Tuesday 29 October 2013

Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek 5) - Brenda Novak

The Book
Release Date: 29 October 2013

Christmas is a time for remembering….

Too bad all memories aren't pleasant. Everyone in Whiskey Creek remembers Sophia DeBussi as the town's Mean Girl. Especially Ted Dixon, whose love she once scorned. 

But Sophia has paid the price for her youthful transgressions. The man she did marry was rich and powerful but abusive. So when he goes missing, she secretly hopes he'll never come back—until she learns that he died running from an FBI probe of his investment firm. Not only has he left Sophia penniless, he's left her to face all the townspeople he cheated…. 

Sophia is reduced to looking for any kind of work to pay the bills and support her daughter. With no other options, she becomes housekeeper for none other than Ted, now a successful suspense writer. He can't bring himself to turn his back on her, not at Christmas, but he refuses to get emotionally involved. He learned his lesson the last time. 

Or will the season of love and forgiveness give them both another chance at happiness?

My Opinion  0 STARS
My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review.

Although this is book five in a series it can definitely be read as a stand alone book. 

I loved this book.

Sophia from the outside world seems to have it all and was the towns mean girl growing up. However getting pregnant by mistake leads her down a path of regret.

Her husband is controlling and violent when their daughter is not around, but he likes to keep up appearances of a happy healthy marriage.

t is only when he goes missing on their anniversary cruise that the truth about her husband becomes clear. He has cheated the towns people of money and disappeared only to come up dead.

The town believe that Sophia knew about it and hold both her and her daughter responsible. The recovering alcoholic struggles to cope. She opens her house to the town and they take her possessions from her bed to her jewellery, leaving her sleeping on the floor.

Her in-laws have never liked her but they arrange the expensive funeral, then leave her with the bill as they too have been stung by their son. They too blame Sophia.

But Sophia is not the woman she was all those years ago. Her marriage has changed her despite what people think, she has suffered in silence to afraid of what would happen if anything got out.

Ted has been in love with Sophia since they were teenagers and is the only one other than Eve to help Sophia even though he is reluctant to help. However, he is surprised at the change in the real Sophia and how hard she works to keep her daughter and at how strongly she copes with the backlash.

Sophia is often targeted by those how want their money, especially the crooked cop who hounds her relentlessly. Even her daughter is not let free as teachers and friends turn on her.

Ted grows closer to Sophia again as he sees how she copes, working hard at cleaning his house and cooking him meals, whilst being there for her daughter.

When she comes across a letter from a jewellery store about her engagement ring, she sells it, then splits the proceeds to those who lost out in Whiskey Creek. This in turn warms them a little to her even though when she gives money to he in laws they are still distant.

As this is the only book I have read in the series, after reading this book I have decided that I need to add the other books to my reading list.

A book well worth reading.

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