A Safe Place (The Devereux Family Book 1)

A SAFE PLACE                                         MARGARET WATSON

Tough, tender-hearted Frankie Devereux doesn't have time to babysit a smooth-talking football player who's supposed to be doing community service at her after-school center for troubled teens. She's dealing with serious stuff – gang problems, a homeless pregnant girl and scraping together enough money to keep her center open. 

But when a dark secret from her past threatens Frankie and the existence of her program, Cal tries to step up and help. But with his career on the line, which will he choose? Football? Or Frankie and her vulnerable kids? 

PAT'S REVIEW

Frankie Devereux is running an after school program on her own and is fighting anyone who tries to come in to here territory. Giving back to the children of the neighborhood is what is has always wanted to do. When in walks Cal Stewart football player and in her place doing community service. She normally does not like anyone new in her place and having some hot shot football player is not going to help her at all. He immediately knocks her down when he sees some gang members talking to one of the boys coming in. he then gets into it with them, of course not thinking the cameras are still outside and catch the whole thing and once again he is in the news until she finally comes around him and comes up with the right words. Realizing that he is out of his element, not, he thinks he saved her when in fact she lives in this very same neighborhood not clear across Chicago in some high rise penthouse. The first over she tries to get rid of him like all of the other ones, but alas she is stuck with the football player. On top of that, he passed from when she went to the juvenile hall is now the head of DCPS, and he would later cause her many problems. She has to tell her brothers what happened from when she went to juvenile hall all of it, she later tells Call. She and Cal begin to work together great with the kids and the story really takes off when a teen shows up pregnant and she is helping her, plus keeping one of the boys from going back into the gang. The problem really comes when she opens her heart up to Cal and he walks away and you begin to wonder if this story will change. The last part of the book is fantastic and makes everything come together. The characters are all good and this is a very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com (less)