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Red Mountain Chronicles #1
Red Mountain
***A Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection
How well do we really know each other?
Red Mountain in eastern Washington is home to a community of eccentrics. Otis Till, the area's visionary winemaker, has been known to howl at the moon--fully nude. Single mother Margot Pierce moved across the country to build an inn, but so far all she does is binge on gelato, the Hallmark Channel, and fantasies of murdering her ex. High school senior Emilia Forester is the daughter of celebrity parents struggling to build her own life outside of their shadow. And Brooks Baker is a man haunted by his past spent living on the streets as an orphan. Somehow, everyone lives together harmoniously, their lives intertwined like the vines in Red Mountain's beautiful and renowned vineyards.
But in a place where everyone knows each other, secrets are like poison...and right now Otis, Margot, Emilia, and Brooks all have something to hide. When their secrets come to light, will their small mountain be stronger for it--or will lives be torn apart?
Heartfelt and wonderfully descriptive, Red Mountain is the story of four complicated people living in a beautiful landscape unlike anywhere else. Told from multiple perspectives and rich with vivid descriptions of wine life, this novel will transport you from the first page to the last.
Boo writes contemporary dysfunctional fiction for open-minded soul searchers that enjoy books by such authors as Pat Conroy, Liane Moriarty, Amor Towles, Jojo Moyes, and Celeste Ng. Look out for the sequel, Red Mountain Rising, coming soon!
How well do we really know each other?
Red Mountain in eastern Washington is home to a community of eccentrics. Otis Till, the area's visionary winemaker, has been known to howl at the moon--fully nude. Single mother Margot Pierce moved across the country to build an inn, but so far all she does is binge on gelato, the Hallmark Channel, and fantasies of murdering her ex. High school senior Emilia Forester is the daughter of celebrity parents struggling to build her own life outside of their shadow. And Brooks Baker is a man haunted by his past spent living on the streets as an orphan. Somehow, everyone lives together harmoniously, their lives intertwined like the vines in Red Mountain's beautiful and renowned vineyards.
But in a place where everyone knows each other, secrets are like poison...and right now Otis, Margot, Emilia, and Brooks all have something to hide. When their secrets come to light, will their small mountain be stronger for it--or will lives be torn apart?
Heartfelt and wonderfully descriptive, Red Mountain is the story of four complicated people living in a beautiful landscape unlike anywhere else. Told from multiple perspectives and rich with vivid descriptions of wine life, this novel will transport you from the first page to the last.
Boo writes contemporary dysfunctional fiction for open-minded soul searchers that enjoy books by such authors as Pat Conroy, Liane Moriarty, Amor Towles, Jojo Moyes, and Celeste Ng. Look out for the sequel, Red Mountain Rising, coming soon!
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2016
15.3k people are currently reading
5,283 people want to read
About the author
Boo Walker
18 books1,056 followersBestselling author Boo Walker initially tapped his creative muse as a songwriter and banjoist in Nashville before working his way west to Washington State, where he bought a gentleman’s farm on the Yakima River. It was there amongst the grapevines and wine barrels that he fell in love with telling stories that now resonate with book clubs around the world. Rich with colorful characters and boundless soul, his novels will leave you with an open heart and a lifted spirit.
Always a wanderer, Boo currently lives in Valencia, Spain with his wife and son. He also writes thrillers under the pen name Benjamin Blackmore. You can find him at boowalker.com and benjaminblackmore.com.
For a free copy of his Red Mountain cookbook, updates, and other goodies, sign up for his newsletter at boowalker.com.
Always a wanderer, Boo currently lives in Valencia, Spain with his wife and son. He also writes thrillers under the pen name Benjamin Blackmore. You can find him at boowalker.com and benjaminblackmore.com.
For a free copy of his Red Mountain cookbook, updates, and other goodies, sign up for his newsletter at boowalker.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,115 reviews
December 20, 2017
Based on the many great reviews of fellow readers on this platform, I had such high expectations of Red Mountain. Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that this was the most puerile romance story I’ve come across in a long time. The dialogues were infantile and the plot went nowhere. You have all these well-to-do people living as neighbors on Red Mountain, making wine in this supposedly idyllic setting in east Washington state. They all have quirks and some truly bad morals. Apparently, it’s okay for many of the protagonists to cheat on each other – afterwards they have big dinner together and all laugh about it. I just didn’t get it where this author was going with this story. Why do I keep picking such loser books?
August 16, 2017
Uggggghhhh this was so terrible I wish I could give it zero stars. Or maybe half a star, because I shamefully sort of enjoyed parts of it like one enjoys fried fair food and then feels sick for days after. Let's be clear: this is trash. It is a soap opera that desperately wants to be taken seriously. Just stop. My book club chose it, and I am really hoping everyone hated it as much as I did so we can make fun of it together. No one talks or behaves like these characters in real life, and thank God for that.
February 24, 2018
This has been compared to a soap opera. I would go a step further. It is a soap opera set in Mr. Rogers' organic neighborhood. That is until the ten pages wherein every character has an affair. But, being Mr. Rogers' neighborhood, they all make up with a glass of wine and laugh. Speaking of which, the dialogue was laughable. A lot of perfectly new age hippyish people living the wine-making dream.
I kept waiting for something to happen, but although there were glimmers, just a lot of talk and talk about relationships and self-realization. Some may go so far as to call it drivel.
I didn't enjoy the book.
I kept waiting for something to happen, but although there were glimmers, just a lot of talk and talk about relationships and self-realization. Some may go so far as to call it drivel.
I didn't enjoy the book.
April 19, 2018
“Red Mountain” by Boo Walker is the first “romance” novel I’ve read that is written by a man. It’s a book club read, which means I would have never read, or continued to read, if not for book club. Saying that, it’s a fine story, easy to read.
It’s about a mountain in Oregon that is a focal point of successful vineyards. It’s a story of people who found themselves in the art of making wine, in the nature of the mountain, in the love of community. This is a novel that could be an attraction to the Hallmark Channel. It’s full of women attempting to become sturdy, or women who are sturdy attempting to teach everyone around them to be strong. These women are sexually strong, and I found it a hoot how a man wrote these romance “sex” scenes. Yes, it’s obvious the author is a man.
My favorite character is Margot who came to Red Mountain after her Mayor husband was caught “en fellatio” by the paparazzi. She learned of this while cooking his dinner and watching the news channel. She saw the picture of her husband and the woman on TV. She fled with her son to recreate a new life. Margot’s favorite time of day was her afternoon bath where she soaked in sea salts and imagined killing her husband with kitchen utensils. Yes, Margot was a real character. Who wouldn’t connect with Margot? The others, well, not so much. Maybe Otis who was a septenarian and missed his dead wife so much he howled at the moon. That man, I could relate to.
The novel is sweet. The characters are difficult to relate to. The themes were trite. Can’t say I’d recommend it.
It’s about a mountain in Oregon that is a focal point of successful vineyards. It’s a story of people who found themselves in the art of making wine, in the nature of the mountain, in the love of community. This is a novel that could be an attraction to the Hallmark Channel. It’s full of women attempting to become sturdy, or women who are sturdy attempting to teach everyone around them to be strong. These women are sexually strong, and I found it a hoot how a man wrote these romance “sex” scenes. Yes, it’s obvious the author is a man.
My favorite character is Margot who came to Red Mountain after her Mayor husband was caught “en fellatio” by the paparazzi. She learned of this while cooking his dinner and watching the news channel. She saw the picture of her husband and the woman on TV. She fled with her son to recreate a new life. Margot’s favorite time of day was her afternoon bath where she soaked in sea salts and imagined killing her husband with kitchen utensils. Yes, Margot was a real character. Who wouldn’t connect with Margot? The others, well, not so much. Maybe Otis who was a septenarian and missed his dead wife so much he howled at the moon. That man, I could relate to.
The novel is sweet. The characters are difficult to relate to. The themes were trite. Can’t say I’d recommend it.
March 16, 2017
What I liked: the insight into the wine industry; the cast of unique characters with interconnecting stories; the friendships between characters of different ages
What I disliked: howling at the moon in the nude; the attempts by the characters to solve every problem with sex; the many many really stupid decisions they made; the New Age philosophy that was spouted as a cure for all life's problems; the fact that after forcing my way through the entire book the ending was a cliff hanger with almost nothing resolved in any of the characters' stories
I am really surprised at how many people gave this book 5 stars. I understand that readers can disagree on how they feel about things like all the New Age content and the amount or type of sex they want to read about. But even eliminating those factors, I did not feel this writing was worthy of even 4 stars. The idea for the story was good, but the execution was very flawed IMO.
What I disliked: howling at the moon in the nude; the attempts by the characters to solve every problem with sex; the many many really stupid decisions they made; the New Age philosophy that was spouted as a cure for all life's problems; the fact that after forcing my way through the entire book the ending was a cliff hanger with almost nothing resolved in any of the characters' stories
I am really surprised at how many people gave this book 5 stars. I understand that readers can disagree on how they feel about things like all the New Age content and the amount or type of sex they want to read about. But even eliminating those factors, I did not feel this writing was worthy of even 4 stars. The idea for the story was good, but the execution was very flawed IMO.
January 2, 2018
One of my favorite ways to vacation is visiting wineries in the Pacific North West. So, when I saw that Red Mountain was about a vineyard in a small town in Washington it sounded like something I would enjoy. And I did enjoy it.
Red Mountain is a small town that is starting to have a few growing pains as more and more people are taking a chance with the wine profession. But for now, it is still a small town, with all the quirky characters and small town drama that you would come to expect.
The four main characters are Otis Till, Margot Pierce, Emilia Forester and Brooks Baker. There are several secondary characters too. At first, I would have to rethink each character, but I eventually was able to keep them straight.
I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the setting of the vineyards and learning more about the wine making process. I see that this is book 1 of 2, so that explains the abrupt ending that leaves you hanging.
I will definitely read book 2, since I feel invested in these characters and in Red Mountain.
Red Mountain is a small town that is starting to have a few growing pains as more and more people are taking a chance with the wine profession. But for now, it is still a small town, with all the quirky characters and small town drama that you would come to expect.
The four main characters are Otis Till, Margot Pierce, Emilia Forester and Brooks Baker. There are several secondary characters too. At first, I would have to rethink each character, but I eventually was able to keep them straight.
I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the setting of the vineyards and learning more about the wine making process. I see that this is book 1 of 2, so that explains the abrupt ending that leaves you hanging.
I will definitely read book 2, since I feel invested in these characters and in Red Mountain.
May 14, 2018
Naked and howling at the moon? What? Male teacher making a move on female student! By the fourth chapter I had had enough.... I had looked forward to reading this, and am very disappointed. Wish I had read more of the reviews before I started, and now must agree with the negative ones. Not something I care to waste my time on.
Read
November 12, 2022Horrible
Rubbish. Rating: minus 5
I didn't get to the halfway mark before abandoning the book. Like another reader, I do not know where to begin describing the awfulness of this book. It is a celebration of pretentiousness, class consciousness, sexual license (limited and determined by class), the trappings of new age spirituality and the terrible struggle of those who only have wealth, wine and good food to somehow find ????
I am rewriting all my reviews because I want to make my reviews more complete. Hopefully my former commenters will be satisfied that I made an attempt to meet their high standards. I will have (more or less) improved my paragraphs and punctuation but I can not change my working class family, revoke my studies, undo my reading history nor embrace racism, misogyny and assault on the working class reality. 😎
Goodreads have blocked my ability to see other reviews at this point.🤔 I am guessing that at least one other review agreed in some respect with mine but can no longer see them. My commenters ID's have also been masked where I did not use the member in a response or add the name to my review. 🤔 I have finally closed my pages to comments and dropped my lurkers with one exception.Goodreads will not allow me to remove Dr Susan Hamilton (A Maths professor at University of Tennessee?) from my "friend" list. 🤔 She posted nothing for two years after her friend request, yet does not remove me from her list, despite four requests. It is a puxzle. My reviews are not formal literary criticism and I am not that interesting. 🤗
I begin to think that when I wrote a blistering review of "a poorly written salute to a January 6, 2021 hero", a Goodreads tech suddenly realized that my being a communist is a bad thing. Who knew. 😊
For more Goodreads fun, see my review of "The Last Stand of Mary Good Crow", a really good novel by Rachel Aaron or Powers of the Earth (a poorly written salute to a January 6, 2021 hero) and the comments of a Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot). That should be a contradiction, I would have thought.
To Claes Rees Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party.
It puzzles me that US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and US Republican legislators) are vocal supporters of Putin and his Russia, despite his threat to launch nuclear weapons at the US. I imagine that the gold transfers are an incentive but there must be more. Perhaps its a case of "Come for the gold. Stay for the fascism." In any case.
GLORY TO UKRAINE !! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
Back to this train wreck of a book. This not a quirky Tom Robbins novel with big questions and a strange future. This is a sad class driven comedy romance with no value, no substance and no heart.
The characters are not just flat but are offensively separated by class stereotypes. These everyday people (those who own a hefty vineyard or two, have a few million to start a winery on a whim, build a cute country hotel, or whatever) all have European connections by marriage, etc., all of whom are incredibly accomplished. I am sure that there is at least one Contessa or Viscount tucked away in this charming circle.
The terrible, travelling aunt would be equally at home on her Montana ranch (all of which are multi-million dollar businesses) or on her Essex estate (The manor dating back at least four centuries) from which she terrorizes and matchmakes wayward nephews who need the right kind of wife. Since she's American, she can't be "Lady" or "Dame" but one can wish. This is the stuff of a PG Wodehouse comedy. I suspect that the writer did not realize that Wodehouse was gently mocking the inter war class of useless entitled gentlemen.
This book has an interesting view of sexual relationships. This is the only book that I have ever read that portrayed high school teachers "dating" students in secret, as sweetly romantic. Eww! The winery manager is unsure of his worthiness to date the employer's nanny. That feels very Upstairs/Downstairs without the social criticism.
The writer did capture the tragedy of the rich and useless. I for one never realized that the rich have sadness sometimes and must drown their cares in fine food, wine and sex, plenty of sex. It was gut wrenching to read that horror.
With new age trappings to achieve a semblance of spirituality, I'm sure that they will overcome the ennui that darkens their horizons. They were a brave lot and I almost connected with one character (kidding, I despise useless people who whine).
These aren't eccentric characters out for a walk in the vineyards. These are a wine aficionado's dream characters (roughly, "Dynasty" in Washington State) exploring his many sex fantasies in print. They are then sanitized by the references to incredibly accomplished European spouses, relatives and whatnot. I doubt that I will bother to read this writer again.
Because of books like this, I stopped using Amazon/Goodreads for book recommendations or even reviews. The streaming services do this type of story but they are better written and far more entertaining. Netflix has the added benefit of a multinational selection.
I began searching YouTube for science fiction and found all manner of Interesting channels. The real find was the book channels. There are library renovations, book hauls, essayists and serious criticism.
In short they as a group are the bibliophile's dream. The reader communities are thoughtful, have varied tastes and interests but above all are excited by all things bookish. They are exactly opposite to whatever Goodreads/Amazon are. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
I also discovered the educational video sites through advertisements on YouTube. I began with Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a year's subscription. They are all worth a look.
My You Picks of the moment.
Philosophy Tube, Tara Mooknee, Tibees, Lady of the Library, Vlad Vexler, Tulia, Mandy, Tom Nicholas, Owen Jones, Some More News, AlysOtherLife, A Cup of Nicole, The Leftist Cooks, May Moon Narrowboat.
Some of my favorite YouTube channels are.
UA Courage, Lady of the Library, Some More News, Tara Mooknee, Novara Media, Munecat, Big Joel, The Narrowboat Pirate, Boat Time, Sabine Hossenfelder, Sarah Z, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Tulia, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Austin McConnell, Prime of Midlife, Second Thought, 2Cellos, Camper Vibe, Dr Becky, Katie Colson, Katie Halper, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Lilly's expat life, Zoe Baker, World War Two, The Great War, Joe Scott, Filaxim Historia, Northern Narrowboaters, Cruising Alba, Adult Wednesday Addams, Chloe Stafler, Kalaripayattu, Karolina Zebrowska, Jill Bearup, Lindsey Stirling, Rowan J Coleman, Real Engineering, Neringa Rekaslute, Paleo Analysis, Between the Lines, Thirdworld Booknerd, Hello Future Me, Philosophy Tube, The Armchair Historian, The Narrowboat Chef, Chugging Along, Swell Entertainment, Invicta, Avalishvili, Celtica, Olly Richards, The Jacobin Show, Noah Samsen, Books with Emily Fox, What Vivi did next, The Juice Media, The Gravel Institute, Luciana Zogbi, Serena Skybourne, France 24, Alize, Alice Cappelle, Jessica Gagnon, World of Antiquity, Tom Nicholas, Book Odyssey, A Cup of Nicole, Violet Orlandi, Owen Jones, Maximillien Robespierre, Double Down News, Writing with Jenna Moreci, History Line, Kings and Generals, The Budget Museum, Juliette Wade, Dakota Warren, With Olivia, Enby Reads, Books with Emily Fox, We're in Hell, Patrick is a Navajo, Three Arrows, Pentatonix, Traveling K, Spacedock, Half as Interesting, Artificial Intelligence Universe, Dan Davis History, Casual Navigation, Factnomenal, Kathy's Flog in France, 2 Steps from Hell, Chris Animations, Natasha's Adventures, The Cold War, Military History Visualized, Perun, Bovington Tank Museum, Autumn's Boutique, Emmie, A Life of Lit, Brittany the Bibliophile.
I wish you a sunny morning, a breezy afternoon, a cozy evening, a pleasant night and may we all keep learning.
Hope is not weakness but the greatest strength.
Meditations, Dark Sisters
Rubbish. Rating: minus 5
I didn't get to the halfway mark before abandoning the book. Like another reader, I do not know where to begin describing the awfulness of this book. It is a celebration of pretentiousness, class consciousness, sexual license (limited and determined by class), the trappings of new age spirituality and the terrible struggle of those who only have wealth, wine and good food to somehow find ????
I am rewriting all my reviews because I want to make my reviews more complete. Hopefully my former commenters will be satisfied that I made an attempt to meet their high standards. I will have (more or less) improved my paragraphs and punctuation but I can not change my working class family, revoke my studies, undo my reading history nor embrace racism, misogyny and assault on the working class reality. 😎
Goodreads have blocked my ability to see other reviews at this point.🤔 I am guessing that at least one other review agreed in some respect with mine but can no longer see them. My commenters ID's have also been masked where I did not use the member in a response or add the name to my review. 🤔 I have finally closed my pages to comments and dropped my lurkers with one exception.Goodreads will not allow me to remove Dr Susan Hamilton (A Maths professor at University of Tennessee?) from my "friend" list. 🤔 She posted nothing for two years after her friend request, yet does not remove me from her list, despite four requests. It is a puxzle. My reviews are not formal literary criticism and I am not that interesting. 🤗
I begin to think that when I wrote a blistering review of "a poorly written salute to a January 6, 2021 hero", a Goodreads tech suddenly realized that my being a communist is a bad thing. Who knew. 😊
For more Goodreads fun, see my review of "The Last Stand of Mary Good Crow", a really good novel by Rachel Aaron or Powers of the Earth (a poorly written salute to a January 6, 2021 hero) and the comments of a Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot). That should be a contradiction, I would have thought.
To Claes Rees Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party.
It puzzles me that US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and US Republican legislators) are vocal supporters of Putin and his Russia, despite his threat to launch nuclear weapons at the US. I imagine that the gold transfers are an incentive but there must be more. Perhaps its a case of "Come for the gold. Stay for the fascism." In any case.
GLORY TO UKRAINE !! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
Back to this train wreck of a book. This not a quirky Tom Robbins novel with big questions and a strange future. This is a sad class driven comedy romance with no value, no substance and no heart.
The characters are not just flat but are offensively separated by class stereotypes. These everyday people (those who own a hefty vineyard or two, have a few million to start a winery on a whim, build a cute country hotel, or whatever) all have European connections by marriage, etc., all of whom are incredibly accomplished. I am sure that there is at least one Contessa or Viscount tucked away in this charming circle.
The terrible, travelling aunt would be equally at home on her Montana ranch (all of which are multi-million dollar businesses) or on her Essex estate (The manor dating back at least four centuries) from which she terrorizes and matchmakes wayward nephews who need the right kind of wife. Since she's American, she can't be "Lady" or "Dame" but one can wish. This is the stuff of a PG Wodehouse comedy. I suspect that the writer did not realize that Wodehouse was gently mocking the inter war class of useless entitled gentlemen.
This book has an interesting view of sexual relationships. This is the only book that I have ever read that portrayed high school teachers "dating" students in secret, as sweetly romantic. Eww! The winery manager is unsure of his worthiness to date the employer's nanny. That feels very Upstairs/Downstairs without the social criticism.
The writer did capture the tragedy of the rich and useless. I for one never realized that the rich have sadness sometimes and must drown their cares in fine food, wine and sex, plenty of sex. It was gut wrenching to read that horror.
With new age trappings to achieve a semblance of spirituality, I'm sure that they will overcome the ennui that darkens their horizons. They were a brave lot and I almost connected with one character (kidding, I despise useless people who whine).
These aren't eccentric characters out for a walk in the vineyards. These are a wine aficionado's dream characters (roughly, "Dynasty" in Washington State) exploring his many sex fantasies in print. They are then sanitized by the references to incredibly accomplished European spouses, relatives and whatnot. I doubt that I will bother to read this writer again.
Because of books like this, I stopped using Amazon/Goodreads for book recommendations or even reviews. The streaming services do this type of story but they are better written and far more entertaining. Netflix has the added benefit of a multinational selection.
I began searching YouTube for science fiction and found all manner of Interesting channels. The real find was the book channels. There are library renovations, book hauls, essayists and serious criticism.
In short they as a group are the bibliophile's dream. The reader communities are thoughtful, have varied tastes and interests but above all are excited by all things bookish. They are exactly opposite to whatever Goodreads/Amazon are. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
I also discovered the educational video sites through advertisements on YouTube. I began with Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a year's subscription. They are all worth a look.
My You Picks of the moment.
Philosophy Tube, Tara Mooknee, Tibees, Lady of the Library, Vlad Vexler, Tulia, Mandy, Tom Nicholas, Owen Jones, Some More News, AlysOtherLife, A Cup of Nicole, The Leftist Cooks, May Moon Narrowboat.
Some of my favorite YouTube channels are.
UA Courage, Lady of the Library, Some More News, Tara Mooknee, Novara Media, Munecat, Big Joel, The Narrowboat Pirate, Boat Time, Sabine Hossenfelder, Sarah Z, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Tulia, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Austin McConnell, Prime of Midlife, Second Thought, 2Cellos, Camper Vibe, Dr Becky, Katie Colson, Katie Halper, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Lilly's expat life, Zoe Baker, World War Two, The Great War, Joe Scott, Filaxim Historia, Northern Narrowboaters, Cruising Alba, Adult Wednesday Addams, Chloe Stafler, Kalaripayattu, Karolina Zebrowska, Jill Bearup, Lindsey Stirling, Rowan J Coleman, Real Engineering, Neringa Rekaslute, Paleo Analysis, Between the Lines, Thirdworld Booknerd, Hello Future Me, Philosophy Tube, The Armchair Historian, The Narrowboat Chef, Chugging Along, Swell Entertainment, Invicta, Avalishvili, Celtica, Olly Richards, The Jacobin Show, Noah Samsen, Books with Emily Fox, What Vivi did next, The Juice Media, The Gravel Institute, Luciana Zogbi, Serena Skybourne, France 24, Alize, Alice Cappelle, Jessica Gagnon, World of Antiquity, Tom Nicholas, Book Odyssey, A Cup of Nicole, Violet Orlandi, Owen Jones, Maximillien Robespierre, Double Down News, Writing with Jenna Moreci, History Line, Kings and Generals, The Budget Museum, Juliette Wade, Dakota Warren, With Olivia, Enby Reads, Books with Emily Fox, We're in Hell, Patrick is a Navajo, Three Arrows, Pentatonix, Traveling K, Spacedock, Half as Interesting, Artificial Intelligence Universe, Dan Davis History, Casual Navigation, Factnomenal, Kathy's Flog in France, 2 Steps from Hell, Chris Animations, Natasha's Adventures, The Cold War, Military History Visualized, Perun, Bovington Tank Museum, Autumn's Boutique, Emmie, A Life of Lit, Brittany the Bibliophile.
I wish you a sunny morning, a breezy afternoon, a cozy evening, a pleasant night and may we all keep learning.
Hope is not weakness but the greatest strength.
Meditations, Dark Sisters
November 5, 2016
Best book I've read in over 50 years....
I just finished reading your book, Red Mountain. This is one that will stay with me for a long time......I loved every word. Please say there will be a sequel to this story. Every single glue character is so real to me. I am 65 years old and have been reading books my whole life but I can 't think of another book that grabbed me this much except " A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". That was more than 50 years ago.
I truly hope you are considering it.
Thank you for this gift of a truly great story.
Wishing you all the best.
A Connecticut fan
I just finished reading your book, Red Mountain. This is one that will stay with me for a long time......I loved every word. Please say there will be a sequel to this story. Every single glue character is so real to me. I am 65 years old and have been reading books my whole life but I can 't think of another book that grabbed me this much except " A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". That was more than 50 years ago.
I truly hope you are considering it.
Thank you for this gift of a truly great story.
Wishing you all the best.
A Connecticut fan
July 23, 2020
There is a place called Red Mountain where the women are beautiful and wise (or working on it) and the men are manly. A utopia. These folks who have settled in this picturesque wine producing area are successful, some even famous. Of course, a few are unhappy or face challenges. But wait. There is an angel, a wise woman named Joan, who can guide them to happiness with deep breathing, yoga, and healthy food. And these people have saved the beautiful Mountain from its original residents, poor, hard drinking (Budweiser. Yuk.) dog abusing, truck driving troglodytes. All represented by the evil man who lives next door to one of our heroes, winery owner Otis. These people wouldn’t know a fine vintage if it bit them.
Mr. Bo Walker has given these wine making, fancy inn owners, rock musicians, and supermodels a voice in florid prose. Some favorite passages:
“. . .her wet-sand eyes tore into him.” Sounds painful.
“She looked at her hand, the one he’d touched, and she licked it, tasting the salty ruggedness.”
Mr. Walker has written an ode to the successful, the wealthy, the elite. Never mind the idiots they are buying out.
Mr. Bo Walker has given these wine making, fancy inn owners, rock musicians, and supermodels a voice in florid prose. Some favorite passages:
“. . .her wet-sand eyes tore into him.” Sounds painful.
“She looked at her hand, the one he’d touched, and she licked it, tasting the salty ruggedness.”
Mr. Walker has written an ode to the successful, the wealthy, the elite. Never mind the idiots they are buying out.
January 20, 2018
I was excited about reading this book. It sounded so good. I enjoyed it until about 1/3 of the way through. After that, it appears the author couldn’t figure out what do with the characters and how to ‘end’ the book. He didn’t - left you with a cliffhanger so he could write a sequel. The children characters in the book were not believable and the adults had absolutely zero morals. I managed to finish it but came away feeling cheated because it could have been a great book.
April 4, 2019
Do not read
This book is filthy and trash. I kept reading for a few chapters too long. The setting is in a wine growing area in Pacific Northwest. The character s are all boozing wine growers whose kinky sex lives are described in too much detail and their d words and sexual innuendo grow more plentiful as the story progresses. I will not finish the story which could have been interesting but I don't want to read trash. I will not read any other books by this author.
This book is filthy and trash. I kept reading for a few chapters too long. The setting is in a wine growing area in Pacific Northwest. The character s are all boozing wine growers whose kinky sex lives are described in too much detail and their d words and sexual innuendo grow more plentiful as the story progresses. I will not finish the story which could have been interesting but I don't want to read trash. I will not read any other books by this author.
September 17, 2024
A soap opera only works because we can watch and hear the characters as they play out their overblown roles in a world of absurdly overblown drama and perpetual high emotions. A book doesn't always have that bonus. The characters in this book simply lay there, lifeless, with absolutely zero depth, even as we understand by the words being used that we are amongst an elite, intense, powerful group of people who are living life in a gritty, "real", devil-may-care world of their making. Truly, there is zero feeling conjured from those words. I don't know that I have ever before read a book that actually elicited no energy whatsoever.
The two stars are for the setting, for the information on wines/winemaking, and for the entertainment this horrid cast of characters brought me because of the ridiculousness of them and their fake lives (at least I hope no one out there really is/lives like this. That would be terribly sad). Had I been watching a soap opera rather than reading one, I would very likely give 4 stars for the perfection of a cast of characters continually (and I do mean continually - repetition is rampant) bemoaning their "brokenness", their fears and mistrust of life, love, the world in general, while still managing to be overflowing with narcissism, brimming with self-righteousness, spewing false humility, etc., etc., and with the absurd, far-too-many, far-too-reaching, events and actions/reactions.
I could go on and on...
The two stars are for the setting, for the information on wines/winemaking, and for the entertainment this horrid cast of characters brought me because of the ridiculousness of them and their fake lives (at least I hope no one out there really is/lives like this. That would be terribly sad). Had I been watching a soap opera rather than reading one, I would very likely give 4 stars for the perfection of a cast of characters continually (and I do mean continually - repetition is rampant) bemoaning their "brokenness", their fears and mistrust of life, love, the world in general, while still managing to be overflowing with narcissism, brimming with self-righteousness, spewing false humility, etc., etc., and with the absurd, far-too-many, far-too-reaching, events and actions/reactions.
I could go on and on...
May 30, 2024
A deep dive even amongst fluffiness
I just had to 5 star it!
Was it cheesy, yes! Was it drama filled, yes and these are books I don't usually enjoy or would DNF however ...
I was so emotionally invested by the end and really cared about Red Mountain. The story was real, raw and dealt with some deep subjects such as child grooming, death, grief, love, loss, cheating and trauma. It was drama filled, but it was a small community. It also highlighted the importance of family, following your dreams, second chances, and forgiveness. It started off all a little bit fluffy until it absolutely wasn't anymore. The switch up was done really well, and I was crying by the end. That ending though , broke me! I need to read book 2 to find out what happens!
Fave quote : Jasper
This one’s for the girl whose light blinds all my darkness. And she doesn’t even know it.”
I just had to 5 star it!
Was it cheesy, yes! Was it drama filled, yes and these are books I don't usually enjoy or would DNF however ...
I was so emotionally invested by the end and really cared about Red Mountain. The story was real, raw and dealt with some deep subjects such as child grooming, death, grief, love, loss, cheating and trauma. It was drama filled, but it was a small community. It also highlighted the importance of family, following your dreams, second chances, and forgiveness. It started off all a little bit fluffy until it absolutely wasn't anymore. The switch up was done really well, and I was crying by the end. That ending though , broke me! I need to read book 2 to find out what happens!
Fave quote : Jasper
This one’s for the girl whose light blinds all my darkness. And she doesn’t even know it.”
July 4, 2022
Awful. Worst book I've read in ages. Sexist, classist, puerile.
Jasper, on Emilia: she was great enough to be married to the President? why not she was great enough to be" President?
The tampon story? Jesus, can this guy not figure out that a recently removed used tampon will not roll on the floor? What an idiot.
The author seems to hold Emilia responsible for her teacher's pedophilia. Emilia "realizes how wrong she had been to let the teacher touch her". WTF.
Joan, mythical perfect Joan, who teaches how to cure your aneurysm with the power of positive thinking?
This book is garbage times ten.
Jasper, on Emilia: she was great enough to be married to the President? why not she was great enough to be" President?
The tampon story? Jesus, can this guy not figure out that a recently removed used tampon will not roll on the floor? What an idiot.
The author seems to hold Emilia responsible for her teacher's pedophilia. Emilia "realizes how wrong she had been to let the teacher touch her". WTF.
Joan, mythical perfect Joan, who teaches how to cure your aneurysm with the power of positive thinking?
This book is garbage times ten.
December 5, 2017
Sorry I did not like it. Will try not to spoil it. Idea was great but with everyone doing something that was so wrong, it was like a soap opera. Too many characters with too many problems. Overall idea of forgiveness sounds good, but to what extent? Gay/lesbian/bi characters were thrown for good measure. Just came across to me as phony. Yes, many romantic fictions are just as phony, but I look for books with a bit more of substance.
July 27, 2020
To many characters, to the point that I didn't feel any real connection to any of them. I skimmed pages and still didn't feel like I lost any major information. And don't mess with dogs, not cool dude!
July 19, 2018
A first with this author. There is a long introduction to the characters. Almost too long. I was going to close the book, unfinished, but this did start to pick up. I simply had to remember that it's not an action or horror book where things are going on left and right from the very beginning, but a study of the human condition on Red Mountain. The story gets a wee bit hokey, but one expects that from the original description. Having said all that, you may be surprised by my review, I just don't know.
This book was well planned, organized, written and (yes!) even edited. There are several protagonist, I think. I never had the idea that one character stood out more than the other...maybe Otis, the older gentlemen, but not sure. Maybe that will develop more in the the promised sequel. I think there is only one antagonistic and in my opinion he was a stereotype and maybe that stereotype was not well deserved. I think I would have been happier with the author is this antagonistic would have just been a crazy, alcoholic, drug addicted crazy man. I felt there were other stereotypes in this book, but some I won't discuss because they would be spoilers and I want you to enjoy the book and not have first hand knowledge of what happens, specifically.
I have to say, I liked all the protagonist. Even thought I thought they were each stereotypes in their own way. The community has a well formed social interaction with each other. Love is a word used often. I like that. I know that Christianity gets a bad rap these days, but this community reminded me of an honest to God Christian community. One of love, forgiveness and fortitude. I don't know our author's faith and it's none of my business, but if he had chosen to make this community a Christian community, I think his book would have failed miserable. Our society as a whole, does not seem to want to accept that the most important "thing" (can't think of the word and my walking Thesaurus just walked upstairs) for a Christian is Love...of course the way some Christians act and respond to given events one would think they don't even know that themselves. So having another faith and way of life became Okay with me, I suppose. That part was a bit, I know I already used this word, hokey, but then again when an author is writing, I suppose, from the heart about believes, whether his believes or not, the language can be a bit hokey. But he gave the main character in this part of the story such a pleasing personality, gently spirit, spiritual leadership qualities and a girl who just wants to have fun! One let the "hokey" stuff just blend in.
All-in-all, I greatly enjoyed this book and I can honestly say I have never read one like it. I gave it 4 stars, because I liked it, but didn't exactly love it...I'm not sure we can love a book...but maybe we fall in love with the characters. Yes, I did fall in love with the characters and all they stood for.
Where is the second book?? Wasn't this one released in 2016? Come on, Mr. Walker...surely you had the second book outlined and partially written before the first's release. I know you want this second one to be as good as the first, but don't keep you fans waiting needlessly.
This book was well planned, organized, written and (yes!) even edited. There are several protagonist, I think. I never had the idea that one character stood out more than the other...maybe Otis, the older gentlemen, but not sure. Maybe that will develop more in the the promised sequel. I think there is only one antagonistic and in my opinion he was a stereotype and maybe that stereotype was not well deserved. I think I would have been happier with the author is this antagonistic would have just been a crazy, alcoholic, drug addicted crazy man. I felt there were other stereotypes in this book, but some I won't discuss because they would be spoilers and I want you to enjoy the book and not have first hand knowledge of what happens, specifically.
I have to say, I liked all the protagonist. Even thought I thought they were each stereotypes in their own way. The community has a well formed social interaction with each other. Love is a word used often. I like that. I know that Christianity gets a bad rap these days, but this community reminded me of an honest to God Christian community. One of love, forgiveness and fortitude. I don't know our author's faith and it's none of my business, but if he had chosen to make this community a Christian community, I think his book would have failed miserable. Our society as a whole, does not seem to want to accept that the most important "thing" (can't think of the word and my walking Thesaurus just walked upstairs) for a Christian is Love...of course the way some Christians act and respond to given events one would think they don't even know that themselves. So having another faith and way of life became Okay with me, I suppose. That part was a bit, I know I already used this word, hokey, but then again when an author is writing, I suppose, from the heart about believes, whether his believes or not, the language can be a bit hokey. But he gave the main character in this part of the story such a pleasing personality, gently spirit, spiritual leadership qualities and a girl who just wants to have fun! One let the "hokey" stuff just blend in.
All-in-all, I greatly enjoyed this book and I can honestly say I have never read one like it. I gave it 4 stars, because I liked it, but didn't exactly love it...I'm not sure we can love a book...but maybe we fall in love with the characters. Yes, I did fall in love with the characters and all they stood for.
Where is the second book?? Wasn't this one released in 2016? Come on, Mr. Walker...surely you had the second book outlined and partially written before the first's release. I know you want this second one to be as good as the first, but don't keep you fans waiting needlessly.
February 10, 2017
My fave of the year so far!! Thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Check out the full review at https://spinesinaline.wordpress.com!
I'm somewhat new to the literary fiction genre but this is definitely where to turn if you want a great group of complex and developed characters. The unique part about this book was that the setting becomes as much a character in the story as any of the people are! I can definitely feel the author’s passion for Red Mountain as it comes through strongly in his writing. I’m sure you’ll all feel drawn to this magical place just as I feel now! It really does sound like a wonderful place to live!
The characters themselves, though, are given equal opportunity to grow and develop in this space. The story is told from four different perspectives so we can really come to understand and empathize them as they’re faced with difficult decisions in their lives. I’m still just struck at how good the writing is in this, that I don’t think there was one character that I didn’t like because of how well they were developed. This was maybe the most enjoyment I’ve ever gotten out of reading a book. It hit deep, guys.
That’s not to say this is a feel-good book. Yes, there are a lot of warm moments, of family and friends and just a general love of life, but it is a story of life so of course that comes with hardships. And it’s going to hurt. But I loved it!
The one thing that I’d normally find annoying in books or movies was the use of cliches, like falling in love immediately and friends turned lovers, but I think because of how complex the characters were, and how these cliches were tweaked, that it actually worked well into this story. The more iffy aspects were in regards to the portrayal of some of the female characters. One character in particular was referred to as sexual but in some contexts I felt like this was confused with sexuality. There were also some instances that felt like women were being compared to each other, where the one who used less make-up and was more modest about her appearance was ranked higher than the other. In good news, the stories of two other women focused on their attempts to improve their self-confidence and I felt much better about how this was handled.
Though the story felt contained in this book, I'm very excited for the sequel, if only to get to meet this cast of characters again! I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a really enjoyable read!
I'm somewhat new to the literary fiction genre but this is definitely where to turn if you want a great group of complex and developed characters. The unique part about this book was that the setting becomes as much a character in the story as any of the people are! I can definitely feel the author’s passion for Red Mountain as it comes through strongly in his writing. I’m sure you’ll all feel drawn to this magical place just as I feel now! It really does sound like a wonderful place to live!
The characters themselves, though, are given equal opportunity to grow and develop in this space. The story is told from four different perspectives so we can really come to understand and empathize them as they’re faced with difficult decisions in their lives. I’m still just struck at how good the writing is in this, that I don’t think there was one character that I didn’t like because of how well they were developed. This was maybe the most enjoyment I’ve ever gotten out of reading a book. It hit deep, guys.
That’s not to say this is a feel-good book. Yes, there are a lot of warm moments, of family and friends and just a general love of life, but it is a story of life so of course that comes with hardships. And it’s going to hurt. But I loved it!
The one thing that I’d normally find annoying in books or movies was the use of cliches, like falling in love immediately and friends turned lovers, but I think because of how complex the characters were, and how these cliches were tweaked, that it actually worked well into this story. The more iffy aspects were in regards to the portrayal of some of the female characters. One character in particular was referred to as sexual but in some contexts I felt like this was confused with sexuality. There were also some instances that felt like women were being compared to each other, where the one who used less make-up and was more modest about her appearance was ranked higher than the other. In good news, the stories of two other women focused on their attempts to improve their self-confidence and I felt much better about how this was handled.
Though the story felt contained in this book, I'm very excited for the sequel, if only to get to meet this cast of characters again! I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a really enjoyable read!
May 2, 2019
Warning - drop this book right now.
It is the worst kind of soap opera publication. I enjoyed it up until the last page. The ending did not disappointment me, but the fact that the author lacks either the integrity or the self-confidence to actually finish the story did. I was on my way to a three- or four-star rating when the author ended the book purposely on the worst sort of cliff-hanger. In a story that read like a Nora Roberts trilogy, he would have had no problem continuing the series, but in the most deceitful manner, he decides he's had enough and drops you in what should have been the middle of the second-to-last chapter. If you want to know what happens....you have to buy the next book.
To me, that is dishonest and proves that the author has no respect for his audience. I will never pick up anything by Boo Walker again.
It is the worst kind of soap opera publication. I enjoyed it up until the last page. The ending did not disappointment me, but the fact that the author lacks either the integrity or the self-confidence to actually finish the story did. I was on my way to a three- or four-star rating when the author ended the book purposely on the worst sort of cliff-hanger. In a story that read like a Nora Roberts trilogy, he would have had no problem continuing the series, but in the most deceitful manner, he decides he's had enough and drops you in what should have been the middle of the second-to-last chapter. If you want to know what happens....you have to buy the next book.
To me, that is dishonest and proves that the author has no respect for his audience. I will never pick up anything by Boo Walker again.
May 18, 2022
What an exciting book that ends in a place of unknowns. I will definitely be reading the next in series. This book covers love, hate, poor childhoods, rich childhoods, secrets, betrayals. Just a wide variety of characters who all have a part and present. No one knows what each of us goes through or where or paths have led us to this place we are in life. It takes place in the wineries of Red Mountain.
Page Turner- going thru daily lives of many but due to the small town like feel they each know, love and support each other through the good and difficult.
I love this book! Excellent author, this is my serving book by BOO. Both 5 stars!
Page Turner- going thru daily lives of many but due to the small town like feel they each know, love and support each other through the good and difficult.
I love this book! Excellent author, this is my serving book by BOO. Both 5 stars!
November 7, 2020
Could only give the a 2. . About 2/3 of the way through the overwhelming number of horrible things the characters did to each other that were quickly resolved or downplayed in the name of forgiveness was ridiculous. I felt like the author had so much going on at that point it was the only way out of most of the storylines until the almost death of a character that, of course, is the storyline of the next book. The characters were not engaging enough for me to read the next book. If I want a small community soap opera, I’ll watch daytime tv.
January 26, 2019
Don't waste your time.
I live a few miles from the setting of this book and hoped it would be good. Thankfully this book was free. I found it sexist and the characters were trite. The author seemed to project his fantasies into the story and the pedophile high school teacher was not portrayed as a villain. I could only read about 30 pages before giving it up as mind numbing. If anyone wants to read a good local author from the Tri Cities Wa area I recommend Patricia Briggs.
I live a few miles from the setting of this book and hoped it would be good. Thankfully this book was free. I found it sexist and the characters were trite. The author seemed to project his fantasies into the story and the pedophile high school teacher was not portrayed as a villain. I could only read about 30 pages before giving it up as mind numbing. If anyone wants to read a good local author from the Tri Cities Wa area I recommend Patricia Briggs.
June 20, 2018
I did not finish and I had been so excited about this one, too! It is hard for me to believe this saccharine infused “novel” received such great reviews. First of all, the characters were one dimensional
and B O R I N G and second, the plot was predictable, predictable and predictable. I skimmed to the ending and it was just as awful as I had expected. Don’t waste your time.
and B O R I N G and second, the plot was predictable, predictable and predictable. I skimmed to the ending and it was just as awful as I had expected. Don’t waste your time.
October 22, 2018
This was a soap opera! Really! It had the cliff hanger at the end just like every Friday on the tv serials. This novel was character driven, and if this had been the first character driven novel I had read, I wouldn’t read another. So, if you like a soap opera, this book is for you! But, I would suggest you read Wendell Berry or Maeve Binchy for a well written, character driven novel.
July 1, 2022
This book would be nice if you're in the mood to watch a Lifetime or Hallmark movie in book form (no judgment if you are). I couldn't disagree more with the reviews praising the author's development of the characters. I found the characters to be underdeveloped. The women, especially, with the slight exception of Margot, are such terrible cliches.
November 23, 2016
A truly inspired and obviously heartfelt book--a nice drama with lots of (too much?) information on growing wines in eastern Washington state, where the book's set. One star off for a bit too much telling over showing, but all in all, a good read.
February 17, 2018
Pathetic
What a waste of time reading this tale of sad, broken individuals. The strong thread of infidelity and abandonment does nothing to improve this microcosm of humanity. But a free read get what you pay for.
What a waste of time reading this tale of sad, broken individuals. The strong thread of infidelity and abandonment does nothing to improve this microcosm of humanity. But a free read get what you pay for.
April 5, 2018
I had a hard time even finishing this book, its not the type of book I enjoy. It's a very simple book with predictable characters. The end of the book kind of leaves you hanging, but a sequel is coming out. I will not be reading it.
April 14, 2018
The characters are shallow, and the women are cardboard cut outs. Relationship statuses, personality traits, anything interesting about a character is told to the reader instead of shown. The omnipotent narrator thinks you’re an idiot, I guess. It’s James Patterson for women, basically.
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