Finding Home, By J.W. Phillips

Julie Emison never believed in demons, ghouls, or things that go bump in the night. Trucker Castleman never believed in love. Imagine their surprise when they discovered each other.

Eighteen-year-old Julie denied her attraction for seventeen-year-old Trucker for as long as she possible could, but in time formed a connection that felt almost unworldly. From the day he first laid eyes on her, the charismatic, and reclusive Trucker had been consumed with Julie, a big-hearted and frustrating girl—who Trucker loved beyond reason. The only problem with that was Trucker had no right to love. After all, love is a foreign concept to a demon.

Things are complicated by the fact that Trucker was not only a demon, but the prince of an elite band of demons. His life had already been laid out for him, and Julie didn’t fit into those plans at all. Julie was a complication. A complication Trucker was not willing to give up. Trucker was ready to fight and turn his back on everything he knew to be with her.

Julie wasn’t so easily convinced. With Trucker, Julie found isolation, unbearable pain, and that happily ever afters do not exist. However, she also never felt more alive. After a tragic accident, Julie faced a hard decision. Did she endure it all for the sake of love? Or was the price of sin more than she could afford to pay?

 

I’m going to have to overlook two things in order to give this book my best review.  One, which is that the hero’s name is “Trucker”.  Images of a cute, studly boy are not provoked by this name.  And two, it’s pretty PG.  I’m used to a little more tickling of the pickle in my books.  Those two things aside, this was an enjoyable young adult novel.

18 year old Julie meets, and feels an instant emotional connection with 17 year old Trucker.  They keep running into to one another at school, and the feelings they stir in each other don’t wane, so Julie decides to take the plunge and go out with him, and since this is a paranormal read, the blossoming of their love heralds disaster.  Trucker is actually a demon, and Julie opening herself up to his world ushers in a lot of misfortune for her.

I’m just going to put it out there – I found Julie annoying.  I know why her character was the way she was, but I still couldn’t help but find her emotional turmoil to be taxing…which I guess is good because that’s the point, isn’t it?  I mean, I really felt for Julie and the things she went through, but man…she was a demanding character.  Trucker…once I got past the name, and it actually started to grow on me and didn’t picture him with a beer belly and trucker hat with porno shades, he was full of so much depth.  The more layers that were exposed to Trucker the more awesome I thought he was.  Being ushered into his world is so interesting, and his family…LOVE his mom.  There were laugh out loud moments with his family, they are keepers.

The mystery and tension in this novel is unraveled at a very nice pace.  It’s not too much too soon, and it just flows really well.  I found myself really wrapped up in this story, and I don’t often read YA much these days.  But I think if you appreciate Paranormal YA, such as Twilight and the Mortal Instruments, you will definitely enjoy this book.  4.5 stars.