Angela Scott's 'Desert Rice' & 'Desert Flower'

Desert Rice & Desert Flower

by Angela Scott

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BLURB:

Bodies have an uncanny way of finding Samantha Jean Haggert—the first, the dead body of her mama; the second, a naked man in the middle of the Arizona desert. For Sam, dealing with one dead body in her lifetime is more than unfair. Two is downright cruel.

Seven years after running from West Virginia, Sam's now a young woman of nineteen, trying to put the pieces of her life together with the help of her family—Jacob, Boone, and Laura. But the naked man in the desert spirals her world out of control, resurrecting past hurts and revealing old secrets. It also pits against one another the two men who vie for her heart: Carson, her friend, her first kiss, and the one man who knows everything about her past and loves her despite it; and Turner, the stranger who knows nothing, but who excites and frustrates her all at once.

When bad choices made as a child lead to more bad choices as a young adult, Sam finds herself at a crossroads, forced to face her demons head-on if she plans to have any future at all—with Carson, with Turner, or with anyone. But fixing the wrongs of the past takes time, and learning to forgive one's self is damn near impossible.

Visit old friends in this harrowing sequel to Desert Rice, in which award-winning author Angela Scott brings back the characters so many readers have loved.

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Read an excerpt from 'Desert Flower':

He felt my hesitation, and instead of kissing me, he whispered, "Close your eyes, Sam."

My heart pounded faster. His close proximity was nearly too much, claustrophobic, but I did as he asked. Just hurry, do it before I change my mind.

His thumb brushed my lips, exploring, but not demanding. He gently parted them, leaned forward, his breath on my skin, and softly captured my mouth with his own. His movement was tender and kind. He took it slowly, meeting my weak response with an equivalent desire, holding back.

Every kiss I had ever experienced had been forced upon me, hurting me, including Turner's.

But this... this was different. It didn't scare me as I'd expected it to.

It was okay. I was okay. It was a beginning, and tears of relief ran down my cheeks.

He pulled away from me and wiped the tears away with his thumb and kissed my forehead. "I'm so sorry, Sam."

I shook my head. "Don't be." I smiled through tears that kept coming. "Your kiss was wonderful."

Dr. Marslow would be proud.

**My thoughts**

I am one of those readers who so dearly loves this series by Angela Scott. When I read 'Desert Rice' last year, I was haunted by it for days. I remember sitting in my favorite corner booth at my local pub, completely engrossed in this tragic tale of two siblings who have had to endure some unthinkable situations and tragedies in their young lives. I was wiping away tears from my eyes, which probably freaked out some of my friends and fellow patrons. I had to leave before I finished the book, because I didn't want to embarrass myself bawling in public. 

Sam has had to endure so much trauma in her young life. She has so much life left to live, if given the opportunity. But it isn't going to be easy for her. I was so happy when I saw that there was a sequel, so that I could check in on her in a few years!

'Desert Flower' takes us seven years into the future. Sam is doing better, but still has so many hurdles to overcome. While my heart wasn't quite as torn in the second book as in the first, I still wanted to crawl within the pages to protect Sam and prevent her from making stupid decisions. She definitely makes some more mistakes that are going to affect her for the rest of her life. She has grown up a lot and learned a lot, but still has a ways to go.

This book ends in such a way that it leaves open the possibility of a third book. Angela has said that she isn't planning a third book in the series, but I have a feeling that Sam and her family and friends will soon speak up and drive her to do so. If not, I can guarantee that we fans will do so! Until then, I shall have to continue to reread these two gems.

Angela Scott truly has become one of my new favorite authors because of this series. I have also been enjoying her Zombie West series, though I am not a huge fan of zombies, nor the Wild West. Add her to your must-read list.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I hear voices. Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear. Instead of medicating myself, I decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. I’m not crazy. I’m an author. For the most part, I write contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, I found myself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West—and loving it. My zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, I wouldn’t suggest it.

I live on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. I graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of my love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. I can’t spell, and grammar is my arch nemesis. But they gave me the degree, and there are no take backs.

As a child, I never sucked on a pacifier; I chewed on a pencil. I’ve been writing that long. It has only been the past few years that I’ve pursued it professionally, forged relationships with other like-minded individuals, and determined to make a career out of it.

You can subscribe and follow me on my website, where I blog obsessively about my writing process and post updates on my current works. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook, but be forewarned, I tweet and post more than a normal person.

Website: www.angelascottauthor.com

http://www.whimsywritingandreading.weebly.com/

Twitter: @whimsywriting

http://twitter.com/#%21/whimsywriting

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaScottWriter

LINKS:

Amazon:

DESERT RICE http://amzn.to/TboYr7

DESERT FLOWER http://amzn.to/XR6QDj

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/angela-scott

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/angela-scott/id486086004?mt=11

Angela will award one commenter at every stop a Mobi or ePub copy of WANTED: Dead or Undead or Survivor Roundup from her backlist, and one randomly drawn commenter on the tour will receive a $15 gift card to Amazon. Also, a $15 Amazon gift card will be awarded to a randomly drawn host. Follow the tour for more chances to win!