Literary Flits: Ivy by Kat Flannery + #Giveaway

Tuesday, 23 July 2019

Ivy by Kat Flannery + #Giveaway

Ivy (The Montgomery Sisters Book 3) by Kat Flannery

A 2019 New Release Challenge read and one of my 2019 COYER Summer Challenge reads

Category: Historical western romance, 164 pages
Genre: Adult Fiction
Publisher: Picco Press
Release date: January 28th, 2019
Tour dates: July 1-31, 2019
Content Rating: PG + M (The occasional swear word, not the F-word, mild violence)

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Ivy Montgomery is tired of her sister’s constant nagging and protectiveness. Blind, she decides to escape in the middle of the night when she is captured and brought far from home. With no understanding of the outside world, Ivy must use her keen abilities to navigate the wilderness around her. Anger and hopelessness are her only defenses against the things she cannot do. Until she meets a strong-minded Lakota Chief, who will not let her cower to the blindness any longer. Lakota Sioux Chief of the Paha Sapa, Hotah is on a hunt for his brother, Kangi. Cast from their tribe five years before, Kangi has grown a dark spirit and a hatred for all white people. Now on reserved land, Hotah makes a deal with the General to capture his brother in return for his people to have the provisions they need. After rescuing Ivy, he promises to take her home, but danger is near and Hotah soon realizes it is not just his brother he should fear.

Ivy is the third novella in the Montgomery Sisters trilogy. It begins similarly to Poppy in that we first encounter the eponymous sister isolated from her family but, in this case, Ivy's attempted escape from her overprotective sisters has gone very wrong. Ivy suffers from extremely poor eyesight - perhaps cataracts? - so Flannery explores her experiences of living at that time. I found this interesting, but wasn't convinced by Fern or Poppy's treatment of her. In the first two books both the older women had seemed keen for themselves and other people around them to strive for their full potential, regardless of any hindrances. Yet suddenly, now, they are apparently keeping Ivy hidden away and not allowing her any semblance of independence.

Ivy's rescue by a Native American Sioux chief allows her a brief insight into what she could achieve if she allowed herself to believe in her capabilities. I can't say if the Native American life portrayal is historically accurate any more than I can the living with blindness. Both seemed fair and it was nice to have such diversity, but I think I wanted both situations to be explored in a lot more depth. Flannery did repeat herself in this novella, especially in reiterating Hotah's past anguish. The instalove didn't convince me - even with the addition of an instafamily! I did enjoy reading Ivy, but would have preferred the story to unroll over a longer timespan.

To read more reviews, please visit Kat Flannery's page on iRead Book Tours.

Meet the Author:

Kat Flannery’s love of history shows in her novels. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense, paranormal, and romance. A member of many writing groups including the National Romance Writers of America (RWA), Kat enjoys promoting other authors on her blog. When she’s not busy writing or marketing Kat volunteers her time to other aspiring authors. She’s been published in numerous periodicals throughout her career and continues to write for blogs and online magazines. A bestselling author, Kat’s books are available all over the world. The BRANDED TRILOGY is Kat’s award-winning series. With seven books published, Kat continues to write two novels a year.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Enter the Giveaway!

Grand Prize: A signed copy of Lakota Honor, Author Swag, and $50 Amazon GC
2nd and 3rd prizes: signed copy of Lakota Honor and Author Swag
3 winners total / open internationally
Ends August 10, 2019

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