I generally don’t preface my reviews with an introduction of any sort, but this time, I am going to. Why? Because I know the author.
September or October of 2010, Oliver had told me he was leaving EOGamer to work on a book he was writing. Oliver was one of our main contributors for video game reviews on our site and I had seen him grow with each review, learning from mistakes as I made edits and soon, most of his stuff didn’t require much, if any editing. I wished him well on his endeavor of writing a fiction book. Lord knows I would like to find time to sit down and write and have the loving support he has had to do so, yet I haven’t found the time or the support to write the many novels I have started and left to the wayside.
Unlike most authors I know, Oliver and Danika did what most writers only dream of doing. They finished their book, published it on the e-book market and when people started requesting hard copies of the book the looked into it and made it happen. That’s dedication. That’s living the writer’s dream and I know it isn’t easy.
Which brings me to reviewing the book. Oliver had told me I was on the list for a free copy. I told him, at the time, not to send it to me till I was able to read it. Unfortunately, it was several months before I would have time or an e-book reader to read it. I finally got a Nook after Christmas and Rabbit in the Road was the first book I read and finished on it. (He doesn’t know that till he reads this.) However, in accordance with the FCC, I do have to disclose that I was given a copy of the book in epub format for reading and review purposes.
The book immediately introduces you to Beverly, a record store clerk with a love of singing, who is enjoying her life and her time with her boyfriend in a small town in the 1960s. Until things go awry. Enter the antagonist Ray.
In less than a day her world turns upside down. The people she knew, the people she loved, she had to run away from to keep them safe. She’d move cities, change her name, change her appearance, but Ray catches up.
The book is fast paced with well developed characters full of grit and emotion. It tells the story in the only way it can be told: from a strong woman’s perspective who is doing everything she can to fit in and survive no matter what. The descriptions put you in the scene and you turn the page eager to know what happens next in each encounter.
And the ending will surprise you (but I won’t spoil it).
As the debut novel for Danika Potts and Oliver Campbell, this 192 page novel is a definite must read. Available in ebook and paperback format, be sure to purchase it…because it won’t be their last. Click the links below to take you to purchase them.
