Official Review: Hallowed Ground by Cindy Ziperman

[katiesquilts]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hallowed Ground" by Cindy Ziperman.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Samantha is fired from her job at a hospital after punching one of the surgeons right in the face. Not only that, but her secret boyfriend, the same man who said he didn't want a serious relationship, is now saying that he can't live without her. Sam decides to break off all her ties to that town and moves down to live with her uncle in Tennessee. She was hoping for peace and quiet on the farm, but it turns out that her uncle's farm is in danger as he's being pressured to sell his land to a company that's hoping to build a shopping mall in the area. In comes TJ Carter, a Civil War historian and the president of the battlefield preservation association that is desperately trying to save the land in the town, especially the old battlegrounds, from being paved over. Sam and TJ hit it off immediately, which is a good thing as they're fighting on the same side of a land development war that's threatening everything they love in Cindy Ziperman's Hallowed Ground.

Since TJ is a historian, I thought there would be quite a bit of history in Hallowed Ground, but in reality it was sprinkled throughout the book as romance and action took the main stage. Sam and TJ have great compatibility and are two characters who are strong independently and even better when they're together. Hallowed Ground is full of twists and turns, alternating between TJ and Sam's snarky romance, slapstick villains, harrowingly narrow escapes, and the loss of loved ones. There are a few erotic scenes, but nothing overly detailed or explicit.

Hallowed Ground is around 230 pages and was so interesting that I sped through it in mere days. The book starts with a punch -- literally! -- and keeps readers entertained with events that escalate into an unexpected and shocking ending. Ziperman is great at leaving red herrings and keeping the reader guessing. I thought for sure I knew what was going on -- but my guess, although correct, was only part of the overall puzzle.

I definitely think the characters were the book's greatest asset. Sam is a wonderful heroine, very likable and independent without being obnoxious. I was moved by the lengths she went through to take care of TJ when he was in trouble. Also, her fears are justified and add dimension to her character instead of being "necessary pitfalls so that she isn't too perfect."

However, the book also had a major downfall. The editing is absolutely horrendous, and it breaks my heart to admit it. I stopped keeping track of errors after just the third chapter. A good 80% of them were punctuation errors, such as lack of ending punctuation and starting new dialogue without opening quotation marks. There were also an abundance of typos. Honestly, it was a hot mess, which is a downright shame because with the right proofreader Ziperman could really shine. I was highly entertained even though I had to wade through a sea of errors, so imagine how great the book would be if it was polished and perfected!

I was dying to give Hallowed Ground 4 stars, but with all of the errors I found, I can only give it 3 out of 4 stars. I sincerely hope the book gets cleaned up by a proofreader and updated for others to enjoy. I know many people who would enjoy this book, but I cannot recommend it to them in the state it's in now. Still, Ziperman is a great storyteller and I know I'll be looking forward to her next works!

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Hallowed Ground
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[HershyGreenwood]

Thanks for the superb review - I enjoyed reading it. It's sad that such good storytelling can often lose out because of errors. Nevertheless, I'd still give this one a try.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Wonderful review! It sounds like a really interesting premise for a story, romance and a little bit of history! That is very disappointing that there were so many errors in the last part! Good for you for being able to provide that important feedback to the editor.

[Sonya Nicolaidis]

Oh, what a pity that an otherwise great book is spoilt by grammatical errors. I do hope this author takes this review into consideration, and it results in another round of editing which will make his book more readable. Thanks for your wonderful review.

[Nyambura Githui]

Great review. The punch part made eager to read more of the book.

[kdstrack]

The opening line of your review is a great hook! It made me want to keep reading and know more about this character. It sounds like the reader gets punched,though, with all the errors! Thanks for your review.

[kandscreeley]

It's too bad the editing was so horrible; it really can ruin a story. I know it's not the main part of the story, but I'm curious why Samantha punched the surgeon. It sounds quite character-driven, which I do enjoy on occasion.

[Nisha Ward]

Ouch. Bad editing can be a nightmare to get through if the story isn't good, so I'm glad it was good enough that you rated it as you did. I might check this one out if I get time, given that it sounds fun. I'd love to see what you mean by slapstick villains

[ElizaBeth Adams]

Nice review. I liked how you described the book as a hot mess in regard to its editing. This sounds like an interesting story.

[gen_g]

It's always a pity when a book is riddled with errors! I hope that the author takes your suggestions into account to turn it into a better book. Thanks for the review! (:

[chiefsimplex]

Great review. The remarkable independence of the characters is admirable, this sounds like the author really put some effort into creating a convincing and awe-inspiring plot. I find stories with such complex plots irresistible. Thanks for such an on spot review.

[Adedayo+23]

It's absolutely tragic when a good story is ruined by grammar and punctuation errors. As much as I would have loved to read this story, books with an abundance of punctuation errors make me cringe. Fantastic review by the way.

[Manang Muyang]

Surgeons sometimes are a pain for their cutting remarks. I'm sure Sam had a reason to punch that doctor.

I see ghosts on the cover (they would be expected in a former battlefield). I wonder if they feature in the story.

[intelligentgirl345]

The beginning catches your attention, because it already has some kind of action going on. It kinds of makes me think abt the guy who can't live without her....I feel like he's gonna start some kind of problems with the new guy.

But so far, the book is good and It will really catch the person who's reading attention..so keep on doing what your doing

[Meg98]

Such a shame about the editing. It does sound like a very unique and good story, but errors do interrupt the flow of the reader. Hopefully another round of editing will happen, and those issues will be fixed. Thank you for your review, it is very well written!