Talia Marchand has finally escaped Ponte Coupee Parish, Louisiana,
and all of the heartache it held for her. Her life is now in
Washington, D.C. as a political consultant. But her past is calling
her back home, back to family responsibilities and back to Derrick
Guillory.
Talia is a product of the foster care system, and were it not for her
foster mom, Ms. Rose, and the promise of her childhood friend Derrick
that he would be her protector, Talia would have slipped through the
cracks. But after graduation Talia needed to escape Derrick's boy scout
mentality and the antics of her birth mother. Now ten years later, her
foster mom is sick and Talia needs to go home. The timing is perfect
as Talia has just been assigned to assist the District Attorney's office
in Coupee Parish, they are studying prison regulations involving non-
violent crimes. But the fact that the case under study is Talia's birth
mother and because she has to work with Derrick, her plan is to spend the
least amount of time in Coupee Parish, treat Derrick as part of her job
and return to her safety net in Washington. But Derrick has other ideas,
all he's ever wanted is forever with Talia.
Those familiar with Ms. Emery's works know she always treats readers
to a well seasoned story about the Bayou state. And this romantic
mystery with unsolved murders and drug world implications does that
indeed. Talia is in for some shocking surprises as she starts to uncover
the background of a mother she wants desperately to hate. And as feelings
that she thought were buried begin to fill her head she starts to conquer
her demons and open her heart.
Reviewed by aNN Brown
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers