Liz Roberts Roberts itibaren Viana do Castelo District, Portekiz itibaren Viana do Castelo District, Portekiz

Another gift from G. Sanchez.

Wonderful , sad, but heartwarming.

As with all Steinbeck books I was totally engaged in the relationships between characters: Toby-Carl (distant and awkward), Toby-Billy (hero worship and love), Toby-each colt (infatuation and total commitment). Plus many others. Steinbeck's insights into relationships is reason enough to read his books. And on this occasion it was his saving grace. I did not realise that the book was a collection of four short stories, so I was frustrated by the lack of connection between the "chapters". And the ending was far too abrupt. Perhaps a prior understanding of the context of writing may have softened this frustration. So three stars from me ... the average of 5 stars for relationship depiction and 1 star for overall storytelling.

Amazing desert adventure/true story.

Posted At: Riverina Romantics My Rating: 4 out of 5 * Hotness Rating: 3.5 out of 5 <3 Overall this is a really good book and a hell of a lot better than the previous one, by a longshot. But I was still kind of disappointed by how this one ended. Because of everything that had been going on throughout the story, I was so built up that I was expecting something amazing out of the ending, like in previous books. Then I get there… And it fell flat. I just kind of stared at the pages like "that's it? That's how it gets solved?" I enjoyed the book a lot, but I was left wanting. It was just kind of a bummer. It was really interesting to see deeper into Rehvenge and his life. The little snippets we've had of him always left me wanting to know more about him. I felt so bad for what he had to go through, both in his past and his present. I actually respected him because of it all. He was an incredibly strong man, yet broken in ways that only a true love could heal. He always did right by the few he deeply cared about. He tried to spare Ehlena the taint of his life, always treating her like a treasure, and loving her. The way he defended her was sweet. He was a good man stuck in a bad life, and Ehlena gave him the escapee had needed for so long. I was almost entranced by Ehlena from the beginning. Something about her grabbed me right away. She was beyond compassionate and caring. She was innocent in a way that made her pure, yet was still believable that she was rough around the edges. She lived death and pain, and yet she was still a light in the dark. She had her morals tested a few times, but she always made the decisions that she felt were right. She loved with all her heart. She was damaged and needed some time to figure some things out, but she fought for the man she loved. She found something worth dying for, and in the process found the life she thought she'd never have. The side stories in this installment only added to the chaos of the main story. It really shows is how intense things are getting with the lessening society. Between wrath and Beth going through their difficult time to John and Xhex really messing things up, it's been one hell of a roller coaster. I know some people felt they were too distracting, but I thought they fit. I understand we're reading a book that focuses on one couple, but the other characters have lives beyond their books as well. All of that together really adds to the tension, amps up the rest of the story. Without them, I don't think this series would have the impact it does.