All the Lights by K. Ryan Pages: 410
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads
Two households. One secret that will change everything.
I was raised to believe his family was nothing but trash.
I was raised to believe her family was the root of all evil.I sent his brother to prison.
I should hate her for what she did.I’ve never fought a day in my life.
I’ve fought every day of my life.I need him to help me find answers.
I need her to set the record straight.I should stay away from him.
I should walk away from her.But I can’t.
But I can’t.*This book is a standalone, contemporary/mystery romance and is intended for readers 18 and older*
All of the Lights
K. Ryan
Wow, All of the Lights is deep and emotional! From the beginning, you realize that Rae is living a life that she hates. Her sister is a spoiled bitch, her dad is an abusive asshole, and all of south Boston thinks she is the devil (well, they think her father is, and that she is just as bad!). Rae was attacked 7 years ago and in the aftermath, her dad convinced her that the only person who was capable being the attacker was Sean Callahan. Oh, and Sean is the son of Rae’s dad’s rival.
Years of doubt have taken their toll on Rae. She has always felt less than confident that Sean was guilty. But, he plead guilty. Then she meets Jack and is forced to face the fact that she really doesn’t think Sean was guilty.
Rae’s father is awful! He is just a horrible human being. He is emotionally abusive to Rae. She is constantly reminded of what a screw up she is and that she is basically just a terrible person. Her best friend, Bennett, tries to help her break free from her terrible family. Jack’s family is a bit dysfunctional as well. His dad isn’t a saint by any means. His older brother Brennan is running for a seat in the town council to work against Rae’s father, the mayor. Its all very Romeo and Juliet. Rae should never go to southie because they will kill her, and Jack is nothing but trash to her family. However, Rae does want to do the right thing now and find out the truth behind her attack. She and Jack have sparks and despite the fact they should hate each other, there is attraction and some commonality.
As the story unfolds in All of the Lights, mystery leads to discovery. But discovery only leads to more questions and more mystery! I was dying to know the answers to some of the questions Rae and Jack uncover. Seriously, once I really got into the book and the first BIG mystery has an answer, I could not put it down. Also, there is not explicit sex, so this is one book I plan to share with some of my students (Seniors) because I know they will LOVE it!
[bctt tweet=”All of the Lights is one of those books that you can’t stop reading! ” username=”thebookdisciple”]
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: a few
- Trope: star crossed lovers
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: standalone
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
Anti-Stepbrother by Tijan, Paper Princess by Erin Watt, Elite by Rachel Van Dyken…then you will probably like All of the Lights!
Kindle Unlimited
From All of the Lights:
Jack
I feel like I’ve been walking for hours. It’s almost June now and the weather feels ready for it, humid and itchy despite the fact that it’s nearly 11 at night, bursting at the seams with new beginnings and second chances. I feel that too.
Somehow, my blind trek away from the bar led me to the red line on Broadway and then I’d just followed instinct from there. Maybe I’d known where I was heading this whole time; I just didn’t see it until now.
After I got off the red line on Park, I walked and walked with my hands solemnly in my pockets and my head facing down. It’s no accident that I’ve managed to hike all the way over to Back Bay even though my truck could’ve taken me there faster. Walking through the city streets where I’d grown up with so much love and devotion…reconciling that now and letting it go is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Nothing is ever quite what it seems. That much I know. No matter what you believe to be true, there’s always the underlying possibility that your truth is nothing more than a carefully constructed story structured to keep you under someone else’s thumb.
My truth is this: I want to fight on Sunday so I can get that deed. I want to fight on Sunday so I can beat the Gianottis at their own game. I want to fight on Sunday because that, in the end, is exactly what Roark Callahan deserves. I want to fight on Sunday because I finally know how Sean felt all those years ago when he looked our dad in the eye, asked him for the truth, and received nothing in return.
I understand that recklessness because I’m living it now.
And most of all, I want to fight on Sunday because I want Rae to know I won.
It’s amazing how much the course of your life can change in ten minutes. That was all it took. In that short span of time to everything I thought I knew ripped wide open. Disillusionment and clarity can make you do some pretty reckless things, but I don’t find myself retreating. I find myself moving forward instead.
So here I am. An idiot. An enlightened fool. Nothing but a terrified asshat hoping the only thing good in his life will give him the time of day.
The door opens a few moments later and my heart—God, my heart—vaults right into my throat. Surprise colors her pretty face and she sweeps some of that auburn hair behind her ear as her lips dip into a frown.
“Hey,” I exhale breathlessly and lean both palms on her doorframe.
“Hi.”
Rae blinks a few times before I hear a low growl behind her and she bends down to scoop up that psychotic black cat. Those yellow eyes glint back at me, narrowing with contempt as if to say, I know why you’re here, guy, and I. Don’t. Like. It.
Ah well. The thing is just going to have to get used to me.
When Rae comes back to the door after hiding the monster in her bedroom, she doesn’t look any less confused than she did before. Not to mention suspicious as all hell that I’m here now, especially after the last time we spoke. I guess I better remedy that.
“Can I come in?”
She hesitates for just a moment and I can’t blame her. I earned that.
“Sure,” she nods finally and steps aside so I can breeze through the threshold. That frown is still written all over her face as she leans against her kitchen counter, her eyes following my movements carefully, like she can’t believe I’m really here. I sort of can’t believe it either.
“What’s wrong, Jack?”
“Nothing,” I shrug and then spread my arms out with a sharp laugh. “Everything. Nothing and everything is wrong.”
“Okay.”
It’s probably best if I just start at the beginning.
“I got a visit from Roark Callahan and Father Lindsay today,” I start heavily and I don’t miss the way her eyes flash at how I spit out their names. Calling him my dad, my pop, just doesn’t feel right today. I don’t know if it will ever feel right again. “They don’t want me to fight on Sunday. Big surprise, huh? Anyway, it got to a point where I thought he might actually tell me the truth—the truth about him, your mom, and everything we don’t know about them. Instead, I got a very different truth.”
Rae’s features twist with concern and her head tilts a little to the side. “What’s that?”
“They told me how my dad—my real dad—really died.”
I have seen a lot of Romeo and Juliet adaptations but I always find myself turning away from reading their stories even though I like the play of Romeo and Juliet somewhat. Maybe All of the Lights will change that because it sounds like it’s right up my alley.
It was so good!! I have been getting a lot of ‘star-crossed lovers’ stories lately and this one was phenomenal!
I don’ think I’ve ever read a ‘star-crossed lovers’ story, maybe I’ll run across one soon because I seem to find myself trying different kinds of stories lately.
I teach HS and my female students are all about these kinds of stories: she’s a rich private school girl, he’s from the wrong side of the track. They LOVE that stuff! Needless to say when we ACTUALLY read Romeo and Juliet, they were NOT impressed with the ending.
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