Dark Water by Jan Ruth

Dark Water by Jan Ruth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark Water is a contemporary read and the sequel to Wild Water. It takes place approximately three years after the first book and continues with the complicated life of Jack Redman. Owner of Redman Estate agents. He has three children, an ex-wife, a new partner and a whole handful of problems.

Juggling far too many balls in the air at once and attempts to work only part-time are failing badly. Jack tries very hard to please everyone and his life spirals out of control.

This book definitely has a darker side to it than the first and I actually think I preferred the first book. I had more sympathy for Jack. In this book I just wanted to shake him and sit him down and have a good talk to him about the mess his life was in.

Still an enjoyable read.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Alison reviews Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Today’s book review come from Alison, she blogs at http://alisonwilliamswriting.wordpress.com/

Alison chose to read and review Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read that, at times, I found hard to put down. Jack is forty-something, successfully running the Wilmslow branch of the family’s estate agency. He has it all, the big house, the Aston Martin, and is still good-looking and charming. But beneath it all, his life has reached a crisis – his wife is behaving strangely, his daughter is craving his attention, and his teenage son is struggling with school. Then his dad suffers a heart scare, and Jack travels to Wales to look after the office there, where he finds one of the clients is his childhood sweetheart, Anna.

Everything comes to a head at Christmas, and Jack has some tough decisions to make in this charming, funny, at times heart-breaking novel. You’ll find yourself willing Jack to make the right decisions, and really caring that he finds the happiness he deserves.

Jan Ruth manages to make you care for her characters, and skilfully contrasts upmarket Wilmslow with the ruggedness of the wild Welsh countryside, bringing both to life. The relationships between Jack and his children are well-drawn, particularly between Jack and his youngest daughter Lottie – their conversations will make you laugh and cry.

Recommended – I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

5 out of 5 stars.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

October Editions of Fleet Life and EHD #Bookreviews

I am lucky enough to write a set of book reviews for two local magazines both with on-line versions.

This month’s books in Fleet Life can be found at http://www.fleetlife.org.uk click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 where you’ll fine the following books;

The Shell by Tony Riches

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

The Road To Yesterday by Randy Mixter

Round and Round by Terry Tyler

Beneath The Surface by Mike Martin

Books featured in The Elvetham Heath Directory with it’s online version at http://www.ehd.org.uk , click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 for;

The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler

Reckless Recon by Rinelle Grey

My GRL by John Howell

The Scrolls of Scion by TJ Therien

Manic Mondays by Michaela Weaver

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Honor reviews Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Today we have a review by team member Honor, she blogs here http://honoradawson.wordpress.com/

She chose to read and review Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Here is her review.

Wild Water 1 — Jan Ruth

The story has some good characterisation that draws in the reader. I felt very sympathetic to Jack, who came across as hard working and sensible. It did make me wonder if it was realistic for him to be with someone like Patsy for as long as he had, she appears such a “high maintenance” woman expecting to achieve so much for little effort. Nonetheless, it made for an enjoyable read.

On the downside, as I read some passages where vital pieces of information were missing, there were times when the writing jumped around a little too much, leaving me confused. I didn’t always feel a situation was finalised before another started, since neighbouring paragraphs were often disconnected.

As a romance I would expect some spontaneity in some of the situations, as we are dealing with an emotional set of circumstances. I also felt some of the more dramatic moments in Jack and Anna’s lives were not told first hand, as it happened. I had gotten to know the characters so well, that I wanted to be there for the most stressful moments of their lives. Instead, I felt a little cheated to be hearing of things second hand without much detail.

The geographical setting was of minor importance as the story played out, we could have been anywhere in the UK, a pity for me as I have spent time in Cheshire, participated in some superb outdoor activities in North Wales particularly Snowdonia. I believe some description of the landscape and history would have been appropriate as it engenders passion among it’s peoples and vistors.

For me, the book was in two parts, with the first concentrating on the separation of Jack and Patsy. This was a very engaging read.

The second part, however, seemed to drift a little, and the divorce settlement, which was paramount at the start, was glossed over.

I am sure the writer has progressed much further and her more recent novels are more consistent in structure and quality. In all walks of life there are steep leaning curves, excellence comes at a high price. So I wish Jan Ruth well in her efforts.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Guest Author Jan Ruth

Today our guest is Jan Ruth, author of yesterday’s book Wild Water. Here is a link to the post if you missed it. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5vR

Let’s find out more about Jan and her books.

1) Where is your home town?

My home town is in Conwy, North Wales. I wasn’t born here, I’m originally from Cheshire – so not Welsh either! However, I’ve always felt Wales is my spiritual home and it features as a setting for all of my books

2) How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing for about 30 years. Back in the days before self-publishing I had various dalliances with traditional agents and publishers with my first book ‘Wild Water’ but sadly it didn’t really go anywhere. My stumbling block – at the time – was that it fell between genre and the male voice was too unusual. This was 20 years ago. I thought it made me unique but what did I know!

3) Do you have a preferred writing genre?

I write about people, the Welsh landscape and about situations I have knowledge of. This brings me firmly into the contemporary mould. I think genre is difficult to pin down with a lot of self published works, but without the confines of publishing houses the freedom of writing what feels natural can now (and should) come first.

4) What was the one idea which sparked off “Wild Water” ?

I wanted to write about the impact of a marriage breakup from the male point of view. At the time of writing, there were issues in my personal life which provided lots of accurate detail and fodder for fiction. Standard chick-lit is always about the hard-done-by female character and I set out to write about the other side. The book then developed into something deeper than chick-lit, with mature characters and of course, the Snowdonia setting.

5) Can you tell the readers a little about Conway?

Conwy is a medieval town set on the River Conwy in North Wales, UK. It is coastal and rural. The Snowdonia National Park provides a fabulous backdrop and the town is steeped in history, with a castle dating back to 1283.

6) Tell us about the buyer lined up to buy Anna’s Farm.

He’s intent on buying Gwern Farm to develop it into a leisure hotel. Anna doesn’t want to sell her rural idyll to this man, in order to have it destroyed, but her fiance, Alex, is determined to see the sale through.

7) What is Anna going to do once she’s sold the place?

Alex wants to buy a restaurant in Cornwall, but Anna’s heart isn’t really in it.

8) Why does Jack end up convalescing at Anna’s?

Jack is on a downward spiral, trying to keep his business afloat and stay sane in the face of his wife’s betrayal. His accident is a turning point for Jack and Anna when she offers a respite at Gwern Farm.

9) What are some of the tourist attractions that Anna’s B&B guests come to see?

The area around Gwern Farm is a paradise for walkers, bird-watchers, photographers and artists. There are many National Trust properties, castle and period houses in the whole of Wales and of course, it is a popular coastal area with many beaches.

10) Tell us where readers can finds out more about you and your books.

My website is: http://janruth.com/*WILD WATER is currently on sale at 77p. The sequel, DARK WATER, is my latest title.*

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

 

 

 

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wild Water is a contemporary novel set in two main locations, Wilmslow, Cheshire and Conway, North Wales. Jack Redman runs a busy family estate agency. He’s juggling jobs, with his father away from the Welsh office and his right hand lady about to leave his office in Wilmslow. Add to this he has three children and a high maintenance wife who is causing her own problems.

It’s close to Christmas and Jack’s Dad is stuck in Spain for a while longer after a heart flutter. Jack must head to the Conway office and look after a big potential sale. It turns out that the client is Anna Williams an old sweet-heart. Seeing Anna again drags up past memories and Jack enjoys the relief from his own life that the distraction that Anna provides.

Christmas is very strained for Jack. He has a seven year old, desperate for a puppy, a fifteen year old going off the rails at school and then his wife Patsy ups and leaves too. Jack’s a complete mess and so is his life. His son Oliver runs away and turns up at Anna’s. Jack finds himself confiding in Anna and worries he’s on the rebound.

I wanted to say “Jack, Jack, Jack, what are you doing with your life?” But I also fell slightly in love the him too. The Welsh farmhouse, sounded very romantic, despite it falling to bits around their heads. I wanted to be on that Spanish holiday they took and I wanted to be a wedding guest and be the first one to throw some food. I loved the line in Jack’s wedding speech “The only mistake is to stop loving.” I shed a tear too. And if I could only speak Welsh I could pronounce Llyn Gwyllt which means wild water in Welsh, this book certainly had plenty of choppy waters before it completed it’s tale.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jan Ruth and I look forward to reading some more.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Jan will be our guest author on the blog tomorrow, come back and find out more about here and her writing.

Good Deeds Challenge, Year 2 Week 14

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year, now I an into my second year.

During my week I’ll also being updating you on My Kindness Challenge which I’m also doing. I read about a new challenge to make the world a better place to live in. “Speak Kind Words, Receive Kind Echoes” see the inspiration on  The Kindness blog . During my learning process I’m donating money to charity for my slip-ups to make me work harder to achieve results. I earn no money from any of my book reviews, so having little to spare should focus my mind.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

July 20th – Had a lovely day at home, catching up with all my reading and writing reviews. Today I was reading Wild Water by Jan Ruth

July 21st – My last morning of the school year, volunteering. I wished all the children good luck in their new classes and Good Deeds received: Had some lovely gifts from the appreciative teachers.

July 22nd – Launched my side of the Romancing September Across The World Tour, a tour I co-host with Stephanie Hurt who is based in the US. We will be promoting Romance books throughout September. This evening had a long walk and picked up litter.

July 23rd – Donated money to a charity working to prevent hunger, who were cycling for charity. Had a really lovely comment today, my Good Deeds have making people aware of the Good Deed opportunities around, so much so that this wonderful human being said he felt I would be disappointed if he passed by a chance to do a Good Deed. Just one Good Deed a day will make our world a better place, let’s hear some more of your Good Deed tales.

July 24th – Romancing September bookings have been slow today, so e-mailed a few authors to ask if they would be interested. Delighted to hear that a  copy of Aesop’s Secret by Claudia White has arrived for a young reviewer who is going to read and review the book for us. Helped out a friend with cricket tea advice.

July 25th – Have finished reading Round and Round by Terry Tyler which was released this week.

Ok, what just happened? Romancing September in now completely booked! It was utter madness this afternoon, bookings were coming at me thick and fast. Authors from The Harper Impulse range found out about the tour and wham! It was fully booked. Great to have all the support ladies and gentlemen, yes we have a guy who’s promoting his book too! Day 21 Nic Tatano will be promoting his book It Girl

July 26th – The Kindness challenge has been up and down this week. I did have a good chat with both my Mum and Dad about concerns they have for my nephews. One has a girlfriend which they disapprove of, and my suggestions to leave it be and let it work itself out are falling on deaf ears. Another nephew has fallen in to a worrying depression, I don’t think my parents live near enough or have a close enough relationship with him, to throw in strong advice and accusations. These were some difficult conversations and left me mulling over possibilities and being very aware of the need to listen well.

This evening I felt in need of a de-clutter, school has finished for the summer and the house is cluttered with school uniform and school books that need sorting for next year. I discovered some Christmas presents which I’m grateful for, but will never use, so I will pass them to the charity shop when I next go. I even filed my tax return, lifting a weight from my shoulders.

So that is my week. What Good Deeds have you done this week? Do tell me below, I’m sure if you think about it you have. Being aware of your deeds will bring more to the forefront.

Rosie.

 

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT – Wild Water by Jan Ruth, reviewed by Elizabeth

Rosie’s Book Review Team today brings you a review from Elizabeth, she blogs at http://somerville66.blogspot.co.uk/

Elizabeth chose to review Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Here is her review.

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Writing contemporary family drama is probably the most difficult genre in which to achieve success, so it was a pleasure to find myself instantly immersed in the ever increasing disasters of Jack, the unlikely hero of “Wild Water.” Successful estate agents from the wealthiest part of Cheshire don’t come to mind as empathetic characters, but Jack works hard, cares about his family and has sufficient stress to justify his intermittent smoking habit. His faithless wife Patsy, however, is difficult to like. Her parental skills leave much to be desired and she always seems to be in search of better things.

And then the reader meets Anna, a quiet, artistic lady from Jack’s past who is trying to survive in an old, crumbling house in North Wales, by taking in guests. Like Jack, she has a teenage son, but her life is also complicated. She is warm, likeable and calm, in total contrast to workaholic, impulsive Jack. Their lives are entwined by Jack’s large complex family and ever more momentous events.

It is the strong characterisation which make “Wild Water” such an enjoyable read. Jack’s children, his mother Isabel and especially his brother Danny are all given clearly identifiable personalities and the possibility of new stories to follow. Some of their names, such as Chelsey, are stereotypical and the break-up of a family is almost normal these days but the twists and turns of the plot combined with the emotional response this invoked kept me turning the pages avidly.

Combining the beautiful description of the Welsh countryside with a roller-coaster storyline makes “Wild Water,” an ideal holiday read and I can’t wait to read the follow up “Dark Water.”

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com