Catie Rhodes

Six months have passed since Peri and local Deputy Dean Turgeau began dating. Six months since the violent death or Peri's cousin Rae and the harrowing murder investigation which she helped solve with her unusual gift.

Things are as good as they can be, until a suspicious dinner receipt and a forgotten wallet motivates Peri to make an unannounced delivery to Dean's family home in Louisiana. She tells herself she's ready to confront Dean, ready to read him the riot act, but instead she's the show more one blindsided upon arrival. Dinner isn't the only secret Dean has kept from Peri all this time.

I'm really growing attached to these characters. In this installment we meet Dean's family and learn about the tragedy they experienced fifteen years earlier. I liked how the roles were reversed in this book. Dean asks Peri to use her gift to try and discover the truth about what really happened all those years ago. It goes a long way in bringing then closer and strengthening their relationship. I was touched at the way Peri knew when to quietly support him, and when to engage him in conversation. Peri is finally letting down her walls and learning to trust that he'll be there. We also learn why Dean is so uncomfortable about Peri's gift, which I thought was a very believable and insightful explanation by the author. Bravo! I loved it!

Peri's character is continuing to grow in both maturity and in the use of her gift, even though there are a few times where she gets into a game of Rock-Em-Sock-Em Robots with Lisette (Dean's ex-wife). Lisette is a horrible person and would test the patients of Job, so I'll give Peri a pass. Besides, I found Peri's 'throw down' attitude with Lisette pretty darn funny.

The author packs a lot of action and suspense into this fast-paced novella and wraps up the story nicely. I really like where the series is going and while I did figure out the guilty person early on, I really enjoyed watching the characters figure it out themselves.

Ms Rhodes' smooth prose, colorful characters, and moody ghosts, compliment each other to make these books an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon! I'll be moving on to book three!

***NOTE: A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.*** show less

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. show more 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. show less

This year I’ve been into books this year where the lead can speak or see ghosts. It’s a fascinating ability that can open doors to interesting plots in fantasy. In Forever Road the heroine can see ghosts, and the whole town seems to know it, but the communication isn’t always friendly and isn’t done with words. The ghosts in this series can touch objects, influence temperature, and touch people. Some the spirits are downright scary and irritating, which lends a unique flavor to this show more genre trope. It’s not the typical see-ghost story because of that.

It’s also unique because it’s in a country mode with the dialect, thinking and small town atmosphere. The heroine is already an outcast because of her ability but it’s not easy shrugging off a mother who wants nothing to do with her, a trashy cousin who gets murdered in the trailer next door, and the cops who dislike her on principle already.

The mystery is decent when her cousin comes to a bad end. There’s some scrum of the earth in the book that comes across convincing. I wasn’t surprised at the secret villain but it was well done anyway. The heroine is decent but sometimes her personality is a bit much to take, not my favorite personality type but I do dig heroines with flaws. I did like the cop Dean.

There’s a lot of country feels here – ya’ll, small town mindset, and language. Violence when done goes all out, and sailor language galore. A love triangle seems to be brewing, too.

I didn’t have enough chemistry with the series to seek out the sequels, but it’s a unique start to a series that dares to be different and has some things going for it mystery wise. show less

Peri Jean Mace sees ghosts. She knows things others cannot know. She is considered crazy by her small community and has learned to hide her ability from others as a result of things that happened in her childhood. At nearly 30 she is divorced, doing odd jobs and living with her grandmother. Her cousin Rae, just out of jail, also lives on her grandmother’s property and is not an easy person to get along with. When Rae is brutally killed and her ghost begins to follow Peri around, hoping to show more put her murderer behind bars, Peri’s life is turned upside down. Add into the mix a childhood girlfriend she doesn’t trust, a high school boyfriend who is her best friend though not her lover, a new cute deputy that sets her blood afire, a church minister with the hots for her and a crime to be solved that has more twists and turns than a switchback mountain road and you have a well written story that is definitely worth reading.

I liked the fact that the characters all have secrets and rather messy lives. There is a lot that is explored but a whole lot left to be uncovered in future books of this series. I have always found the idea of seeing ghosts intriguing and have heard there were aunts on my father’s side who saw ghosts and even talked to them around the dining room table. Not having had that experience personally I find reading about such things entertaining.

This is the first book I have read by Catie Rhodes and it is my hope to read more of her stories in the future. I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. show less