The Lonesome Young by Lucy Connors – a Review

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Description:
WHAT HAPPENS when the teenage heirs of two bitterly FEUDING FAMILIES can’t stay away from each other?

The Rhodales and the Whitfields have been sworn enemies for close on a hundred years, with a whole slew of adulterous affairs, financial backstabbing, and blackmailing that’s escalated the rivalry to its current state of tense ceasefire.

IT’S TIME TO LIGHT THE FUSE . . .

And now a meth lab explosion in rural Whitfield County is set to reignite the feud more viciously than ever before. Especially when the toxic fire that results throws together two unlikely spectators—proper good girl Victoria Whitfield, exiled from boarding school after her father’s real estate business melts down in disgrace, and town motorcycle rebel Mickey Rhodale, too late as always to thwart his older brothers’ dangerous drug deals.

Victoria and Mickey are about to find out the most passionate romances are the forbidden ones.

. . . ON A POWDER KEG FULL OF PENT-UP DESIRE, risk-taking daredevilry, and the desperate actions that erupt when a generation of teens inherits nothing but hate

Review:

The Lonesome Young by Lucy Connors is the first book in her new YA  series.  We meet our young heroine, Victoria Whitfield, as she is returning home from boarding school.  On the way home, there is an explosion, which the foreman who is driving her decides to check out.  It is there that Victoria meets Mickey, our hero. 

The Lonesome Young is a story about a forbidden romance, built around a family feud that has been going on for many years.  Victoria is a Whitfield, who are the most powerful family, not to mention richest in Whitfield County, Kentucky. Mickey Rhodale, is considered a wild young boy, who comes from a dysfunctional family, dealing with drugs, alcohol, and guns.  Mickey is the best one of the lot in his family;  however he does have a violent temper.

Victoria, who now must attend the local high school, because her father is squandering away the family funds.   Mickey is immediately attracted to Victoria, and though she tries to keep her distance, the attraction for her is also there.  Right from the start, we know this romance is doomed, as the hatred between the families is volatile.  Victoria’s father is belligerent, and causes even more rift in the town, trying to keep Mickey away from Victoria.  There is also a side story with Victoria’s older sister, who is using drugs & alcohol, and Victoria is the only one who is trying to help her.   But the danger element is from Mickey’s family.  His brother Ethan is a major character, who just got out of a jail and is very dangerous.  Ethan’s mother (Mickey has another mother), is also a dangerous and scheming woman.

What follows is a tense story of two young teenagers who fall in love, but have to face many obstacles just to be together.  Can Victoria get past Mickey’s violent temper?  Will Mickey be able to distance himself from his dangerous brother, who wants him to help with his drug dealing? Will Victoria and Mickey have a chance at any kind of relationship?

Throughout the story, we learn about what and who caused this feud.  I liked Victoria, as she was a good heroine, down to earth, who tried to rise above the hatred surrounding her.  She was always there for her sister, and her little brother, who was adorable. But she did not have it easy herself, as her parents were totally unlikeable. Her Gran was great though, a nice character for the Whitfields. 

On Mickey’s side, only his mom and at times his father, who is the sheriff were decent.  But Ethan and another brother were the true bad boys, who have any Whitfield in sight to create havoc, including Victoria.

The start of the book was devoted to learning more about the characters, the feud, and families.  Lucy Connors has written a terrific story of forbidden love, with two young adults.  The book description compares it to Romeo & Juliet/Justified.  However, I felt this book had its own design, and was very well written.  I understood the difficult situations both Victoria & Mickey had to handle.  The Lonesome Young was a very good book, with a lot of drama, difficult situations, family angst and a romance you want to root for, but even at the end of the book you still feel it is doomed. The end is left open for another book. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by author