REVIEW: Poughkeepsie Begins by Debra Anastasia

From Goodreads:

It ends with the beginning. This legendary, indie, cult-favorite series ends its tale with the story of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood before the tattoo. Before the train station, before the church, before a criminal empire there was a foster home and three teen boys who chose each other as family, because the ones they were born into didn’t exist

Still in high school, Beckett is already laying the groundwork for a grander life ahead, one where his brothers want for nothing and get some respect for once. But even as he plans, Beckett must decide if he’s ready to make that choice—diving in to a life that trades his chance at a future, his chance at something as simple as first love with a girl named Candy Cox, for their chance to find happiness.

Blake, Beckett, and Cole’s devotion to each other is forged by fists and the driving need to belong somewhere, to do more than just survive this life. Readers of the series know they each get there in the end, but before we count smiles, we must first shed tears. These early days of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood will play on your heartstrings before serrating them with a knife; they’ll lift your soul with music, only to leave you with nothing but a desperate prayer for hope.

And when you reach the end of the beginning, you’ll be ready to start the series all over again.

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Suspense

Length:  199 pages 

Price on Amazon: $4.99

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MY REVIEW

Poughkeepsie territory stands primed for a new leader to run the show. Enter a foster kid with a bad rep, on the verge of aging out of the system, and needing to make a decision about his future. When forced to make a choice on the one night that everything should’ve been perfect, he learns a hard lesson about power: it’s destructive and calls for sacrifices.

Lovingly handcrafted, Poughkeepsie Begins will pull you into the world of Beckett Taylor and all that matters most to him. Blake and Cole are his brothers not by blood, but by true loyalty and hardships endured together at the hands of the foster care system. Candy is the beautiful girl who will forever hold a part of his heart when she sees beyond the public face Beckett puts on. 

And you, the reader, will go on an adventure of lost innocence, growing up, and the harsh truth of reality.

** I was given an ARC by the author and OMNIFIC Publishing in exchange for an honest review.**