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Montana #1

Leaning

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A story of love, second chances, and redemption set within the landscapes of Montana.

Sammy Black Wolf, a Lakota/Irish ranch kid who plays basketball for the University of Montana has only ever dreamed of getting drafted into the NBA.

A chance encounter with Maggie, a music major from Drummond, shows Sammy there’s more to life than chasing a dream. They share immediate chemistry and their relationship evolves and deepens quickly.

Everything is going great…until it isn’t.
A brutal and life-changing attack on Maggie unravels their world and the fallout threatens the pillars of their relationship.

Will two broken souls find their way back?


Leaning has been completely re-edited, new cover, and much more!

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2011

22 people are currently reading
183 people want to read

About the author

J.W. Swartz

4 books11 followers
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

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Community Reviews

5 stars
21 (28%)
4 stars
19 (25%)
3 stars
17 (22%)
2 stars
12 (16%)
1 star
6 (8%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Mandy.
901 reviews16 followers
February 25, 2012
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.
Profile Image for Reading  In the  Red Room .
3,269 reviews72 followers
April 11, 2022
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.
Profile Image for Amy Sharpe.
472 reviews5 followers
April 25, 2022
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
Profile Image for Michelle M..
71 reviews1 follower
February 1, 2019
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.
3,352 reviews70 followers
April 25, 2022
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 ❤️
Profile Image for Jennifer Pierson.
11.7k reviews188 followers
April 25, 2022
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! 
Profile Image for Anne.
432 reviews24 followers
March 15, 2012
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.
Profile Image for CoffeeMom H.
175 reviews12 followers
September 9, 2011
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
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alisa.
296 reviews
March 27, 2013
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.
Profile Image for Heidi Craig.
6 reviews
January 24, 2013
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.
Profile Image for Joyce Adams.
168 reviews
June 8, 2012
Evokes wonderful memories of Montana. Characters are well drawn but prolonged mental anguish becomes tiresome and the grammatical usage is spotty.
Profile Image for Cyndi.
24 reviews
July 8, 2012
This author's writing style drives me crazy to read. The story is predictable and a little over done in the drama department.
4,374 reviews28 followers
August 15, 2014
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.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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