“To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all.”

Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone’s deceptions, even her own.
BLUFF offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding and even love on her deathbed.

My Review:
The book up for review is “Bluff” by Lenore Skomal.

I was at my favorite mom and pops diner when I started reading this book. Soon I heard an ah hum as I looked up at the waitress who had placed my food down and was waiting for me to acknowledge her. The first chapter had me so engrossed every thing around me had disappeared into a void. To me that is a heck of a way to start a book. I came close to emailing Lenore to tell her this in fact.

The book’s main character is Jude who has fallen off a bluff near her home. Ending up in the hospital with massive trauma and broken bones she lays in a coma. The plot thickens when doctors discover she is pregnant. Something that is a mystery due to the fact she is a lesbian and has clearly shown she is not interested in men.. She tells her dearest and only friend Frances prior to the fall her condition but that is all.

Throughout the book while Jude is in a coma you can still hear her thoughts as she observes the ongoings around her. From this you get a sense of who she is and her thoughts on the people who come to visit her.

The doctors decide to keep Jude on life support so the baby can come to term and be delivered. This is a slipper slope since the hospital is supported by the church.

Who is the father? Does he know about the baby? Did she fall or was she pushed? The questions keep popping up making me unable to put the book down.

There are numerous characters in this book. Normally when this happens I have to start writing them down so I don’t get confused. I did not have to do this once for this book. Each character was developed so well that they stuck in my mind easily. That was a major kudo for this author.

The various twists and turns fill this book. Some you see coming while others come upon the reader without any warning. That also made the book very enjoyable. You just never knew what was going to be on the other page when you turned to it.

Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes

Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Bluff?

1. Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Bluff tour page.
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I’ve posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.

About the author: Lenore Skomal wants you to eat her books. Her passionate desire is to touch your heart, inspire you, and luxuriate in the world of the written word. She is an award-winning author with the single goal of resonating with others. Winner of multiple awards for blogging, literature, biography and humor, her catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, 18 books published, a daily blog and weekly newspaper column, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues of the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence. She has won many Society of Professional Journalist awards, the Whidbey Island Writer’s Conference honorable mention for best fiction, Writer’s Digest 73rd Annual Fiction Contest, New York Public Library’s Best Books for Teens 2003, and most recently, the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Award for humor for “Burnt Toast.,” her first anthology of her award winning humor columns. From journalism, to literary fiction, to humor and biography, her writing is consistent, if not in genre, then in message.

Connect with Lenore on her website,  Facebook, GoodReads, or Twitter.

Get Bluff on Amazon.

Rafflecopter Link

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YzE3YzI0YTkzYTJkODQ0ODQxZDUwNTUwMTQ3OTkxOjUw/