Review and Giveaway of Range Feud by J.A. Campbell

Publisher: Echelon Press

Release Date: April 12, 2011

Series:  #2 in the Into The West series

More Info:  Amazon

Book Blurb:

Tina Harker loves malls, manicures, fun clothes, and horses. She has everything she wants until her dad moves the entire family to Arizona. She's trying to adapt to the tiny town, serious lack of a mall, and the strangeness of the desert, not to mention the rattlesnakes. There's no one in Golton her age and no reason to wear any of her fun makeup. The only thing keeping her going is the horse she rides and the cool things she's learning on the Taggarts’ cattle ranch.
 
Anxious for more adventure, Tina agrees to inspect the fence line for the Taggarts like a real cowgirl. She gets more than she wished for. This time she has to rescue the cute cowboy. Along the way, she finds out people will kill over water. Especially in the desert. Tina is determined to help her cowboy, but she has no idea how, or if, a Jersey girl can stand up to real gunslingers.


My Thoughts:

 "Range Feud" picks up shortly after the end of the first book, "Westward, Yo!". You can read this as a stand alone but it might be better enjoyed if you read them in order. These books are part of the new Electric Shorts series by Echelon Press, a series geared toward the reluctant reader from 7-17, although this series is for ages 13-17.

 

Tina's adventures in the first story led to her being missing for a while and getting a second-degree sunburn. She tries to tell her family what happened but they don't believe her, instead they think she suffered sunstroke and hallucinated her adventures. Tina needs to prove her parents and to herself that she didn't hallucinate. In the meantime, she is settling into her new life fairly well. Although she has yet to meet any other teens around her new home, she has made friends with some of the locals and happily helps at a local ranch in exchange for free rides on one of their horses. She does miss her good friend, Jessica, but they  text and talk often.

On one of her days helping at the ranch, Tina gets drawn back to the scene of her prior adventures where she rescues Rowe. Rowe, a young, good-looking cowboy whom Tina met in the previous book, knows that Tina is not a typical girl of his acquaintance.  There is the beginnings of a sweet romance here but J. A. tantalizes us; at the end of this story, it looks as if Tina and Rowe have to part permanently, which leaves her grief-stricken.

 We also get to see Tina's family and her interactions with them. It's refreshing to see a happy yet realistic family - one without the angst or traumas that are common in other YA or teen novels. The characters all feel real, not idealized or stereotypical. They are likable and relatable.

One of things that I enjoy about this series is the strong female lead. The main character is a girl, one who loves city life and malls, etc...but she isn't the stereotypical mall rat city girl that you find portrayed in movies and tv shows. Tina is a girl with a definite feminine side but she's also willing to get down and dirty, and she's not afraid to use her brain. She comes across as a strong young woman who is growing into a strong young adult. Although she does make some rash decisions, she also deals with the consequences, and when there's trouble, she stays calm (usually) and analyzes the problem. She is strong, capable, competent, intelligent but also kind, funny, energetic and full of life.

 

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JA has generously offered up an ebook copy of "Range Feud"  to one lucky commenter. 

 

 To enter, leave a comment telling us what time era and location you would travel to if you could.

 

Don't forget to leave a way to contact you (see the giveaway policy here)

 

The giveaway runs through midnight EST of Monday May 19th, 2011.

 

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The reviewer owns this ebook. The review first appeared at Book Lovers Inc.