On Amazon, my books get pretty good reviews, but I wonder how much they affect interest in a book, and then a purchase decision.
So here are a couple of polls: one about your interest pre-reviews, and one for after you’ve been exposed to them. First, the description of the book from its Amazon page:
The air was as still as it was hot—only the whir of a grasshopper’s flight troubled the quiet. Jesse felt like an overcooked chicken, his meat darn near ready to fall off his bones. Mouth so dry he didn’t have enough spit left to swallow, Jesse croaked, “That guy tryin’ to kill us?”
Turns out the answer is “not yet.” A ranch hand is murdered and bad things start happening to Jesse, just an average kid working on a ranch the summer of 1958.
And then there‘s Lola . . . the boss’s daughter is a firecracker of a girl, and her bold ways send death their way. It will take all of their heart and courage to survive.
What readers say:
“The Summer Boy brought back memories of first kisses and fogged car windows.”
“The story is alive. I kept reading even when my eyes were closing at night.”
“Wow . . . the tension never ended and it seemed to come from all directions. I spent the day reading as I couldn't stop.”
In this coming-of-age story laced with love and murder, a boy and girl who will warm your heart struggle with death and passion in ways that transform him into a young man and launch her toward womanhood.
The Summer Boy currently has an average rating of 4.5 stars. Here are the reviews:
A darn good read. Didn't know what to expect, genre-wise, but was drawn into the story quickly. At first, I thought it was a middle-grade story, but then the language, violence, and sexual situations kicked it up to a young adult level, even though the main young characters were only 16 yrs old.
Nevertheless, a good story is a good story. Pacing was good, story questions abounded, tension was always present, ebbing and flowing and keeping the reader off guard. There were some nice plot twists, even though I suspected who the killer was at about the 75% mark.
Dialogue was realistic for a novel set in Texas in the 50s (? ... or 60s). The POV switching from Jesse to Lola showed me that Mr. Rhamey captured the confused and frustrating feelings of teenagers in love pretty well. I certainly empathized with Jesse.
This was a pleasant reading surprise and I recommend this book to anyone who likes a touching, intense story about teen romance and coming of age.
Through the eyes of his teen protagonists, Rhamey explores all the freshness, fear and excitement of youth and inexperience. His story of a young man and woman discovering who they are and what they're capable of is consistently full of heart and humor. The journey he takes his readers on is thrilling and an absolute joy to read.
I read this book in two days. I had to find out who the murderer was, how the young lovers survived, and how the various characters were going to deal with all the triumphs and adversities of their summer. It's a tale of friendship(the long-lasting kind), love, hatred, deceit - all told through the lens of a long, hot Texas summer. I felt like I was right there with them, sweat and all, while trying to do the right thing and grow up all at the same time. Highly recommend it for a good summer read, or a mid-winter read if you need the reminder of summertime!
An entertaining page-turner about teenagers coming of age in Texas. Two Dallas city boys -- rancher wannabes -- hire on as summer help on a ranch near Kerrville in the hill country. As they learn the ranching trade and lifestyle, they also face the challenges of emerging manhood, young love, sexual discovery, a dysfunctional family, and, well, a murder or two. The author adroitly portrays the adolescent awkwardness and angst of his protagonist, Jesse, and also his grit and courage. Jesse begins the summer as a naive boy, but arcs into a young man by August. His love interest, Lola, compels as a sensual teenager challenged by her own emerging sexuality, her abusive mother, and her lecherous uncle. She also grows through the summer as her competitive spirit spurs her to become an independent young adult in spite of her over-controlling mother.
I read this book because I enjoy Mr. Rhamey's writing blog, "Flogging the Quill," in which he advocates for high tension, precise writing, and compelling action to motivate the reader to turn the page. "The Summer Boy" does exactly that. I couldn't stop turning the pages until the end.
I've read several of Rhamey's books, and one thing I love about them is his genre-bending style. In "Summer Boy" he gives us a murder mystery, a teen romance, and a coming-of-age story, all woven together with effortless skill. Rhamey has created a believable cast of characters--some heroic, some disturbed--whom readers come to really care about, plot twists rich with lethal pitch forks and black widows, and all of it supported by a back-drop of real-life Texas ranch experience--like how to prepare cactus for cow consumption during dry spells.
The main character Jesse's crush on Lola brought back my own teenage longings--minus the murder--without being sappy. A pleasant surprise was that Jesse's evolution over the course of the novel emerged not only from his encounter with first love and ranch life, but also from his challenging relationship to the jealous and dangerous ranch foreman, Buddy.
I read Rhamey's novels quickly, shaving off sleep time in order to finish them. "Summer Boy" was no exception. Highly recommended!
A warm and engrossing tale of growing up--Texas style. You'll find yourself rifling through the pages, as you sweat through the oppressive Texas heat along with Jesse, a young man struggling to survive his summer job as a newly hired ranchhand in 1950's Texas.
Jesse's journey to discover who he is as a man, and find his place in the world, is complicated by his budding relationship with a young woman, Lola, who he can't keep his eyes off of, a dangerous loose cannon of a co-worker, Buddy, who is bent on forcing Jesse to leave the ranch by any means necessary, Lola's cruel, controlling mother, who disapproves of her daughter's relationship with Jesse and a murder that looms large over everything that happens that summer at the ranch.
This novel will tug on your heartstrings. Great fun and powerfully written. Don't miss out.
Sixteen-year-old Jesse takes a summer job on a Texas ranch, and encounters a series of tests and challenges that a kid without his guts and gumption would never survive. From water mocassins to flame throwers, from the rancher's knock-out daughter Lola to her malevolent witch of a mother, from one dead body to another, Jesse must navigate the perils like a modern, younger Odysseus. There is mythic quality to this initiation journey. At the same time the book is so rich in realistic detail that you realize by the end that you've learned a great deal about ranch life in the hinterlands. I was fascinated throughout.
You can read more here. Many thanks for taking the time to respond.
For what it’s worth.
Ray
© 2017 Ray Rhamey
My books. You can read sample chapters and learn more about the books here.
Writing Craft Mastering the Craft of Compelling Storytelling
Fantasy (satire) The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles
Mystery (coming of age) The Summer Boy
Science Fiction Hiding Magic
Science Fiction Gundown Free ebooks.