- Love um' or hate um' Lemmon writes characters that get the reader emotionally invested. Tucker Noscalo is one such character. At first glance, he is a rebel and criminal who turned his back on his middle class upbringing, but as Lemmon peeled back his layers, she melted my heart. He will make mistakes that will anger you, but he is redeemable and worthy so read on.
- Morgan Young is celebrating her twenty-first birthday and everything that can go wrong does. I immediately felt and connected with her. She is a likable character and her interaction with her parents and their confidence in her shows what a level-headed, kind person she is.
- There is a suspenseful thread as Tucker tries to settle a score with his father. It just so happens his father is Baybrook’s Chief of Police. I loved how Lemmon shed light on crimes by those in authority and how we have preconceived notions about individuals.
- Tucker decides Morgan and her lawyer father might be able to help him, but he makes some disaster errors in accomplishing that. Some of those actions were hard to swallow, but Lemmon did a good job of allowing their friendship and attraction to one another develop slowly.
- The romance may have started out all wrong, but I loved how it developed and Lemmon provided a realistic open ending that made me smile.
- There wasn't a lot of drama. Most of the plot dealt with Tucker actions, getting the truth out, and his personal growth.
- Lemmon addressed the issues with Tucker in a professional way and avoided the "love heals all" pitfall giving us a much more realistic story.
Decaffeinated Aspects:
- Tucker’s childhood was dark and some of his experiences may be a trigger for readers or make them uncomfortable. While Lemmon tactfully handles it, sensitive readers should be warned that there is child abuse. Assault by his father. It was both physical and sexual abuse.
- When Tucker sees Morgan his plan is to share his story with her, so that she in turn will seek her father's help. While his cause is just and his actions were not premeditated, how he goes about getting Morgan to listen pushes the line.Tucker kidnaps Morgan to tell her his story. As wrong as his first actions were, I should note that despite what occurred I liked Tucker and connected. Lemmon was able to convey just how desperate he was, and he owns his mistake.
Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer