Redemption in the Shadows

Poor man. Is it worse that his wife died or that she died while wanting to divorce him.

Hannah sounds like a slut, honestly.

It sounds like he was a good boyfriend to Desi and then a good husband to Hannah. He just needs to pick better next time.

Geez. what happened to her here all those years ago?

What the heck is Aiden looking for? Is he an illegitimate Hudson brother?

Paulo is a very nice boy.

Ouch! Idiot man.

Haha, his parents are fun!

Ew, why does the whole town think she would sleep with an eighty-year-old man? Daughter of the town whore or not, that's just gross!

Beth, just because you introduced a woman to your brother doesn't mean you're responsible for her every movement.

Where is Desi's mother now?

Ooh, he's in trouble...

Wow! He thought he needed protection from his own wife? Yikes.

What's Aiden's deal? Is he an undercover cop or insurance agent? Or is he a criminal?

Nicely played, Ethan.

You need to start taking the stairs, Neal.

Ah, a grown man throwing a hissy fit. Always a pleasure. Not.

Yeah, using permanent ink as a stress reliever is a bad idea, bud. Join a gym or something!

Wow, could the chip on Calista's shoulder be any bigger?

I love how motherly she feels toward Paulo.

Holy Southern inbreeding, Batman.

I like the paper, too, Aiden.

That son of a witch! And Lori says that she had good sex sometimes with that freak? I doubt it!

It's hilarious when she talks to herself in the third person.

I hope those tickets weren't expensive.

How can one family have so many secrets? Desi hopes that she will be welcomed back home., she has gone so long but it was time to return. The people aren't all that happy to see her, they just don't know the whole story of why she left and she knows that she only wants one man to understand. Jason was her first love and she left him behind when she left, he wanted to be a cop and she knows that if he knew the whole story, he would have done something stupid. Jason isn't happy to see her at all, she just left him and he is angry & hurt by what has happened the last couple of years and he takes it out on her. Jason knows that it is time to let his late wife go but she hurt him so badly and try to keep his son away. She hurt his family and lied to them all. Can he ever move on and will he ever give Desi another chance? She just wanted to be accepted back but that isn't going to happen but she isn't going to leave again. Can Jason make amends and let her back in or will his fears never let that happen? The family has so many secrets and more are about to come out. They will learn about long last family and how family members kept them apart all this time. Can this family ever find peace, they have all been through so much? Can Jason & Desi move forward or has their time past? Can they get their HEA like the rest of the bunch? What an interesting read so much drama but it is all surrounded by deep love for their families. We have new beginnings, drama, some danger and forgiveness what more can you want.

I somehow missed that there were a bunch of books before this one when I began reading it but thankfully Haddix writes so well I don’t feel like it affected my ability to enjoy the story. Of course if you had then you’ll get a fuller story so it’s up to you especially since this is a long running series that wraps up into a fitting conclusion with this book.

Haddix wrote a great book that combines romance, drama, and mystery with a page turning story line you won’t want to put down. Her focus on family and relationships is well done with realistic portrayals.

Considering how great this book was I’m definitely going to go back and start at the beginning of this series. Haddix writes books that make you want to channel that Netflix binging talent into reading her series.

This is the story of Jason and Desi. Both have a lengthy backstory, but I feel like Jason's had more impact on the entire story. I would probably give this 3 1/2 stars so rounded up to 4.

The story dragged a bit in parts. Other parts were impressive for the authentic way that the characters were portrayed through the conversations.

This is lrt of a serie, and while I would consider this a stand-alone, I did feel like I was missing some depth from the story because of it.