Crude Ambition Book Blog Tour, Review, and #Giveaway #LoneStarLit

Posted August 19, 2021 by Lynn in Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews / 4 Comments

CRUDE AMBITION
by
Patricia Hunt Holmes
Categories: Mystery / Thriller / Women’s Fiction
Publisher: River Grove Books (Greenleaf Book Group)
Date of Publication: June 8, 2021
Number of Pages: 326
Scroll down for the giveaway!

A Texas Reckoning

In the early morning hours after a law firm recruiting party at a beachside house on Galveston Island, a female summer intern is found lying on the floor, bruised, bleeding and unconscious. Four men and one young woman attorney who were staying at the house know something terrible happened.

The woman attorney takes her to a hospital but the next day the intern disappears. All of them decide to keep silent, doing nothing about the incident in order to further their own career ambitions while the events of that night haunt the two women. Time passes and then ten years later, crime and hubris bring the former intern back into their lives. Only this time she has the power and the truth is finally brought to light, uprooting everyone’s plans.

From the power centers of Houston law and oil to the fracking fields of South Texas to the Jersey Shore and Washington D.C., this story chronicles the struggles of two ambitious young women in their quest for legal success and justice.

PRAISE FOR CRUDE AMBITION:

“Crude Ambition is a great read. It is an authentic look at big law in Houston and the Texas oil business. Patricia Hunt Holmes weaves a story of ambition, greed, romance and revenge that kept me turning the pages until all the just desserts were served.”

— Marc Grossberg, J.D., Author of The Best People: A Tale of Trials and Errors

“In Crude Ambition, Patricia Hunt Holmes shows she knows Texas in the way Grisham knows Mississippi—politics, environment, strong men and strong women, egos, oil, arrogance, influence and hunger for power. I don’t think anyone could have nailed it better.”

— Bill Sarpalius, Former U.S. Congressman, Author of The Grand Duke of Boys’ Ranch

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I was reading another review for CRUDE AMBITION, trying to find a start for my own review, and like Maryann, I had that ‘a-ha’ moment thinking about the title, and really the definition of ambition. The lawyers in the novel are looking for power and partnership in the firm. The oilmen are searching for the money and success that oil brings. Ms. Holmes picked an apt title, undeniably.

 

CRUDE AMBITION is a character driven novel, with two strong lead female characters, and some smarmy men who conduct shady deals. Over the course of ten years, Carolyn and Ann, our two main characters, are climbing the ladder as lawyers. Carolyn, especially, is bumping against a very thick glass ceiling! What I found most interesting about Carolyn is she makes some decisions early in the novel for the betterment of her career, but not necessarily for the betterment of her integrity. Her choices are certainly in a grey area, and I honestly don’t know what I would have done in her position. Oh, and Carolyn is a reader! Nothing endears me more to a character (and author!) than a recommendation of PILLARS OF THE EARTH.
Ann’s motto should really be “revenge is a dish best served cold” or maybe “slow and steady wins the race”. Ann really shows the most growth in this novel. It takes her some time to come into her own, but once she determines what she wants, Ann really goes for it.
As for the male characters, the crew from the Midnight Poker Club are not men I would want in my life! Smarmy, shady, dishonest good ol’ boys barely begin to cover Paul, Peter, Trey, and Joe Bill. Along with some of the characters from Carolyn’s hometown, the men in this novel are very problematic. There are a few good men (lol, legal humor!) in CRUDE AMBITION as well, including Carolyn’s high school sweetheart, Kenny. Now he’s a Texan to star in a romance!

 

Ms. Holmes is well versed in the lawyer-y world of CRUDE AMBITION’S setting. Her attention to details, both in the setting and characters, is compelling. Houston comes alive while reading. From the neighborhoods to the restaurants, to driving from Houston to the Hill Country, the Texas setting was integral to the story. (And I’ll admit, it made me a bit homesick for Texas.) The writing is descriptive and accessible. For a legal drama, there isn’t a lot of legalese that a reader would need to understand, thankfully. The novel is told from both Carolyn’s and Ann’s points of view. This really gives the reader the opportunity to empathize and understand both characters.

 

My only caveat for CRUDE AMBITION is this: I wanted to bad guys to get their comeuppance much quickly. As the novel unfolds over 10 years, I was hoping and waiting for what I thought might happen with the characters. But it took reading through 80% of the novel for the retribution to start. And after that 80%, the ending wraps up quickly and neatly. While the ending is satisfactory, I would have preferred that the action to have started earlier in the novel.

 

CRUDE AMBITION is a compelling legal drama, with well-written and strong female protagonists. Check it out if you are looking for a great character-driven read!

 

Thanks to author Patricia Hunt Holmes and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing this opportunity to review CRUDE AMBITION. I received the novel free in exchange for my honest review.

Patricia Hunt Holmes spent 30 years as a public finance attorney with a large international law firm, specializing in nonprofit healthcare finance and rural electric cooperative finance. Consistently listed in Best Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers, and Top Lawyers in Houston, she was a frequent speaker at national public finance and health care conferences. Patricia has also served on the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Tennessee, and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She has written and published in the fields of intellectual history and law.

In addition to her legal career, Patricia has been a member and board member of several social
service organizations throughout Houston, including the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast Women’s Initiative, Dress for Success Houston, the University of Houston Women’s Studies Program, University of Houston Law Review Board of Directors, is a Trustee of the Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Justice for Our Neighbors.

Patricia grew up in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey but has lived in Houston for over 40 years. She has two daughters, Hillary and Ashley, who have successful careers as an attorney and a geologist, and three adorable grandsons. She is an avid golfer and traveler.

Patricia holds a BA in English and History, an MA in History, and a PhD in Russian and South Asian History with honors, all from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and was an editor on the Houston Law Review.

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
TWO WINNERS:

1st: $75 Gift Card to Murder By The Book bookstore
2nd: $50 to Bookshop.org.
(US only, ends midnight, CDT, 8/20/2021)

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY.

Or, visit the blogs directly:

8/10/21 Guest Post Hall Ways Blog
8/10/21 BONUS Post LSBBT Blog
8/10/21 Review Book Bustle
8/11/21 Review Missus Gonzo
8/12/21 Review Tangled in Text
8/13/21 Review It’s Not All Gravy
8/13/21 Scrapbook Page All the Ups and Downs
8/14/21 Review Julia Picks 1
8/15/21 Excerpt Forgotten Winds
8/16/21 Review Rainy Days with Amanda
8/16/21 Guest Post The Book’s Delight
8/17/21 Review StoreyBook Reviews
8/18/21 Review The Clueless Gent
8/18/21 Author Spotlight That’s What She’s Reading
8/19/21 Review Chapter Break Book Blog
8/19/21 Review Reading by Moonlight
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Posted August 19, 2021 by Lynn in Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews / 4 Comments

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4 responses to “Crude Ambition Book Blog Tour, Review, and #Giveaway #LoneStarLit”

  2. Maryann

    Nice review and thanks for the mention of my review. Like you, I really appreciated the fact that Carolyn is a reader and Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorite books. I think I’d forgotten that detail of her characterization by the time I finished reading Crude Ambition and was ready to write my review.