New Review! Dirty South Drug Wars by Jae Hood, 4.5 Cranky Stars

I shall call this book Romeo and Juliet meets the Hatfields and McCoys if they were drug runners.

I want to start out saying I really liked this book I wanted to drag it out and I tried. Granted around the 30% it kind of lulled and I found myself bored. I also had reservations because I'm from the south and we are usually portrayed as racist bigoted rednecks who can barely string a sentence together but Jae Hood did it good. Yes the deep south can be like this. I've lived in a small Mississippi town for 5 years.

Onto the book. Rue and Tanner are kids from rival clans. Their family history is deep rooted yet so entwined its hard to tell who's helping who and who hates who. A truce was in the works long before Rue and Tanner could walk. A shady angry uncle has ruined everyone's lives and is determined to make himself the king.

Despite It all they manage to fall in love and fall into a life of drugs and violence. I admired how Tanner loved Rue since he was 12 when he seen her at her dad's funeral.

Rue's mom was a piece of work I absolutely hated her and wanted to feed her to alligators. Lucy dear sweet Lucy my heart hurts for her. Such a misunderstood girl with a mental illness.

There were so many secondary supporting characters to list them all but they all did their part and I felt they held the story when it could have gone flat.

The crescendo of this book was epic. I couldn't stop reading because I had to know how this would play out. Every one got their just deserve.

Once I figured out how it would play out I was happy for everyone and sad for the lives lost along the way.  The epilogue tied it all up in a happy package.

So yes I'd recommend this book to people. Go in with an open mind and a glass of sweet tea. Kudos to your debut novel.