Dragonfly Series by Leigh T. Moore

Dragonfly by Leigh Talbert Moore

 

4 Stars

Dragonfly is the debut book in the Dragonfly series by Leigh Talbert Moore.   I first found this independent author this week and quickly devoured two of her books in four days.  I can only say be on the look out for her and this series, they are special.  If you are a fan of Abbi Glines, who I am obsessed with, then you will love Ms. Moore.  As soon as I started this book I thought the Sea Breeze Series meets the Vincent Boys, which in fact are two of my all time favorite series by Ms. Abbi.

Ok down to the book.  Dragonfly is definitely a YA to add to your “must read” list.  It has a beach setting, which makes it a great summer read.  I immediately fell into the whole story line and quickly became invested in this plot.  The characters are intertwined and flawed thus making them believable to readers.  I have always loved a good love triangle and this book does not disappoint.  I am on the fence as to whose team I am on.  I will have to read the next installment to pick Team Jack or Team Julian; although, I am leaning heavily toward team Julian at this point.

The author’s writing style is so descriptive that you can almost hear the waves rolling in, falling in love with the characters giving an emotional attachment, and getting swept up in the mystery of this plot.  This book blew me away.  I can not wait for the next chapter in the lives of Anna, Julian, Jack, and Lucy.  Additionally, I absoutely love the cover!

Synopsis

Three bad things I learned this year:
-People you trust lie, even parents.
-That hot guy, the one who’s totally into you, he might not be the one.
-Things are not always how they appear.
Three good things I learned this year:
-Best friends are always there for you, even when they’re far away.
-That other hot guy, the one who remembers your birthday, he just might be the one.
-Oh, and things are not always how they appear.
Anna Sanders expected an anonymous (and uneventful) senior year until she crossed paths with rich-and-sexy Jack Kyser and his twin sister Lucy.
Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed Anna outside her comfort zone, and Jack showed her feelings she’d never experienced... Until he mysteriously withdrew.
Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction. But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins’ distant, single father.
A secret that could permanently change all their lives.

Undertow by Leigh T. Moore

 

4 Stars

And the mystery is solved leaving more questions...

 

I have been impatiently waiting for this release date.  I don’t think that I have been hooked this hard on a series in quite a while.  Leigh has a way of sweeping her readers up and leaving them wanting more with every book that she writes.  She has gone above and beyond with this particular series.

Undertow is the second book in the Dragonfly series and if you have not read the first book you might not keep up in this one, but if you have OMG what a ride.  I would suggest you read Dragonfly first and get sucked into this series; it is well worth the read. 

Being from Alabama and a southern gal to the core, I appreciate the southern setting in South Alabama.  All aspects of this book screams authentic southern charm from the cities to the dialogue and any southerner will love the references.  The Alabama gulf coast is one of my favorite places and I love books that use the coast as their setting.

I never would have thought that Ms. Moore would write the second installment as journal entries and I was not sure how I would like it, but after being swept up in the drama that happened so long ago I could not see the story playing out any other way.  I was quickly caught up in the mystery that Anna finds herself uncovering. 

We start off with Anna who is on the fence about Julian tiring to distance herself she starts reading the journals that Bill gave her in book one.  Anna then starts to put together the sequence of events leading up to Jack and Julian’s parents tangled web of lies, betrayal, and deceit. 

In the first journal we follow Meg from teenage years to her tragic death.  I found her to be annoyingly needy, insecure, and back-stabbing which is a great contrast to how I pictured her in book one.  Next we peek into the life of Alex which was very interesting since she was rather reclusive in book one.  I enjoyed her back-story the most leaving me feeling compassion for her and Julian.  The big shocker was the past life of Bill.  I loved being drawn into his world and finding out what has made him so bitter.  I also loved seeing him in this light and have faith that he can be happy once again.

The only disappointment I had with this book is I wanted more Anna and her love triangle.  I love how it was written and I feel the back-story was well deserved.  I can only hope for more Anna, Julian, Jack, Lucy, and Will in the future and a ton more books.   This series can not play out too soon in my eyes.  I can not wait to see where Leigh takes these beloved characters in the future.

 

Check out my picks for Julian and Jack (even though Jack is not in this book)

My Julian Joshua Brand

 

My Jack