Lovin' los libros

Falling in love will pull you under...

Bill Kyser has a plan to take the sandy farms of his hometown and turn them into a world-class tourist destination--and become a billionaire in the process.

Alexandra "Lexy" LaSalle has a plan to change her life by becoming a world-famous artist.

Meg Weaver has a plan to hold onto Bill no matter what she has to do.

Three friends, three dreams.
One fatal decision will change all their lives forever.
 In Dragonfly, Bill Kyser gave Anna the three journals that held the story behind the powerful developer's seclusion and the damaged lives of his family members.

Anna hoped to find a way for Julian to know the truth, but as she digs deeper into the tragic events of the past, she realizes silence could be the only option.

Now she's in an alliance with the man she formerly feared. And if Julian finds out what she knows, she could lose for good the boy she's starting to love.
 

My Review:

 

Undertow is the second book in the Dragonfly series and picks up pretty closely to where we left off in the first book. Anna (the main character in Dragonfly) has received a series of journals that connect the past to the present. This book is told in 4 different POV's so to speak. We have Anna thrown in every now and again, but we get to read the journals of Bill Kyser, Meg Weaver-Kyser, and Alexandra (Lexy) LaSalle. I absolutely loved how Leigh wrote this book. Sure I missed Anna and Julian, but after reading these journals, I really got an idea of why Jack and Lucy Kyser acted the way they did in Dragonfly. Upon finishing this book, I feel SO conflicted! Seriously, my heart aches for Bill, Meg, and Lexy.

'Oh what a  tangled web we weave...'

As I said Anna is not really present in this book. She really serves as almost a narrator to connect the three journals. She is prominent in the end and will no doubt be back in the drivers seat for Watercolor. I felt Anna had quite a bit of growing up to do and while I hate the decision she made concerning Julian, I do feel it was the right one at the time.  I love Julian so I can't wait to see more of him in the next book. Though I really am nervous for him. I don't like the position Bill has placed Anna in and it's not fair that she must carry a huge secret on her shoulders. If she wants to have any kind of relationship with Julian, hiding this information is not taking a step in the right direction. I feel it's just the beginning before the shit hits the fan.

We read Meg's journal first and I must say- I felt every myriad of emotion with her. I first thought- who is this self-absorbed, silly girl? All she cares about is her future with this guy and how she just wants to get married and have babies. There's nothing wrong with that mind you, but I don't know. I think it was the way she came across. And then as I read her story, I started to feel incredibly bad for her. She knew it was going to be tough with Bill- he has a plan and its not a very flexible one. However, she had no idea just how demanding his schedule would be. She wants her husband around to spend time with and seeing just how lonely she was really broke my heart. However, she knew this road would be difficult and instead of supporting him, she ended up pushing him away. As bad as I felt for her, the way she manipulated and deceived Bill did not sit right with me. Don't get me wrong- she absolutely adored her husband. She simply wanted him to balance his work with his family. However, Bill's ambition and his plans made that very difficult for him to do. Meg didn't deserve the outcome she received and I hate how things played out for her.

Next we have Lexy, Meg's best friend. Lexy is artistic, beautiful and very sweet. Unlike her best friend, she is not manipulative and deceptive. Instead, I found her to be a bit naïve. She is a good friend to Meg and even though she is studying in Savannah, she still makes time for her best friend and is there for her when she needs her. Lexy is quite inexperienced when it comes to guys, so after falling for her professor and things don't quite end the way she envisioned, she is heartbroken. Eventually, she ends up returning home to work with Bill and his partner on their developments. The more time the two spent together, she realized she actually didn't dislike him like she originally thought and that they could even be friends. I actually really liked Lexy's character. I don't agree with some of her choices and I know she messed up big time, but I don't know. You can't help who you love. She ended up betraying the person who meant the most to her in the world and I can't overlook that. However, now that years have passed I don't think it's wrong for her to want to be happy again.

Finally, we have Bill. I have to be honest: up until I read his journal, I couldn't stand him. I didn't like how he treated Meg and the way he betrayed her was wrong. Bill is incredibly ambitious. He works hard because he wants to make a name for himself and wants to succeed in life. He loves his wife and wants to make her happy, but at the same time he won't sacrifice his own endeavors for her. That's not to say that he didn't try. I think he honestly believed he was doing the right thing and then when it came down to it: they both wanted different things. Meg was a pusher and she constantly kept pushing at Bill for more kids, which in turn pushed him away. He was furious over her deception and manipulation and I really can't blame him. He told her time and time again what he wanted to  accomplish and she thought she was ok with it, when she really wasn't. I'm not excusing him for his part in all of this at all. Bill made his own choices and therefore has to deal with the repercussions.

Again, we gain so much insight into the backstory of these characters and I really feel like it was critical for us to know all of this moving on. Leigh did a great job telling us their stories and as emotionally draining as it was, I'm glad she wrote it as she did. I'm still conflicted over my feelings for these three, but what's done is done. It's time to look to the future and move forward- not letting their past decisions destroy the lives of their children.

 

~Ten Things You Should Know About Bill~

 

Hey guys! Meg is here with us and she's going to tell us ten things she thinks we should know about Bill! Take it away Meg!

 

 

Giveaway: