Saturday, March 5, 2016

Under a Blackberry Moon


GIVEAWAY

MILLER, SERENA B.
UNDER A BLACKBERRY MOON

Just a few days after she gave birth alone in the northwoods, a recently widowed young Chippewa woman stumbled into a nearby lumber camp in search of refuge from the winter snows. Come summer, it is clear that Moon Song cannot stay among the rough-and-tumble world of white lumbermen, and so the camp owner sends Skypilot, his most trusted friend, to accompany her on the long and treacherous journey back to her people.

But when tragedy strikes off the shore of Lake Superior, Moon Song and Skypilot must depend on each other for survival. With every step they take into the forbidding woods, they are drawn closer together, until it seems the unanswerable questions must be asked. Can she leave her culture to enter his? Can he leave his world to enter hers? Or will they simply walk away from a love that seems too complicated to last?

Get swept into a wild realm where beauty masks danger and only the truly courageous survive in a story that will grip your heart and your imagination.


My Review:

The kind of read that makes your blood boil and your heart thrill. Miller does an exceptional job of delivering historical accuracy...and she doesn't pull any punches. The treatment of native people throughout history has been abysmal. It's a good thing I wasn't actually there because I would have done a few individuals bodily harm. How so-called Christians could treat an entire race with such callousness and cruelty...well it boggles the mind.

Skypilot (Isaac Ross) is larger than life -- the stuff tall tales are made of. A kind and decent man with his feet firmly planted in the white man's world. Moon Song is just as immersed in her Chippewa culture and yet an unlikely friendship has developed between the two. A friendship that deepens into something much more during their treacherous journey. Talk about an impossible romance!

Miller has drawn on historical figures to flesh out her fictional characters and their stories leave me in awe. The details are spectacular -- everything from the bawdy logging town to the plight of women in the mid 1800s. Lots for a reader to sink her teeth into. Like this:

"Ladies are supposed to strive to be competent, never excel." A secondary character, Isabella, makes this comment to Skypilot. Of course, she's speaking from a white woman's perspective so the contrast between Moon Song and her white counterparts is riveting -- both for the reader and Skypilot himself.  Because Moon Song excels at a lot of things.

Complicated relationships, life and death struggles and always the thrill of the unexpected -- Under a Blackberry Moon is the kind of story that sweeps you away and holds you captive until the very last page.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Under a Blackberry Moon please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday March 6 2016 . Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

24 comments:

  1. It's an awesome read, Kate. Good luck!

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  2. It must have been hard for the different cultures to join together. I'm sure this made for a lot of complicated relationships. Looks like this will make the book very interesting!!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

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    1. It's sooooo interesting, rubynreba. And yes, both cultures aren't set up for a mixed relationship -- something that has been repeated in history over and over again. Good luck, rubynreba.

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  3. Wonderful review, Kav. and the book sounds just like my kind of book!

    Count me in, please.

    janka(dot)halcinova(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I think you'd love it too, Janka. Good luck!

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  4. This looks like a good read! Thanks for the giveaway chance!! Have a Blessed day!
    swanphillips4(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  5. I sometimes wonder what your reasons are for choosing a book, especially one that is not a new or upcoming release. Regardless, I'm happy that you do this on occasion. Ironically, I have had this book in and out of my Amazon shopping cart over the past few weeks, but have gone with something else each time. So it's nice to have this review and chance at a giveaway. Thanks, Kav. tlhcoupon(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. This one came to my attention through someone in the Facebook Avid Reader's of Christian Fiction group. I love diversity in my reading and this one looked so intriguing that I bumped it up on my retro reading list. I got it from my public library, by the way, a great source for older books. Good luck, Terrill.

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  6. Oh, I would love to read this one. Love reading certain book of Native Americans and this one hits the spot. Will have to put this on my wishlist. Thank you for the review and the giveaway.
    kmgervais(at)nycap(dot)rr(dot)com

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    1. It's astonishingly good, Karen. All the historical detail -- just riveting. Good luck.

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  7. I absolutely loved the previous book to this one, The Measure of Katie Calloway. This one sounds just as good! Great review!

    colorvibrant at gmail dot com

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    1. It exceeds Measure of Katie Calloway in my humble opinion. And there's a bit of character crossover at the beginning of the book too, by the way. Good luck, Heidi.

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  8. Please don't enter me as I have already read this wonderful book. The cover drew me in and the storyline held me captive! I enjoyed reading your take on it and was glad to see you loved it as much as I did. Serena Miller is one fine author!

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    1. She is indeed. I don't know how I missed this three years ago. Especially since I read The Measure of Katie Calloway. Just got sidetracked, I guess. Easy to do when you dangle books under my nose. :-)

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  9. Definitely a different kind of read for me, but sounds good nonetheless! And I have to agree with the ill treatment of Native Americans in history and how atrocious it was. I don't think any race of people deserves that kind of treatment.

    Thanks for featuring a new-to-me author and a book I've not heard of yet!

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  10. Don't enter me, Kav. I just wanted to say that I read this a few years ago and absolutely loved it. We don't see many Native American heroines and I thought the whole story was excellent. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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    1. I agree, Carole and I so appreciated how Miller portrayed this Native American heroine -- with dignity, respect, appreciation for her wisdom, her willingness to sacrifice for the great good...I could go on and on.

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  11. This one sounds great, Kav!

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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  12. Your review of this book really makes me want to read it. I love stories of the Native Americans and I agree with you about how so called Christians could have done the things that they did. Being from the older generation I saw things said and done that were not very Christlike. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy of Under the Blackberry Moon. spotts06(at)comcast(dot)net

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  13. Cross culture relationships are often very difficult, even today! I would love to read this novel and see how they resolve things.

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  14. This sounds really good! Thanks for having the giveaway.

    harnessrose(at)yahoo(dot)com

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