Covered In Coal By Silla Webb

Carly Jo Simon believed that Colton Weston was her future, but he shattered her heart into tiny pieces. Just like any little girl would, she assumed her daddy would always be by her side. Unbelievably, he turned his back on her when she needed him most, leaving her with no one in her life to turn to for support. Without options, Carly runs away from the only home she's ever known, leaving behind her heartache and the betrayal of the two men she loved most.

Seven years later, Carly reluctantly returns to Kentucky. Her daddy is dying of cancer and Colton is nothing like the boy she once loved and left. After her daddy passes, Carly must uproot her life in South Carolina and take control of Simon Coal Company, where she has no choice but face the pain of her past.

Can Carly keep her secrets buried deep beneath the black Kentucky coal and her heart safe from the fiery Colton Weston?

If you’ve read my other reviews you know that I’m picky when it comes to my alpha male badass heroes.  Really picky.  One wrong move can ruin a whole book for me.  I was excited to start this book, as its set in my region of the country and sounded like an angst-filled read with a bit of mystery.  It was that, but Colton…Colton.

Carly Jo left her hometown in Kentucky with a broken heart, not just from a man she thought was the love of her life, but from her father too.  7 years later she has to return home when her father passes.  Once there she has to not only deal with reuniting with Colton (the aforementioned heartbreaker) but also a bevy of secrets that deal her even more heartache.  Colton wants her back, her father’s company must be run and a new man, Luke, makes a play for her.  What will Carly Jo do?  Can she mend the broken pieces of her past and move past her heartache, both with her father and Colton?

I have to start with Colton.  I just did not like him.  Not only because of what he did to Carly, but also just his character in general came off as kind of a psycho-obsessed lunatic.  I mean, there’s a fine line between alpha badass and bastard, and he was far into bastard territory for me.  Not to mention that Carly Jo, who is a really likeable character, just seems to lose all good sense when it comes to him.  I won’t ruin any plot points here, but I just didn’t like Colton for Carly Jo…I was really hoping that Luke would win her over.

The plot is pretty twisty and well done, though.  It moved a bit slow in parts, but once I to the last quarter of the book I just couldn’t put it down.  It does end in a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to get the next book so I can find out what the hell happens!!!

Overall, I did like most of what this book had to offer.  Colton was a big no for me, but that’s just personal preference.  I loved many of the other characters in the story (I dare you NOT to fall in love with Heidi Jo) and thought that the drama of all of it was just like Dallas in Coal Country.  4 stars.

WOW, I have to say this book totally shocked me.  I was sucked in at the beginning of the book, couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.  Midway through the book it became a bit slow for me but I still was so invested in Colton, Carly and the plot I knew I needed to finish.  By the last 10% of the book, I was back to speed reading so I could figure it all out only to find CLIFF HANGER………….but what a cliff hanger it is.  Now I am going to have to mark the calendar to bug the author weekly till I get book two.

 Carly is one feisty lady, she has ice water flowing through her veins when needed and she can turn around and be an emotional wreck the next.  At least when she crumbles she picks herself back up quickly, she doesn’t do this victim thing well at all.  She left home right after high school when she found herself pregnant and alone.  Boyfriend broke up with her before she found out she was pregnant, daddy turned his back on her, mom out of the picture and sister in college.  She moved from Kentucky to South Carolina and made it on her own hard work and determination.  Things weren’t easy for her, she ended up with only a college education and a job, I will let you read how she lost everything else, but she was as happy as she could be. 

She got the call she needed to come home, her daddy was dying and she needed to make peace with him.  What was going to be short visit turned into a life changing event? She now had a niece and nephew she had never met, her daddy had some confessions to make and a sister who was married to a man that she would grow to hate.  Now she was back in Kentucky for good and face to face with the boy who had broken her heart, Colton. 

Not knowing if he would ever be able to heal her, he knew he had to tell her the truth as to why he broke up with her.  Along with the truth he had a few surprises for Carly, little did he know Carly had a few surprises for him and a whole load of truth that she wasn’t sure he would be able to handle.  Colton is a super sexy man and Carly knows he is the one for her, but can she ever really trust him again?  Can she ever believe in men and the love they offer after how her life has ended up due to the choices the men in her life have made?  There are a ton of other secrets that Carly is about to expose, some that should have been left buried but that isn’t Carly’s way. 

Luke is a former classmate to Carly who will not only break your heart with his story, he becomes her friend and a nightmare for Colton.  In the end he plays a huge part as to what is going to happen with Carly.  I am so torn because I adore Luke and want him happy but I am not sure I want him to be another heart break for Carly and Colton.

Covered in Coal is so well written with a Southern flare to the story I just fell in love.  With a coal miners theme, you could feel the tension when certain events happen.  The emotions just jump off the pages and take your breath away.  We have a cast of characters that are not only entertaining with their humor, they will break your heart with the pain they carry but then you rise with them when they start to overcome their shattered past and build for the future. 

The suspense and mystery surrounding Carly’s family is unique and has left me wanting, no demanding more immediately.  I need to see if this family is ever going to find the peace and comfort they finally deserve.  Will Colton and Carly ever be able to just have the room to start over again without all the outside interference and uncovered secrets that threaten their happiness?  Make sure you get your copy of this book soon and be ready for the next one.  This author knows how to deliver a story that will keep you engaged and invested till the very last page.