Review: Set Me Free

SET ME FREE

by Melissa Pearl 

Pages: 240

Publisher: Evatopia Press
Publication Date: May 3rd 2014

ISBN: 1630990256
Received From:  Mark My Words Book Publicity

Summary 

Lucy Tate has spent the last 5 years on the run. That is, until she met Zach, the one guy she couldn't bear to leave even though it could cost both of them their lives. Hunted by a crooked FBI agent who killed her parents, Lucy has taken on one disguise after the next. But Zach knows exactly who she is and in spite of mounting evidence indicating her guilt in her parents' death, he knows she's innocent. Convinced that it's time to put her years on the run behind her, Zach and Lucy vow to fight back, clear her name, and take down the real killer. With support from Zach's loyal friends and his uncle, an investigative reporter, they set out on a dangerous mission hoping that the truth...will set them free.

Review

Set Me Free is the suspense filled conclusion to Lucy Tate's story. I have to admit I've missed Zach and I couldn't wait to get my teeth stuck into this book! This book has everything! We have a little Charlie's Angles undercover work going on as well as a smidgen of computer hacking, a bloody handprint or two and a heap load of sexy Zach and LuLu moments! 

The beginning of Set Me Free overlaps slightly with the end of I Know Lucy with Lucy Tate introducing herself to Zach. She came back but everything she was running from is still very much after her and her sudden reappearance will only put the ones she loves in danger. And she knows it. This book is told, again, through both Zach and Lucy however where as before we had a first person account from Zach and a third from Lucy this time it's the other way around. This time we get to go through everything Lucy does as her finally discovers why the man with the pale green eyes is after her.  

I adored the prequel to this book, I Know Lucy. It was fast paced and captivating from the very beginning and even though it had the mother of all cliffhangers I still really enjoyed reading it. However, Set Me Free lacked a little of I Know Lucy's charm for me. I'm not saying it was bad, it wasn't! In fact it was just as well written and concluded Lucy's story perfectly. The problem I had was that the things I loved most from book one were missing in this instalment. For example Zach's group of friends were missing from about two thirds of the story and when they were there it was more about how Lucy was coming between them rather than the super sweet and quirky little family dynamic they had before.

I feel that these books didn't need to be separate. I think that if you took out the ending of I Know Lucy and the very beginning of Set Me Free this story would have made an epic standalone that would have had most people hooked from start to finish. It was one story and as much as I understand the authors need to change prospective, that could have just as easily been achieved with a Part 1 & 2. Although this is just my opinion. It doesn't take anything away from the story, I just feel that it would have worked better as one. 

Overall though this is a satisfying ending and I'm so happy with the way in which Lucy's life turned out. She's still a little broken but she's stronger and braver than she ever was before. Her growth throughout these two books was moving and even when her courage wavered there was still so much bravery behind everything Lucy did.

Lucy’s life has been difficult at best and Set Me Free gave her something she never thought she could have.

A happily ever after. 

**I received this book as an ARC from Mark My Words Book Publicity to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

Review: I Know Lucy

I Know Lucy

by Melissa Pearl

Publisher: Evatonia Press

Publication Date: April 17th 2014

Received From: Mark My Words Book Publicity

Lucy Tate is on the run. After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, she's spent five years in hiding -- taking on different personas and faking her way through life. The authorities can't be trusted, so she remains in the shadows, always one beat ahead of the man who is forever hunting her. That is, until she meets Zach Schultz, a senior at Monte Vista High and the one guy she can’t bear to leave. Suddenly her natural instincts to lie, cheat, and run are overshadowed by something else...the desire to stay and perhaps, love. It’s her one shot at a normal life. 
Curious by nature, Zach is immediately drawn to the new girl at school. How can a person look both confident and vulnerable all in the same moment? Determined to figure Lucy out, he sets out to unravel the mystery that is her and soon finds himself caught up in a cat and mouse game. For the first time in his life he is faced with the reality that the truth can no longer set him free...if anything, it's going to get him killed. 

Review

"Danielle Harrison was a girl with secrets and I desperately wanted to know what they were."

First things first, DO NOT start reading this book unless you have the sequel ready and waiting in the wings! It's not exactly a cliffhanger but there are so SO many things left up in the air at the end of this book it makes you desperate to read Set Me Free. 

I Know Lucy is a book about - you guessed it - a girl called Lucy and the people who knew her. When new girl Dani (aka Lucy) turns up at Zach's school she sets off his intrigue like someone who's just slammed their fist into the fire alarm. Zach's not had the best of luck when it comes to girls but there is something about Dani he just can't shake. He needs to get to know her, and as the book unravels it becomes clear that Dani is hiding something. Or as the case may be, several somethings. The story follows both characters as they try to discover each other. But Dani won't, can't, let anyone in. She has a dangerous past that could get someone killed. The problem is, Zach can't let it go, he needs to know her. 

Okay so you will be expecting me to drone on about dual narratives because that seems to be my favourite past time at the moment but this was done slightly different to most other multiple points of view books. Yes, it is told through two different people but Zach's half of the story is all in first person, where as Lucy's sections are in third. I really REALLY liked the way this was done because it make it feel like Zach's story and we were discovering the information about Lucy the same way he was, through little snippets of a story that we have to peace together ourselves. 

Another great thing about this book is the character's and the way in which not a single one of them was overly annoying. Which I know, sounds like a give-in but in truth when you're reading about teenagers there's a high chance that at least one of the character's will fall into the clique cliché that will drive you barmy by the end of the first half. But I am happy to report that this was not the case with I Know Lucy. I adored Zach's group of friends as they were all individual and strong. They had shining personalities and characters that made it easy to imagine them all sitting around the table as AJ forced them to eat his latest concoction.  I want to be part of this group! 

I mentioned at the beginning of this review that this book left me wanting more, however that's not a completely positive thing. Yes, it does mean I will be reading book two however, it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. As if it just stopped halfway through the story. I understand that in a series you need to have something - a hook of sorts - to make you go back for the next book, but this is not how you do it. If I didn't have the second book on hand I would have been very frustrated with the ending to I Know Lucy. It felt like the book was leading up to something big, it was just appear that said something is in book two.

Overall though, this is a great book! The ending leads little to be desired but that is probably the only bad thing I have to say about it. It's fasted paced and the characters are captivating. The plot is thick with twists and turns and I really enjoyed that way the author connected Lucy's past with Zach's present. It has it's raw moments that show the true nature of Lucy's torment as well as some of the best dialogues I've read in a while - the scenes where Tenner is talking sent chills down my spine. An interesting and exciting read that I highly recommend. 

     

**I received this book as an ARC from Mark My Words Book Publicity to read and review. This is a 100% honest review**