First of all, I have to confess that I’m an Ali Vali addict. I came to this addiction a little late in my lesfic reading career, but since I’ve found her books, I’ve been reading them voraciously. I flew through the ‘Dead’ and the ‘Devil’ series, and have now begun to read some of her individual books. My latest is The Dragon Tree Legacy, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
Probably one of the reasons I liked the book so much is the fact that it almost should be a part of the ‘Devil’ series. The setting is New Orleans not long after Katrina; the same setting and time period as several of the ‘Devil’ books. Most of the criminals are fairly major secondary characters from that series and even the illegal activities they are involved with came from the series.
The main characters of this novel are new however, and I do like how they are developed. Both are likeable but flawed characters. Both have made mistakes in their pasts that have caused the conflict they now face. Both have hurt the other one in the past, and now have to overcome that hurt to be together again. They have to learn to forgive themselves as well as each other. This is a theme you find in many of Vali’s stories.
You also find the importance of family as a theme. Family is obviously important to the author, and that flows through all of the books I’ve read by her. I love that theme, and I believe it makes her characters more human and the story more real.
I can highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good action-adventure story with strong characters and a lovely romance. Just heed this warning, her books are addictive. The craving may consume you as it did me.
Rainbow Reflections 