Book Review: Crow’s Row

by Julie Hockley

 For college student Emily Sheppard, the thought of spending a summer alone in New York is much more preferable than spending it in France with her parents. Just completing her freshman year at Callister University, Emily faces a quiet summer in the city slums, supporting herself by working at the campus library.

During one of her jogs through the nearby cemetery while visiting her brother Bill’s grave, Emily witnesses a brutal killing-and then she blacks out. When Emily regains consciousness, she realizes she’s been kidnapped by a young crime boss and his gang. She is hurled into a secret underworld, wondering why she is still alive and for how long.

Held captive in rural Vermont, she tries to make sense of her situation and what it means. While uncovering secrets about her brother and his untimely death, Emily falls in love with her very rich and very dangerous captor, twenty-six year- old Cameron. She understands it’s a forbidden love and one that won’t allow her to return to her previous life. But love may not be enough to save Emily when no one even knows she is missing.

*********************3.5 out of 5 stars **********************

I wasn’t quite certain how to rate this novel. Although it was certainly entertaining, and I even read the whole book in one setting because that’s how much it held my attention…I just don’t know what it was about the book that I couldn’t give a better rating. Julie writes amazing characters that one can really get emotionally involved with. Emily and Cameron were definitely real enough in my mind while reading it that I didn’t ‘hate’ the story. I especially liked Cameron’s heart tugging at trying to do the right thing even though he lived the wrong lifestyle. He cared enough for Emily to try to do what was right even though it constantly costed him pain and anguish. And Emily wasn’t the cliché damsel in distress type of character; instead always butting heads and fighting for what she wanted.

Even better, I liked the minor characters too. Cameron’s brother was definitely one of my favorites. Oh Julie…why! LOL I did wish the author could have stepped up the story line of Spider though. I thought he could have been bigger…but I understand you can only do so much with your story. I just found that one character, and possibly a few others lacking in some way for some reason.

The whole story was more of a psychological tug-of-war with the heart and mind. I kept expecting more action style drama but didn’t get it a whole lot. (Still there was some and that some was pretty good.)

I want to thank the author for being able to go so close to some lines and not crossing them. I cringed at some points worried she would cross those lines but she didn’t and for that I will raise my rating to a 4 out of 5. I personally doubt I will go on to book two in this series. I was satisfied the way it ended and the cliffhanger didn’t edge me on to book two. Most people will though and I think they will enjoy Julie’s style of writing and the storyline that she continues.

Final Verdict:

4/5 stars