Blaze of Glory ~ Book Review ~

I don't read as often as I should, or even as often as I would like to.  When I was commuting to work, I at least had audiobooks to appease my imagination.  Now, mostly, my most read authors consist of the like of Dr. Seuss and Beatrix Potter.   So when I get a good book to read (and can find the time to read it), it is a real treat.  I have no problem putting aside a book I don't think will be worth my valuable time.  I, however, could not put aside Blaze of Glory by M. Garzon.  The story just wouldn't let me put it down.


I am not a literary scholar, nor am I a book snob.  Mostly when I do read, however, I like some real classics.  But, I love a good guilty pleasure now and again.  I will say that when I find a book I like, whether a classic by Bronte, a new classic by Rowling, or a guilty pleasure by Sparks, I am voracious about it.  For me a good book has to have 5 things:

1. It has to be a place to escape the every day.  
2. It has to have lead characters that you can empathize with and that you are rooting for despite their flaws.
3. It has to grab your emotions and make you feel what the characters are feeling.
4. It has to get to a point where you just DO NOT want to put it down, where it becomes a part of you for that moment in time.
5. When it ends, you want more.  You NEED More.

I found all of these requirements in Blaze of Glory by Canadian author M Garzon. 

Blaze of Glory grabs you from the beginning with short, but powerful prologue that sets you up perfectly for the emotional roller-coaster that is to come.  You will become so enraptured by the main characters, that you will find yourself staying awake past your bed time reading by the light of  your Kindle (or book light, if you are so inclined).  You will cry with them, seethe with them, hurt with them, and love with them. 

You don't have to know a thing about the horse world to love this book.   Blaze of Glory, set in rural Ontario, near Toronto, follows Tea (pronounced Tay-a) on her journey to greatness with her prize winning jumper Blaze.  As she battles her step father Dec, eschews her cousin Jaden, and consorts with her twin brother Seth and best friends Julia and Teri, her world is suddenly turned up side down.  Slowly, she brings herself back up right with help from the most unlikely of sources, until she realizes there is more there than should be.  We then find Tea grappling her own emotions and passions as she tries desperately to indulge and suppress her deepest desires at the same time.

Each character you encounter is well designed and multifaceted, even the horses.  You know their flaws and love them despite, or maybe because of them.  In the end, you are rooting for the main characters, even though there is a part of you that wonders if you should or not.  Blaze of Glory is a sweet, well conceived love story.  It is a tale of forbidden love that will thrill you in spite of yourself.  It allows an escape into a world that is not your own, but one where you can stay a while.

The rumor is that there is a sequel in the works, and I for one, am eagerly anticipating it.  It has, also, been optioned for a TV series!

You can purchase Blaze of Glory at Amazon (Paperback or Kindle editions).  There is also a non-Kindle ebook version available for a short time that you can find here.   You can find the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Note: I wrote a review on Amazon for the book. I didn't include it here as it contains some spoilers.  You are welcome to read it, of course. 

Brandilyn

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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