#tuskan publishing

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Make Your Move by Heather Garvin

Perfect new adult romance for those who love horses, a solid romance, and happy ending.

What I liked:

* Abbie: strong, caring, loves her horse Sully, works hard, has a loving mother and a father who was there for her at the beginning of her riding career, beginning to question her relationship with Seth – with good reason, a good friend

* Carson: farrier, son of a farrier, in town to help his father out, quiet, strong, plans to return to Tennessee, protective, interested in Abbie but knows he is leaving, a good person, communicates openly, respects Abbie

* Abbie’s mother: strong, supportive, owns the ranch she and Abbie live on, divorced, caring, kind

* Carson’s grandfather: wise, friendly, outgoing, a good man, supportive of his grandson

* That there was no cheating on the part of the main characters

* The way Abbie began to see her current boyfriend, Seth, a bit more clearly

* The respect Abbie and Carson had for one another

* The competition and how it played out

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* That there was a happy ending

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Probably – though New Adult is not my preference

Thank you to NetGalley and Tuskan Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

BLURB

I can do that. I can pretend it didn’t happen. But when he’s standing this close to me, I can’t deny I want to kiss him again. Abbie Linley loves her small-town life. Leaving for college may be the next step for her friends, but she’s not ready to walk away from the horses. She’d happily keep her world the same, but everything around her seems to be changing. Starting with her gruff, new farrier. Carson Daniels’s only job is to shoe horses, but he gets more than he bargained for when he shows up at the Linley’s barn. The last thing he needs is to get distracted by the owner’s beautiful daughter—even if she’s the only good thing he can say about Florida. It would never work. She has a boyfriend. And he’s leaving. Between his dry sense of humor and her ever-growing realization that her boyfriend isn’t all he’s cracked up to be, Abbie and Carson can’t seem to stay away from each other. Abbie thought she had realistic expectations about love. Carson went and raised the bar on all of them. She would never ask him to stay for her. He won’t ask her to go with him. But they’ll make the most of the time they have left. It’s only one summer, but maybe that’s okay—maybe they can put it all behind them. Or maybe it will fuel a love they could never forget. Grab a copy of Make Your Move and fly through this sweet and steamy summer romcom!

[thehollowprince]

There is no ignorance, There is knowledge

I was on TikTok last night at work and came across a video calling out how many Star Wars "fans" were complaining about the "wokeness" being introduced to the franchise, specifically citing Lizzo's glorified cameo in a single episode. Putting aside that this is a franchise has a wise and powerful character played by a freaking muppet, the TikToker (?) rightfully called out how so many of these fans never seem to actually interact with any Star Wars projects. Their opinions seem to be based entirely on their own perception of clips and images taken from the internet and pop culture.

Hence, the title, because oftentimes, consumption of the source material usually clears up any confusion as to what this franchise has always been about. With Knowledge, we diminish Ignorance

I was reminded of this yet again this morning when I got home and checked my recommendations from Google and was greeted with this monstrosity.

I know I shouldn't get worked up because this is Screenrant, and literally anyone can post anything to it. There doesn't seem to be any vetting process to this website and what it publishes. But I've been seeing more and more Jedi slander over the last few years, and I just can't keep my mouth shut (metaphorically speaking).

So let's just break this piece of garbage down.

Naturally, it's not a complaint against the Jedi unless we call them child abductors, right? Putting aside the fact that I have never seen so many incorrect statements strung together in a row like that (and this is just the first paragraph), it really emphasizes the point I'm trying to make here.

There is no perfect system in any of Star Wars, no matter what faction you're a fan of. The Jedi are no exception to this.

The Order does not kidnap nor indoctrinate children. At least not more than any other religion, political group, revolution, educational system, etc. How the Jedi refill their ranks isn't any different than how the Mandalodians recruit their foundlings or how the Clones were created by the Kaminoans. The Jedi find Force-sensitive children and (with their guardians permission where applicable) and offer them a chance to not only hone abilities that can be dangerous without proper training, but an opportunity to be a part of what is a generally revered organization throughout the galaxy, bringing peace to all those they can.

This has been explained multiple times by multiple people within multiple supplemental entries of Star Wars materiel, but there is a reason that the young are chosen to be trained instead of adults. The entire purpose of the Jedi's order is to teach their students empathy and compassion (despite what this author insinuates, saying the Jedi are "without emotion or passion") so that they don't become tyrants like the Sith or other more militant factions throughout the Galaxy.

In fact, once again in complete contradiction to what this author says, the Jedi once filled their ranks with many adult initiates, but such recruits fell to the Dark Side at a much more commensurate rate. It was because of these constant droves of Dark Jedi that the current practice of only accepting students younger than a certain age or maturity became more pronounced.

But let's move on.

Say it with me now:

"The Jedi never forced any member of its Order to forsake their heritage!"

As a matter of fact, there are multiple examples of Jedi who not only explore their birth heritage but embrace it.

Both Shaak Ti and Ahsoka Tano, as Togruta, incorporate both a Togruta sash and an akul tooth headdress into their Jedi attire

Shaak Ti actually took her padawans to her home planet for their training

Plo Koon was both a member of the Jedi High Council and the Baran Do Sages, a Force-sensitive order on his home planet

Oppo Rancisis was the son of the Blood Monarch of Thisspias and kept in contact with the royal family

A'Sharad Hett wore the traditional coverings of a Tuskan Raider

Both Luninara Unduli and Barriss Offee bore traditional Mirialan tattoos

Tarre Vizsla, the creator of the Darksaber, wore his Mandalodian armor during his time with the Order

Ki-Adi-Mundi was married!

Depa Billaba wore the marks of the Chalactan Adepts

And numerous other examples!

There has never been a tenet of the Jedi that prohibits their members from either learning of their culture (in fact, it's encouraged to do so) or to seek out their family or people. The only thing the Jedi have ever been pretty strict about in this regard is the formation of attachments. Specifically, the unstable emotions that come with such attachments and how those Jedi will do anything to retain them (i.e. Anakin Skywalker.)

This next one is a real doozy.

I have never read such garbage in my life. That's like saying, "How dare you not teach these children to be racist to their classmates because that's their family's culture!"

Once again, I understand that I shouldn't get upset because this is Screenrant, and they will post whatever click bate bullshit will get you onto their site. Rage-farming is the word, and I'm sorry to admit that I fell for it. It just infuriates me that so many people, or at least the most vocal ones, are so adamant about tarnishing the Jedi. All while usually loving characters like Vadar or Maul or any of the Mandalodians, who canonically do much worse than the Jedi ever did.

Are the Jedi perfect? No. But throughout STAR WARS, they've done the best they can within the confines of a horrific situation that they were forced into. They don't deserve this prolonged smear campaign because they don't meet the ever changing and often unrealistic standards that some people want.

Note: Sorry for the small text, but I wanted people to be able to differentiate between my words and the article.