Stillwater Rising - Review & Giveaway

Review by Marlene Engel

A month after a deadly shooting rang through the Stillwater Bay School, Jenn is still feeling the aftermath.  Her son was one of several people who were killed during that horrific event.  She has a hard time accepting that the school, where her son and many other children (and teachers) were killed, is still being used.  It causes a bone of contention between herself and her best friend, Charlotte, who is the mayor of the town.  To make the situation even more difficult, Charlotte’s husband is not only the principal at the school, but is being marked as a hero for stopping the gunman’s rampage.  He’s having a hard time accepting that title, which leads a reporter to believe that he may be hiding a secret.   

Another woman who is having a hard time and grieving a loss of her own is Julia.  She is the mother of the gunman who eventually turned the gun on himself and took his own life.  She’s been getting shunned and harassed because of her son’s actions and has become a prisoner in her own home.  She doesn’t even feel comfortable visiting her son’s grave, for fear that she may come in contact with the parents who are mourning the loss of their own children … children whom her son killed.

This book is a very emotional and powerful story.  It hits on a very delicate subject and shows you how people handle grief in different ways.  Many times society and the media only portray the suffering of the victims and their families.  The author takes it a step further by showing the grieving process of the gunman’s family.  We tend to forget that many times they are victims themselves. 

Steena Holmes does a superb job with this story.  You can feel the emotions seeping off the pages.  It’s a very sad and emotional novel, but one that is so well written that you can’t help but want to read. 

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About the Author:

Growing up as a small town Canadian girl, there wasn't much to do but ride your bike, hang out with friends on the beach and daydream. I always wanted to write but never dreamed it was something I could do as a career. I love to travel and fell in love with the sheep covered hillside, old castles and romantic history of Scotland and England. I dream about waking up in Tuscany and touring small town shops in the south of France with my husband, of placing my toes in the ocean and experiencing history first hand. As a mother with three daughters, I'm learning that teaching them to pursue their dreams is a lasting legacy. I love to wake up to the Rocky Mountains, will forever enjoy the taste of coffee and chocolate and can't imagine the day when a story doesn't unfold in my heart. Living a life with passion and pursuing dreams is a life well lived.

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Stillwater Rising

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