Sharon Sala

Shirley and her four sons leave their past behind them and head back to Shirley’s childhood home. Her mother has recently passed and left them her house. It could not have come at a better time. This family has a lot of baggage to escape. It does not take them long to figure out that Jubilee, Kentucky and their family on Pope Mountain is just what the doctor ordered.

Y’all know I very seldom write bad reviews. But this book just was not for me. Now, I am totally in the minority! So, read it for yourself to form your own opinion.

This story is overly dramatic and way too sweet for me. But, this may be partly the narrator’s fault. I have never listened to Traci Odom before and I am not a big fan. She gets squeaky when Shirley would start to cry and there were several other places she got on my nerves.

The plot of this tale is pretty good though. This is what kept me listening. I enjoyed the hunt for the past! Finding the journal and then discovering a long lost grave…entertaining…no doubt!

Like I said before…I am in the minority. You read this book and form your own opinion.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.… (més)

This is book 2 in a series. I didn't read book 1, but I think this works fine as a standalone.
The Pope/Wallace family must flee Arkansas after the patriarch Clyde beat his wife Shirley and was imprisoned. The rest of the family was shunned by the community. But, Shirley gets an inheritance when her mother dies, leaving her property and land on Pope Mountain in Jubilee, KY. Shirley and sons Aaron, Wiley, Sean, and BJ move and establish new lives.
Meanwhile, a man discovers a journal in the Library of Congress which talks of buried Confederate gold in Jubilee. He tries to find it, but shoots a young child accidentally. He goes on the run, fortunately, a woman-Dani-sees him flee, and drop the journal. The journal also hints of another unsolved mystery.
Part suspense, part romance - this is a solid entry into romantic suspense.… (més)

There is nothing I love more than a new Sharon Sala novel! I have been reading her books since I was thirteen and was a fan from day one. It took some time to read her entire catalog at that time but once I had, it put me in a constant position of awaiting her next novel. This was absolutely worth the wait and was just an overall stunning book that I can't recommend enough. If you're familiar with Sharon Sala's past novels, you are going to be just as excited as I was to read this one and I promise that you won't be disappointed. If this is your first Sharon Sala novel, well, strap yourself in because you're about to be a fan for life. And I predict that you're going to be going back through and purchasing all of her other novels to devour as well.

This is the second book in her Jubilee, Kentucky series and while there is generally a fear that the second of anything won't be as good as the first, that fear is unnecessary with this one! I promise. There is just as much action, mystery, and romance as ever. So prepare yourself to fall for Aaron and Dani because their relationship is sweet and satisfying. The phrase *chef's kiss* certainly comes to mind when I think about their relationship and the development between them. I also found that it was unpredictable and kept me guessing as the twists and turns popped up throughout the book. The only thing I'm sad about is that I've finished it and now have to wait until she releases the next one! But I strongly recommend it!… (més)

Sharon Sala truly has a gift for weaving multiple characters and storylines while still keeping the main plot the center focus of the book. It's a true gift. One that, in many cases, would have me losing interest. But somehow Sharon is able to blend and connect all of the characters. You still get a backstory and you get enough information to know what's going on and where each character is coming from. But it's never just two main characters. There is always more. And then there are the side characters that play more important roles than they would in a typical novel. Sharon finds a way to get every character enough paragraphs on the page to understand who they are and give them just as much depth as any main character.

In this case, the focus is on Cameron and Rusty. But Cameron's sister Rachel is a large part of the novel as well. Along with her husband Louis and their daughter Lily. And then Rusty's family comes into play when Cameron discovers who she is and who her family is. Instead of the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, she's the girl from the rich side of the mountain. There are also a lot of other major players and situations that are guaranteed to have you riveted to the page. But the love story between Cameron and Rusty never stops being one of the primary focuses of the story. It never feels as if it isn't delved into enough or given enough focus. It's a beautiful and unique talent that never fails to have me hooked on a Sharon Sala novel.

One of my favorite tropes is second-chance romance. And while you may not be able to call what Cameron and Rusty had when they first met romance, you can certainly call it hot and steamy. While it seemed like a love at first sight kind of situation, it was really intended to be a one-and-done, never see each other again, don't even know one another's last name kind of situation. So you just knew that when they did inevitably see each other again, the sparks were going to be flying even hotter between them. Because they already knew what it was like to be with the other person and now they've realized they are within reach of each other. So I knew it was going to be passionate and steamy. And it certainly didn't disappoint.

While Cameron's past career in the military was useful when it came to teaming up with Rusty to save his niece, Lily's life, Rusty's current career with the FBI also comes in handy. Especially since they aren't just after kidnappers but human traffickers. Along with dealing with the difficulties of their mountain town and the beliefs so many residents have. Rusty and Cameron have to work hard to not let their dueling community get in the way of their investigation. Or the two of them being together. And it takes every skill the two of them possess, along with the need to work together in order for them to figure out their next move. And bring these human traffickers down!… (més)