Seven Siblings. Seven Years. Seven Spellbinding Novels. 1973. New Orleans. The Deschanel siblings are now scattered, searching for meaning in their new lives.Charles, the playboy, moves from his first heartbreak to solemn acquiescence, as he promises his mother he’ll marry a woman who is, by all accounts, a monster. Augustus, the fixer, is all business, until one of his employees catches his … employees catches his attention in a unique way, and he can’t and won’t ignore the strange appeal. Colleen, the adherent, finds lurid temptation undermining her better judgment. Evangeline, the genius, finally enrolls in college but lives a second life no one, not even Colleen is aware of. Maureen, the haunted, discovers there’s more to her terrible ability than she’s ever known, but the cost may be her soul.
And only Elizabeth, the anguished, knows how their stories will go on, or end. She would do anything to change the future. She’ll finally try to do just that.
As the family progresses through the seventies, they’ll discover the power of secrets, lies, and a fate they cannot escape, no matter how powerful they are.
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I am absolutely FLOORED. Reading this, the beginning of the downfall, but not for all of them. Of them all, 1973 tells so much about who Charles was, who he became, in the Crimson Series. There is so much in this book, Colleen and her struggles and guilt that she hasn’t done or recognized the signs, Aggie and his choices. Some of them growing but mostly towards heartbreak or disaster. But Charles, even in his darkness helped and protected his family. He makes sense while my heart breaks for him. Elizabeth carries the burden of seeing what is coming and knowing that it only gets worse for her siblings and carries that burden on her own. This author does it again. Makes us feel for this family. We know what’s coming and yet we still feel their pain as they face the obstacles. We know them, well we thought we did. We judged them, but we didn’t have all of the facts. Now as we truly get to know them does it change how you feel? Does it make them more human? Or does it break your heart to feel their pain, their loss, their fears? All of your preset notions will be changed, because the Crimson Series didn’t tell us everything.
Oh my! 1973 was quite a year for the Deschanel clan. This book gives all the siblings more-or-less equal focus. Since the characters have been established, there was a more interesting plot progression.
As I read Charles’ story, I thought back to the House of Crimson and Clover books. Ms. Cradit gave her readers the perfect backstory for Charles’ loveless marriage, his cheating heart, and his continued bad behavior. It all makes sense now! If you haven’t read the HOCC series, you can still see the torment to come.
Maureen and Colleen are both finding their own way, a bit of a rocky road, but no more so than many new adults. Evangeline and Lizzie are still loose ends. As the younger siblings, they are still developing. Lizzie in particular is an enigma.
Augustus sets off on his own. He seems to be successful, and yet, he also seems weakly vulnerable to the apparent games and coy advances of the office damsel in distress. I can’t wait to read how this storyline plays out!
The importance of family is an arcing theme in this series. The siblings face normal issues as well as the unique situations faced by someone with special “gifts”. No matter how surely or indifferent they behave toward one another, bottom line, they’ve got each other’s backs.
As more backstory is revealed, the tension mounts…and not only because Lizzie laments how horrific 1974 will be for the Deschanels. As melodramatic as that is, I’m still hooked and can’t wait for the rest of the series.
So so good! Best one yet. What I really enjoyed with this one is the fact that the 7 are coming into their own now and are not as afraid always to reach for and learn more about their abilities. In book 1 we learned who they all were and end with the tragedy and book 2 is about the results and coping after wards sp now in book 3 we have them all adapting and as they are growing up and learning to accept who they are, I am truly looking forward to thr next book