This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
Jill Meengs grew up in a small town on the Oregon Coast. During, and after college she spent extended periods of time backpacking in over 30 countries. She has been to every location she describes in Trigger and some of the content is based on her own experiences while traveling. She met her husband, Chad, in the MBA program at Oregon State University. After getting married they purchased and fully remodeled a house. It was Chad who encouraged, and then bribed her to write her first book, Trigger. He says that he very much enjoys watching the flat-screen he purchased as part of their deal.
When Jill isn’t reading or writing, she is running, doing yoga or planning her next trip. Jill and Chad live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Reviewed by Christina B. Steele for Readers' Favorite
Trigger is a fun, suspenseful tale of a girl whose summer vacation backpacking across Europe goes from strange to thrilling and ultimately empowering. Jordan Shaw and Anna Richards, both early 20-something students, leave Oregon for a grand European adventure, which turns out to be much more adventurous than they bargained for. Author Jill Meengs has a way of describing the sights, sounds, and food of Europe in vivid detail, which will bring back great memories for the European traveler. Fascinating narration from the point of view of the lead character helps to mitigate some of the curious encounters, that most would see as a clear threat, as just weird circumstance or strange luck. However, it doesn’t take long for Meengs to develop her heroine into a very fascinating character who quickly adapts to the escapade in which she finds herself.
Meengs has a descriptive yet eloquent style that illuminates the adventures of the characters in Trigger. I was intrigued at the naivety and confusion of an obviously brilliant lead character, Jordan, which was replaced with pride and satisfaction in her journey. In the beginning, Jordan’s confusion about her circumstances and lack of confidence was a bit tiresome. I think that the Young Adult crowd would greatly relate to the characters’ flirtations and 20-something behaviors. However, Meengs kept me interested by involving just enough plot twists and suspense so that I couldn’t put this down. Though somewhat predictable, there is just enough clandestine spy, European romance, mystery and self-discovery to make Trigger a very intriguing read.
