Shona: Every small town has its secrets...

by Vicky Jones, Claire Hackney

Shona Jackson is new in town. Would YOU let her stay in your home?

Everyone has a secret. Hers could get her killed…

Mississippi, 1956. Shona Jackson knows two things—how to repair car engines and that her dark childhood secret must stay buried. On the run from Louisiana, she finds shelter in the home of a kindly old lady and a job as a mechanic. But a woman working a man’s job can’t avoid notice in a small town. And attention is dangerous, especially when it comes from one woman in particular…

Free-spirited Lucy is new in town too. At twenty-one years old she is only now starting college. But her heart is just not in it, and when she meets Shona, something inside her begins to awaken. The only thing standing in her way is Frank.

Frank’s life is a mess. Three years after the Korean War, his father still writes but hasn’t come home. His bar business is in danger, and he’s desperate for cash. And everyone he knows is stockpiling the sins of his past against him.

When Frank brings a raucous fair to town to stay afloat, Shona fears the added attention could shine a light on her past. If the truth comes out about her, she’ll lose everything—maybe even her life.

Can Shona outrun the perils that threaten her, and finally settle down?

Or will her new friendship with Lucy attract a different kind of danger?

Shona is the first novel in a heart-wrenching historical fiction trilogy. If you like small-town secrets, heroines with turbulent pasts, and overcoming impossible odds, then you’ll love Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney’s tear-jerking tale of desperate lives.

For fans of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, The Color Purple and The Help—read Shona today.

The Complete Trilogy:

Book 1: Shona

Book 2: Meet Me At 10

Book 3: The Beach House

338 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2019

Reviews

[Tim Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shona Jackson is a marvel; from the moment she hides herself to try to get some sleep in an alleyway you are totally invested in her. With a lifetime of secrets but an infectious enthusiasm for life, and unquestioning loyalty to the few people she allows herself to trust, you can’t stop following her journey. Set in late 1950’s Mississippi Claire Hackney and Vicky Jones have managed to convey love, family along with outright brutality and despair in a book that will live forever in the memory. The first of a trilogy - Meet Me At 10 and The Beach House completing the set - this is by far the highlight of my reading year.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish I could give this book more than five stars because this book is absolutely incredible. I will read anything these two amazing authors write and I really look forward to reading the rest of this series.

[Supriya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shona Jackson is a strong and honest woman whose story will touch you on deeper levels. She is determined to move on from her traumatized past and build an honest life for her. This book is heart warming as much as it is heart breaking. Next I'm going to listen to 'Meet Me at 10' to know what happened in Shona's life after this chapter in her life.

I highly recommend listening to Shona's story and supporting the amazing authors.

Narration: I loved Barbara Henslee' voice, her accent and the narration. She read very clearly and added appropriate expressions.

Rating:
The book- 📙📙📙📙📙/5
Narration- 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5

[Suzy Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Trilogy!

Read this. You will laugh, cry, get angry and fall in love with the characters. This is a very special read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small town drama

This is the story of Shona a young lady who is on the run from her past. I enjoyed reading about Shona’s struggles as she tried to settle into the new town. The characters were well written - I wanted Dorothy to be my granny. These authors know how to write dialogue, the world they created was set in the 50’s with the small minded country mentality that goes with that period.

This is the prequel of Meet me at 10 but I read Shona first. I didn’t know it was a prequel until after I read it. My first thought was, the authors didn’t tell me enough about Shona’s background except to imply there was some horribleness that happened. But when I discovered it was prequel, I guess it made sense as Book 2 must have more detail about Shona’s background.

I did enjoy this book and would recommend it more to people interested in drama rather then romance.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted an Audible version of this book from Story Origin. This is my voluntary review.
A full length novel prequel introducing Shona. A girl running from her past. 1950 small town prejudices. Sticky subjects. Women,LGBDQ, poverty, race. Very well told. Lots of feels.
The narration was easy to understand and contributed to my enjoyment.

[C.Edwards]

I gave up