Barbara Morgenroth

I must say, I really enjoyed this story. It was a novella, which usually feel rushed to me. But, so wasn't. I loved the character development, throughout. It had a sensual quality throughout, but left you wanting to find out more about what was going on between Emily and Devlin. This was the first book I read by this author, but will not be the last. She grabbed me from the beginning and I was pulled into the story.

The narrator, Kristyl, was a pleasure to listen to. Her voice is rich and her flow is on point, as was the different character voices. Very talented. You don't feel like you are listening to someone read, but rather are able to visualize the story in your mind. She has a nice, rich tone. Just a pleasure all the way around.… (meer)

What would you do if you had to keep a secret or risk the anger of the person you feared most? That is what happens to Neal. She knows a secret about Joe. Joe is the reason she has a limp. He pushed her under a tractor and caused her to break her leg. He told her that if she ever told his secret, he would kill her. All is good because Joe moved to New Orleans. Then one of the neighbors is found murdered.

Through the investigation, Neal meets Truly. He is the son of the detective investigating the murder. Truly is interested in Neal because she can sing well. He convinces her to be in his band as a lead singer. Neal isn’t exactly comfortable by this, but for the first time in her life, she finds something that she enjoys and wants to make Truly happy. She likes his parents also.

Truly drops Neal off at home only for her to discover that Joe has returned. Neal is terrified, calls Truly on the cell phone he gave her, and he convinces her to come stay with him and his parents. What will happen between Truly and Neal? Who is responsible for the murder of the neighbor? Why did Joe return and what happens when he is there?

When I first started this book, I couldn’t really get into it. So, I did what I do with all books like that, I put it away and said I would come back to it. I have done this multiple times with different books and found that when I went back to them, they were more appealing to me. It was the same with this book. I found that I got more into the book when I took more time with it. Things made more sense to me.

There were things that I found distinctive about Neal’s character. The dialog with Neal is short and curt. I think this is just how she is because she isn’t used to dealing with people who are interested in having a conversation with her. She also wants to please people. She doesn’t want to upset them, especially the ones who make her happy. She tells Truly on more than one occasion that she doesn’t want to upset or change how things are in the band and that she is willing to do things the way that they have been doing them.

Truly was a very good friend to Neal. He would help her overcome things like her aversion to performing on stage. His parents and he showed Neal what a family should be and that made her happy. He also helps Neal with her fears. He gave her a cell phone to use to she can contact him.

Overall, I liked this book because it made me think about what was happening. Granted, you don’t have to be Einstein or a Mensa member to understand it, but there is a depth to the book that you don’t normally find in YA. It is described as a “mature YA” book. I’m guessing this is because it deals with the topics of murder and abuse.… (meer)