Where There’s Smoke by Elizabeth Lee Review

4.5 Smooches!

Synopsis

There is something to be said for letting go. Ryland Roberts knows that better than anyone. He’d let go of his ambitions, of his family and—most of all—of her. He’d perfected the art of putting his past behind him and accepted the fact that the town he wanted to leave in his rearview was the place where he was going to live out his days. But sometimes the past doesn’t just go away. Sometimes it comes back to haunt you.

Piper Jameson convinced herself that she left for all the right reasons. She’d saved people by leaving—made sure that they weren’t tainted by her rebellious ways. When her little sister asks her to come home and say goodbye to their ailing mother, she’s forced to see that things aren’t always as they seem. The people who she’d left behind might not have been saved at all.

In the amount of time it takes a bullet to travel from point A to point B, Piper and Ryland will have to put their feelings for each other aside and make a choice. Forced on the run with Piper’s sister, they begin to understand that the future they thought was gone was never really lost.

Review

Piper and Ryland’s relationship was frowned upon by so many from the start, especially Piper’s horrible step-dad who also happens to be the towns chief of police, but that didn’t stop them and they would meet up whenever they got the chance. However one night that all changes and Piper is forced to run away from home, all the while hoping that Ryland would move on and live his life.
When Piper returns to town to say goodbye to her ill mother and rescue her sister from their awful step-dad she realises that leaving hasn’t solved anything and Ryland was stuck in the same town he had always wanted out of.
What happens next is a series of events which could de-rail these characters lives even more and with more awful secrets coming to light that could destroy them, can this pair ever make it away and be together like they both have always wanted?

“You didn’t ruin my life Piper. You are my life. You always have been.”

I really loved this story. It was such a fast paced ride. I loved the romance and the relationship between Piper and Ry and then the drama and suspense that’s thrown in makes this a really captivating read.

Ry was the most protective book boyfriend I’ve ever read. The way he stood by Hadley when Piper left, the way he never stopped loving Piper or how he never listened to all the people who kept saying he could do better…he truly loved Piper and it was so lovely to read about.

“Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she would always be my girl.”

Piper was a great female lead. So strong, proud, willing to stand up for herself and her family and always putting others first. I could really relate to her and she was so likeable.

“I wanted to scream at him for still giving a damn about me. I’d done nothing but screw up his life. As much as I wanted to chase him away, another part of me wanted to beg him to forgive me for being such a disappointment.”

The plot line was intense. From the beginning you could tell it wasn’t going to be an easy journey for the characters and that hooked you in as you wanted to know how they were going to get through it.
I couldn’t believe how evil Piper and Hadley’s step-dad turned out to be, it was an intense plot line and when it all exploded I was holding my breath and having no idea how and if it was all going to work out.

“I wasn’t good for him, wasn’t worthy of his love. I wasn’t doing anything but holding him back. It just took everything going up in flames for me to see it.”

This was a story of forgiveness, love, standing up for those you love and trying to leave the past in the past and move forward. Overall a really enjoyable read and I’m definitely looking forward to reading Hadley’s story and finding out how she moves the past the demons that surely still haunt her.

Bethany

Buy It Now