Advanced Reading Copy from Random House Publishing Group
Book Blurb:
The Dane family’s roots tangle deep in the Ozark Mountain town of Henbane, but that doesn’t keep sixteen-year-old Lucy Dane from being treated like an outsider. Folks still whisper about her mother, a bewitching young stranger who inspired local myths when she vanished years ago. When one of Lucy’s few friends, slow-minded Cheri, is found murdered, Lucy feels haunted by the two lost girls-the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn’t protect. Everything changes when Lucy stumbles across Cheri’s necklace in an abandoned trailer and finds herself drawn into a search for answers. What Lucy discovers makes it impossible to ignore the suspicion cast on her own kin. More alarming, she suspects Cheri’s death could be linked to her mother’s disappearance, and the connection between the two puts Lucy at risk of losing everything. In a place where the bonds of blood weigh heavy, Lucy must decide where her allegiances lie.
I love when an ARC (advanced reader copy) just knocks your socks off! Not only was this an excellent story rooted with ties that bind in family, in friendships, in guilt and in secrecy; it also introduced me to a new author to watch out for in the future. This book will suck you in from page one and you’ll appreciate the way the author uses different character’s voices to tell the story. The book title offers lots of speculation yet it covers all the bases involving the strength of familial blood and the dark side of both blood money and a murderer’s blood. I highly recommend this thrilling read as Lucy tries to uncover if her friend’s murderer is connected to her mother’s disappearance and whether or not her family is connected. Enjoy!
Quotes I liked:
I would have preferred to see her ghost, in the way that I’d always hoped to visited by my mother’s. But ghosts never came when you wanted them to, and I didn’t know how to stop wanting.”
– “I took in the thick night air, the sweet smell of honeysuckle, the chirping of frogs, to impress the moment in the folds of my memory, preserve it like a flower between pages of a book. To remember: This is how it feels to be happy.”
– “In world history, one of the few classes she’d stayed awake for, men killed their enemies and raped their enemies’ women. She wondered why men fucked what they hated and fucked what they loved and fucked what they didn’t give a fuck about. Maybe they wanted to fuck everything, nothing to do with the way they felt, just an uncontrollable urge. Thrust, grunt conquer.”
– “He wanted to protect me, to lock me back in a box I no longer fit inside, though he knew as well as anyone that it wasn’t possible to move in reverse; no matter hard we fought against it, time flowed in only one direction.”
– “You grow up feeling the weight of blood, of family. There’s no forsaking kin. But you can’t help when kin forsakes you or when strangers come to be family.”
Review:Drive Me Crazy by Carly Robyn blew me away with its humor, heart, and heat. I’m newer to rom-com (Romantic Comedy) and after reading quite a few of them, I totally think that this one shines above.Full disclosure, I know the author quite well. She’s my daughter; but it’s the honest truth when I say I loved the heck out of this book. I was literally laughing out loud at some points and fell hard in love with Blake, the broody Brit, and Ella, the relatable journalist who could be my BFF.The pacing of the story was spot on as I fell into the fast-paced life of an F1 driver, and the toll racing takes on both their minds and bodies. I appreciated the slow burn to the ultimately spicy and steamy romance. It made the wait and tension totally worth the wait! For me, smart conversation and good banter can make or break a book. This one had so much wit and humor that I’d be happy with that alone.The settings in this book take the reader all around Europe which makes for great escapes. Ella, who hails from Chicago before moving to New York, offers many local references which I loved.On top of the heart, humor and heat, there are also some serious issues woven through the book such a loss of a parent, mental illness, and sexual abuse. These issues are presented with sensitivity and care.Bottom line, if you’re looking for a book to make you laugh with a good dollop of spice, pick this one up. Readers are all saying they can’t wait for the second in the series.@carlyrobynauthor 📘Have you ever watched an Formula One race? OR Favorite trope in rom-coms? ... See MoreSee Less