Forever Road

Peri Jean Mace lives in Gaslight City where...if the rumors are true...the Mace Treasure was hidden by Peri's ancestor. It's a small Texas town, where the folklore is rich, the gossip-grapevine never dies, and the locals never forget. For Peri, as long as she stays in Gaslight City, there will be no escape from the childhood that branded her as 'strange' and 'crazy'. She must be crazy. How else can the people explain Peri's childhood claim to see and talk to ghosts? Imagine how Peri feels. She didn't ask for this, or this so-called gift. She views her gift as a curse, but when her cousin Rae is cruelly and violently murdered, everything in Peri's life beings to change.

I absolutely loved this book. What stood out the most? The characters, specifically Peri. Her personality is very complex and I enjoyed putting the pieces of her life together as the story unfolded. The more I read, the more I understood her. Peri starts out as an angry, rebellious woman, heavy on the defensive side and quick to snap an insult before thinking. I have my reasons for why she is the way she is, but I'll allow you to draw your own conclusions. I will say that she does make a healthy turnaround during the course of the story. I enjoyed Middle-Of-The-Book-Peri so much more than the First-Few-Chapters-Peri. Kudos to the author! She has a real talent for character development. I found Peri to be very realistic when it came to leaving the past behind.

The plot held my attention from start to finish. Watching Peri work out her side of the clues was like watching a character work a complex puzzle. I liked that she kept going, even when she felt beaten down or hopeless. I liked that she wasn't afraid to enter dangerous territory, even though she probably should've taken more precautions on a few occasions. She learned and I liked her for that.

As for the other characters: I found Dean fascinating and I want to know more about him. I still think he might have a bit of the Seeing gift. As for Wade...hmm...I like him, too. A lot. There is a lot more to him than we know. I WANT to know! Then there is Memaw. I adore Memaw...tough as nails and Peri's strongest advocate. Chance and Peri grew up together and I loved their connection. It really moved me. His addiction was a problem, but his heart was solid gold.

The bad guys were definitely bad. *shudders* In fact, the last major action scene had me cringing in fear! I hated Rae. She was an awful, selfish person...until the author began to reframe her. My perspective slowly changed. No spoilers here...get the book. You'll be glad you did.

Reading Forever Road was effortless. It played out in my mind like a movie. I could see all the details the author slipped in without bogging down the story. Quick little visuals...like the peeling paint on Memaw's porch post, or the bottle tree in the yard, the brass on the carriage at the H & H Week street party, or Dean's frustrated half smile. It was surprisingly emotional. I smiled, I laughed, I cried, I gasped in horror, and it was all (again) effortless on my part. The writing flows easily, as if Peri were right beside me telling her story.

Overall a fantastic start to a promising series! Obviously I'm moving on to book two and highly recommend Forever Road to adult fans of paranormal mystery, suspense, or thrillers.

I was contacted by the publicist after being referred by a Goodread's friend (Thank you, Laura!) and a free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author for the opportunity.

...she would have written this book. In an alternate universe Peri Jean Mace and Sooky Stackhouse totally hang out, and in this one, Peri Jean is a character who is hard not to like. Great story, perfectly paced, and unique in a world of formula novels. This book was one that kept me up reading and made me want to finish work to get back to. (A rare occurrence). I can't wait to read the next one.

I really enjoyed this story with its twists and turns.