Sarah Mac’s Reviews > Whiskey Burn > Status Update

—“Tell us who you are & who you work for.”
—“Fuck you.” The man spits. Blood trickles from his nose.
—“We got a real wordsmith here.” River pockets the man’s cell phone, flips through his wallet. “Says his name is Dino.” He looks up. Smirks. “That’s a stupid fuckin name, Dino.”

….River gives zero fucks. River is a delight. 😂

‘Damn this girl’s secrets. But I don’t care anymore. I care about her. I care that she’s on my ranch, that talking to her is like an unraveling, that her light pushes at every crack in my defenses. I’ve never felt so alive.’

‘I’m not prepared. For this conversation. For this girl. But it’s out, & she’s here, & suddenly everything feels unstoppable. She feels unstoppable. Maybe that’s the reason I’m letting her in. Building trust to get her story. To protect my family from the trouble she’s brought our way. But I don’t know if I buy my own bullshit.’ ….This poor bastard is so in love. 😬

‘I tell myself I don’t need to know about Delilah, don’t need to know why she’s here, or what’s put the shadows in those big brown eyes. One thing’s for certain. She’s a beautiful little liar.’

—“This is your shop?”
—“Yep. Born & raised in Tempest. Probably die here too. No one ever really gets to leave.” Hassie’s expression hardens, & she swallows her whiskey in one long slug. “No matter how much you scream into the fucking void.”

….I’m getting a real Twin Peaks vibe in this book. Intriguing.

‘It’s the curse of our hometown. Every time one of us has tried to leave, we always get pulled back. By tragedy. By loss. Now, we refuse to leave. None of us have anything to leave for. Everything’s still here. All our ghosts.’

Supposedly this is a similar plot to Bourbon & Lies, but with better writing, less annoying side characters, more consistent suspense & improved sex scenes. Hope springs eternal…🫠