Last Rites by Sharon Sala

 💖💖💖💖💖/5

Last Rites by Sharon Sala, book two in the Jubilee, Kentucky series, is a wonderful heartwarming and heartbreaking romantic suspense in a small Kentucky mountain town, where tight-laced clans abound, and outsiders are looked upon with suspicion. Shirley Pope Wallace and her four adult sons leave a life of hate and persecution after her abusive husband is convicted for murdering two store employees in their Arkansas town. All of them lost their jobs in Arkansas due to her husband’s misdeeds, and Aaron’s wife of a few months leaves him. Shirley inherited her late mother’s house in Jubilee, Kentucky and hoping to start again they decide to return to their familial roots on Pope Mountain. To further distance themselves from the scandal, they all legally change their last name to her maiden name, Pope. After a grand welcome by the Pope family, the boys start looking for employment; Aaron is once again a police officer, and his brothers are finding their own ways as well.

A young boy is shot on the mountain and left for dead. A short time later, Daniella “Dani” Owens, a second-grade teacher who relocated to Jubilee from Louisiana, sees a man stumble into the town parking lot and fall. He seems to be in a big hurry to leave; gathering the dropped belongings as gets in his car and drives away. Dani notices something on the ground where the car was parked and goes to see what it is. Finding a Civil War-era journal she turns it over to the police. Dani wants to remain anonymous if possible, especially after traumatic events that caused her move to Jubilee. It turns out the journal is telling of the history of the Pope family on the mountain. While a young boy fights for his life in the hospital, the search is on for the shooter, Dani’s life is in danger from a stalker from the life she left behind, and mysteries involving the first Pope family are brought to light. Aaron becomes involved in the investigation of hisyoung cousin’s shooting and meets the attractive Dani. Once he realizes that she may be in danger, he sets himself up as her protector. Chance, fate or destiny, Aaron and Dani find the love and acceptance they both deserved while they assist the police in tracking down the shooter and solving the old mystery surrounding the Pope matriarch; all while the danger that followed Dani to Kentucky finds a deserving end. Cameron Pope, Rusty, and Ghost and his large extended family were introduced in Don’t Back Down and served as minor characters throughout this story.

 

Sharon Sala has a gift for entwining multiple characters and storylines while still keeping the main plot the center focus of the book. Somehow she is able to blend and connect all of the characters, provide a back-story and share enough information to know what's going on and where each character is coming from. I highly recommend Last Rites, a must read, to other readers and look forward to more stories featuring the Pope brothers.

 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.