Sixteen months, sixteen yearsSixteen of your deepest fearsSixteen times you dreamed my tearsfalling falling through the years...Gatlin is a typical Southern town, slow to pick up on new stuff and big on Confederate Flags, biscuits and gravy. Everybody know everyone and nothing serious ever happens. Ethan, who only recently lost his mother, is about to be entirely sick and tired of the small-town life, when mysterious Lena Duchannes, niece of the even more mysterious Macon Ravenwood enters his life. While he and Lena become closer, he discovers the secrets that lie underneath the sleepy town of Gatlin as well as the secrets hidden in the hearts of his fellow inhabitants. However, Lena is in severe danger - on her 16th birthday some crucial decision will be made for her - and both of them try to fight it with the help of trusted friends and family.I really don't want to spoil anything by talking too much about the plot, you just have to find out for yourself. As for he style - I was completely sucked into the story and could hardly put the book away. Garcia/Stohl tell a story with an elaborate setting. In the Style of Anne Rice they create a dark Sounthern gothic frame for the story of two star-crossed lovers. I really enjoyed the bits and pieces about aging Southern Belles and their nasty offspring, the Re-enactment-craze as well as the food Amma cooks, having lived in the South for a couple of years myself. A really great prelude to a series I'll definitely read!
