Review: All That Is Necessary by Jennie Coughlin

All That Is Necessary
By Jennie Coughlin
Series: Exeter #1
Publication date: January 9, 2013
Genre: Small-town Contemporary Fiction
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon
Source: Author in exchange for unbiased review
* purchases made through buy links support this blog
My review of Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter

Twenty years ago, Rick Murray left town after his father was arrested by the State Police for trying to murder Rick's best friend, Dan Reilly. Now Rick is back in Exeter. Dan must grapple with Rick's return and the memories that come with him. As childhood memories run headlong into the reality of what happened that summer, both men must adjust to the idea that things weren't as simple as they seemed back then. All That Is Necessary explores the collision between past and present, between memory and reality, and between two former friends whose lives changed one summer more than twenty years ago.

Last year I read a collection of short stories called Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter by Jennie Coughlin. My favorite was the story of two young boys who found dead bodies in a marsh outside of town and All That is Necessary takes us back to Exeter twenty years later with some of the same characters. This isn’t your typical story, there are relationships but romance isn’t the focus instead we revisit the past when it collides with the present and the effects it has on our main characters. I easily consumed this in a single afternoon and while not flawless it certainly held my attention.

Events twenty years ago forced Rick Murray to leave his hometown when his father was arrested for trying to murder Rick’s best friend Dan Reilly. Rick accepts a head coaching job and moves back to Exeter causing quite a stirrup as Dan and his friends are once again faced with the memories. The whole town is curious as to Rick’s motives for returning. The tale that unfolded gives us a closer look at those events and the impact it had on the small town. All when weaving a new situation and threat to the town of Exeter. 

Coughlin gives us an array of characters and none of them are cookie cutter. Dan Reilly is a college graduate and works with his Dad as a handyman. He is also very active in the town, and with the college. He is openly gay and lives with his husband Chris. Until Rick returned he was pretty centered, but discoveries shake his inner core and we watch him struggle to understand. I liked Dan, but struggled with the way he handled things in the beginning. The town is made up of old families and it's the type of place where an outsider is an outsider unless he was born there. Rick is struggling with the events that separated him and his Dad. His Dad has refused to see him and it’s been almost twenty years. He not really sure why he is back and if he searching for closure or revenge? Dan’s family, best friend and townies make up the cast, as well as the Irish Mob creating an interesting dynamic. I wanted to get into the characters heads a little more and while I understood them they fell a little flat at times. 

Exeter is a small town in Massachusetts with a college campus but it’s also struggling in the current economy. The author does a great job of showing the diverse age groups, multiple generation families as well as the re-growth and decay of the town. We get a strong sense of the events that occurred twenty years ago and the impact it has when Rick resurfaces. Rick’s Dad and the mob was a fascinating thread that added suspense. I wanted more depth and a little less telling in this story but found all the different threads compelling. Coughlin brings up some touch social subjects; prejudices, corruption, politics, and through characters makes you see the situation from all perspectives. The author has strong command of her story and the tale flowed smoothly, allowing me to immerse myself despite wanting more. The ending was positive and set us up for the next book, but it ended abruptly and I found it jarring. It wasn't a cliffy, so don't panic it just happened when I wasn't expecting it. 

If you are looking for a tale about a small-town secrets, suspense and the characters who reside there then I recommend reading All That Is Necessary.

Three cups of coffee out of five

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Blog Tour Review: Day After by Emi Gayle

Today I am excited to bring you a review of the second book in the 19th Year series by Emi Gayle thanks to J.Taylor publishing and their blog tour:

Day After
by Emi Gayle
Series: 19th Year #2
Publisher: J. Taylor 
Publication date: May 6, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository
Source: ARC provided in exchange for unbiased review
*purchases through buy links support this blog
My review of book one: After Dark

Demon crypts. Vampire lairs. Glowing angels. Sexy sirens. The stuff of fiction.  Or so Winn Thomas always thought.  Since being accepted into the fold of the supernatural, he knows better. None of what he imagined is true, but everything he feared is, and binding himself to his Changeling girlfriend until her nineteenth birthday will give him an education far beyond what he’d get at his human high school.  Luckily, Winn’s not giving up, he won’t back down, and he definitely isn’t going to run away with his tail between his legs. After all, only werewolves have tails. Right?  In this, the second of the 19th Year trilogy, Winn’s facing the challenge of one lifetime. If he doesn’t learn the truth about mythological creatures, his girlfriend Mac Thorne won’t either. That means, in six months, when she chooses her final form, she won’t know what to pick.  Winn, though, has his own ideas about Mac’s final selection—plans she knows nothing of.  He intends to have her pick human. Whether she can or not.

I was blown away by After Dark and was excited to jump back into the fascinating world Emi Gayle has created. In Day After we see more action, and learn more about the world and the creatures who reside there. I quickly consumed this and look forward to the final book. The tale is fast paced, filled with mind blowing revelations and characters you cannot help but love. 

Winn agrees to be Mac's teacher and to meet with the council for lessons. As he learns he cannot reveal information to Mac unless she asks. With only six months left, Winn takes his job as teacher seriously even if it means losing the love of his life forever. The tale that unfolds has suspense, danger, impossible decisions and an impossible romance. The tale is delivered from Winn's perspective and I enjoyed getting inside his head.

While the last book focused on Mac Thorne’s perspective and personality this time we really get inside Winn’s head. Tasked with an impossible responsibility he readily accepts. He must help Mac ask the right questions and guide her; which will ultimately separate them.  As he interviews those on the council he begins to discover everything isn’t black and white. I really like Winn, although he is only seventeen, he takes his responsibilities seriously and his love for Mac is unselfish. The relationship struggles as Mac pushes Winn away and even when he wants to throw in the towel, he cannot stop helping her. I loved how he gives this confident outward appearance and then we glimpse his inner fears and thoughts. One of things I like about him is that he totally gets Mac; from her snarky attitude to her refusal to ask the right questions. He is a loyal nerd whom you cannot help but adore. We learn more about the council as well as Winn’s Dad and sister. Suze is back and I gotta tell you I love this crazy demon protector.

Gayle weaves a tale that keeps you guessing. There is an air of suspense and mystery throughout both books that kept me turning the pages. She drops subtle clues and adds foreshadowing that make me believe in possibilities and question everything! The council and their “ask the right questions" was clever as it slowly reveals information that will aid both Mac and Winn. There are some intense scenes and unknown forces at work that kept me on edge. The last few chapters and the ending had my emotions all over and some of the things we learn had me gasping aloud. Winn and Mac really work as a couple, he is the yin to her yang and they bring out the best in each other. The book really worked from Winn’s perspective. I was excited to learn Gayle will do a dual POV in the next book. *happy dance*

If you are searching for an escape, and want a book with awesome world-building and characters to root for than the Day After and the 19th Year series is something you will enjoy. Darkest Day the final book will release in October 2013.

Four and half cups of demon coffee out of five

Waiting on Wednesday # 44

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme

 hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

Blackout 

by Robison Wells

Series: Blackout #1

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication date: October 1, 2013

Genre: YA Science fiction/thriller

Pre-order*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

*purchases through buy links help support this blog

Laura and Alec are trained terrorists.

Jack and Aubrey are high school students.

There was no reason for them to ever meet.

But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all. In Blackout, Wells delivers a lightning-fast, nail-bitingly intense thriller that's perfect for fans of The Maze Runner and I Am Number Four-set in a complex and unpredictable world, where the greatest threat comes from a weapon that no one knows how to control...and the most chilling questions have yet to be answered.

A virus is spreading! (we've heard that before) The twist is it giving teens super POWERS! Add in trained terrorists and I am in! This promises to be a thriller and perfect for fans of I Am Four..which is me!! 

A Clockwork Heart 
by Liesel Schwarz
Series: Chronicles of Light and Shadow #2
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: August 13, 2013
Genre: Adult Steampunk
Pre-order*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

FOR BETTER OR CURSE. That might as well have been the wedding vow of Elle Chance and her new husband, the ex-Warlock Hugh Marsh in the second book of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy, historical adventure, and paranormal romance into storytelling magic. As Elle devotes herself to her duties as the Oracle—who alone has the power to keep the dark designs of Shadow at bay—Marsh finds himself missing the excitement of his former life as a Warlock. So when Commissioner Willoughby of the London Metropolitan police seeks his help in solving a magical mystery, Marsh is only too happy to oblige. But in doing so, Marsh loses his heart . . . literally. In place of the flesh-and-blood organ is a clockwork device—a device that makes Marsh a kind of zombie. Nor is he the only one. A plague of clockwork zombies is afflicting London, sowing panic and whispers of revolution. Now Elle must join forces with her husband’s old friend, the Nightwalker Loisa Beladodia, to track down Marsh’s heart and restore it to his chest before time runs out.

I enjoyed  A Conspiracy of Alchemists the first book and I am anxious to dive back into the world Schwarz has created! Is this series new to you? Read my review of book one: HERE

What Book(s) are you Waiting On?