Title: A Hometown Boy
Series: Standalone
Author: Janice Kay Johnson
Genre: Harlequin
Prosecutor David Owen has fond memories of growing up in small-town Washington State. But he outgrew that place—and his family—long ago and hasn’t felt the need to return. Until the day a tragedy shakes the town and calls him back to a community desperate for hope and healing. In the emotional fallout, he never expects to find Acadia Henderson again.
For one teenage summer they hovered on the edge of a sweet attraction before she moved away. Now as adults, that same attraction is there…only, hotter and way more intense. This seems like the wrong time to find a connection. But it could be the perfect time to move on…with each other.
David Owen returns to his hometown when he learns his brother committed the horrible murders. His mother recently kicked his brother out of the house, because he was hurting her and refused to take his medication. She had tried many times in the past to have him committed but it never worked.
Acadia Henderson has come home as well. Her father was one of the people killed. Acadia and David grew up together but haven’t seen each other in a long time. Acadia’s father was her only family in this town, and soon turns to David for comfort.
I wasn’t a fan of this book. First off it was very depressing; it’s also very realistic and explains the gritty dirty details. This book is full of funerals, grieving families, hatred towards David and his mother for what his brother did. It also shows how a town can come together and there are kind people who don’t blame David’s family…but it is very, very dark.
This is more of a fiction book, with an “I love you” tacked on to the last page. The author emphasizes how David and his mother lives, two innocent people in this story, can change, cruelly at times. They had no control over what their son and brother did, yet they get the blame. I think the author shows the side well, but this reads like a fiction book, not a romance. A very depressing fiction book at that. The sunshine, happy couple on the cover and the blurb are very misleading.
Rating: D+
