TWISTED CREEK -- Jodi Thomas
Berkley Books
ISBN: 978-0-425-22081-8
April 2008
Contemporary Romance

Twisted Creek, Texas - Present Day

Life has not been very kind to twenty-six year-old Allie Daniels. Never knowing which high school jock fathered her, and having been deserted by her mother when she was three, Allie has struggled to fit in, get by, and move on. Luckily for her, she has her grandmother, Nana, who loves her unconditionally and is always telling her so. After her grandfather died and they lost the small farm they lived on, it meant that Allie could no longer afford to attend college, so for the past few years she and Nana have been moving from pillar to post, bunking in cheap rentals, while Allie finds whatever work she can. Now, as she works at a nursery in Tennessee, Allie itches to find roots and stop moving around. One day, when she gets home from work, there is a fat envelope with a Texas postmark on it. Her "Uncle" Jefferson has died and left her his property in Twisted Creek. Stunned, since Allie has no other living relatives besides her wayward mother, she and Nana pack the old van and head west. What's the worse that can happen when they find out she isn't the heir? She can get a job in Texas as easily as anywhere else.

When they get to Lubbock, Allie meets with the attorney who sent the letter. He assures her that she is, indeed, the heir, and hands her the keys to the property. What Nana and Allie find is a rundown old store on a lake in a small, neglected fishing community where most of the houses and cabins are empty. As Allie figures, it's a roof over their heads and, for now, it's her roof. She still doesn't believe that she's ever had an Uncle Jefferson, and that this is yet another place she'll have to leave behind. Along with the store, which, to Allie's surprise, is now being stocked weekly by a woman who assures her that Jefferson paid for everything in advance, comes a ragged group of locals, called Nesters, who live year-round on the lake. All seem to be a bit eccentric, but Allie doesn't consider that a problem, since she thinks she's far from average herself. One person in particular stands out, though. Blue-eyed, brooding, soft-spoken Luke Morgan, who just appears out of nowhere at times, and seems to be hiding something, making Allie wary of him.

Luke, a Federal ATF agent, is staying at his fishing cabin and observing the lakeside dwellings for drug dealers. He's sure that Jefferson didn't drown accidentally, and he's just as sure that all of the burned out cabins didn't spontaneously combust. Allie's arrival sends him into a tailspin, though, as, at first, he wonders if she had something to do with his old friend's death, then realizing she couldn't have, he begins to see something very special about her. Fighting his growing attraction to her, he cannot resist helping the two women as they turn the old store into a viable business again.

TWISTED CREEK is a wonderful, character-driven tale that tells just what a family can be, even if it's made up of a bunch of lonely friends. Allie has spent her life in defensive mode, knowing that something will go wrong to take away any happiness she has. Nana, on the other hand, sees nothing but the good things that life offers, especially her beloved granddaughter. And Luke would like nothing more than to have a life other than work. Each of the Nesters brings added flavor to this heartwarming story of friendship and trust. The mystery of just who Jefferson is to Allie makes for a page-turning experience. Romance blossoms slowly, but for two nearly lost souls, it's rewarding when it does.

As usual, Jodi Thomas kept me up way later than normal! TWISTED CREEK could be anywhere, but Ms. Thomas makes it uniquely Texan with her wonderful characters and great dialogue. This is another thought-provoking novel to add to your Jodi Thomas collection.

Jani Brooks