Amy Rivers
Author of Complicit (A Legacy of Silence)
Series
Works by Amy Rivers
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 20th Century
- Gender
- female
- Awards and honors
- 2021 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project
2nd place in the 2021 CIPA EVVY Awards - Short biography
- Amy Rivers writes novels, short stories and personal essays. She is the Director of Northern Colorado Writers, and was chosen as 2021 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project. She was raised in New Mexico and now lives in Colorado with her husband and children. She is a former director for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) of Otero & Lincoln Counties. She holds degrees in psychology and political science, as well as continuing education in forensic criminology and victim advocacy, all topics she loves to write about.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New Mexico, USA
- Places of residence
- New Mexico, USA
Colorado, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Abused as a child, Alice Bennett has reinvented herself. Married and writing for a woman’s magazine, she thought her life was perfect. But the differences between Alice and her husband Will drive her to Georgia to become his mother’s temporary caretaker. She hopes this selfless act will mend her relationship with Will, but things in Georgia take a surprising turn. Learning that Mae Bennett’s fall resulted not from an accident but from an attack sets Alice on a road of self-discovery as show more she searches for answers about the danger surrounding Mae. Dark secrets, duplicitous attacks, and unknown danger threaten to destroy everything Alice knows . . . and may claim her life as well.
The rich setting resonates throughout the narrative and becomes a prominent character in this ominous tale. Despite being well-drawn, most of the characters populating Jasper, Georgia are damaged and, as adults, are in search of some sort of redemption; horrific childhoods seem to have been the norm in this small town where everyone holds on to their secrets in hope of something better . . . only no one seems to know how to find that “something better.” Circumstances are difficult; underhandedness and lies multiply almost as quickly as the kudzu. Distrust and blame come easily while suspense mounts and the unexpected attacks ramp up the tension. Astute readers will figure out what is happening early in the story, leaving them to discover whether the ultimate winner in this relentlessly dark tale will be good or evil.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Compathy Press, LLC and NetGalley
#AllTheBrokenPeople #NetGalley show less
The rich setting resonates throughout the narrative and becomes a prominent character in this ominous tale. Despite being well-drawn, most of the characters populating Jasper, Georgia are damaged and, as adults, are in search of some sort of redemption; horrific childhoods seem to have been the norm in this small town where everyone holds on to their secrets in hope of something better . . . only no one seems to know how to find that “something better.” Circumstances are difficult; underhandedness and lies multiply almost as quickly as the kudzu. Distrust and blame come easily while suspense mounts and the unexpected attacks ramp up the tension. Astute readers will figure out what is happening early in the story, leaving them to discover whether the ultimate winner in this relentlessly dark tale will be good or evil.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Compathy Press, LLC and NetGalley
#AllTheBrokenPeople #NetGalley show less
Review of eBook
After ten years and a horrific assault, forensic psychologist Kate Medina left her position in the prison system and returned to her hometown to become a counselor in the Alamogordo, New Mexico high school. Kate struggles with students unwilling to talk or unwilling to even meet with her; Mandy Garcia is uncooperative when she comes in for counseling but Kate eventually learns the details of her situation and the problems she’s facing.
The death of a local teen rocks the show more town, and unexpected revelations about some of the townspeople leave Kate and police detective Roman Aguilar reeling. Can they find the answers they so desperately need and, at the same time, protect Mandy?
“Complicit” is a story of family dynamics as well as one of conspiracies, secrets, and lies. The plot, though gritty, is timely and relevant; the story’s premise holds much potential and promise. But the overwhelming darkness in the telling of this tale steals some of the narrative’s strength; Rusty becomes a welcome counterpoint to the grimness that permeates the telling of this tale.
Sadly, the characters populating this narrative are either fractious and unlikable or downright malevolent; the constant squabbling between them eventually begins to grate on the reader’s nerves. Intractable Kate is particularly annoying with her short temper and thoughtless comments; in addition, everyone is often petulant and contrary. As the unfolding story provides some backstory for the characters, their behaviors become a bit more understandable, but it feels a bit like too little too late.
Astute readers will discern many of the characters’ secrets long before their revelations provide more pieces of the puzzle the protagonists face in their efforts to identify those responsible for the horrific events taking place in the town. Unfortunately, the unfolding tale tends toward repetition as it races toward its nonexistent ending; ultimately, with virtually all the conflicts in the story left unresolved, readers are sure to feel short-changed.
It is difficult for readers to feel invested in the characters and their stories if everything remains up in the air when they’ve turned the final page. Unfortunately, cliffhangers have become an often-used mechanism for enticing readers to read the next book in the series, but simply ending the narrative with no resolution for any of the conflicts played out in the telling of the tale and no answers for the reader is a massive disservice to readers [and lowers the rating for the book].
I received a free copy of this eBook from Compathy Press, LLC and NetGalley
#Complicit #NetGalley show less
After ten years and a horrific assault, forensic psychologist Kate Medina left her position in the prison system and returned to her hometown to become a counselor in the Alamogordo, New Mexico high school. Kate struggles with students unwilling to talk or unwilling to even meet with her; Mandy Garcia is uncooperative when she comes in for counseling but Kate eventually learns the details of her situation and the problems she’s facing.
The death of a local teen rocks the show more town, and unexpected revelations about some of the townspeople leave Kate and police detective Roman Aguilar reeling. Can they find the answers they so desperately need and, at the same time, protect Mandy?
“Complicit” is a story of family dynamics as well as one of conspiracies, secrets, and lies. The plot, though gritty, is timely and relevant; the story’s premise holds much potential and promise. But the overwhelming darkness in the telling of this tale steals some of the narrative’s strength; Rusty becomes a welcome counterpoint to the grimness that permeates the telling of this tale.
Sadly, the characters populating this narrative are either fractious and unlikable or downright malevolent; the constant squabbling between them eventually begins to grate on the reader’s nerves. Intractable Kate is particularly annoying with her short temper and thoughtless comments; in addition, everyone is often petulant and contrary. As the unfolding story provides some backstory for the characters, their behaviors become a bit more understandable, but it feels a bit like too little too late.
Astute readers will discern many of the characters’ secrets long before their revelations provide more pieces of the puzzle the protagonists face in their efforts to identify those responsible for the horrific events taking place in the town. Unfortunately, the unfolding tale tends toward repetition as it races toward its nonexistent ending; ultimately, with virtually all the conflicts in the story left unresolved, readers are sure to feel short-changed.
It is difficult for readers to feel invested in the characters and their stories if everything remains up in the air when they’ve turned the final page. Unfortunately, cliffhangers have become an often-used mechanism for enticing readers to read the next book in the series, but simply ending the narrative with no resolution for any of the conflicts played out in the telling of the tale and no answers for the reader is a massive disservice to readers [and lowers the rating for the book].
I received a free copy of this eBook from Compathy Press, LLC and NetGalley
#Complicit #NetGalley show less
We first met Gwen in Amy River's previous book Wallflower Blooming which introduced us to Gwen while highlighting her cousin Val's life and her work to help Gwen get elected as mayor. Gwen is sure that once she reaches her goal of becoming mayor of a Colorado city, the path will be clear for her plans to be a future governor of Colorado. That's before she is faced with a colleague who is trying to cause problems, a workload that is overwhelming and a boyfriend who no longer meets her show more expectations. Her boyfriend, Jason, works for the same town and after conflict of interest charges keep getting brought up, he decides to take a job that has him travelling most of the time. To top it all off, her cousin Val has an upcoming wedding and Gwen is the maid of honor and has all of the extra work involved with a wedding adding to her already strenuous work load. Then something happens that make Gwen question the importance of all of her other stressing problems and she has to make a decision on how to deal with the unexpected changes in her life.
I definitely enjoyed this book. Despite some of the lighter moments, there are problems in this book that every working woman has to address. I loved the main character, Gwen, and her cousin Val and enjoyed their relationship with each other. The reminded me of people that I know in my everyday life. Gwen is a definite type A driven personality but has to make a lot of changes when life throws her a major change. show less
I definitely enjoyed this book. Despite some of the lighter moments, there are problems in this book that every working woman has to address. I loved the main character, Gwen, and her cousin Val and enjoyed their relationship with each other. The reminded me of people that I know in my everyday life. Gwen is a definite type A driven personality but has to make a lot of changes when life throws her a major change. show less
Wallflower Blooming is a romance - but it is much more than just a run of the mill romance novel. It's about a man and a women learning to enjoy life, about friendship between two women and a story about small town politics. It's a light fun book to read with some great characters. Wallflower Blooming is a debut novel for Amy Rivers and based on my enjoyment of this book, I am looking forward to her future books.
Val is the orderly and organized owner of a PR firm that she has worked very show more hard to make successful. She leads a quiet life and because she is a workaholic, she doesn't have any time for romance. Her cousin, and best friend Gwen, is just the opposite. Gwen lives her life in a whirlwind and when she decides to run for mayor of their small town and asks Val to do the PR for her campaign, Val isn't sure what to do. Even though Val knows that if she agrees, it will totally disrupt her quiet orderly life, she agrees because of their friendship. The campaign takes up more of her time and energy than she expected but at a campaign fund raiser she meets a local businessman, who is a bit of a recluse, and the sparks fly between them. Can she risk her PR firm to help Gwen win the election and more importantly can she give up her workaholic life to find love?
This is a fun book to read and I enjoyed seeing Val's growth throughout the book. I look forward to future books from this author.
I received this book from the author. All opinions are my own. show less
Val is the orderly and organized owner of a PR firm that she has worked very show more hard to make successful. She leads a quiet life and because she is a workaholic, she doesn't have any time for romance. Her cousin, and best friend Gwen, is just the opposite. Gwen lives her life in a whirlwind and when she decides to run for mayor of their small town and asks Val to do the PR for her campaign, Val isn't sure what to do. Even though Val knows that if she agrees, it will totally disrupt her quiet orderly life, she agrees because of their friendship. The campaign takes up more of her time and energy than she expected but at a campaign fund raiser she meets a local businessman, who is a bit of a recluse, and the sparks fly between them. Can she risk her PR firm to help Gwen win the election and more importantly can she give up her workaholic life to find love?
This is a fun book to read and I enjoyed seeing Val's growth throughout the book. I look forward to future books from this author.
I received this book from the author. All opinions are my own. show less
Awards
Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Members
- 56
- Popularity
- #291,556
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 7
- ISBNs
- 12