LAST KISS
Luanne Rice
Bantam Books
July 2008
ISBN 978-0-553-80512-3
Contemporary Romance

Hubbard's Point teenager Nell Kilvert hires private detective Gavin Dawson to find out what happened the night her boyfriend Charlie Rosslare died. Though the police label Charlie's death as a mugging that went bad, Nell has to know exactly what happened. Nell and Charlie had grown up together and had plans for their life together--Charlie was heading to NYU to study film and Nell would join him the following year. Complicating matters, Gavin and Charlie's mother, Nashville star Sheridan Rosslare, had a past long-time relationship similar to Nell's and Charlie's...until she ended it because of Gavin's anger issues and his re-enlistment in the Navy and not being around for her...Sheridan then entered into a short-lived marriage with Charlie's ne'er do well father. Gavin's never gotten over his first and only love, and he wants to find the answers to Charlie's death because of his love for her. Sheridan doesn't want Gavin looking into Charlie's death: it's too painful and she would rather drown herself in whiskey and memories...and with Gavin back in her life, there's the risk of being hurt again by the man who has always been in her heart...

LAST KISS is a wonderful book that will touch you deeply with its heart-wrenching themes of love and loss. LAST KISS is part romance, part women's fiction with lots of suspense and a bit of the paranormal. The characters are so real, so vivid, you'll feel as if you know them intimately at the end. Ms. Rice's writing is lovely, poetic, and haunting, making LAST KISS a feast for the senses--and for the soul. LAST KISS revisits Hubbard Point, Connecticut where BEACH GIRLS was set, and old friends met there make appearances and artist Stevie's and Jack's story is resolved...LAST KISS is most highly recommended!

Reviewed by Debora Hosey
Rating: 4