Hi All! Just letting fans know that Susan has a brand new cover for her outstanding YA Romance, Allusive Aftershock! I hesitate to even use the term “YA” because I enjoyed this book so much, and it never crossed my mind that it was written with Young Adults in mind. Anyone who’s been through a major earthquake will have an extra “connection” with this vividly told story.
Title: Allusive Aftershock
Author: Susan Griscom
Publisher: Amber Glow Books
Release date: January 29, 2014
Available on Kindle, Nook and Paperback. Also available as an Audiobook from audible.com, Amazon.com and iTunes.
What happens when a major earthquake changes life as you know it and the boy you thought you hated ends up saving you? Three times!
Courtland Reese is the guy everyone hates and makes fun of because … well, he is weird. He communicates with animals. Strange or interesting, seventeen-year-old Adela Castielle can’t quite figure out, but when he saves her from being trampled by her own horse, she begins to understand him a little better and wants to learn more about him.
But, Max–her best friend/dream guy/someday-to-be-her-husband-only-he-doesn’t-know-it-yet–hates Courtland with a passion. Adela wants to know why, except neither boy is talking.
When Max leaves her stranded in his parents’ wine cave with his worst enemy, Courtland, after what the experts are calling a “megathrust” earthquake, Adela starts to question her loyalty to Max as steamy kisses in a dark damp cellar only fuel her emotions with more conflict.
But does she really have time to worry about that when fire, destruction and mayhem surround her?
Growing up in California, Susan Griscom is well acquainted with earthquakes–as am I, because I grew up there, too. When you’ve felt the ground beneath you rumble, buck and shake, you have an intimate knowledge of the power of Mother Nature, and Susan uses this knowledge and her memories to create a powerfully realistic backdrop for this novel. Add to that the sometimes painful coming-of-age feelings experienced by teens and you have a compelling, entertaining read.Adela, Courtland & Max are each typical and yet unique characters, and I came to like them all. Interestingly, Max isn’t given a POV, so his character is the least known to the reader; however, Susan does a good job of representing him through the others’ reactions to his words and deeds.
Like others, I felt the ending just a tad bit rushed, but that may be partly because I just wasn’t ready for the story to end! One thing’s for sure, Court’s the guy I’d want my daughter with if she ever suffered the kind of disaster faced by Adela.