REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
You Taste Like Whiskey and Sunshine
by Kimberly Love
You Taste Like Whiskey and Sunshine by Kimberly Love is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for my review, a guest post by the author, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
What makes this book awesome?
There's an evil queen, a demented father, some amateur boxing and a trailer park story. Even a silver fox makes an appearance. Why wouldn't that entice you?
If you are looking for something different from the rest of the books out there, something that might make you question your sanity then you will love this book.
Seriously! The comedic and sassy perspective will make you see things differently, and you may even find yourself laughing out loud. It's a good story and one that I truly believe needs to be told. Period.
It’s dark, raw and takes you to a door that keeps all my innermost secrets. I hope that the book makes you laugh, makes you cry, and inspires you to be the best version of yourself.
Excerpt
You see, my father was evil—seriously evil. During his relationship with my mother, he brutalized her and some of my siblings in ways that she won’t speak about to this day. He was often filled with rage and that rage showed in his physical violence. His brutality was never just saved for my mother. He once punched out my five-year-old step-brother; literally punched him in the face. I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like for a small child. Miss B hated him so much that her hatred poured into me from the time that I was just a toddler. She couldn’t stomach the sight of me for the simple reason that I was a part of him.
These aren’t my memories and most of which I know is fragmented, as no one wanted to talk about the man. What I know of him was learned in piecemeal over the years.
He was the kind of man who would rather see you dead than see you leave. I’ve seen several men like that while watching Law & Order. It’s shocking to know that things like that actually happened in my own family. My mom is such a great woman that the thought of her being hurt is a little hard to take at times. When my mother finally decided to get us all away from him, she had to wait until he went to work. Then, she packed up our things and left home. There was no warning; no threats of leaving him. She knew what he was like and she knew it was best to slip out without telling him.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"I thought the book was very inspiring and I found that I could really relate to her stories. I would recommend it to anyone." ~ Brandi Martel
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
The author's story is written in 14 chapters or vignettes, in which she makes no apologies for who she is. She just wants to show us that the things that have happened to her in her life have made her the person she is. Above all, she wants to make us laugh. And that she does. She tackles such varied subjects as her humble beginnings growing up unsupervised in a trailer park, cruelty at the hands of a family member, her uncanny resemblance to the evil father she never met, how she became known as a cat thief, a rape near-miss, her first boyfriend and how he affected all of her future relationships, life in a small town, post-partum depression, parenting, the advantages of male over female friends, undergoing therapy, online dating, kickboxing, divorce, getting her pilot's license, friendships.
While the author has a great voice, the book is in need of an edit, with some awkwardly phrased sentences and incorrect word usage. She remains brutally honest throughout and, while her story is at times heartbreaking, she maintains a sense of humor. Even though she suffered terrible hardships as a child, her resilience is testimony to her strength. She became a writer, a pilot, a kickboxer, and a mother. Her account is even more remarkable given the fact that she describes herself as shy and says it's hard for her to open up. Underlying themes includes having confidence in your abilities and believing in yourself at times.
My favorite: "Look ... I Didn't Steal the Cat".
Heartbreaking, humorous, by always inspirational.
Warnings: coarse language, sexual references.
Guest Post by the Author
Why I Wrote this Book
When I first started writing You Taste Like Whiskey and Sunshine, I wasn’t even really sure where it was going. It took me years to put it together because I kept stopping, stalling mostly because the idea of baring my soul for all to see terrified me. Who wouldn’t be terrified, right? Talking about things that happen to us in life is not easy for anyone. So, I would start and then stop, let it sit for a few months and, honestly, there were times when I was just going to let it go. But something always drew me back in. There was a story there inside of me and the damn thing was determined to get out.
One of my lost loves once told me that I was "raw and real". He couldn’t have described me better. At times, I walk around like a vault, like nothing can stop me, while other times I walk around like an open wound. I love deeply, which means that there is a big chance that I’m going to get hurt badly.
So, the big question is, why this book, why now?
It’s simple. I have a story to tell. I’ve experienced a lot in my life and although I’m still relatively young, these experiences have helped define who I am today. I want to share my experiences now with others in the hopes that maybe someone will read my words and it will help them to feel less alone or even help brighten their day. People talk about their experiences for one reason because sometimes it feels damn good to get them out. It’s kind of like a verbal exorcism.
Although there are moments of tragedy and pain in my story, there are also some pretty good laughs. Mainly because I’m super weird and awesome, all rolled into one. So, my stories are definitely out there at times but trust me, if you crack open this book, you won’t regret it.
About the Author
Kimberly Love spends her days writing, trying not to get sucked in by her Facebook notifications or get into the whiskey decanter (just kidding ... kinda).
She's obsessed with dinosaur movies and is completely enamored with the life of a vampire, as immortality would sure help her achieve her bucket list.
In her spare time, Kimberly kick-boxes and flies a Cessna 172, depending on whether she seeks out freedom or wants to kick someone’s ass.
Kimberly finds, more often than not, that she's in some pretty crazy and humorous situations. So come along for the ride! If her experiences give you a chuckle or help you get through your day, then she has accomplished what she's sought.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card.
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