DANCING WITH FIREFLIES

DANCING WITH FIREFLIES                DENISE HUNTER
Posted:  Dec. 29, 2014

Jade returns home to Chapel Springs after years of protecting her fragile heart. Then along comes Daniel, making her long to dance again.
Creative and complicated, Jade McKinley felt like a weed in a rose garden growing up in Chapel Springs. When she left, she thought she'd never look back. But now, pregnant, alone, and broke, she has no other choice but to return.
The mayor of Chapel Springs, Daniel Dawson, has been an honorary member of the McKinley family for years. While his own home life was almost non-existent, Daniel fit right into the boisterous McKinley family. He's loved Jade for years, but she always saw him as a big brother. Now that she's back, his feelings are stronger than ever.
As Jade attempts to settle in, nothing feels right. God seems far away, she's hiding secrets from her family, and she's strangely attracted to the man who's always called her "squirt." Finding her way home may prove more difficult than she imagined.

MY REVIEW:

     How much should one person be made to endure?  At 23, Jade McKinley had, had more than her share.  She had loved and lost, she had been embarrassed beyond repair, now a second time in what she thought could be a new lease on love, when it wasn’t it sent her packing.  Moving from Indiana where her friends and family were to Chicago with her high school friend Izzy, now her roommate.

     She came here with a dream of maybe making one thing work in her life she knew she was good at work.  Yet, after a year plus she was working at a diner and playing a few sets at a coffeehouse.  Barley scratching the surface.  A guy by the name of Nick had been coming in for months and bugging her for the last couple of weeks to have dinner with him.  She agreed and invited him to dinner knowing that Izzy would be there.  She just wanted to give him his one night so he would stop bugging her.  She felt safe with Izzy around.  She was getting cold feet closer to the time he was due to arrive but Izzy said he had been coming in for months so he had to be a good guy.  She was so leery about relationships after Aaron.

     Just before Nick was due to get there Izzy was called into work leaving Jade in a panic.  Izzy said serve some wine and calm down.  Jade didn’t like the taste of alcohol but didn’t it anyway.  By the time she had gone to get the dessert once they had finished their meal he had pour her a full glass.  All her bells and whistles started going off but she was so nervous that she didn’t say anything.  As she talked she started drinking and realized she was talking most and started feeling funny.  She really wanted him to leave but didn’t want to be rude.  Then he said let’s sit on the couch.  She was really feeling the panic now.  But now it was like she couldn’t think or really move and then she was out.  The next thing she knew she was waking up the next morning in her bed in a ball, her underwear was off, her body ached, and she felt sick.  She knew at that moment what had happened.

     Jade made the decision to move back home for good not telling anyone not even the police.  She was going home but chose not to tell anyone she needed to see Daniel first.  She just could tell anyone why she was home just not yet.  She had not been to Daniel Dawson’s home in a long time.  He’s a friend of her brother’s that became an honorary brother to her and her sisters.  He almost lived at their house growing up.  He is 5 years older than her and they were like brother and sister at least in her mind.

     Little did she know Daniel had been in love with Jade since the time he had taught her how to drive a stick shift at 17.  She never even had a clue.  One of her sisters did but he swore her to keep it a secret.  Her just showing up at his house after a little over a year with no call, text, email, or letter in all that time pissed him off.  He would never tell her or turn her away when she needed him because he loved her but it really hurt his feelings.

     See how Daniel helps Jade out with the obstacles put before her.  See how the people in her life help and how they help her see what God truly wants for her.  How God and they let her know how truly strong and selfless she is.  This was a well thought out book that could have such a bad turn out and bad set of feelings to deal with afterword.  Yet, you don’t you come away with such a good feeling and it was well worth the read.  I give this book 5 stars.  Provided by Net Galley.  Follow us at: www.1rad-readerreviews.com