Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Review: Kyland, by Mia Sheridan


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Dirt poor. Hillbilly. Backwoods hick. Mountain folk. 
Tenleigh Falyn struggles each day to survive in a small, poverty-stricken, coal mining town where she lives with her sister and mentally ill mother. Her dream of winning the college scholarship given to one student by the local coal company and escaping the harshness of her life, keeps her going.


Kyland Barrett lives in the hills, too, and has worked tirelessly--through near starvation, through deep loneliness, against all odds--to win the Tyton Coal Scholarship and leave the town that is full of so much pain.



They're both determined not to form any attachments, but one moment changes everything. What happens when only one person gets to win? When only one person gets to leave? And what happens to the one left behind?



Kyland is a story of desperation and hope, loss and sacrifice, pain and forgiveness, but ultimately, a story of deep and unending love.



THIS IS A STANDALONE SIGN OF LOVE NOVEL, INSPIRED BY TAURUS. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.


Review 
5 out of 5 stars

Based on the synopsis, I wasn't sure if Kyland would compare to my love for Archer's Voice.  But after reading Kyland I feel silly for even doubting Mia Sheridan's abilities.  I mean seriously this woman knows how to write amazing stories full of heart.  I read because books are a great escape to my own reality and Mia Sheridan captures what I imagine are other people's actually realities and turns them into these perfect fictional stories filled with characters who refuse to be forgotten.  

Tenleigh is such a perfect heroine.  She has pride in herself and even though she might be embarrassed about her circumstances, she doesn't let that stop her from working hard and trying to change them.  And of course I love how she chooses to throw herself into books to escape her reality, because lets face it, we all find ways to escape our own lives on a regular basis.  Although, I imagine the circumstance from which Tenleigh is trying to escape are far worse than the reality a majority of us face.  Or maybe it's just a different horror than most of us face, either way this girls has a story that's begging to be heard.

Kyland is one of best male characters I have connected with in a book.  He is honest, prideful and angry at his situation.  And honestly, who could blame him.  His life sucks.  My heart ached for him to find some sort of closure and peace in his life.  I wanted him and Tenleigh to both escape the horrors of their realities, I desperately wanted them to find their silver lining, to achieve their life goals.  They're both good, honest, caring, kind, selfless people.  They may live in poverty and their circumstances are definitely less than ideal, but they don't let these things break their spirit, and this in my opinion is what gives this story life, it's what makes this book so hard to walk away from.

Who will win the coveted college scholarship and escape the town of Denneville, KY?  Will they be able to survive the challenges that are thrown at them, not only economically, but emotionally?

I have never lived in the backwoods of Kentucky, but I have heard stories about living life dirt poor.  My granny grew up in poverty and worked harder than anyone I know.  She could work circles around teenagers when she was 80.  She always took time to make sure her house was clean and her door was open to anyone that needed a helping hand.  I couldn't help but think of her while reading this book and thinking about how she lived that way 75+ years ago and the situation is still the same for some of these people.  It is heartbreaking and made me appreciate my own life and circumstances that I have been whining about lately.  Thank you, Mia Sheridan, for reminding us how truly blessed we are in life with a beautiful love story born in the most unlikely of places.  So, do we think you should spend your hard earned money on this book....absolutely without a doubt!  We can assure you Kyland will most certainly make our top books of 2015 list.


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