Dane Foster is at a crossroads - she has been in a downward spiral for months after the death of her best friend and has just lost her job as a photojournalist. She returns to Tennessee, where she was raised by her emotionally distant father, to trace her mother's roots. She arrives in Jellico, a small, economically depressed and close-knit community where strangers are viewed with suspicion and questions are not encouraged.

Emma Reynolds is a careworn but fiercely independent character - with the death of her parents she had to leave college and her dreams to take on the responsibility of running her father's bar, maintaining the farm and raising her brother, Curtis. Pragmatic and just a bit jaded, she grudgingly agrees to rent a room to Dane as the extra money will help but she is hesitant at first to trust or accept any help.

As Dane digs deeper into her mother's past, she also becomes aware of how deep Curtis seems to be getting into the local drug scene - his naivety making him gullible enough to think he's just doing favours for his "friend" but is really being set up as the perfect scapegoat. This same friend is also trying to coerce Emma into allowing him to deal out of her bar - something she has resisted up to this point but his pressure tactics have increased. Dane is drawn into the conflict as her relationship with Emma and Curtis begins to dovetail with her search for answers to her own past.

There's a darker tone to the book - Emma is constantly fighting an uphill battle to keep the bar and the farm above water even as her guileless brother is being being drawn deeper by the local drug dealers and, as Dane digs deeper into her her mother's family, the secrets reveal the increasingly sad and sordid history. There's definitely a careful what you wish for sense as the information that Dane learns causes her to question even more of her life and choices.

Ms Ford paints a compelling picture of the region and the people. There's a grittiness and realism with the pervasiveness of drugs and violence where there really isn't much else to support the town. At the same time, there's a strong sense of family bonds - for better or worse - where blood is truly thicker than water and how family will close ranks to protect their own. With Emma, her family is primarily Curtis who she stands by regardless of the reckless decisions he makes - almost to the point of enabling him by not putting her foot down and forcing him to take a more active role in the bar or the farm - but there is an undeniable love for her brother. On the flip side, the family secrets that Dane uncovers conceal a much uglier set of family bonds. As the bloodline family she hoped to find becomes more dysfunctional and grim, she becomes more connected to Emma and Curtis - finding that sense of family and belonging that she had been searching for all her life.

From a romance standpoint, the connection between Emma and Dane is a slow burn with Dane slowly breaking under Emma's natural defensiveness and independence and convincing her to take a chance to accept that she doesn't have to do everything alone. The setting and circumstances of the book was different enough from a lot of the standard lesfic narratives to make this an interesting read.

The author stated at the beginning that she wanted to write about Appalachia and some of the issues that persist in that setting. As the story unfolds, it is difficult yet believable that people drink quite a bit, people are unemployed, prevalence of drugs, people engagde in inappropriate relationships, some people dealing with mental health issues, and some people creating problems for other people. Dane Foster, hurting from a past tragedy that she feels responsible for. Emma Reynolds, "stuck" looking out for her younger brother. This was a difficult read due to the challenges faced by the main characters. Specifically, are you your brothers keeper and the dynamics between father and daughter. Emma's brother, Curtis must also be considered a main character because so much of the read is about dealing with him and the situations he creates. I like the give and take between Emma and Dane and their desire to stand by Curtis, no matter what. On the other hand, they both need someone to care about them and encourage them to make the changes that are necessary in their lives.

I'm from the same region of East Tennessee where this book (and the last book "Captive") is set. I'm from the nearby "big city", Knoxville, but I do know that the mountains of northernmost Tennessee are exactly as Donna Ford has described. There's virtually nowhere to work, and nothing much to do but get in trouble. I enjoyed Curtis being an equal main character, and despite wanting to yell "why doesn't he just get a job" several times I know that there really was nowhere that he could work. With everything that Emma has had to endure in her life I was really rooting for things to work out for her. This is a story that will definitely stick with me for awhile. And the cover art is gorgeous.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was really impressed with her work.

The story of Emma and Dane was filled with so much angst but also filled with much perseverance and the need to find that one person to whom you belong to and want to spend your life with. There may have been many ups and downs for these ladies but in the end you have to look beyond the past and the pain and see the person who will right all the wrongs in your life.

Thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in these pages and will be looking forward to reading more.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed. **

Tennessee Whiskey by Donna K. Ford is a fascinating story set in an area that has always interested me.

The main character, Dane Foster travels to Jellico after losing her photography job and her best friend to an explosion in a war zone. She is in Jellico to try to find out information about her mother’s family. There she meets Emma Reynolds and her brother Curtis. Emma runs the local bar in town and takes care of her brother who is mildly developmentally challenged. Emma agrees to let Dane rent a room in her home while she is searching for her mother’s family, but she warns her to be very careful. People in this area are very distrustful of strangers, especially ones asking questions. Not only does Dane face problems in Jellico as an outsider, but Emma herself soon faces a pretty dangerous situation. Curtis gets tangled up in the local drug scene which has kind of taken over bootlegging as the main moneymaking business for some folks. The three face danger and possible heartache, but also a burgeoning attraction between Dane and Emma as they work to help Curtis survive the trouble he is in.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story partly because of the setting. Ms. Ford’s descriptions of the place and the people in this area of Appalachia are spot on. Though I never lived in the area itself, I remember my father describing these places as we traveled through North Carolina and Tennessee to visit relatives. What he described and what I read here are very similar. The characters are also well developed and true to the story and the setting. I connected with Dane and Emma, and loved watching their feelings for each other grow through the tale. The mystery & intrigue in this book is realistic and sometimes even frightening. It would have kept me reading even without the romance aspect of the story. There is quite a bit of angst in the novel, from the beginning until the end, but this is also a heartwarming tale that I think you will enjoy.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Dane left home years ago haunted by questions and she's been working as a photographer in war-torn areas since. Now she's home haunted by more demons than ever. She's determined to find out more about her mother's family, but in the close knit community of Jellico, she does so at risk to her own life. She's renting a room from Emma, a local bar owner, and soon becomes close to Emma's younger brother, Curtis. But Curtis get's mixed up with drug dealers, and Emma and Dane work hard to keep him safe all the while finally letting down their walls and growing closer. But Dane ran away from her home in Tennessee before, will she again? Or will love be enough?

This story is as much Dane and Emma's story as it was Dane really coming to accept herself for who she was. But also for Curtis to really find his place in Jellico and for Emma to find her independence. I loved the strong bonds between Curtis and Emma and the way they stretched to let Dane in. They're a beautiful found family. I was never quite sure how old Curtis was, at first I thought he was really young, but it comes clear later on that he has some sort of disability and helps us understand his character. I thought the characters were all really interesting, a little rough around the edges sometimes, but family and community are strong themes. This is my first book by the author, and while a few things that didn't line up which kept me from being totally invested in the story, her writing style was totally immersive in a setting I know nothing about.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was pretty much sucked into this small town mystery from the get-go. I found it gripping and intriguing. I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Finding roots in the back woods.

Dane has been rattled. She fell prey to a significant trauma that has her questioning her place in the world. She heads back home, the one place she was anxious to flee as soon as she had the chance. She has never had a great relationship with her widowed father, and he will not tell her anything about her mother's life before them. She sets out to find out about her mother's history on her own. Dane meets a bartender, Emma, and her brother Curtis at a local bar and ends up renting a room with them for awhile.

I liked the relationships Dane develops with Emma and Curtis. She seems to come into their lives and fit like a missing puzzle piece. It isn't lost on the reader that they become something that Dane needs as well. All of their interactions were well paced and feelings grew naturally.

The main arc in this story is Emma's brother Curtis and his ability to get into trouble with the local riff raff. He is a mentally challenged young man because of lack of oxygen during birth. So even though he means well, he doesn't make the best decisions. This part of the story was super strong and engaging. It seamlessly connected with Dane's search for answers.

Had this story had fade to black intimate scenes, I would have rated this 4 or 5. Unfortunately, the quality of writing felt really inconsistent with the rest of the book and left me disappointed. I wanted to like this book more, but I was so taken out of the interesting story by the weird explicit scenes. I am not a huge fan of sex in books, but I can handle it in most cases. But the use of a very clinical sounding 'clitoris,' and the frequency in which it was used (8 times during their first encounter), really had me skimming and losing interest in the main character's relationship.

So I will recommend this book because of the overall story of searching for history, trying to find a place to belong, and building lasting relationships. This also had an interesting back woods setting and unique characters. But I have to put a disclaimer that the intimate scenes may have you scratching your head.

This is for those who want to read about Tennessee, bar ownership, ranch houses, drug dealing, survivor's guilt, romance, family drama, frog eggs, and the excessive use of 'clitoris.'

Dane Foster is at a low point in her life. She’s lost a friend and her job and is bitter about her poor relationship with her father, a man she fears she takes after. She goes in search of her mother’s kinfolk in rural Tennessee, hoping to find good people to restore her faith in herself.

Emma runs a bar once owned by her late parents.She also tries to keep her developmentally delayed brother Curtis out of trouble. Drug dealers run roughshod over the community of Jellico and her brother and bar are in their cross hairs. When Dane rents a room from Emma while she searches for her relatives she too becomes a target. Nobody trusts a stranger in Jellico.

This is the first book I’ve read by Donna Ford. I like her writing style and after a frustrating first few chapters found myself getting caught up in the lives of Emma, Dane and Curtis. At first the many references to Dane’s drinking problem felt repetitive. I love the Chris Stapelton song too but began to wonder if the book was crafted to showcase the song. I also found the reasons behind Dane’s desire to return to her mother’s roots weak and not convincing enough to subject her to all she endures. Emma comes across as cold and uncaring, tired from years of running a business and keeping her little brother out of trouble. I did warm up to Emma and could understand her reasons to distance herself from this attractive visitor.

As the story develops the reader gets drawn into the drama surrounding both Emma and Dane. The relationship between the two takes a backseat to events swirling around them. These two exhausted women do find strength in one another and I found myself rooting for their success (and survival).

3.5 stars

ARC received with thanks from publisher for review.

The first book I read by this author, Captive, completely blew me away, so when I saw this book available on NetGalley, I immediately requested a copy.

It's very different from Captive, not as dark, but equally entertaining, perhaps more so if you're a reader who doesn't enjoy darker stories.

The leads are likable, their romance a slow burn, as more pressing matters take the forefront. One of those being Dane's need to find her roots, and the other being Emma's brother, Curtis. In fact, the brother is a major part of the story. Something that was unexpected but not unwanted.

The resolution is satisfying, but I can't say too much more without spoilers.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book and was glad I took a chance on reading it. I Donna Ford has written a few book but I want to say this is probably my first, maybe second, read from her and I look forward to reading more. This is a story about a small town in...you guessed it Tennessee...where Dane (for some reason I really like that name) goes to look for answers about her mother's family. Here she meets Emma and her brother Curtis and that is where everything takes a turn for the worse but with a very nice silver lining. The book has a few twists and turns, nothing thriller/mystery type but more like slight cringe slight yikes like.
I will say some things were a bit unclear to me. For starters, I felt Dane's reasoning was for starting her journey into her mother's past felt week to me. I also wonder what why the boys didn't "go hunting" before everything got out of hand. Lastly, there is scene where Dane is in an apartment (trying to give spoilers so I'm being vague as possible) that was put in there but not really addressed. I wonder there is plan for another book because of that scene.
Anyway, I liked the book and really enjoyed the story that was told. It was sad, it was sweet, and it was even frustrating at times. It was definitely worth the read. I give it 4.86 stars :)

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Dane is a photographer who is haunting by her best friend Michelle death. She decided it times to learn more about her mother Pearl life because she wants to feel connected to something she believes she self-centered and her life doesn't have any meaning so she head to Jellico where her mother is from.

When she stop into a bar she meets Emma who own the place and first thing she does is hit on her and then she befriend Emma brother Curtis who tells her that his rent a room out from time to time . Emma is reculant to rent to Dane because she believes she trouble but decide to give her chance.

As Emma and Dane attraction grows Emma is trying to keep Dane at arm length as she tries to help her brother when he gets into trouble with the law. Dane learns some things about her mother family that leaves her reeling all the while trying to help Emma with her brother Curtis who seem into something that can get them all kill.

I like when Emma was saying to Dane I thought you were trouble but it's my brother who brought trouble into our lives. This was a enjoyable read.