Featured books

Featured Websites

.: Reader Views Kids

Provides book reviews, by kids, for kids

.: Inside Scoop Live

Provides live author interviews for podcast

.: Authors Access

Provides interviews with experts in the publishing industry

.: Midwest Book Review

Provides post-publication reviews

.: Reader Views

Provides book reviews and author publicity

.: LR Communication Design

Provides professional website design and development

.: Blogging Authors

Provides a place where writers and readers meet

.: Review The Book

Provides 5 books reviews on 10 different sites

.: Best Sellers World

Provides book reviews and author features

.: Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Provides book reviews and author features

reviews

Releasing Gillian’s Wolves

Tara Woolpy
Bats in the Boathouse Press (2011)
ISBN 9780983203308
Reviewed by Tia Bach for RebeccasReads  (8/11)

What could be bad about a novel that starts with a “Survive Anything Double-Chocolate Brownies” recipe? Survive anything is the motto for Gillian Sach, longtime wife of Congressman Jack Sach. The love is gone, aided by Jack’s constant philandering. For thirty years, Gillian turned the other way for her children but she’s fed up. She wants freedom; “we can’t always be defined by the mistakes of our youth, even if we’re stuck with the consequences.”

Gillian’s daughter, Aurora, caught her dad in the act and refuses to see him. Son, John, unknowingly ends up in a relationship with one of his Dad’s former mistresses. It’s all too much for Gillian. She finally breaks away and begins her journey to finding herself again. After a repairing visit with her daughter, Gillian heads to Amsterdam to escape and heal with the love and support of her best friend, Edward, and his lover Sam. There she also meets Luke, a fellow artist, who encourages her to refocus on her art and her love life.

Who hasn’t read a story about a cheating politician lately? It’s a tired tale. Tara Woolpy breathes new life through Gillian, a character full of strength even when she’s hiding from her circumstances. She’s trapped at first, but never a victim. My respect and admiration for Gillian escalated when she refused to stand next to Jack during the inevitable press conference to explain his misdeeds. Although Gillian was the standout character, several ancillary characters made their mark. My favorite was Momma Pearl, Jack’s mother, and her unwavering support for her daughter-in-law while never failing to be her son’s mother.

With such engaging female characters, I was disappointed at times with the under-developed male characters. The author hinted at some juicy story for Edward, Luke and even Jack with no follow-through, and there were slow parts in the middle. But overall, readers who enjoy connecting with a strong woman and her journey through pain and adversity will embrace the story and its female lead, Gillian. I know I was rooting for her from page one.

.: Blog
.: FTC Disclosure