Review by Burnyourmaps -- Hallowed Ground by Cindy Ziperman
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- Latest Review: Hallowed Ground by Cindy Ziperman
Review by Burnyourmaps -- Hallowed Ground by Cindy Ziperman
[Following is a volunteer review of "Hallowed Ground" by Cindy Ziperman.]
Hallowed Ground, by Cindy Ziperman, is about a Critical Care nurse who is burned out professionally and personally. Tired of sickness and death, she wants to reinvent her life. At 34, she has never fallen in love and believes she is incapable of being a wife and mother. Sam thinks this way because her mother is unloving and a poor role model. As a child, Sam experienced love and affection from her aunt and uncle during summer vacations in Tennessee. She decides that moving to her uncle's farm is her answer. Unfortunately, she discovers that a building company is trying to acquire the Franklin Battlefield and surrounding farms to build a shopping center. Her uncle's farm is in jeopardy. Sam unites with TJ Carter, the local Civil War historian, who is President of the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Association. Together, they face volatile conflicts perpetrated by the ruthless builders. Sam is determined to save the farm, and she is resolute in deflecting the romantic intentions of TJ. Will she succeed?
Hallowed Ground is a murder mystery, a psychological drama, historical fiction, and a love story. I am impressed with the excellent flow of the novel. The pace is fast; carried along skillfully by the dialogue. The aunt and uncle are delightful southerners with colorful speech, and Sam and TJ are strong and admirable characters. Both protagonists reflect on their unhappy childhoods and we can see the psychological pain each has experienced. Trauma causes people to make errors in judgment and the author uses these mistakes to create sexual tension between Sam and TJ. The reader is hooked and wants to discover if there is a resolution. I like how the author deftly describes the Civil War through TJ's expertise. It is the perfect history lesson for my taste, neither too pedantic nor lengthy.
I found the novel formulaic and, at times, predictable. The heroine is the most beautiful woman TJ has ever seen with long legs that never end. TJ has 'cool blue eyes' and a 'handsome face'. His perfection includes ‘broad shoulders and a narrow waist and hips’. The main protagonists are gorgeous people, sexually attractive and strong, as befitting a romance novel. I like strong characters, but Sam is a ‘wonder woman’ in several scenes. Plausibility becomes a factor for me, especially towards the end when catastrophe after catastrophe beleaguers the couple. It seems the author fleshes out the narrative to keep us captivated when it isn’t necessary.
I rated the novel 2 out of 4 stars because of the formulaic and plausibility issues. Professional editing seems not to have been used. There are more than ten grammatical errors resulting in the loss of a second star. Careful editing would improve the novel's typos.
Mild and appropriate profanity peppers the novel throughout, but it isn’t a constant. A sensitive reader might not appreciate the highly erotic sex scenes. I would recommend Hallowed Ground for a mature audience.
******
Hallowed Ground
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Hallowed Ground, by Cindy Ziperman, is about a Critical Care nurse who is burned out professionally and personally. Tired of sickness and death, she wants to reinvent her life. At 34, she has never fallen in love and believes she is incapable of being a wife and mother. Sam thinks this way because her mother is unloving and a poor role model. As a child, Sam experienced love and affection from her aunt and uncle during summer vacations in Tennessee. She decides that moving to her uncle's farm is her answer. Unfortunately, she discovers that a building company is trying to acquire the Franklin Battlefield and surrounding farms to build a shopping center. Her uncle's farm is in jeopardy. Sam unites with TJ Carter, the local Civil War historian, who is President of the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Association. Together, they face volatile conflicts perpetrated by the ruthless builders. Sam is determined to save the farm, and she is resolute in deflecting the romantic intentions of TJ. Will she succeed?
Hallowed Ground is a murder mystery, a psychological drama, historical fiction, and a love story. I am impressed with the excellent flow of the novel. The pace is fast; carried along skillfully by the dialogue. The aunt and uncle are delightful southerners with colorful speech, and Sam and TJ are strong and admirable characters. Both protagonists reflect on their unhappy childhoods and we can see the psychological pain each has experienced. Trauma causes people to make errors in judgment and the author uses these mistakes to create sexual tension between Sam and TJ. The reader is hooked and wants to discover if there is a resolution. I like how the author deftly describes the Civil War through TJ's expertise. It is the perfect history lesson for my taste, neither too pedantic nor lengthy.
I found the novel formulaic and, at times, predictable. The heroine is the most beautiful woman TJ has ever seen with long legs that never end. TJ has 'cool blue eyes' and a 'handsome face'. His perfection includes ‘broad shoulders and a narrow waist and hips’. The main protagonists are gorgeous people, sexually attractive and strong, as befitting a romance novel. I like strong characters, but Sam is a ‘wonder woman’ in several scenes. Plausibility becomes a factor for me, especially towards the end when catastrophe after catastrophe beleaguers the couple. It seems the author fleshes out the narrative to keep us captivated when it isn’t necessary.
I rated the novel 2 out of 4 stars because of the formulaic and plausibility issues. Professional editing seems not to have been used. There are more than ten grammatical errors resulting in the loss of a second star. Careful editing would improve the novel's typos.
Mild and appropriate profanity peppers the novel throughout, but it isn’t a constant. A sensitive reader might not appreciate the highly erotic sex scenes. I would recommend Hallowed Ground for a mature audience.
******
Hallowed Ground
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Hallowed Ground by Cindy Ziperman
