see is an awkward boy in a baseball cap and baggy pants. Sam’s not thrilled with the idea of hiding her identity, but it’s all part of her older brother’s plan to keep Sam safe from male attention and hidden from the law. Fifteen-year-old Jacob will stop at nothing to protect his sister, including concealing the death of the one person who should have protected them in the first place—their mother.

Sam and Jacob try to outrun their past by stealing the family car and traveling from West Virginia to Arizona, but the adult world proves mighty difficult to navigate, especially for two kids on their own. Trusting adults has never been an option; no adult has ever given them a good reason. But when Sam meets “Jesus”—who smells an awful lot like a horse—in the park, life takes a different turn. He saved her once, and may be willing to save Sam and her brother again, if only they admit what took place that fateful day in West Virginia. The problem? Sam doesn’t remember, and Jacob isn’t talking.
 
My Review:
 
Desert Rice by Angela Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok I am not really even sure what to say about this book, I picked it up today to read and never put it down once. Angela Scott has written a fantastic novel. I cannot express how much I enjoyed this story and Angela Scott's writing.

Where to begin but I suppose at the beginning, we are introduced quickly to Sam and her brother Jacob moving their dead mother into their trailer. Once they get the body where they want Jacob informs Sam that its time to leave. Packing as much as they could they take off in the family car. During the trip Jacob informs Sam that she has to dress more like a boy and he cuts off her hair and makes her wear baggy clothes. He doesn't want anything to happen to her, he needs to protect her and keep her safe.

Chills went up my back knowing there is more to this story and I have to admit it was well worth the read. Angela Scott has written a story that is heartbreaking and yet I couldn't stop reading. God I can't tell you how many tears I had to wipe away from my eyes so I could continue Desert Rice.

It is a must read and I have rated it a 5 star rating and I would rate it 10 if I could. It was terrific, fantastic, heart wrenching..OMG just go buy it and see for yourself no words will express how much this story is worth reading. You end up loving Sam and want to just hug her and Jacob for trying to do everything a 15 year old boy could do to keep his sister safe.

DISCLOSURE – *Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*


Excerpts from Desert Rice
 
 
I was mighty grateful that he covered her up, especially when he said that death made a person look frightful, and that I shouldn't even attempt to look.

Yeah, no problem there.

"Just do it or I'll clock you upside your head." He bent down and placed his hands under her arms to get a good grip. "Grab 'er feet, and when I say lift, you'd better lift, or else."

I wanted to tell him to leave me alone, and that just because he was older than me didn’t give him the right to tell me what to do, but his warning look kept me from saying a word. I bent over to take hold of her feet and accidently breathed in the acidic smell of decay, alcohol, and cheap perfume permeating from the sheet.

Bile burned in my throat, and my eyes stung and began watering. I rolled my shoulders forward when my stomach lurched, but despite my body's mad attempt to force me to puke my guts out, only dry heaves followed, over and over. It took a while for the waves of nausea to settle, but my head swam in dizziness and my body ached—boy, did I hurt. My legs wobbled and my insides twisted and cramped, but I didn't throw up. Once the dry heaving stopped, I swiped the back of my hand over my mouth to remove a fine thread of spittle from my lips.

"I'm sorry." Jacob's face softened, though he continued to hold onto Mama's shoulders, letting me know we still needed to move a dead body. "I really am."

"Whatever." I gave in, bending and grabbing my dead mama's ankles. "Let's do this."
Author's Bio

I hear voices. Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear. Instead of medicating myself, I decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. I’m not crazy. I’m an author.

For the most part, I write contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, I found myself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West—and loving it. My zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, I wouldn’t suggest it.

I live on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. I graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of my love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. I can’t spell, and grammar is my arch nemesis. But they gave me the degree, and there are no take backs.

As a child, I never sucked on a pacifier; I chewed on a pencil. I’ve been writing that long. It has only been the past few years that I’ve pursued it professionally, forged relationships with other like-minded individuals, and determined to make a career out of it.
 
Where to Buy


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3 comments:

  1. I concur. Fantastic book. It packs an emotional punch that so many books are missing. DESERT RICE is a real winner.

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  2. From the pitch and your review, it definitely looks like I'd enjoy it. Guess that makes one more in my TBR list... =)

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