All Addison Davis has ever wanted is a family of her own and a place to call home. So when the art world’s favorite bad boy paints her as a masterpiece, puts a ring on her finger and tucks her away in the gorgeous little lakeside hometown he made famous, she finally has everything she ever wanted. Everything except love.
The loyal brother...
Fire chief Jackson Davis knows his brother isn’t in love with the big-eyed waif he married. Diego might be enchanted with his angelic little muse now but he’s never loved anything more than his addictions. When those addictions leave Addy a painfully young widow, Jax can only watch while her precious heart shatters.
The secrets they keep...
But Addy inherited more from her late husband than a family, a hometown and the masterpiece she inspired. She inherited his secrets, too, but secrets don’t keep in Devil’s Kettle. When all is revealed, what bursts into flame between her and Jax is hot enough to burn down the whole town, forcing Addy to choose — will she protect the life she loves, or risk it all for the man who loves her?
Some years back, Susan Sey gave up the glamorous world of software training to pursue a high powered career in diaper changing. Two children and millions of diapers later, she decided to branch out and started writing novels during nap time. The kids eventually gave up their naps, so now she writes when she's supposed to be doing the laundry. She currently resides in St. Paul, MN, with her wonderful husband, their charming children and a very tall pile of dirty clothes.
I simply don’t get why Addison was such a rug. She lay there and let everybody walk all over her. Even allows perfect strangers to molest her in the street - Come on - How many women would let a man she had never met before, kiss her on the mouth in public? She was used and abused by Diego's family and all I wanted her to do was to walk away from them. BUT - it appears they were just what she was searching for in a family. Yuck.
Bianca was utterly vile - a monstrously selfish, abusive, demanding mother-in-law and all I wanted was to see her crushed like she crushed Addison.
There were too many unanswered question in this story for the ending to be satisfying.
I wanted very much to like this book. I liked Ms. Sey's writing style. The basic premise of the story was very flawed. The main focus is a deceased artist who was not a nice man. As the story unfolds facts are revealed that show just how awful this man was. That said, I just could not get comfortable with Addy or Matty. I actively disliked Bianca and I think Georgie is in need of deep therapy. All of these highly dysfunctional people made it hard for me to keep reading. However - I liked Jax very much. I wanted the story to get to the place where Jax could get all the good stuff possible so I kept reading to find out how Jax would end up. I can't imagine reading any further stories about these people. Their lives as written by Ms. Sey are one giant train wreak happening over a few hundred pages. I did not like this book.
This was my first read from this author. And as for any titles from that category, I am always anxious when I get into such books. It's like getting to know a stranger, you would never know if you'd like his/her style or not. There's apprehension but also the sense that you just need to spend time with this person before passing judgement. And to be honest with you, I tried to NOT pass judgement many times while reading this book. At the end, I'm going to say that Ms. Sey, has a fantastic imagination and great with words. She can really paint a picture for you. That being said, her work won't be something that I would come back to time and time again, like a trusted friend. Her paragraphs and explanations were so drawn out to me. There were multiple occassions where I told myself "Ok, I get it from the first paragraph that you stated, you did not have to go on for another 2 paragraphs to explain that." The very "wordy" story line made me dizzy and got me confused. It detered me from totally enjoying the flow of the story. The second thing that I didn't really care for was the Davis family. I know that families are supposed to be dysfunctional, after all we all have those "nuts" in our families, right?! However, this one really took the cake for me. From the matriarch, Bianca, to the kids and even our main character, the daughter in law, Addy. They were all weird. I know they were meant to be have an edge of mystery to why they would react the way they did, but really, they just seemed to be one crazy bunch to me. I especially didn't get why Bianca was so bent in showing those so called "art" of her late son. The romance between Addy and Jax were so-so. I liked Jax and his personality of being the "hero" or at least trying to. I didn't get Addy's rejection of him because she thought he didn't love her. What baloney! And the whole mystery of the fires, the house, the true identity of the brother and so on.....it just made this crazy train even crazier. Over all, if you like family dramas and art (or at least the idea of art) you might like this one. But for me. It just didn't satisfy.
I’ve read some of this author’s books with good results, not so with this one. The people in it weren’t particularly nice and or warm. Addison, our heroine has the spine of a limp noodle. She’s a widow and her husband was a real rat bastard. But she’s does everything she can to keep that fact to herself. They lived in a small town where he was the golden boy and her mother-in-law is a force to be reckoned with. Addison drove me nuts all but bowing down and kissing the feet of her mother in law to stay in her good graces.
Jackson Davis is the brother to her late husband and he’s bland as unbuttered toast. Supposedly he has a serious thing for Addison so to prove it he’s rude or ignores her. Good plan there. I couldn’t figure out whether her sister in law was supposed to be a good character or a bad character. All though the book I was scratching my head. And her younger brother in law. There were hints all though that something was wrong and you know what? I can’t remember what it was. It took me forever to get through this book. Not one of the authors finest. When I have no respect for the heroine and don’t like the rest of the characters, it’s not a book I will ever read again.
Here is what happened: A friend loaned me this book.
She's not a reader but she is trying to improve her English so she reads some and she wanted to give me one of her books so she was experimenting with it and no all her books had the option to be lended, so she sent this one just to see if it actually works.
Me, being me, decided to take a peek, at least.
Imagine my surprise when it actually... didn't suck!
No, don't get me wrong, it's not... but my expectations? And the first pages? And the strong female lead? Yes, I do recommend this book, despite being basically a tangle of family and adopted and chosen family drama, dirty secrets, money, posh people, small town life and small town... minds, as they said and of course, some romance. And art. Yes, that too.
This book was a pleasant surprise! Susan has a way with words that draws a picture and evokes emotions without crossing into being so wordy that it distracts from the story itself. The characters were wonderfully flawed, the family dysfunctional yet loyal to each other. The small town of Devil’s Kettle was NOT all idyllic and everybody was NOT besties; in fact, the power dynamics were fascinating, the secrets tantalizing, the twist satisfying. So much more than just a romance between Addy and Jax (which was sigh-worthy in itself)! There were a couple things that weren’t tied up at the end and felt a little rushed, but perhaps will come to play in book #2.
I am normally a fast reader. This book took me a long time to finish. I did not like Addy always anguishing over her lot in life. She felt trapped into a the life she wanted with her dead husband’s family. Too many loose ends all the way through, including the ending. Ugh. I wanted to finish to see if Addy and Jax get together, but too many characters with too much angst to make me want to read any more in this series.
Too obvious for my taste. Man and woman obviously have the hots for each other but play it cool only to find they no longer can.
~ young widow who vows to stay single is mixed in with her in-laws financial situation; promising to help them out if their troubles. Her brother-in-law and fire chief, Jax, plays it too cool but is obviously obsessed. Can they tear themselves away from their family values to see sparks fly.
I loved the (mostly) believable characters within the context of a typically dysfunctional family and small town life. This was a sweet story of a broken-hearted woman who finds the courage to love again and accept her real place within the "found" family that is more complex than she knew.
This is a book that kept me on my seat. Addy is a widow who is know from her late husbands painting of her. Addy's in laws find out that instead of being rich most of their money has been stolen by their investment manager. She is the only one who has money because she invested her money her way. Once you start you want to finish this book.
Yeah sorry I got to around 20% and gave up. I couldn't get into the book at all. Something about a widow, at 25, and her late husband who should be immortalized!? And his whole family who loves her, well all but a brother!? Nothing happened but eating cake!? Was it a comedy?? Don't know! Fortunately found it free.
Fabulous book. The characters were so well developed that the story ran like a movie in your head while reading. You could practically see the characters. I can't wait to read books two and three. Bravo! Susan has been added to my list of have to read authors.
This book definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t mind reading about dysfunctional family and all that but it failed in the romance department. I would have loved to read more about Addy and Jax and less about the family.
This is a unique romance and I quickly immersed myself in the story. Sey's writing style is fresh, romantic, and words flow off the page. Looking forward to reading more of her stories!
I really enjoyed this book. Well written. Only one typo found (position 1766). Enough mystery to keep you guessing a little. Some teasers to keep you interested in the second book of the trilogy but not feeling like you got suckered into a cliffhanger.
This romancehas all sorts of mysteries running through it. Even though you have a few figured out, there are others that keep your interest. I am heading off to read the next book!
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys stories that are funny, steamy, suspenseful, and oh so romantic, with strong characters both male and female.
This was a different kind of love story. It was almost two stories woven into one with the twists and turns of mystery thrown in to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I enjoyed every word written. Already got the second book and started it this afternoon. I had the 'revelation' correct about the youngest in the family. Good read. GO for it!!
I really like Sey's writing style and for that reason I already know I will read more by this author. But, and I just wasn't overly fond most of the characters featured in this book.