Leaning

Montana #1

by J.W. Swartz

The Western Montana landscape provides the backdrop in the exciting new novel, Leaning, by debut author J.W. Swartz. Swartz reveals the tale of Sammy Black Wolf, a Lakota/Irish ranch kid from Dillon, Montana who plays basketball for the University of Montana Grizzlies.
A chance meeting on stage at the University Theatre introduces Sammy to Maggie, a music major from Drummond and her musician friend Zee. Sammy and Maggie share immediate chemistry and their relationship deepens quickly, but a brutal attack unravels their world and the fallout threatens their relationship.
Sammy's dreams of playing in the NBA are realized when he is drafted by the Phoenix Suns where he flees after a misunderstanding. Confused and angry, Maggie heads to Nashville to make her mark in the music world. Sammy attempts other relationships. He meets the beautiful Ella on the basketball court playing "Res ball" but Maggie's face lingers in the corners of his mind even though misunderstanding and an unsolved murder wedge between them.

Genres: Romance, Suspense, Contemporary, Sports, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romantic Suspense

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2011

About the author

J. W. Swartz is a native Montanan, born and raised in Whitefish, Montana. She attended the J.W. Swartz writes contemporary fiction with a little mystery, a little romance, and the kind of real characters who will have you rooting for them from the beginning. Her stories most often take place in Missoula valley of Montana, where the layers of history and culture have blended to form a vibrant, independent-minded, and arts-loving community. She raised her family in the shadow of the mountains around Missoula, and you can find her enjoying local activities with her friends and family.

Let's connect!
WEBSITE: https://www.jwswartz.com
NEWSLETTER: https://bit.ly/JWSwartzNewsletter
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jwswartzauthor
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/authorjwswartz/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AuthorJWSwartz
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/29774...
AMAZON: https://amzn.to/3hKIxdM
GOODREADS: https://bit.ly/3kjABlj

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a free read on Kindle... thank goodness because I would have been furious if I had paid for it. The synopsis sounds promising and the story line really was interesting to start. I just could not get passed the horrible writing. I could not understand how it was published and how it had been rated four stars. Then I went and looked it up days later and the rating had already dropped by almost a star and then I saw that it was self-published. This author cured me of my inability to not finish a book. I kept finding that I was forcing myself to read it and I decided that is not what reading is about, plus I didn't pay for it so I was able to delete it from my Kindle guilt free.

[Reading In the Red Room · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a emotional roller coaster this book was! I was Laughing out loud at the groups banter one minute and wiping a tear or two the next. Sammy plays college basketball and enjoys making music. Maggie is a music student and enjoys writing song with her best friend Zee. When Sammy and Maggie met they have a instant connection with each other. In the mist of them forming a relationship some pretty horrific things happen. Not only do they have each other but their friends and families for support. Maggie and Sammy have so many obstacles to get past to be in a good place. Can they get there? Are they able to heal and unpack their emotional baggage to heal? This was a great story that had a lot going on and so many layers. It was a quick emotional read with great depth and well handled sensitive subjects. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to reading more books written by this author.

[J.W. Swartz]

Pre-Order now available on Amazon!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JvBa4O

[Amy Sharpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster!
I've got to be honest, it did take me a little while to get properly into this story but when I did I was pulled right in to the drama, twists and turns.
My heart broke a little, mended and back again.

I actually really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it

[Michelle M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with rating this book. I liked the story line and thought it was a good idea but the writing was difficult to follow. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a play and keep expecting to read "Maggie goes stage left" other times I was reading a book. The story jumped around with out any break or indication that now we were focusing on a different character or part of the story. I think this could have been fixed by adding chapters or even sub-chapters.

[Marni Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this was my first time reading J.W. Swartz it most definitely will not be my last . ( Leaning ) is the story of Sammy and Maggie two people that are just so likable and relatable as well as intriguing and multi layered . Maggie is a music student and Sammy is a college basketball player there is not question about the chemistry these two share , in fact from their very first meeting you can literally feel the steam and the sexual tension coming off the pages . I don’t want to give any details away as this truly is a book you need to read for yourself to fully appreciate how phenomenal it is . But be prepared for all the feels because I can 100% percent guarantee that there will be moments you will find yourself balling your eyes out one second and then laughing the next . This is not a easy journey, both characters have many obstacles as well as traumatic things they go through but on the upside they do have the support and love of their friends and family as well as each other . What a emotional rollercoaster In the best way possible. I loved that Leaning so freaking much . I cannot wait to see what J.W Swartz has planned next ❤️

[Jennifer Pierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leaning is a very emotional story so it did a number on my heart. I'm not going to lie though, it took me a minute to really get invested but it did hit it's stride to where I couldn't move until all the pages were read. It follows Maggie, a music major, and Sammy, a basketball player who wants to get to the NBA. The moment they met, there was a connection, and they really started to get to know each other quickly & happily but then BAM! Something happens to Maggie that really tripped them up. Now see, I found that part very realistic because what Maggie went through has serious fallout for any woman, so I felt her pain so much, and really wanted to hug her in the worst way. I don't want to give any more detail away so you'll just have to hit those one click buttons to see if these two actually find their way back to each other. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! 

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really think that I am too old for this book. I got it as a free kindle e-book, and the Montana setting and references to Native American culture appealed to me. I suppose that reading about college romances and parties is not my favorite subject, and I got a little bored with the plot? of the book. While I think that it is really cool that some of the characters had a penchant for Under Armour shirts - I like the products myself - I thought that it was a little silly to mention it. I wish the young author the best,but this book was not my cup of tea. My rating would be a 1.5.

[CoffeeMom H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the typical books that I read but it was great. I laughed, I cried and could not put it down. Its not very often I come across a book dealing with places in Montana where I grew up but this one it home when it mentioned my hometown.

There are some things that I was not found of such as rape in the book but the author handled it well. I would read this book again! I can't wait to see what books come out next.

Happy reading

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time following the story. The use of present tense in novels is rare... for a reason. The writing style is clunky. I started reading and stopped; months later came across it, unfinished, on my Kindle, and couldn't remember why. It quickly came back to me. I skimmed the last half of the book just to finish the storyline, but I'm afraid I can't recommend this book unless it has some major, major editing done to it first.

[Heidi Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good story line. Typical spelling and grammatical errors that I've come to expect from free Kindle offers. Synopsis provided doesn't really prepare the reader for the level of violence in parts of the book, but it was refreshing to see an author tackle the difficult subjects of abuse & rape without going over the top or underplaying the emotional impacts.

[Joyce Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evokes wonderful memories of Montana. Characters are well drawn but prolonged mental anguish becomes tiresome and the grammatical usage is spotty.

[Cyndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author's writing style drives me crazy to read. The story is predictable and a little over done in the drama department.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Got this free via Pixel of Ink. I read it through hoping the author got better at writing and storytelling as it went along. Not so much.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Great

this has many different crimes and people who have lived in a college town know people become friends soon after meeting.the relationships are formed.

[Delta]

Free (Romantic Suspense)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HDOJY8?i...