Home to Whiskey Creek

Brenda Novk has a compelling way of getting you involved in the characters lives and keepng you guessing until almost the end who the bad guy is. I loved the story of Addy and Noah, which had me rooting for Addy through all the troubles and challenges that she faced. Coming home after 15 years away and having to re-live the graduation night that started her troubles. I can't wait to see how Baxter's story plays out.

I loved the previous books in the Whiskey Creek series, however, I found this book very disturbing. The cavalier treatment of assault on women was very upsetting. From a mayor and sheriff conspiring to prevent investigation of allegations to their derogatory remarks concerning the woman was highly disturbing. The criminal resolution was also highly upsetting...reminded me of a receiving a traffic ticket without the fine. Also the ease with which the victim accepted the assault must have indicated she was delusional or that she had received the best and most expensive psychological care. If you are looking for a story that downplays assault on women then this is definitely the book for you. I will give a great deal of thought before purchasing the next in the series!

Addy Davies suffered a horrific, life altering event when she attended a graduation party for an older crowd. Addy chose to keep it hidden, but it forever changed her. After her own graduation, she left Whiskey Creek far behind to try to move on with her life.

Addy's grandmother basically raised her though, and now that she is getting older and needs help, Addy is back in Whiskey Creek. Leaving her job as a chef in Davis, she has returned to help her grandmother run her restaurant, but hoping her Grandmother will agree to sell it so that Addy can be safely on her way again. Addy has no intention of catching up with anyone in Whiskey Creek except for her Grandmother. She has purposely severed as many ties as she could to Whiskey Creek, and wants to keep it that way.

But someone who doesn't want the past to be revealed is worried...and shortly after Addy arrives in Whiskey Creek she is abducted from her bed, beaten and thrown in an abandoned mine. Addy has no idea what her abductor planned for her, because Noah Rackham, former high school crush, current super star racer, and notorious womanizer, happens upon her and saves her from an uncertain fate. Noah initially has no idea who Addy is when he first pulls her out of that mine...he also has no idea his deceased twin brother was one of the vicious attackers years ago. Noah doesn't know why Addy is so evasive about what happened, but he knows he is inexplicably drawn to the woman she has turned into. The more Addy tries to push Noah away, the more determined he that she should give him a chance.

Addy is determined to keep her secret from all those years ago. She holds onto a lot of guilt, not of the attack, but what happened afterwards. As much as it pains her to know her attackers have gone unpunished and have moved on so well with their lives, she is unable to face the past. Now that she has been attacked again and her grandmother threatened, she feels she has to keep her secret forever. This is affecting every aspect of Addy's life though. She is frightened, feels guilty, is not being honest about the recent attack with anyone, and despite years of therapy is unable to maintain a relationship. Noah keeps turning up though, and she is finding herself more and more drawn to him as well. She feels it is wrong though, nothing can possibly come of a relationship with Noah without too many other people getting hurt. Slowly Noah breaks down some of Addy's walls, but he is still in the dark about her past and present. He does know he wants to be with her and can't understand why she is fighting a mutual attraction.

With the threats continuing, Addy's mother showing up unexpectedly, things with Noah heating up, and the past creeping up on Addy and others, will Addy have the strength to finally open up? Instead will she run from Whiskey Creek, once again broken? Or will the people whose lives she can shatter apart do anything to stop her?

Brenda brings us a very heart felt, emotional romance with Home to Whiskey Creek. Brenda manages to write about a horrific issue with sensitivity, drawing the reader in and making you feel a multitude of emotions. Often it hard to understand why victims act or don't act. With honest, real feelings on the pages of Home to Whiskey Creek, I felt like I really got inside Addy's head and could understand. She is an independent, beautiful young woman who has tried hard to move on from the assault she suffered as a 16 year old, but has never quite been able to. I also think she is brave. Coming back to Whiskey Creek opens up so many old wounds, but Addy does her best to carry on and cope. I really hoped that she could find someone to open up to. When she finds herself falling in love with Noah but denies her feelings, she is trying to protect everyone, including herself. That doesn't always work though, and maybe true love is what Addy needs to finally start healing.

Noah is an honest, caring man who feels he doesn't deserve the womanizing reputation he has. We've met him and his friends in previous Whiskey Creek books, and there are a lot of different dynamics happening in that friendship circle that form part of the secondary story in Home to Whiskey Creek. How Noah handles an unexpected discovery really gives his character strength. When he finally finds a woman he feels like he could be with forever, it is both challenging and frustrating for him. As he and Addy move forward, if the truth comes out, will he still be able to love her?

Home to Whiskey Creek gives us so much! Noah and Addy's romance is filled with suspenseful moments...and the more of their story you read the more you have no idea how their story will end or if it's even possible to have a happy ending when there is so many secrets and such tragedy. Brenda keeps you hoping for the best as you read along with Addy and Noah's story.

I highly recommend Home to Whiskey Creek and all of the Whiskey Creek stories Brenda Novak has written!

REVIEWED BY SUNNY

Whiskey Creek has become a go-to series for me. I love the stories Brenda Novak has created for this group of friends, who in their thirties are finding love. I love the charm of Whiskey Creek--the businesses, the people--but unbeknownst to many, it also has some dark history, which could have a profound impact on this group!

Adelaide (Addy) Davies, comes back to help Milly (Gran--yep, her grandma) with her thriving Whiskey Creek restaurant. Addy does not receive a warm welcome, however. She was hoping she wouldn't have to face her past, but reminders of one fateful night keep popping up everywhere. Among the angst of these reminders, I really enjoyed the mysteriousness of Addy's character and how she handles the stress of coming back. She is very protective of herself, Gran, and the new friends who are trying to reach out to her, the same ones that would be hurt if they found out her secret!

Noah Rackham, a professional bike racer and owner of Crank it Up bike shop, is getting grief from his friends for being a "player." He doesn't think he has commitment issues, he "just hasn't met the right person." Yet he sure seems to be thinking of Adelaide Davies a lot now that she is back in town. Noah is dealing with some tough issues in HOME TO WHISKEY CREEK and he is sure Addy could distract him from those issues. Too bad she doesn't seem to have much interest in him. Brenda Novak was brilliant in this regard! I loved her uncanny way of making Noah realize what he has unknowingly done to many women in the past as Addy makes him experience it now. I was also thrilled at how she gave Noah the will to fight to get resolution of his issues.

I am a huge fan of suspense in my romance, and Brenda Novak didn't disappoint in HOME TO WHISKEY CREEK. Coming to an understanding of what happened that night is critical to the story and I love how it was woven so tightly into the plot. I loved the problems it created for all of the characters in the story and how it was resolved. I also loved getting reunited with the characters from earlier books in the series in small but meaningful ways. That being said, you could pick this one up without reading the others in the series and enjoy it just as much. This book has me wanting more Whiskey Creek, it was that good!

BOTTOM LINE
If you like love stories based in a small town or with suspense elements, HOME TO WHISKEY CREEK is a must read! If you like how the lives of a group of friends can be portrayed story after story and you like book series (even though this can be read as a standalone), don't hesitate to pick up all of the Whiskey Creek series. This book has me wanting more!

RATING: A-, 4 ½ Stars

Note: I received a review copy of this title courtesy of the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review

Adelaide Davies returns to Whiskey Creek to help her aging grandmother with her restaurant. Her homecoming begins with her being taken from her bed, blindfolded and thrown into a mine shaft where a traumatic turn to her life occurred fifteen years earlier. She's rescued by the twin of the instigator of that graduation night event.

Noah Rackham is tired of living with his brother being hailed as the golden boy taken too soon. He knows more about his brother's actions before his death on graduation night. Guilt is buried deep in his memories. Finding Adelaide in the same mine where he'd lost his brother, Noah is surprised at the protective instincts he feels toward her. He is certain she's not telling the truth about what happened the night he found her in the mine. This puzzle as well as a life-changing incident with his best friend have Noah feeling lost.

Brenda Novak weaves a chilling tale of betrayal and communal teenage stupidity exacerbated by excessive alcohol consumption. Stay with Addy and Noah as they lose their battle fighting their attraction. She's very good at throwing you in the wrong direction. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down.

Reviewed by Aubrey
Book provided by NetGalley for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Brenda Novak’s Whiskey Creek series just gets better and better. Each book has all the characters you know and love. In this installment we have have Noah who has never been in love and Addy who has loved Noah since high school. Noah has always been the guy that girls flock too but never settles down with anyone. It was so neat to see Noah finally open up and lead with his feelings and heart.

However, she has a dark secret that involves Noah’s deceased brother Cody and 4 other men of Whiskey Creek. She left Whiskey Creek as soon as she could and never returned till her grandmother was too old to run her restaurant. Addy doesn’t want to be in town for long. Upon her return a series of events happen trying to scare her. The 4 men do not want the dark secret revealed.

Noah saves Addy and soon after falls in love with her. Addy is reluctant to date Noah. She doesn’t want to get hurt or hurt Noah. But neither can resist the other. Their love story is sweet and endearing. Noah becomes her protector and stands by her when most of the town does not. The secret that she has been keeping, she believes will ruin any relationship she has with Noah. Addy needs to stop running and realize how much the people in her life are there to protect her.

Brenda Novak does an excellent job tackling difficult topics such as Noah’s best friend Baxter being gay. Baxter also takes a chance and shows Noah his true feelings. Will Noah reject his friendship? She never makes light with the topics instead writes about them with dignity and grace.

I can’t wait till the next Whiskey Creek novel to come out. I can’t wait to read about Ted and Sophia in October.

Author Brenda Novak continues her "Whiskey Creek" series with "Home to Whiskey Creek", a romantic suspense tale that takes on some very raw, real issues. When Adelaide Davies returns to her hometown to care for her grandmother and help her run her restaurant, she is returning to the place where the dreams of her youth were shattered and the course of her life was changed forever. As a sophomore in high school, just fifteen years old, Addy had been gang-raped by a group of local boys who violated her and left her in an old mine shaft. Out of shame and fear, Addy kept the attack a secret and left Whiskey Creek as soon as she graduated. Now back in town just a couple of days, Addy is kidnapped from her room in the dark of night by a man who threatens to harm her grandmother if Addy ever reveals the terrible truth of that night so long ago. To further convince her to stay silent, he beats her and leaves her once again in the cold, dark mine shaft. Out for a late night bike ride, Noah Rackham is startled to hear cries coming from the area of the old mine, the same place his twin brother Cody had died on the night of a wild graduation party so many years ago. When he pulls Addy to safety, she is shocked to see that her rescuer is the brother of the ring leader of the rape gang. Addy refuses to go to the police, refuses medical aide, and has Noah completely puzzled. She seems determined to keep as much space between them as possible, something that usually doesn't happen with a woman whom Noah finds attractive. He can't stop thinking about her, and he continues to check on her even as she resists his attentions. Addy can't get afford to get involved with anyone, especially the brother of one her rapists. She really hopes her grandmother will sell the restaurant and move back with her to Sacramento. However, she'd had a crush on Noah in high school, and he was more attractive now than ever. Noah can't understand why Addy won't let him get close--he senses that she is just as attracted to him as he is to her. Old secrets and new fears are big obstacles to overcome. Being in town and seeing the men who raped her living their everyday lives is an emotional challenge for Addy. If all of the truth is ever revealed, can anyone's life ever be comfortable? Will Noah and Abby be able to work past the pain of the awful night which so greatly affected both of their lives? Brenda Novak touches on some of the uglier aspects of human nature, as well as the guilt and shame that victims often carry. Can any level of punishment truly compensate for the trauma felt by victims of brutality? What does it take to move forward from the hurt and reach out for the love and happiness so well deserved? A very different and well-written romantic suspense story from talented author Brenda Novak.

Review Copy Gratis the store Vine

This is the fourth book in the Whiskey Creek series but it can be read as a standalone. The story starts out with Noah rescuing Addy from an abandoned mine. Someone kidnapped Addy from her bed and brought her there to the same place where horrible things happened 15 years before ending with the death of Noah's brother. Now someone is upset that Addy is back in town and they are doing their best to scare her into silence or get her to leave Whiskey Creek for good.

Adelaide is pretty strong for having gone through such trauma both in her current situation and in the past. It was frustrating though that she refused to say anything about what had happened to her even when the danger seemed to escalate. I could understand that she was afraid for her grandmother's safety but I also wished she'd come forward and put an end to it. I did admire her for facing her fears by coming home and the way she'd stand up to her attackers even if she didn't go public about it.

Noah is drawn to Addy and worried about her, unable to understand why she won't go to the police over her kidnapping. He is really kind to her though she tries to keep him at a distance. It takes her some time to realize that she can trust him and I liked the development of their friendship and relationship. She is able to be there for him too when he has a crisis with one of his friends. I didn't feel like I got to know Noah very much in the previous books in the series unlike some of the other characters so it was nice to see that there was more to his character than the image that was previously presented of a guy who was known for being a heartbreaker.

I think that this book felt like an issues book more than the others in the series. Rape, homosexuality, and family issues for both Noah and Addy made this a heavier story for a contemporary romance. Still it had the elements that I've enjoyed from the Whiskey Creek series, particularly the strong core friendships. The romance between Noah and Addy was really satisfactory too. She's been through so much and it was nice to see her get a happy ending.

This book made me think that I'd never want to live in a place like Whiskey Creek though. It is set in a small town where everyone knows everyone's business but the people aren't exactly friendly to outsiders and there is corruption. Some of the townspeople's negative attitude towards Addy when the truth emerged was hard to take. Thankfully Noah and his friends are there for Addy and there are some decent people in the town but Whiskey Creek is not like the idealized small town settings I've seen in other contemporary romances.

Overall I'd say that I liked this book because it showed characters overcoming serious adversity but it was hard to read at times and made me angry-not the usual emotional response you'd expect for a romance novel! I like this series though and I liked Noah and Addy. The secondary story line with Noah and Baxter was good too (is it too much to hope that Baxter will get his own book someday?). I also wanted to see the bad guys get their just desserts and the suspense kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen.

If you are looking for a lighthearted contemporary romance, this is not it but if you like a book that will pull deeper emotions from you then don't be afraid to give Home to Whiskey Creek a try. For those new to the series, you might want to start from the beginning even if this can be read out of order (or at least start with book 3, When Summer Comes, which is the first book I read and one of my favorites in the series and sets this one up a little.) While it did have some flaws I think this is one of my favorites in the series too.

Home to Whiskey Creek opens up with a mystery: how did Adelaide Davies end up in the old mine and why won't she go to the police about it? Noah Rackham is determined to unravel the reason Addy is staying so close lipped about someone trying to kill her. And while he does he discovers she might be the one thing missing to make his life fulfilled.

Adelaide grew up in Whiskey Creek and hung around with the same people Noah knows and is friends with. But she left as soon as she graduated to escape the horrors she experienced the night Noah's twin brother died in the same mine shaft Addy was discovered in. As the story progresses we learn that Addy was the victim of a horrendous gang rape that ended in Cody's death during a cave in at the mine. No one ever knew he had come back for Addy, possibly to just help her out but in a panic she ran from him and he ended up getting killed.

Addy's guilt over that night and her fear keeps her from reporting the crime. When she comes back to Whiskey Creek to help her aging grandmother the boys who committed the crime all those years ago think she's come back to press charges. That fear leads them to leave notes on her car and use intimidating tactics to scare her away.

The last thing Addy wants is to fall in love with the man whose brother she was raped by AND whose death she thinks she caused. But Noah doesn't give up and the two succumb to their attraction. Noah also works to figure out who dropped Addy in the mine shaft on her return to town.

This story is great as a standalone novel but if you've read others in the Whiskey Creek series you get that much more enjoyment out of it with the mention of characters who appeared in previous stories. There is a secondary story involving Noah and his best friend Baxter, a character whose own personal issues were revealed in When Summer Comes and are explored fully in this story.

I love how Novak crafts her stories, linking everything together seamlessly. She consistently offers a solid story with a great happily ever after ending. This particular novel dealt with some very difficult subject manner and I think she handled it wonderfully.

4 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley for an honest review.

Adelaide Davies had only just returned to Whiskey Creek when someone kidnapped her and dumped her in the mine she was gang-raped in fifteen years ago. Fortunately Noah Rackham was riding his bike nearby and rescues her. He can't understand why she is so unwilling to report the crime and why she recoils from him. Adelaide never reported the crime and can't bear to admit to Noah, the guy she used to have a crush on at school, that his twin brother was one of the men who raped her. The fact that Cody died shortly after the incident, fuelled her guilt. Novak has given us quite an unusual romance that is handled very sensitively.

Addy avoided Whiskey Creek ever since she graduated but with her grandmother ailing, she has come back to take care of her and try to convince her to sell up. Addy has tried to deal with the past but it has affected her relationships, particularly the one with her ex-husband, and isolated her from a town she was fond of. Addy's decision not to report the rape initially was obviously a difficult one. She showed enormous courage coming back to a town where she would have to face these men, most of whom have become successful members of the community. I would have liked her to take a stand earlier but I can understand why she didn't.

Addy is determined not to fall in love with Noah in order to protect him and his family from Cody's actions. Taking things at face value, it is difficult to understand how her crush on Noah could have lasted for so long and then how easily Noah could have fallen for her in turn. If on the other hand, you see Addy's idealised view of him pre-rape as the last time she felt free with her emotions, then it starts to make sense. I would have liked to see more of what adult Addy saw in adult Noah though. For Noah, I think her outright rejection is what initially spurs him on. He's not used to women not falling at his feet.

Noah had an awful lot of maturing to do in this novel and it took until the end of the novel for me to warm to him. In the past he favoured meaningless relationships but after meeting Addy, he finds he really wants to get to know her. He hates when his friends tease him for sleeping around but they seem to be taking their cues from him - he feels the need to share all his shenanigans. Noah is very caring and supportive of Addy but I wished he could have extended the same courtesy towards his best friend, Baxter. Baxter finally had the courage to admit he was gay and Noah didn't deal with it as well as could have been hoped. He got there in the end but that was more to do with Baxter's generosity of spirit than anything else.

The plot has lots of twists and turns. We don't know until the end the identity of her kidnapper or whether that is the same person who has been leaving her threatening messages. Getting inside the heads of the attackers wasn't enjoyable but the lengths they were willing to go to heightened the suspense. The secondary plot with Baxter followed a fairly well-worn path which was a bit of a shame. At least the friends were censure-free this time and went out of their way to be supportive of each other.

I really enjoyed this novel even though I had a few quibbles with it. You can read this as a standalone but there are lots of references to past events.

Home At Whiskey Creek is book four in the Whiskey Creek Novels series. It is a good stand alone book as well. Basically a lot of the secondary characters were main characters in previous books, but nothing from the other books ties in too much with this story.

I'm very much on the fence with this book. Brenda strives to create a romance novel that has a lot of edge to it. Not only do you have Addy, a heroine, who has gang raped by members of the baseball team, 15 years prior, but you have a hero dealing with his best friend, coming out of the closet.

Oh and that friend has a crush on him.

She's returned to Whiskey Creek, a place that holds nothing but bad memories for her, to take care of her grandmother. She's not there for long and she's kidnapped and left in a mine shaft...and it is Noah that finds her.

So right there you have the makings of a novel that really has a lot to hold your interest, but Addy was just not a total winner as far as heroines are concerned. She was a mixture of strength and vulnerability. I just couldn't like her.

Noah, I liked a little bit more...but he had so many issues. His twin was the one that instigated the rape and was killed in the mine and he is also dealing with his best friend coming out of the closet, in a most unpleasant fashion for him.

I felt like there was too much hard hitting issues with this book and those issues kept the romance from blossoming in a way that felt more right.

What Brenda did do is create a cast of bad guys that you really wanted to see locked up even though most had grown up and become better people. But god some of them were really nasty, and borderline evil. I hated Derek and Kevin with a passion...and Noelle..I just wanted to slap.

Overall, the romance aspect didn't work for me, but the suspense did. Especially at the beginning, when the first pages of the book involve the heroine trapped in a mine, well you know there's going to be some good suspense. The first pages really made me nervous. That's something some of the best thrillers have failed to do.

Recommended to readers who like more suspense then romance and who can handle a story that revolves around some tough issues.

~ review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review, and I must say, I'm happy I did. This book is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone novel. The story is a little tragic, and unsettling, with what the main character Adelaide dealt with so many years ago in high school at the hands of 5 boys on their graduation night.

She left Whiskey Creek after graduation and didn't return for 13 years. She comes back to Whiskey Creek to help her aging grandmother with her restaurant. The story begins with her in a bad predicament and being saved by Noah (I absolutely love Noah!!). Noah is the twin brother of one of the boys who hurt her so many years ago. Noah has a ton of questions about what happened and who did what they did to her (current day) and wants to help, but Adelaide doesn't want to let him close, as letting him close, will only hurt him and her if the rest of the secret of the past gets out.

This story is a wild ride, and can get confusing with all of the different perspectives you are reading. You hate some of the characters immediately, warm up to some as the story progresses, and fall in love with others. All the way up to the end of this story, you are wondering what is going to happen, and how things will turn out. If the truth comes out, what does it to do to the town, Noah, etc.

Adelaide is tormented when she's back in town, and lets the "men" that hurt her so many years ago know she's keeping her mouth shut, but it appears someone doesn't believe her.

This isn't your typical love story you read in all of the other books we have reviewed, but more of a real life, nothing is easy, story. Can you move past something so tragic as Adelaide did? Can you risk everything to fall in love? Can you learn to forgive, and become the bigger person? These are the things most people deal with in life and relationships (maybe not as horribly tragic as Adelaide did, but still) and makes this story so refreshing.

The main characters Noah and Adelaide were likeable and relate able, and I totally have a book boyfriend in Noah. You can tell he's not like the other guys that were at the graduation party all those years ago, but its up to Adelaide to see that herself.

This book was beautifully written, and after finishing it, I went and added the other Whiskey Creek novels to my TBR list on GoodReads. It does take a second to get into how the story is told from so many perspectives, but once you get into it, you can't put it down.

I'm so grateful that Brenda Novak let us review this book for her, as now I have a new series that I will be stalking and reading, and you can expect reviews of all of the other Whiskey Creek novels to be coming soon to this blog :)

This story does have some adult content, and deals with some difficult situations, so please be aware of this before picking it up.

[...]

In Home to Whiskey Creek (Whiskey Creek #4) by Brenda Novak, Addy Davies left Whiskey Creek over a decade ago with no plans to move back. Not after she was brutally attacked by a bunch of seniors on their graduation night when she was a high school sophomore. She's had to deal with the effects of that night ever since. Her grandmother is getting more and more frail and having a rough time staying on top of her restaurant business in Whiskey Creek, so Addy moves in with Milly to help her out. After all, her grandmother was her sole supporter growing up. Now that she's back in town she hopes she can steer clear of the men who made her life a living hell, but it seems at least one of them has noticed her arrival. Addy is abducted in the middle of the night and left battered in one of the old mines, which was where she was attacked in high school. A cyclist on a nearby trail hears her cries for help and manages to eventually rescue her. Her hero turns out to be none other than her old high school crush, Noah Rackham, who is also the twin brother of one of her attackers. Noah is obviously concerned for Addy and tries to talk her into going to the hospital or at least filing a police report but she refuses. She gives him excuse after excuse until he finally relents. He focuses instead on trying to find out more about Addy as he drives her home but she only gives him basic details, including that she lived in Whiskey Creek years ago and went to the same high school a few years behind him.

Milly had contacted the police while Addy was in the mine so unfortunately she had to file a report. Considering she had never told anyone in town, including her grandmother, about the attack fifteen years ago, she tries to keep things vague. Her abductor threatened her life if she revealed any information to anyone about that fateful night and said they would be watching her. Noah visits a few times, checking on how she's doing and whether there is any lead on who could have done this to her. Addy isn't sure if she can trust him and wonders if he knows anything about his brother's past. She can't help still feeling a strong attraction to Noah and against her better judgement feels herself falling for him. He treats her better than any other man ever has in her life. They finally both admit the connection they have together and see each other quietly, under Addy's request. Whoever is watching her, though, takes notice of their relationship and begins to threaten her again. She knows she must push Noah away and distance herself from him so he'll back off and hopefully they can both be safe. But he digs his heels in and won't let her throw their relationship away. As her attackers become more paranoid and details start to emerge about the past, the town is thrown into an uproar and lines are drawn. Will Noah believe Addy's recount of the night fifteen years ago? Or will she lose the most important man in her life?

Pro cyclist Noah Rackham never expected to have to rescue someone from the old mines outside town when he went on a trail ride that afternoon. Once he pulls the woman to safety, he's shocked at her condition and that such a thing would happen in a small town like Whiskey Creek. He can't seem to talk her into going to the authorities or getting checked out at the hospital. She's obviously been through a traumatic experience and is leery of him. He eventually gets Addy's name and a few more details about herself growing up in town with her grandmother, who he knows and loves. He takes her back to Milly's but even after she's safe at home, he can't help wondering how she's doing and fearing for her safety. Noah can't understand his need to protect her and how he can feel drawn to Addy after just meeting her. He checks in on her a few times and with every visit, he can't deny his desire to get much closer to her, but Addy is reluctant to his charm. He can see she feels the same pull towards him that he feels for her, yet she keeps him at arms length. When he realizes her resistance to date him may stem from something in her past, he starts to do some investigating into her ex-husband and previous relationships. He sets into motion a chain of events that will completely unravel his and Addy's lives and has to determine who to believe once the truth comes out.

Brenda Novak has written a wonderful new addition to the Whiskey Creek series. There was just something about Addy and Noah's story that clicked with me and I simply couldn't read it fast enough. The plot is intense with a lot of twists and is rich with every emotion imaginable. My heart broke for Addy and her situation but I marveled over her strength and ability to finally trust again. Noah certainly had struggles of his own with reconciling his brother's past and also with his best friend Baxter's life changing admission. Brenda's characters always have so many layers of emotions and issues in her stories that I'm an emotional wreck by the end...but in a good way. Be ready to feel angry, to laugh, to cry and feel vindicated when you read this one. Highly recommended!

5 STARS

The last two books of this series have been good but emotions are all over the place. I cried, laughed but got mad a lot in different places. I know its just a story but I wanted to slap some people. It deals with some real tough situations.
It is full of drama, love, honor and even suicide.

Noah is out riding his bike when he hears a women screaming for help. He finds her down a mine shaft close to the mine shaft that his twin Cody died in fifteen years ago. He goes back to his truck and got some rope and was able to pull her out. Noah was shocked when he saw her.

Adelaide was kidnapped out of her bed at her grandmother's home. Tied up and threatened to kill her and her grandmother with a knife. She was blindfolded and put in a truck. She was told if she ever talked about what happened fifteen years ago he would kill her. She caused him to hit something. was beat up and thrown now the shaft.

He must have been one of the four guys who gang raped her at a party the night of their graduation. She was only 16 at the time. She never came back to Whiskey Creek if she could help it. Now her grandmother was getting old and needed some help.
She never told about that night because one of the attackers came back and she fought him and he hit one of the supports and was buried. It was Cody Noah's twin.

Noah was into all sports in high school. So was his brother Cody. But the last part of their senior year Cody was doing drugs and drinking and Noah wanted no part of that lifestyle so he was at a different type of party that night.

Addy did not want to be around Noah because of memories of Cody and what he and his friends did too her that night. She also did not want him to take her to the hospital or police just home.

There was a lot of destroying Addy's reputation so she would not be believed if she ever came out and told what happened that night. The guys were worried about what they would loose if their friends and family knew what they did.

It is so much easier for people to think a 16 year old would sleep with 5 guys in one night. When she was shy then think the guys did anything.

Baxter Noah's best friend kisses him and lets him know that he is gay and LOVEs him. Shocks him when that happened too.

There were some love scenes that I skipped over. It is a good book full of emotions from lots of different characters. We see most of the characters from the other books in the series meet still for Friday coffee.

I was given this ebook and asked to give honest review in exchange by Netgalley.
publication: July 30th 2013 by Harlequin MIRA 400 pages ISBN:0778315452

Home to Whiskey Creek starts with Adelaide Davies' return to her home town after a 13 yr absence. How does she get welcomed back? She gets kidnapped, threatened, almost raped and thrown down a mine. Thankfully a knight on shining bicycle comes along and hears her yelling for help. Noah Rackman, finds Adelaide trapped in a mine he swore never to visit. Ever since that mine was the scene of his twin brother's death. Once Noah saves Adelaide she recognizes him immediately and sets her sights on keeping him and the memory of the fateful night of his brother's death as far away from her as possible. Noah has other plans. But, what Noah doesn't know are the reasons for Adelaide's walls and the continual threats she receives since having come back into town. The biggest question is when all becomes clear who will be standing together and who will be standing apart? And can love survive such loss and deep hurt or will it crumble under the weight of tragedy?

This was such a moving and emotional book in various parts. The characters are phenomenally well-formed and support all aspects of the story. Brenda Novak does a wonderful job tackling such strong subject matter and giving hope along with the grief that comes with the losses that both Adelaide and Noah have suffered. I also enjoyed the supporting characters. Her Gran and Mother were very memorable but for completely different reasons. Overall, a story of such powerful magnitude will leave you emotionally drained with a pile of tissues. However, the sadness also has a redemptive end with the love that Noah and Adelaide find. This is Brenda Novak's fourth book in this series, but I feel I need to now go back and read the others in her Whiskey Creek series. I would recommend this book if you want a good cry but feel good in the end.

I was given the book by the author for an honest review.

When something terrible happens it is usually easier to put it behind you and forget it ever happened. But what about when you can no longer forget or live with the memories? Addy's past is marred by a vicious event that took away both her innocence and peace of mind. Gone are the days of beautiful daydreams, and in their place a raw place of deep seated shame and regret. Even so, Addy does what she has to do to get by.

Fifteen years have passed, and her life is far from perfect. Still, it is all she knows anymore. So, when life pulls her back to a home she long ago ran away from, Addy is intetested in just one thing.

Taking care of her aging Gran and her restaurant JUST LIKE MOM'S is the only reason Addy returns home to Whiskey Creek. As soon as she is able to get things settled and hopefully convince Gran to move away with her, the better. However, everything isn't quite as cut and dried as she'd have hoped.

A late night attack and abduction, a timely rescue, and an undying love are just a few of the reasons which cause Addy's return home to be anything but what she intended.

But, can she sift through the rubble of her humiliating past to once and for all gain the necessary closure to truly move on, and allow herself to really live- and love- again?

Pick up a copy of HOME TO WHISKEY CREEK to find out for yourself!

*Thanks to Brenda Novak for the wonderful opportunity to review an e-ARC of this incredible book. While not my first introduction to her books (I love her!), this was actually my first time to read a book from this particular series. It didn't matter that this was the 4th installment in this series, I was able to jump right in and take off. And it did not disappoint. Now I just need to go back and introduce myself to books 1-3. ;)

Not everyone wants to come home again. Especially,if your sneaking out as a sophomore to attend a kegger graduation party where the most popular seniors will be and that leads to disaster. The team captain is a master at exerting peer pressure. Addy suffered a multiple team member assault. Left in a cold and dangerous place in the dead of night. Addy keeps that secret. Two years later, she leaves Whiskey Creek in her rearview mirror.

Begrudgingly years later, her ailing grandma calls her back to Whiskey Creek. Addy plans to stay under the local radar while helping the grandmother. The first night Addy is abducted from bed. She wants to flee but needs to update the restaurant and sell it. Unaware, her grandma wants stay Addy will run the restaurant.

Her rapists fear disclosure. The stakes are higher now, should she talk. This fear of disclosure moves the plot forward.

We meet the local politically correct sheriff. He wouldn't dare buck the powers that pay him. After grandma reports Addy missing her first night in town. He tries to pin the abduction on his idea of a local low life. This would please his bosses, help assure his job security, and clean out the low life, as he sees it.

Brenda Novak delivers an interesting and well crafted read. Her characters engage you. Even the football coach was so nuanced and well drawn. Pay attention to our hero's mother and study how masterfully, Brenda Novak writes her. Emotionally rewarding and uplifting romance.

HOME TO WHISKEY CREEK was sad, nerve-wracking, scary, heartwarming, and affirming all wrapped up into one little book.

Addy Davies has reluctantly returned to Whiskey Creek to help care for her aging grandmother who raised her in the absence of her whimsical mother. Addy fled Whiskey Creek after high school in an unsuccessful effort to hide from the memories of the tragedies that happened there. Immediately upon her return, she realizes that others also remember what happened and they are feeling threatened about her presence in town.

When someone tries to scare her off, the person who comes to her rescue is the last person she wants to have anything to do with--Noah Rackham. Noah was Addy's high school crush and it was her desire to be closer to him that put her in harm's way so many years ago. Now Addy has to try to keep Noah away from her because having him around makes it difficult to keep her secrets...but there is a definite attraction between them and Noah is not going to back off easily.

There were some very strong and emotional elements to this story that I feel the author did an amazing job writing about. All of the feelings portrayed by Addy--fear, nervousness, hesitation, and strength--seemed to jump off the page. The romance was built up well with an extra amount of challenge thrown in to test the characters and the strength of their feelings. Throughout the main plot, there is a heart wrenching side story involving Noah and his best friend Baxter who is gay and believes he is in love with Noah. This plot point is written so well and so honestly despite the difficult subject matter that it really is beautiful. My only complaint is that I felt the story seemed to feel a bit rushed towards the end.

I have been pulled into the lives of the people in Whiskey Creek and I very much look forward to learning more about them.

I received a digital copy of this book from the Brenda Novak Fan Club. This is the first book in the Whiskey Creek series I have read.

Brenda Novak did a wonderful job of portraying the emotions of Addy, a young woman who has reluctantly returned to Whiskey Creek to help her aging Grandmother run the diner. Addy left her home town right after graduation, escaping the reminder of her brutal gang rape and the death of one of the young men who participated in the crime. She never told her family what happened and she wants nothing more than to continue keeping this secret. But her presence in town is sending shock waves through the men responsible for the horrendous crime. One of the man abducts her and takes her back to the cave where the rape occurred, tossing her into a pit. Her calls for help are eventually heard by a passing cyclist, who rescues her. But Noah is the twin to one of her assailants, as well as the youth who died in the cave the same night. There is no way that Addy can reveal the truth behind her being tossed into the pit. Who will believe her story of the long ago rape? Noah can't figure out why Addy is trying to keep him at arm's length. And to make matters even more challenging, his best friend, Baxter, tells him he is gay and has been attracted to him for a long time.

Novak tackles two highly charges issues in this book.

This book begins interestingly enough with a woman trapped in an abandoned mine shaft and a man with only a bicycle to rescue her before the fall of night. I liked that. It was different.

There were a few times during the course of this book where the dialogue felt a bit stilted and not quite what I would have expected from the characters, but for the most part this was a really good book. The people the author created had histories which knit together well to make a good story and an emotional foundation for the characters to grow from as the book progressed.

I was happy with the relationships in this novel. A lot of the reason why I tend to tire while reading romance is the cookie cutter assembly of places and characters that one gets used to after a number of similar books. This story was different. I felt the author took the time to explore each of her characters and make them individuals. This was not the same as previous books I had read and I felt like the characters could have been real people.

The setting was also a good choice and the descriptions made it easy to imagine being there as well. The description was enough to make it interesting without over describing everything.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes complex, mature characters.

This review is based off of a digital ARC from the publisher.

I find the Whiskey Creek series irresistible; it's the type of town I would have loved to grow up in. With a group of friends who still meet regularly for coffee even though some have stayed and some who've moved to nearby larger towns. They are warm and caring and you want to know more about each of them. This series gives you the opportunity to get to know each of the friends' through their own book.

Brenda Novak develops such rich characters and draws you into the story so you can't put it away. I have read most of the Whiskey Creek series in one sitting. I have been waiting for Noah's story and this one didn't disappoint. Addy's return to town brings the past back to life, one most wanted to leave buried, especially the loss of Noah's twin brother Cody. Noah is drawn in and struggles with his need to help Addy and his playboy ways. He begins to see that he too wants a 'grown up' life like his friends Cheyenne, Gail, and Callie.

Brenda has a great way of dealing with current issues: liver disease/transplant, discrimination, rape, in honest and refreshing ways that keep her loyal readers coming back. If you haven't read the stories of the other group of friends, pick them up right away!

Brenda Novak has written several romance novels set in Whiskey Creek but this one read perfectly well as a standalone.
The old mine above the town of Whiskey Creek was boarded up fifteen years ago - after a death. Noah Rackham hears a cry for help while out trail riding in the Sierra Nevadas on his mountain bike. After a struggle he manages to haul a young woman to safety from the mine's depths. She's scantily clad, cold, and gives him some story about sleepwalking which he doesn't believe for a minute. But she's scared.

Addy Davies has recently come home to care for her grandmother, but someone kidnapped her and threw her down the mine shaft. She was there fifteen years ago... when Noah's brother died at a reckless graduation party. Addy's grandmother runs a restaurant which inspired the girl to qualify as a chef, but we don't get recipes. Noah meanwhile opened his own bike store. He thinks she must be the victim of domestic violence, but what can he do if she refuses to report the matter? Addy is certain that the kidnapper has to be one of four men from the party still living in town.

I liked how Addy bravely faces the townsfolk and the police, as we see her stubborn streak emerge and her determination to help her grandmother. Noah has no idea what happened that past night, but he has his own problems deciding how to react when his best friend comes out of the closet. The town of Whiskey Creek is on the brink of change - one free wi-fi cafe - but built on tradition and solid Victorian homes. I found it a good combination as people still gather to chat, while a web designer lives in town. Some serious themes are addressed but at heart this is a modern romance.

Having read all of the Whiskey Creek books, I think that Home To Whiskey Creek is probably my favorite. The story deals with gang rape, death of a teen, forgiving, trusting and commitment. Addy Davies left Whiskey Creek as a teen who had been violated by a gang of popular boys from her high school. One of the boys died that night in the old mine took place where the rape happened. She has a failed marriage and a job that has gone bad when she comes home to Whiskey Creek to take care of her Gram who raised her.
Noah is the twin brother of the boy who died in the mine that night. He has had problems with commitment in his relationships with women in the past. Noah saves Addy from the mine after she was taken from her Gram's house. He connects with Addy and they strike up a friendship that eventually leads to a relationship. Addy receives some threats from the boys now men who raped her that night. She tries to handle them by herself. The story goes on how Addy learns to trust and forgive people in her past and Noah learns about love and commitment. There are twists and turns with other storylines but they only add the the whole picture.
A great read, was hard to put down

I will seek out Brenda Novak again because I think she is a good writer. This is my first time reading a Brenda Novak novel. She is an excellent writer, her dialogue is natural, and her characters well-drawn. But I had a difficult time enjoying the plot of this romance.

Addy Davies has returned to her hometown of Whiskey Creek to assist her aging grandmother, whom she adores, with her restaurant, Just Like Mom's . Addy is nervous and upset about being home because of a life-altering event which occurred to her during a Senior Night party when she was a quiet, studious sophomore in high school. On that horrible night, she was kidnapped and gang-raped by a group of the most popular boys in school. A death occurred in the aftermath of that horrendous experience. Addy has never told anyone about the rape. Soon after she arrives in town, she is rescued by the brother of one of her attackers from a harrowing second kidnapping. This brother, Noah Rackham, knows nothing about the rape, but was the twin of the rapist who died, so he bears a strong resemblance to that man.

The problem I have with the book is that this is supposed to be a romance, and while I can accept that many rape victims can and do move forward with their lives, Addy is portrayed as an intelligent, successful woman who, by turns, is consumed with the events which changed her life fifteen years before and is eager to gloss those events over. Her seeming undeniable attractions to Noah, and the interactions between the two of them once the rape is revealed are not believable. The rape and Addy's subsequent second kidnapping come across as merely a convenient plot device and not as the horrifyingly serious acts which they are. I really can't go into all of the ways this plot is a complete fail for me without spoiling the plot, but I think that the entire subject of rape, rape victims and violence against women is not handled deftly at all, and certainly not in a healthy way. The book just made me feel uneasy and not entertained when I was reading it. I especially hated the ending.

I have read some excellent books which concern rape and violence against women, but I was not reading them for pleasure. And let's face it, when people read a romance novel, they want romance, not a rape victim constantly confronting her rapists and dealing with kidnapping and assault. This book is like one of those "romance" books out of the 1980s.

Not recommended.

*received in exchange for an honest review*

Addy returns home to help her grandmother with her restaurant...however, her past comes back to haunt her. Back in high school, Addy was raped by 5 seniors at a graduation party...she was only a sophomore. In the present she is kidnapped from her room, threatened and tossed into an old mine...where she is finally rescued by the twin brother of one of her high school attackers.

Noah has no idea what his twin did to Addy...no one knows. Addy is determined to keep her distance because she refuses to stay in Whiskey Creek..but can Noah break through her walls and convince her to stay...will he even want her to stay once he learns the truth?

I enjoyed this book...the Whiskey Creek novels are amazing and this one is no exception. It has past secrets and present drama of many varieties! If you enjoyed other Brenda Novak books this is a must read...even if you have never read her books before...you should totally read this one!!

After being gang-raped at a high school graduation party, Adelaide Davies, ran from the only home she ever knew, but now she's back to help her aging grandmother who is unable to care for herself. All she wants to do is keep her head down, and leave with her grandmother as soon as possible - but that's not how things go. Four of the boys, now men, who raped her are still in town and have become pillars in the community. The fifth boy, mysteriously died on the night of that party, and only Adelaide knows what happened.

Noah Rackham, twin to the one the boy who raped Adelaide then died, is a successful BMX rider. While out riding, he finds Adelaide at the bottom of a mine shaft calling for help - it so happens to the same mine where his brother died. When Adelaide claims her kidnapping and subsequent toss into the mine is no big deal, he doesn't believe her and devotes himself to keeping her safe. And of course Adelaide wants nothing to do with him.

How I kept missing this series I don't know. This installment was cute and fun, it was poignant, and at times it was heart-wrenching. I loved every minute of it.

Brenda Novak has written several romance novels set in Whiskey Creek but this one read perfectly well as a standalone.
The old mine above the town of Whiskey Creek was boarded up fifteen years ago - after a death. Noah Rackham hears a cry for help while out trail riding in the Sierra Nevadas on his mountain bike. After a struggle he manages to haul a young woman to safety from the mine's depths. She's scantily clad, cold, and gives him some story about sleepwalking which he doesn't believe for a minute. But she's scared.

Addy Davies has recently come home to care for her grandmother, but someone kidnapped her and threw her down the mine shaft. She was there fifteen years ago... when Noah's brother died at a reckless graduation party. Addy's grandmother runs a restaurant which inspired the girl to qualify as a chef, but we don't get recipes. Noah meanwhile opened his own bike store. He thinks she must be the victim of domestic violence, but what can he do if she refuses to report the matter? Addy is certain that the kidnapper has to be one of four men from the party still living in town.

I liked how Addy bravely faces the townsfolk and the police, as we see her stubborn streak emerge and her determination to help her grandmother. Noah has no idea what happened that past night, but he has his own problems deciding how to react when his best friend comes out of the closet. The town of Whiskey Creek is on the brink of change - one free wi-fi cafe - but built on tradition and solid Victorian homes. I found it a good combination as people still gather to chat, while a web designer lives in town. Some serious themes are addressed but at heart this is a modern romance.

Having read all of the Whiskey Creek books, I think that Home To Whiskey Creek is probably my favorite. The story deals with gang rape, death of a teen, forgiving, trusting and commitment. Addy Davies left Whiskey Creek as a teen who had been violated by a gang of popular boys from her high school. One of the boys died that night in the old mine took place where the rape happened. She has a failed marriage and a job that has gone bad when she comes home to Whiskey Creek to take care of her Gram who raised her.
Noah is the twin brother of the boy who died in the mine that night. He has had problems with commitment in his relationships with women in the past. Noah saves Addy from the mine after she was taken from her Gram's house. He connects with Addy and they strike up a friendship that eventually leads to a relationship. Addy receives some threats from the boys now men who raped her that night. She tries to handle them by herself. The story goes on how Addy learns to trust and forgive people in her past and Noah learns about love and commitment. There are twists and turns with other storylines but they only add the the whole picture.
A great read, was hard to put down

I will seek out Brenda Novak again because I think she is a good writer. This is my first time reading a Brenda Novak novel. She is an excellent writer, her dialogue is natural, and her characters well-drawn. But I had a difficult time enjoying the plot of this romance.

Addy Davies has returned to her hometown of Whiskey Creek to assist her aging grandmother, whom she adores, with her restaurant, Just Like Mom's . Addy is nervous and upset about being home because of a life-altering event which occurred to her during a Senior Night party when she was a quiet, studious sophomore in high school. On that horrible night, she was kidnapped and gang-raped by a group of the most popular boys in school. A death occurred in the aftermath of that horrendous experience. Addy has never told anyone about the rape. Soon after she arrives in town, she is rescued by the brother of one of her attackers from a harrowing second kidnapping. This brother, Noah Rackham, knows nothing about the rape, but was the twin of the rapist who died, so he bears a strong resemblance to that man.

The problem I have with the book is that this is supposed to be a romance, and while I can accept that many rape victims can and do move forward with their lives, Addy is portrayed as an intelligent, successful woman who, by turns, is consumed with the events which changed her life fifteen years before and is eager to gloss those events over. Her seeming undeniable attractions to Noah, and the interactions between the two of them once the rape is revealed are not believable. The rape and Addy's subsequent second kidnapping come across as merely a convenient plot device and not as the horrifyingly serious acts which they are. I really can't go into all of the ways this plot is a complete fail for me without spoiling the plot, but I think that the entire subject of rape, rape victims and violence against women is not handled deftly at all, and certainly not in a healthy way. The book just made me feel uneasy and not entertained when I was reading it. I especially hated the ending.

I have read some excellent books which concern rape and violence against women, but I was not reading them for pleasure. And let's face it, when people read a romance novel, they want romance, not a rape victim constantly confronting her rapists and dealing with kidnapping and assault. This book is like one of those "romance" books out of the 1980s.

Not recommended.

*received in exchange for an honest review*

Addy returns home to help her grandmother with her restaurant...however, her past comes back to haunt her. Back in high school, Addy was raped by 5 seniors at a graduation party...she was only a sophomore. In the present she is kidnapped from her room, threatened and tossed into an old mine...where she is finally rescued by the twin brother of one of her high school attackers.

Noah has no idea what his twin did to Addy...no one knows. Addy is determined to keep her distance because she refuses to stay in Whiskey Creek..but can Noah break through her walls and convince her to stay...will he even want her to stay once he learns the truth?

I enjoyed this book...the Whiskey Creek novels are amazing and this one is no exception. It has past secrets and present drama of many varieties! If you enjoyed other Brenda Novak books this is a must read...even if you have never read her books before...you should totally read this one!!

After being gang-raped at a high school graduation party, Adelaide Davies, ran from the only home she ever knew, but now she's back to help her aging grandmother who is unable to care for herself. All she wants to do is keep her head down, and leave with her grandmother as soon as possible - but that's not how things go. Four of the boys, now men, who raped her are still in town and have become pillars in the community. The fifth boy, mysteriously died on the night of that party, and only Adelaide knows what happened.

Noah Rackham, twin to the one the boy who raped Adelaide then died, is a successful BMX rider. While out riding, he finds Adelaide at the bottom of a mine shaft calling for help - it so happens to the same mine where his brother died. When Adelaide claims her kidnapping and subsequent toss into the mine is no big deal, he doesn't believe her and devotes himself to keeping her safe. And of course Adelaide wants nothing to do with him.

How I kept missing this series I don't know. This installment was cute and fun, it was poignant, and at times it was heart-wrenching. I loved every minute of it.

Honestly, when does love, romance and heartache get any better. Brenda I want to live inside your computer or brain just to get your books faster.

Adelaide has suffered much heartache and abuse at men. How she forgave them so easily is a strength to being the better person. I can understand parents wanting to persevere the memory of their child but the men let me borrow them for a few hours. I have a rusty knife and some bull clamps :-)

I felt the heartache, pain and all the emotions Adelaide went thru. She relived everything over and over. Besides having Milly (her grandmother) by her side her only support was Noah. He believed her no matter what.

Now on to 'Take Me Home for Christmas'

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from a friend.

Tragedy, loss, obligation, dark secrets, love and lust - all the elements of a good romance.

Ms. Novak is a very good writer. The dialog between characters feels genuine, as does the personalities of the characters.

I found the premise of the story - the gang-rape of a 15 year old and her refusal to tell anyone about it- understandable and realistic. The one thing that didn't ring true for me was going back to Whiskey Creek to aid her grandmother. Presumably she's a successful chef, so it's hard to imagine she'd give up a career to go back to her small home town to cook hamburgers, French fries, and chicken fried steak in a diner. Of course, it's California, so there probably isn't chicken fried steak.

Nonetheless, the plot was interesting, the obstacles to love understandable.

Very enjoyable read.

This book was difficult to read, not because it was bad, but because of the subject matter. This is a story of survival, not just of the past, but of the present.

Addie was raped when she was 16 by a group of boys in high school. After high school, she moved away, only to return when her Grandmother needed her. Upon her return one of the boys, now a man, starts to intimidate her, even kidnaps her to prevent her from talking. She wasn't going to tell anyone about the attack, but the kidnapping made keeping it a secret impossible.

Once the secret is out, Addie has to survive not only people knowing, but people denying that it occurred and making her the town pariah. With love from the one man she didn't expect, Addie finally receives justice.

This complimentary copy was provided by the author for an honest review.

Addy is an emotionally damaged and severely traumatized woman determined to keep a terrible secret just that...a secret. When she has to return home to Whiskey Creek to assist her Grandmother with her restaurant there are people worried that the secret will come to light. Noah is a determined and headstrong man that will do anything to convince Addy that they could be good together. After being beaten, thrown down a mine shaft, and her Grandmother threaten Addy is more determined to keep her secret.

Emotionally charged and an awesome read. Bread Novak has done it again. Home to Whiskey Creek will keep the reader enthralled from beginning to end. Ms Novak does an incredible job with a difficult subject. While there were a few things I didn't agree with, I would read this again.

I received a Digital Advanced Reading Copy from author, Brenda Novak, in return for my honest opinion.

WARNING: Might be spoilers in this review.

I've read author Novak's books before and have enjoyed them. This one - not so much.

Addy Davies is back in Whiskey Creek to help her elderly grandmother after being gone for 15 years. She has stayed away from town since the night she graduated high school and was gang raped. Not only that, as soon as she gets back into town, she is abducted and assaulted, thrown down a mine shaft, as a warning to keep quiet about the rapes.

And these terrible things are glossed over in this story. The police chief, the mayor, and most of the town wants to believe the worst of Addy and not much is done to track down the culprits of these terrible crimes until the authorities are absolutely forced into pursuing the matter.

Yes, this is supposed to be a romance and I can understand why the author would want to keep the subject matter lighter but crimes such as these against women can't be glossed over or held as insignificant.

There were many sections of the book that made me mad. It was an upsetting read, not a heartwarming romance.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book.

Brenda Novak is not afraid to tackle difficult topics as shown in her latest novel. Addy needs to return to Whiskey Creek. She has to help 'Grams' but the brutal memories of what happened on graduation night haunt her. Now she has to see the men who did this. They want to make sure that no one ever knows what they did. When Addy is kidnapped and thrown into a mine, Noah rescues her. This is where his brother died. He is attracted to Addy but he doesn't know his brother, Cody, was the ring leader of the attack. The truth always comes out. Can these two find happiness amidst such tragedy? The writing is superb. Brenda writes with honesty and sensitivity. She touches your heart with her strong yet vulnerable characters. This is a book you don't want to miss reading. It breaks your heart.

What a fantastic book! I love Brenda Novak’s books, she always writes so you feel the emotions of the characters! If you have never read any of her books, you really need to start. You won’t be able to put them down! Thanks Brenda!

I was gifted this book and so glad I got to read it!

Many reviewers have given detailed synopses of "Home to Whiskey Creek," including some with spoilers, so I will keep it brief: Adelaide (Addy) Davies returns to her home town of Whiskey Creek, California to help her elderly grandmother manage her restaurant, Just Like Mom's, which is a veritable institution in their town. Addy's avoided coming home for 15 years, ever since she graduated high school. The town holds horrific memories for her, from a life-altering assault that happened to her at a graduation party for classmates two years older than her. She isn't eager to run into any of the perpetrators, but almost immediately after her arrival, she is dragged from her bed, kidnapped, and threatened that she'll be killed and her grandmother hurt if she tells anyone what happened at the old mine all those years ago. And then her kidnapper dumps her in the mine and leaves her to die.

Luckily for Addy, Noah Rackham, her teenage crush, is out for a mountain bike ride, hears her cries for help, and rescues her. But he is stunned when she doesn't want to be his friend and doesn't seem to want the police to find her assailant. He doesn't realize that his identical twin brother Cody, who died in a mine collapse on graduation night after Addy was attacked, was the one who orchestrated the attack on her. She desperately wants to forget everything that happened, wants to protect her Gran, and wants to get the restaurant ready to sell so she can leave Whiskey Creek as soon as possible.

As the story progresses, the threats to Addy's safety increase, as warning notes are left on her car and she runs into her high school attackers. A non-committal playboy, Noah is intrigued by her and isn't used to being rejected, but he's also determined to find out what she's hiding from everyone and why she resists him so strongly. As this is a Harlequin romance, of course they're going to become an item, with all the requisite ups and downs. But this story isn't as much a romance as it is a suspense novel with some romance thrown in: throughout the story, author Brenda Novak leads us down various paths as we try to figure out who kidnapped Addy and is still threatening her. Novak cleverly sets up clues that make the reader suspect several people, and she keeps us guessing until the end.

Overall, I found it to be a gripping story, with the real issue of sexual assault being delved into just enough to help those who've been fortunate to never experience it understand how it can affect someone for years to come. Novak's portrayal of Addy, her behavior and emotions, as a sexual assault victim are very accurate, with one glaring exception that I found hard to swallow: Addy is falling hard for Noah, but as he is the identical twin of Cody, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Addy to look at him without being reminded of Cody and the assault. Even with therapy, it is virtually impossible to separate the image of your attacker from the event itself. Yet we are to believe that, because Addy had such an intense crush on Noah for so long in high school, and he's falling for her as well, that she can look past this, when she is still sufficiently traumatized as to have a panic attack when she literally bumps into one of her attackers 17 years after the event. Had Novak made Cody and Noah fraternal twins, it would have been more plausible.

My only other problem with this engaging novel was that there were WAY too many characters to try to follow. Because many of the local high school graduates never left town, they still hang out in large groups. There must be some 30 named characters in the book, with many of their back stories shared with the reader. I found it impossible to keep track of most of them, and even to keep track of some of the characters who should have been more prominent because there were so many names. There were numerous sub-plots, but it wouldn't have hurt the story to drop a good 10 characters and to tighten some of the subplots or scenes. One subplot that was probably unnecessary was that of Noah's lifelong friend Baxter, who Noah suspects to be gay. Noah displays some rather homophobic views that make him somewhat unlikable for a while. He learns to let go of some of them, but there's no doubt he finds homosexuality disgusting and that's not a characteristic I tend to appreciate in the male "hero" of the story.

All in all a good read, but not one I'd recommend for anyone who is still experiencing trauma from a sexual assault. It's realistic enough in that regard that it could trigger flashbacks or an emotional response. It's pretty heavy for a romance novel.

This book dealt with an extremely touchy subject. Of course, because of the genre of this novel, certain things had to be skimmed over. I think Ms. Novak's decision to set the major incident in the past and making sure the reader knows she has had therapy and many troubles in her life as a result of her trauma was a smart way to go.

This particular review is extremely hard to write without spoilers and I hate spoilers. So all I'm going to say is a lot of issues were brought up in this book, not just with the hero and heroine but with the other friends in Whiskey Creek we've grown to love. This book cannot be skipped.

As always, This Brenda Novak novel is extremely well written. The pacing is good, the characters strong and engaging, and the setting charming and beautiful. The story premise was difficult for me - the circumstances were a bit uncomfortable. I believe that was my issue, however the book is excellent. It is part of a series, but stands well alone, one doesn't suffer if the earlier books have not been read. Though the book was well plotted, I am not sure this book would tempt readers to read the rest of the series. If you can disengage a bit from the circumstances( Not a talent I have developed)this is an excellent read and Brenda Novak is a writer you should seek more from.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.