Last Kiss
Luanne Rice
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Buy *Last Kiss* by Luanne Rice online

Last Kiss
Luanne Rice
Bantam
Paperback
480 pages
June 2009
rated 4 of 5 possible stars

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Last Kiss, Luanne Rice’s latest work, returns to the characters from her bestselling novel Beach Girls. Nell Kilvert is all grown up now at 17, and she is heartbroken. The love of her life, Charlie Rosslare, was killed almost a year ago, and she still has not found closure. Her inability to heal from her grief stems from one thing - the police still haven’t discovered what happened to her beloved Charlie. Desperate, Nell calls the one person she thinks can discover the truth behind Charlie’s death: Gavin Dawson, a private detective. But Nell doesn’t realize what Gavin’s return will mean for another important woman in Charlie’s life - his mother, Sheridan.

Sheridan Rosslare is understandably lost after the death of her son. A world-famous country singer, she hasn’t been able to pick up a guitar since the night she lost her son. Gavin’s return only complicates things further. Once young lovers like Nell and Charlie, Sheridan didn’t believe the time was right for her and Gavin and let him go. But he hasn’t fallen out of love with her, and she isn’t quite sure what her feelings are for him. As she begins to rediscover herself and the world around her, Gavin delves deeper into the dark mystery of Charlie’s violent death and what it means for those who loved him.

Last Kiss is another winning entry into Luanne Rice’s canon. While I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as What Matters Most or Light of the Moon, it is a wonderful story. The murder mystery aspect makes the novel a bit darker than the usual Rice fare, but it is still light enough for her regular readers. In some ways the book reminded me of Sandcastles, a novel of which readers were a bit critical, but Rice seems to have corrected most of the flaws that frustrated her readers in that novel. Last Kiss does relate to its prequel, Beach Girls, but as with Sandcastles and What Matters Most, it is not necessary to have read Beach Girls first. That said, if a reader intends to read Beach Girls eventually, that book should be read first; otherwise, Last Kiss will spoil the ending.

The one element out of place in Last Kiss is the magic employed by Sheridan’s sisters and grandmother. It seems to be a poor imitation of Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen and doesn’t really fit in with the overall story. However, it doesn’t detract from the book either; it just seems like it doesn’t belong.

Last Kiss is about all types of love, both young and old. It is about new love and old love, about saying hello to one who has been absent for a long time and saying goodbye to one who is never coming back. The heart of the novel is really in its characters; if you are a Rice fan, you will welcome their return. If this is your first Rice novel, you will enjoy meeting them for the first time. Either way, hopefully this book will find you eagerly anticipating Luanne Rice’s next work.



Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Swapna Krishna, 2008

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