THE LUCKY ONES by TIFFANY REISZ

“Sometimes you slay a dragon. Sometimes you cut off its head and three more grow in its place.”

This book had us up all night reading; we could not put it down. It was compelling, tragic, addictive, thrilling and sensual. Tiffany Reisz truly has a way with words that are uniquely hers. You are never unsure of just who’s book you’re reading when you pick one hers up. It was intense, humorous, sarcastic, devastating and full of heart and soul.

‘Too many secrets in this house. So many they were starting to feel like…Lies.’

When Tiffany Reisz writes a character, by the end of the book you feel as if you know them. You go on a personal journey with them. The depth and complexity of the characters is second to none. The weight of friendship and love in her stories is remarkable; the characters make her stories what they are: wonderful and unique with an individual sense of tragedy and realism. She always touches upon issues that spark numerous debates yet she does so with care, attention and sensitivity.

‘…in those ten seconds, Allison felt completely and utterly and unconditionally loved and accepted and home. Her home. Her family.’

This story is told by twenty-five year old Allison and it begins with a breakup from the –quite frankly- delectable Cooper McQueen the naughty cad. We immediately recognised Allison; she’s a wonderfully typical Tiffany Reisz heroine; what with her sense of humour, her vulnerability, her inner strength and her bright sensibility. Her story begins when she’s handed a letter from her past which sets her on a life changing journey of a much needed but devastating discovery and supressed revelations. Love was snatched away from her at a young age; is a journey back to where it all began going to give her a second chance or will it horrify and haunt her forever?

“I dreamed you’d come and find me,” she said.

“Why me?”

“Wishful thinking,” she said. “You were always my favorite.”

“Favorite sibling?”

“Favorite person. Ever. On earth. I was a little in love with you. And maybe a little in lust…”

Allison has no one to call family; until Dr Capello enters her life when she’s seven years old. Dr Capello; is a man who’s seen as a saviour of children. Not only is he a skilled neurosurgeon; he’s also fostering children who are either ‘problem children’ or have no real place to call home with loved ones. He’s one of life’s game changers for vulnerable children. When he fosters Allison she’s given an instant family through Foster Dad Vincent Capello and his foster children: Roland, Thora, Deacon, Kendra and Oliver. A family that proves to be more than what she initially thought and then she’s suddenly sent away. Secrets, lies and obsessions, the walls of The Dragon house holds them all as Allison discovers when she makes her journey back ‘home’. Do not hesitate, this is one of those books you’ll be thinking about for days after you’ve read the last page.

‘She’d known nothing but love here, nothing but kindness. But someone must have left a door open a crack and evil had snuck in when no one was looking.’