Blowback Paperback – September 1, 2014

The ownership of hand guns in the US is a polarizing debate. The constitution gives every American the right to bear arms. Many insist that owning a gun to protect their love ones is their right. Many others feel the presence of a gun in the room endangers all it surrounds.Kudos to Bev Prescott for having the courage to write this story. While many characters populate this tale, the story revolves around the travels of a gun and it's eventual owner. She presents both sides of the gun debate with thoughtful fairness.This is not a romance but there is a romantic relationship pushed to brink by family needs. Meghan's need to care for her father, her wayward brother Scott and her nephew clouds her judgement and puts her relationship with Lauren in peril.Scott, just released from prison feels the pressure to pay off his debt to his dad for the lobster boat and be a good father to his son. That pressure and some local thugs lead him to make some bad decisions.The story is difficult to put down right from the excellent prologue through the train wreck that is the lives of some of her characters. You want to know what will happen next. You can sense it may not be good, but you are hopeful just the same.

Blowback is a story about what can happen when bad things happen to good people and the bad decisions those people can make in desperation to get their lives back on track. The characters in the story are hard- working people, just trying to make a living and take care of their families.- they could be you or me or your next door neighbor. I truly felt for the characters. I viscerally felt their fear, loss and the struggles they endured to get their lives back. I also felt the strong bond of the Blaney family. Meghan's loyalty to her brother ran deep. Meghan's loyalty to her brother is the center of controversy in the story causing her to make some very difficult decisions. Meghan loves her family and her partner, Lauren, who seems to be placed on the back burner in order for Meghan to deal with her family's issues. But the love she feels for Lauren comes across loud and clear as well. I truly enjoyed reading this story- loved the New England setting.Gun ownership is a controversial topic and I am sure it was difficult to write about. Blowback has a message to present and the author presents it well. This is a controversial topic and I am sure it was difficult to write. As a gun owner, it made me think. It made me even more aware of the need for scrupulous gun safety to avoid such horrible, unnecessary tragedies

I really liked the book a lot. I think Bev did a tremendous job of presenting a story revolving around a tough issue.This isn't a romance and shouldn't be gone into with that expectation. This is a book dealing with a very dark time in a family's life. The main character, Meghan, grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I couldn't get her out of my head. There aren't many books that have characters that I respond to like that.The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that there were way too many places where the editing team dropped the ball. Most are smallish things that most likely won't bother most people. Unfortunately for me, I'm one of those readers who is pulled out of the story over the smallest things. So, to me, I was ticked that typos or inconsistencies were missed.Bottom line for me is this: the author told a difficult story in an engaging and moving way. If you're looking for a darker book that's not easy to predict (I was right on some things and wrong on some) and deals with serious issues, read this one. And then think about it for a bit.

It takes real bravery to write a book like this on such a controversial subject, and Bev Prescott is to be commended. The characters are realistically blue-collar in a New England setting that rings true. Trying to avoid spoilers here: I was inspired to research the criminal harvesting and sales depicted in the novel and was astonished and appalled to find that Maine has this problem. The plot twists were unpredictable, and I had only minor quibbles -- mostly with typos and errors that editors should have caught. There was one passage that took me temporarily out of the book because the message was not sufficiently integrated into the rest of the book (again, an editor should have recommended slight revisions), but the entire book made me think and stayed with me. This is an original, well-written contribution to the genre of lesbian fiction.

This was a powerful book.It tells the story of a small group of people, a family and those close to them, and the effects of some decisions. The kind of decisions that many of us make on a given day. Who do we trust? How far should that trust extend? Where will we work and what will we do if our power to earn a living is in jeopardy?While the women whose relationship is the heart of the story are lesbians this could be the story of any family in any city in the country. It's a story of blind faith and loyalty and how those two things can cause damage in our lives.As the title and the cover indicate it is also about gun ownership and what that can mean. There are two sides to that ownership coin and the author presents both of them.If you're looking for something that will make you think then this book is well worth the time and money you'll invest in it.

Keeping track of the characters is difficult from the get-go because there's too many, too soon without adequate distinction. But the story is sound and the ending was a complete surprise. This book stays with you long after you've finished reading it.

Holy Wow! This book is majorly intense. It gripped me from the cover until the end. It will make you cry. It will make you smile. It will make you think. Most of all, it will make you take an internall check of your beliefs away from the news media as you look into the lives of the characters and you see how one inocent thing can have a total domino effect. Wow. Read it, then read ut again. I know I'll be reading it again. Awesome Bev, it was worth the wait.

This is a tough read. It isn't a rosy and pretty look at small town America. It is a realistic and true look. Life is tough for Meghan. She has an independent father coming to terms with a stroke and being difficult. She has a brother who served time in prison for drugs. She has a beautiful woman she loves who loves her but how to find the time to be together and enjoy each other. She also has a job in a local diner and dreams of making it as a chef... Into Meghan's life comes a gun - sold privately so outside Brady's Law which requires checks before allowing gun purchasing. The ramifications of this gun sale will effect so many lives in tragic ways. The story and the characters are beautifully written and we grow to really care for Meghan and Lauren which makes the outcomes so much more tragic. I won't spoil the story by saying any more but I would recommend you read this book and contemplate your own attitudes to guns and protection... Well done Ms Prescott for having the cojones to write a difficult book in a thought provoking way. It deserves to be read...