I don't know how she does it. I truly couldn't imagine the Whiskey Creek series getting any better, but boy was I wrong. If you are enjoying this series prepare to be blown away. Brenda Novak bats a home run involving those living in this small town. Funny how small towns come with their own brand of trouble and issues that seem almost too large for such a small stage. And yet there is nothing small or inconsequential about what is unfolding in Whiskey Creek with the return of Adelaide Davies.

Addy hoped and planned on returning for a short stay, just long enough to secure her grandmothers well being. Millie was getting on in years, her restaurant just wasn't going to manage on its own and she lacked the necessary stamina. Without a concrete plan Addy hoped to convince Millie to go back with her and sell the restaurant that was part of the town's history.

But circumstances were developing that had nothing to do with taking care of her grandmother. Instead events occurred that triggered memories Addy had buried a decade ago here in her hometown. There was something someone would like to remain hidden in the past, deeply buried. Addy's return, albeit short was making someone anxious. Someone who had a lot to lose if Addy was forthcoming with what had actually happened to her so many years ago.

Rape isn't something anyone ever really recovers from. It's more like they move on and hopefully it becomes part of a dark place never to revisit. But it's never really that far from one's mind and now back in Whiskey Creek, Addy is forced once again to face the better left buried dark part of her teen years. Her memories are vivid; she knows the names and faces of those that forced themselves on her. And she will never forget the steps she took to ultimately save herself. One of her attackers died. The town still considers it an unfortunate accident. But her rape was no accident and the aftermath was equally tragic and violent.

The victim becomes the victim once again in this hold no bars story about a young woman whose bravery just defies logic. How does such a shy, gangly young woman who considers herself unattractive and brainy wind up in the center of a violent life altering event. Addy's only crime was disobeying her grandmother and showing up at the high school graduation party. She wanted to fit in and secretly had a major crush on one of the baseball players. The would- be rapists were the shining lights of their school and community. In a small town your reputation speaks volumes. Addy didn't have a reputation as anything other than a teenager who looked doe eyes at the man of her dreams. Who would have guessed that this would be the excuse for those that forced this young girl and intimately left her with no choice but to leave the only home she knew. Leaving her grandmother and Whiskey Creek was difficult but returning was degrees harder. Who could have predicted that it would also bring her back into the throws of danger?

All Brenda Novak fans are going to be floored by this; I think the best of the best. Whiskey Creek is unquestionably one of my all time favorite series. So naturally I couldn't wait for this installment. Just a few pages in I was absolutely hooked on this heart rendering story vividly brought to life by the extraordinary talents of Novak. This is an important story to tell and read. If you only get to read one book this summer, this is it. But better yet, see if you can fit in this entire series filled with characters too dynamic to ever forget.

Book Summary

Sometimes home is the refuge you need—and sometimes it isn't 

Adelaide Davies, who's been living in Sacramento, returns to Whiskey Creek, the place she once called home. She's there to take care of her aging grandmother and to help with Gran's restaurant, Just Like Mom's. But Adelaide isn't happy to be back. There are too many people here she'd rather avoid, people who were involved in that terrible June night fifteen years ago. 

Ever since the graduation party that changed her life, she's wanted to go to the police and make sure the boys responsible—men now—are punished. But she can't, not without revealing an even darker secret. So it's better to pretend…. 

Noah Rackham, popular, attractive, successful, is shocked when Adelaide won't have anything to do with him. He has no idea that his very presence reminds her of something she'd rather forget. He only knows that he's finally met a woman he could love.