A Horse Called Trouble - C K Volnek (Review & Giveaway)

********Contest Closed********




4 1/2 STARS!

ABOUT THE BOOK - 
Abandoned by her mother at a young age, Tara Cummings has been passed from foster home to foster home; not wanted anywhere by anyone. At thirteen she’s skeptic and suspicious, with no family, and no friends. Horse therapy “will teach trust, perseverance, respect, and the value of teamwork,” or so says the program’s instructor. Tara is unconvinced. Trust only broke her heart, perseverance meant more failures, and no one respects or wants to team up with the misfit foster kid. At the farm, Tara meets Trouble, an angry and defiant horse, bent on destroying everything and everyone around him. Tara is frightened of the enraged horse, until she realizes Trouble is as misunderstood and untrusting as she is. Pushing aside her fear, a special bond is formed, much to the surprise of everyone at the farm. Trouble trusts Tara, and Tara in turn finds hope and acceptance as well as the will to love and trust again herself. But, Tara’s confidence is shaken as an even greater challenge looms ahead. Trouble’s mean and manipulative owner is the one and only Alissa, Tara’s nemesis. Can Tara overcome her own limitations and fight to save the horse who freed her heart and gave her life value and meaning? Or will Alissa destroy them both?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - "I grew up in Nebraska, enjoying life in small town USA; riding horses in summer and sledding the ginormous hills in winter. I am married to my best friend and together we have three children and four Papillon fur-kids. What can I say...Papillons are like potato chips, you can’t stop at one. I like to write, hike, watch movies, and dream about the ‘what ifs’ in life, thus spawning the many stories my muse wants to share. I am proud to announce my first two novels will be released in 2011 and my third to be released 2012."

MY REVIEW -
For me this book started out as a 4 then ended up a 4 1/2 because I really enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. When I was young I liked horses, but was not really gaga over them like some young girls are. BUT... this book is not just a story about horses or a ranch. It is about troubled teens - one particular girl named Tara. You learn all about Tara's life, her history, through "flashbacks" (which are done very well). Tara had a pretty crappy life, which is reflected in her withdrawn behavior.
I swear I read most of this book with a pained expression on my face because I felt Tara's pain so much. I think it takes an excellent author to make that happen, to make you feel the pain of a fictional character. I really loved Tara! She got into my heart, I wanted to adopt her, to make her whole life all better. You also got a real good feel for all the other teens as well as the teachers and people at the ranch.
This book is packed full of activity! After the first mini plot, I thought "OK that's over, so what could the rest of the book be about, there's half the book left?" But the story does not end there, it is only the beginning. AND - talk about a surprise ending!!! Wow! Yes, there were tears on my part (a true sign of a good book).
This would be a great book for a teen girl, young or older. Even as an adult I enjoyed it very much.
I can't wait for C K Volnek's next book.

Buy this book from Amazon - HERE

THE GIVEAWAY!!! - The Author - C K Volnek has offered to give one lucky person a copy of her book (along with a few goodies). YAY!
I will choose a winner through random.org then give the winners email address to the Author and she will contact you directly.

* To win a copy of this beautiful book, please fill out the form below.
And please only enter once! (I have to go through and delete double entries).
* Winner will be chosen on Jan 20th.
* Winner will have 48 hrs. to respond.

 * Also please give a shout out to the Author - CK Volnek , I am sure she will be checking the comments! Ask her a question if you would like.

Comments

  1. I agree, it takes great writing and great story to bring out that much emotion. I'll be adding it to my to-read list!

    Jen

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  2. Great review. Love the cover.
    It does take a special kind of author to pull you into a book, to make you feel part of it.
    Make you want more and more.

    Love the Papillon, they are adorable little dogs.
    RJB

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  3. Very nice review. Makes me want to read the book right now!

    Diane

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  4. Hi to all our visitors. Isn't Wendy just wonderful? I love her website. And she is so thorough and honest with her reviews. I'm thrilled she enjoyed A Horse Called Trouble because I know she prefers historical fiction. :-) But Tara was a great character to write with. I hope you all enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. :-)
    C.K. Volnek

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  5. Congrats on a great review CK!!! Kudos! Jan Fischer Wade

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  6. What a lovely review. Tears to your eyes..yes a sure sign of a good read. Sounds great. My girlfriend and I used to ride her horse around her farm. She also had a pony. We always rode double. (I was not a horse person.) One afternoon we started laughing so hard we just slid off the pony and landed in the grass. Silly 12-year-old girls. Great memories.

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  7. I read this book and also had tears. C.K. is a talented writer who sucks you into the story.

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  8. This sounds like a good book - any book that brings out your emotions is usually a good one to me. Lol - I can't imagine having 4 dogs. My Sammy is a handful all by himself.

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  9. Hi Jan,
    Thanks for stopping in. I can't wait for your 'Veiled Virtues' to come out. Soon! :-)
    C.K. Volnek

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  10. Hi Rose!
    How sweet of you to stop in. And what a fun memory to share. I can just picture you falling off the pony and the pony looking at you with that quizzical look. I'm sure she DID think...silly 12-yr-old girls. lol.
    C.K. Volnek

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  11. Greetings Sabrina. Thanks for jumping in here to leave a comment. I'm so glad you liked the book...and I'm sorry I kept you up so late cause you couldn't put it down. lol. Thanks again for stopping in.
    C.K. Volnek

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  12. Hi Darlene,
    Thanks for leaving me a note. 4 pups can be a handful. I'm known as the 'lady with the dogs' cause I walk them all at the same time. lol. But they walk good together. It's like they have a pecking order and know where they should be. ha. Thanks again for stopping by.
    C.K. Volnek

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