Jenna Blum

It's snowing in my part of North Carolina right now but I don't care -- I am so wrapped up in MURDER YOUR DARLINGS that I can't put it down. This is a book about the creative process that author's go through writing a book. It's about the actual writing plus the book events and press functions, it's about the book editors and the book companies who are always looking for that next great book. It's also a suspense novel and a romance novel with lots of scary actions and a few good laughs and show more lots of romance.

Simone “Sam” Vetiver is a novelist who is finishing up a so-so book tour. Her first novel was a big seller but her books since then have been pretty mediocre and she needs to write a great book next -- but she is totally blocked and can't come up with a good idea and her deadline is getting closer. When she receives fan mail from William Corwyn, a very successful novelist, she is intrigued and goes to one of his book events. The sparks quickly fly between them and they both feel that they've finally met the perfect person. But are they really meant for a happily ever after or are there red flags in their relationship? William has stalkers and one stalker who he calls the Rabbit is very persistent. Soon the Rabbit is also stalking Sam. Despite falling in love with him, Sam begins to have questions about who he really is and how real his feelings are for her.

The story is told from three points of view: Sam, William and the Rabbit from very different perspectives. They are all obsessive in their own way and my opinion on who was the 'bad guy' changed several times during the story. I really didn't see the ending coming until I was almost there and the conclusion perfectly wrapped up the story lines.

This was a fantastic story - a lot of suspense, a lot of romance (and sex), a few laughs and a look at authors as they try to write that next best seller. show less

Ever have a book that just hits you at the right time, just when you need it. Well, this one was it for me. I am a huge dog lover. And I fell hook, line and sinker for Woodrow. He truly led a charmed life and he touched everyone he met.

This wonderful story will have you laughing out loud and then crying like crazy all in the same paragraph. I would have loved to have met Woodrow and experienced the “Woodrow Effect”. He would have had me wrapped around his paw…as he did everyone he came show more in contact with. He just had a certain magnetism that cannot be denied.

This story had me reminiscing about the dogs that have touched my life. Dogs are truly special animals which love knows no bounds. And Woodrow is right there at the top!

Need a good book about a very good dog…THIS IS IT!

I received this novel fora honest review. show less

For some reason I keep stumbling on movies and books about Nazis or the World War. All of them are serious and of course distressing – Those Who Save Us tells a different viewpoint. The point of view for those in the towns who weren’t Jewish, who were Germans who had to do what they could to survive the times.

The story is told between two time periods – between modern times in Minnesota and the years of WWII in Weimar, Germany. Half of the book is told through the POV of the mother, show more Anna, where the book flashes back often to her as a young woman enduring all sorts of horrors. The modern day story is told only through the POV of her daughter, Trudy, who is in America and makes her living as a professor of history.

The daughter is frustrated with her mother and never had a close relationship with the woman. She’s convinced her father was a WWII soldier who worked in the camps and feels a sense of guilt about this. Her mother will never discuss with her the picture where she, as a small child, is with the man in his uniform and her mother. The mother is silent about all and refuses to speak the truth.

The book is through the daughter asking questions for a study she’s doing – from people who lived during these times. The stories are dreadfully disturbing and all different. How terrible of a time! Most of these stories I won’t be forgetting. Really, this is a book that’s hard to forget, even if part of me would like to with details.

The mother fascinated me. I find it interesting I didn’t like Trudy OR Anna much when they came on stage. Anna before the war was bitter toward her father, for a good reason (the horrible man), but kept trying to kill off her father’s dog because she disliked him. To me she seems cold at first but later I warmed up her as she went through her trials. What she had to do to survive for her and her daughter was unique because of her looks, those who rescued her, and her own personal upbringing/status before the war began.

Trudy also wasn’t likeable at first – I thought she was far too eager and accepting of putting her mother in a home and not wanting to deal with her. She seems lifeless to me. Slowly, through stories of others and finally seeing all her flaws, I started liking her and seeing what she was made of.

By the end of the story I did like Anna and Trudy both. Strange how that works.

It’s a slow, seeping story that’s filled with horror and despair – obviously this never lets up considering the content. The ending is on a peaceful enough note. Some called it a little unrealistic and perhaps it was, but I dug it because of it tying with her finally being acknowledged for her risk and sacrifice. Also finding out who killed a certain person was a slap in the face as the reader knows the mother will never find it out.

It was the author’s debut novel; overall I think she did an admirable job, but I do think she struggled a bit with some awkward phrasing and especially strange similes. Dialogue was strange because no quotations were ever used, which took a long while to get used to.

The book takes a while to get into because of the strange dialogue and the slow pace – also the unwilling move between one time period and the next. Thankfully the story starts picking up and by the second half I was completely hooked. I become misty-eyed on several occasions.

There’s some unique sexual issues in this book as well with flashbacks during a particularly disturbing relationship that actually stands as the more interesting relationship in the book. Some argue if she really loved him or not – I don’t think she was “in love” with him, that’s not possible with the power difference, control and fear. I think she loathed him. But she said we love those who save us, so perhaps a small part of her… I don’t know. The book isn’t black and white with characters or their actions.

Overall it’s an excellent, moving book that is different for wanting to show viewpoints that aren’t always considered for this war. show less

Jenna adopted Woodrow (a black Lab) as a puppy and he changed her life right from the beginning. As the book begins, Woodrow is 14 years old and beginning to have health problems Twelve years is the normal life span for this breed so Woodrow was definitely a 'senior citizen". When she took him for walks, they always ended up on a bench on Boston's Commonwealth Mall across from her apartment. She and Woodrow made lots of friends on that bench - both humans and other dogs. Helped by an amazing show more group of old friends and new friends that she'd met on the bench, she was helped by their support during Woodrow's final days. The story of the love between Jenna and Woodrow will break your heart but it will also make you feel good about other people and their pets.

I have never had a pet so I wasn't sure that this whether this book would resonate with me. Growing up, there were too many kids and not enough room for a pet and after I got married, we both travelled too much to add a pet to our family. After reading about Woodrow's life, I think that I need to look into adopting a rescue dog. This book shines with the unconditional love between Jenna and Woodrow. It made me laugh - especially during the "conversations" between them. It also made me cry - not just tears but sobs. This book is a must read for people with their own fur babies but it's also a book that needs to be read by anyone who doesn't understand the love between a person and their dog. Thanks to Jenna for sharing her story about the lessons that you learned from that wise old dog.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less