Book Blitz: Now I Found You by Mila Oliver

Now I Found You by Mila Oliver
Published: July 20, 2021
Genres: Adult, Suspense, Thriller

Seven years ago, Kate Hartfield’s little sister disappeared.

An ordinary summer day of fun at the lake turned into a nightmare when young Emily Hartfield suddenly could not be found. When badly battered body parts were discovered three days later, the investigation concluded that they were Emily’s and the case was closed as an accidental drowning.

Now Kate has returned to her hometown in the Catskills for the first time since her sister’s death, for a work retreat. While at her boss’s lake house, she briefly spies a familiar face.

It’s Emily.

She’s all grown up, but Kate knows her sister’s face better than anyone. The sighting reignites the doubts Kate has always had, and forces her to revisit all the mysterious circumstances that surrounded that day. As she desperately tries to track down the girl she saw at the lake house, Kate discovers shocking secrets from the past, confronts her own guilt from that day, and becomes obsessed with uncovering the answer to one question.

What really happened to Emily?

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT

Back at her apartment, Kate peeled off her clothes and threw them in a corner before crawling into her twin sized bed. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes painting it with lush green trees and soft wood trails. It had been six years since she left, but she could still smell the clean mountain air. She could still feel the leaves slapping against her arms as she and her cross-country team ran through the woods. She could still hear the soft fireflies zipping through the quiet of the night, and taste the fresh raindrops that would fall softly onto her face. And she could still see her little sister, in her bright yellow swimsuit, smiling at her from the shallow end of the lake, her face partially blocked by the blinding glow of the setting sun.

Kate remembered the first time her memory of Emily had started to fade a little. It was a little over two years after Emily died. Up until then, every detail of Emily always lingered at the periphery of her brain. She didn’t even need to conjure it up, it was just always there. Every freckle on her face, the sparkle of her bright blue eyes, the softness of her lush blond hair. The smell of the vanilla sugar body splash she wore every day.

But then suddenly, on an otherwise ordinary day, Kate woke up and, for a few seconds, Emily’s face was fuzzy. Her memory did not have its usual depth and clarity. Kate had trouble feeling Emily’s silky hair through her fingers.

The memories returned in full force a few moments later, but the shock of it had engulfed her like a tidal wave, pulling her down into a deep depression. It was the first time Kate realized that her memories of Emily would not always be as strong and clear as they originally were. That overtime memories would take a new form. They would become more like looking back at old photographs or home movies, rather than the very real feeling of Emily standing right there in front of her.

Kate reached for the small container on her nightstand and shook out two pills. Every so often, she found that alcohol was not enough to blur her memories and lull her peacefully to sleep. The pills snagged against the back of her throat as she swallowed them dry and waited listlessly for darkness to fall.

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Review: Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

Published: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Gallery Books

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?

Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.

Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.

My Thoughts

Eva wakes up after being struck by lightening not knowing anything but is told her mother is dead and she is the prime suspect. She can’t recall anything but knows she couldn’t have possibly killed her mother so she sets out to find out the truth since her life depends on it. Her search for the truth takes her from Seattle to London and in the process, she learns her life was a complete lie and this just makes matters worse. Not only does she have to defend herself she now has to find out who she is.

Behind Every Lie is another winner from Christina McDonald, she is quickly becoming my new go-to author. Her writing is amazing, she gives us characters and storylines that are complex but yet very human and relatable at the same time. She gives us twists and turns and her storytelling has depth and multilayers. 

I could go on about this book but I wouldn’t dare spoil it for anyone who is thinking about picking it up, and if you aren't thinking about it you really should! If you love a great suspenseful novel I highly recommend this gem of a book.

Mini Review: Stolen Things by R.H. Herron

Stolen Things by R.H. Herron

Published: August 20, 2019

Publisher: Dutton

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

“Mama? Help me.”

Laurie Ahmadi has worked as a 911 police dispatcher in her quiet Northern California town for nearly two decades. She considers the department her family; her husband, Omid, is its first Arab American chief, and their teenaged daughter, Jojo, has grown up with the force. So when Laurie catches a 911 call and, to her horror, it’s Jojo, the whole department springs into action.

Jojo, drugged, disoriented, and in pain, doesn’t remember how she ended up at the home of Kevin Leeds, a pro football player famous for his on-the-field activism and his work with the CapB—“Citizens Against Police Brutality”—movement. She doesn’t know what happened to Kevin’s friend and trainer, whose beaten corpse is also discovered in the house. And she has no idea where her best friend Harper, who was with her earlier in the evening, could be.

But when Jojo begins to dive into Harper’s social media to look for clues to her whereabouts, Jojo uncovers a shocking secret that turns everything she knew about Harper—and the police department—on its head. With everything they thought they could rely on in question, Laurie and Jojo begin to realize that they can’t trust anyone to find Harper except themselves . . . and time is running out.

My Thoughts

Stolen Things seemed like a read I would’ve read in one sitting and by the premise, I wanted to but once I started reading it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought this was a thriller about a mother trying to get her daughter back and while it was it took different turns that I couldn’t get invested in. 

Laurie thought she knew her daughter but when she calls 911 and Laurie who is a dispatcher answers she finds out her daughter has been hanging with some shady people. Jojo’s best friend has been involved with some older men who are police officers and seeing how Jojo’s father is one this isn’t good. Plus when someone is found dead and Jojo doesn’t know how she ended up drugged and maybe even raped her mother doesn’t know where to start to find out the truth.

While all of this sounds good and parts are really good overall I found that too much stuff was happening. There were a lot of characters and there were so many issues being thrown at you I couldn’t keep track of them at times. This was an okay read but honestly, me going into this thinking it was about something else might have not made me fully get into it.

Mini Review: Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

Published: March 6, 2018

Publisher: William Morrow

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

Growing up, Kate Priddy was always a bit neurotic, experiencing momentary bouts of anxiety that exploded into full-blown panic attacks after an ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and nearly ended her life. When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin in Boston, suggests the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate, an art student in London, agrees, hoping that time away in a new place will help her overcome the recent wreckage of her life.

Soon after her arrival at Corbin’s grand apartment on Beacon Hill, Kate makes a shocking discovery: his next-door neighbor, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered. When the police question her about Corbin, a shaken Kate has few answers, and many questions of her own—curiosity that intensifies when she meets Alan Cherney, a handsome, quiet tenant who lives across the courtyard, in the apartment facing Audrey’s. Alan saw Corbin surreptitiously come and go from Audrey’s place, yet he’s denied knowing her. Then, Kate runs into a tearful man claiming to be the dead woman’s old boyfriend, who insists Corbin did the deed the night that he left for London.

When she reaches out to her cousin, he proclaims his innocence and calms her nerves--until she comes across disturbing objects hidden in the apartment and accidentally learns that Corbin is not where he says he is. Could Corbin be a killer? What about Alan? Kate finds herself drawn to this appealing man who seems so sincere, yet she isn’t sure. Jet-lagged and emotionally unstable, her imagination full of dark images caused by the terror of her past, Kate can barely trust herself, so how could she take the chance on a stranger she’s just met?

My Thoughts

I was really excited about this read seeing how Peter Swanson has become one of my favorite authors but sadly this one just fell a little flat for me. In Her Every Fear we have Kate who is recovering from something tragic from her past and her parents decide maybe she needs a break and maybe she should exchange places with her cousin in the States for a while. Corbin her cousin has his own demons from his past he is trying to escape but the timing of the swap isn’t the best for him and soon he finds himself having to prove his innocence.

While I found this novel interesting there were some things I just couldn’t believe in. I found myself getting confused at times with the characters and other times I just wanted to know what was going to happen. I liked Corbin as a character and found his storyline very interesting but Kate wasn’t my favorite. I found her just repeating her mistakes and just wanted her to find her way. This novel will definitely draw you in but at times I found it dragging. I’m still a huge fan of the author but this one was an okay read for me in the end.

Review: Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Expected Publication: March 5, 2019

Publisher: William Morrow

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5    

Synopsis

Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.

But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either.

Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate?

The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape.

My Thoughts

I’ve become a huge Peter Swanson fan recently and I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on so when I heard he had a new book coming out I couldn't wait to read it. It seems like his books just get better and when I finished his latest read… WOW is all I could say… this one blew my mind!

In Before She Knew Him we met Hen and Lloyd who recently have moved out to the suburbs and decide one night to join the neighborhood block party to be nice and be neighborly but soon they become friends with the only other couple who don't have kids, Matthew and Mira and realize they are actually next door neighbors. They soon have dinner together and while having a tour of the house something in Matthews office soon catches Hen's eye a simple trophy that makes something click in her head. She soon becomes obsessed with this trophy and remembers it from the newspapers a few years back connected to a murder. She then becomes convinced that Matthew is a murderer and makes it her mission to prove it. She starts to follow and spies on him trying to get any evidence to prove that she is right and not having another manic episode like she has in the past.

Years ago Hen began having manic episodes and it got so bad she was asked to leave school after an altercation with a fellow student. She soon became consumed with all things murder related and when a few murders happen nearby she studied them as if it was her job. However, with the help of family and Lloyd she balanced her meds and got her issues under controlled but after meeting Matthew and connecting things about him she now thinks he is the one behind everything.

Matthew sees himself as a savior of sorts. He had a horrible childhood, to say the least, and we learn in time his past has a huge play in everything that has happened. He survived his upbringing and now is a loving husband to Mira but he has some dark secrets that he has kept to himself...that is until Hen came around. Ironically he isn't scared of Hen because he thinks they are kindred spirits of sorts, after seeing her dark and disturbing art and learning of her obsession with crime and murder. They soon strike up a sort of understanding of and he begins to tell her things he has never told anyone before. We learn why he does what he does, he tries to make excuses for his actions and no matter how he wants to validate these things they are criminal, disturbing and simply horrifying. To get into the mind of this man who can do such unbearable things and then lay in bed with his wife and teach kids the next day is so bizarre, how he can compartmentalize his actions is beyond words.

This book had me from the very beginning. We get to two souls who seem so different but in time we see how they connect in a way we never saw coming. I found it dark, creepy and at some points horrifying but all in a great way. The story was fascinating and with its twist and turns especially the plot twist towards the end there are some amazing jaw-dropping moments. I would call this my favorite Peter Swanson by far and I highly recommend this sinister of a novel.

Blog Tour/Excerpt: Everything That Follows by Meg Little Reilly

  

From Meg Little Reilly, comes a stunning thriller that will keep readers up turning pages long into the night, EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS! 

Grab your copy of EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS today!

 

CAUGHT IN THE BACKWASH, THEY HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES…

For fans of Megan Abbott and Chris Bohjalian comes a novel of moral complexity about friends who must choose between self-preservation and doing the right thing in the wake of a fatal boating accident. Set in the moody off-season of Martha’s Vineyard, Everything That Follows is a plunge into the dark waters of secrets and flexible morals. The truth becomes whatever we say it is…

Around midnight, three friends take their partying from bar to boat on a misty fall evening. Just as the weather deteriorates, one of them suddenly and confusingly goes overboard. Is it an accident? The result of an unwanted advance? His body disappears quickly, silently, into the dark water. The circumstances are murky, but what is clear is that the other two need to notify the authorities. Minutes become hours become days as they hesitate, caught up in their guilt and hope that their friend has somehow made it safely to shore. As valuable time passes, they find themselves deep in a moral morass with huge implications as they struggle to move forward and live with their dark secret.

Grab your copy of EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS here!

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 “Taut with moral complexity and a subtly building tension, this is the kind of story that punishes you if you dare to put it down. ”

— Kim Cross, New York Times bestselling author of WHAT STANDS IN A STORM

   Add it to your Goodreads Now!

   

“[a] skillfully wrought tale of atonement in a frame of psychological suspense.”— Booklist

 

Meg Little Reilly’s EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS – Tour Schedule:

May 2^nd

Mythical Books – Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

May 3^rd

Belle's Book Belfry – Review

Kindle Friends Forever – Review

May 4^th

A Southern Girls Bookshelf – Excerpt

May 5^th

Adventures in Writing – Excerpt

Movies, Shows, & Books – Excerpt

Suey Library – Review & Excerpt

May 6^th

Bookishly Yours – Excerpt

Friends Till The End Book Blog – Excerpt

Linz Readz – Review & Excerpt

May 7^th

Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

May 8^th

A Book Nerd, a Bookseller and a Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt

May 9^th

4TLOReading – Review & Excerpt

Brittany's Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Literary misfit – Excerpt

TEXTTEASER BOOK BLOG – Review & Excerpt

May 10^th

A Bookaholic Swede – Excerpt

Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt

Miss Riki – Review & Excerpt

May 11^th

Books A-Brewin' – Excerpt

Jen in Bookland – Review & Excerpt

Literature Goals – Review & Excerpt

The Book Addict's Reviews – Review & Excerpt

May 12^th

Crazy Chaotic Book Babes – Review & Excerpt

I am a Book Hoarder – Review & Excerpt

Margaux – Excerpt

Shakespeare’s Wench Book Blog – Review

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Excerpt:

Kat looked into her glass. “Do you think he was dressed?”

“What?”

“When they found him. Do you think he still had those same clothes on? Or do they fall off eventually?”

“I assume they fall off.”

“Really?”

“How the fuck would I know? I’ve never been involved with something like this before.” Hunter’s forehead was shiny with sweat.

“I don’t know. I was just thinking how undignified it would be if they found him naked. It’s so sad.”

Hunter stared at her. She was making him nervous. “Pull it together, Kat. This can’t fall apart just because you feel sad. We don’t have the luxury of weakness.”

She’d never had that luxury, not even before all this. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about him. I’m allowed to think about him.”

“You probably shouldn’t.”

“Hunter, I’m fine. I promise.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “So we’re on the same page now? You understand why we don’t need to go to the cops?”

“What are you going to do, kill me if I disagree?”

“That’s not funny.”

And it wasn’t; she knew it. This was torturing Hunter too. In a way, she was grateful to him for keeping her from the police. They might be on the brink of getting away with it, so thank God she hadn’t upended their whole lives just because she wanted to unburden her soul. The logic repulsed her, but it was still true. “Yeah, I’m with you.”

“Then will you take the money?”

She shook her head. “No. And why do you want me to? I’m not going to tell anyone about this. You don’t have to pay me.”

“My father is adamant. It’s…insurance, so you can’t change your mind. He says we’re all more secure this way. Just take it, Kat. It could change your life. Buy a house. Buy a car, whatever. It will give my family some peace.”

“That’s messed up.”

“I know.”

Kat wouldn’t allow herself to consider the ways in which a million dollars could change her life. When she was a kid, she had to ration out the peanut butter jar to be sure she had enough to get through a month of packed lunches. She rationed tampons in high school. The sneakers on her feet at that moment were almost three years old. And now there was thismoney.

She couldn’t take it. She couldn’t take it and she couldn’t think about it because thinking about it might push her closer to taking it and that was not an option.

“No, I don’t want it. But thank you, I guess.”

“Think about it.”

“No.”

Hunter lifted the mug to his lips and finished his tequila. He didn’t want to fight.

“What do you think we’re supposed to do now?” she asked.

“We have to wait. Be normal and wait.”

   

About Meg Little Reilly: 

Meg Little Reilly is the author of the novels EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS and WE ARE UNPREPARED. She's a public radio commentator, essayist, and outdoors enthusiast. Prior to writing novels, Meg worked in national politics and the White House. She holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont and an M.A. from the George Washington University. These days, she lives in rural Vermont with her husband and two daughters.      

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

   

Review: After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

Published: April 10, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: publisher

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Nobody cuts deeper than family...

Noah Alderman, a doctor and a widower, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie, and for the first time in a long time, he and his son are happy. But their lives are turned upside down when Maggie’s daughter Anna moves in with them. Anna is a gorgeous seventeen-year-old who balks at living under their rules though Maggie, ecstatic to have her daughter back, ignores the red flags that hint at the trouble that is brewing. Events take a deadly turn when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused of the crime. Maggie must face not only the devastation of losing her only daughter but the realization that her daughter's murder was at the hands of a husband she loves. New information sends Maggie searching for the truth, leading her to discover something darker than she could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts

After Anna is a wonderful suspenseful novel told in alternating perspectives, one told during Noah’s court hearing and the other told showing everything that leads up until now. We start with Noah in court fighting for his innocence after being accused of killing his stepdaughter Anna. We also hear that not only is his accused of the murder but also of molesting her and being a downright awful guy. However, in seeing his past behavior we see that this doesn’t sound like the Noah everyone knows. He was always a respectful doctor who was raising his son after his wife died and now is happily married to Maggie who has recently reconnected with her daughter.

Maggie is a happily married woman who loves her stepson Caleb but is secretly sadden because she hasn’t seen her daughter since she was a baby. Maggie had severe postpartum depression and her ex-husband took their baby away from her and she hasn’t seen her since. Until one day her daughter Anna comes back into her life after the death of her father and Maggie is beyond joy. She never thought she would see the day Anna and she were together again. She soon brings her home to live with her and her new family but things don’t happen as she imagined. She is soon pitted against her daughter and her husband who don’t seem to get along. Anna tells her Noah is coming on to her and makes Maggie throw him out and take her side. From this point on things go downhill and things will never be the same for everyone evolved.

I loved that there were two alternating views, I loved them equally and found myself quickly turning the pages because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I will admit I was really unhappy with the Maggie character in the middle of the novel. I felt like she wasn’t giving her husband any benefit of the doubt. I know he was accused of some awful things but my gut didn’t believe in what Anna was saying and the fact that Maggie just simply took her side and never asked Noah anything really got to me. However the last part of the book was really amazing, this was the best part and talk about twist and turns! Man, I never saw what happens next, and it was a really great payoff story wise. I really enjoyed this latest Lisa Scottoline novel she gave us another great read with amazing characters and a storyline that grabs you from the very beginning and a jaw-dropping ending that you soon won't forget.

Review: Our Little Secret by Roz Nay

Our Little Secret by Roz Nay

Expected Publication: April 17, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: via publisher

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

They say you never forget your first love. What they don't say though, is that sometimes your first love won't forget you...

A police interview room is the last place Angela expected to find herself today. It's been hours, and they keep asking her the same inane questions over and over. "How do you know the victim?" "What's your relationship with Mr. Parker?" Her ex's wife has gone missing, and anyone who was close to the couple is a suspect. Angela is tired of the bottomless questions and tired of the cold room that stays the same while a rotating litany of interrogators changes shifts around her. But when criminologist Novak takes over, she can tell he's not like the others. He's ready to listen, and she knows he'll understand. When she tells him that her story begins a decade before, long before Saskia was in the picture, he gives her the floor.

A twenty-something young professional, Angela claims to have no involvement. How could she? It's been years since she and H.P., Mr. Parker that is, were together. As her story unfolds, it deepens and darkens. There's a lot to unpack... betrayal, jealousy, and a group of people who all have motives for retribution. If Angela is telling the truth, then who's lying?

My Thoughts

In Our Little Secret, the novel opens up with Angela being interviewed by the police about a murder. We know it has to do with a girl named Saskia and she is the wife of H.P. a friend of Angela’s. Next is the whole story as to whom Saskia is and how the story of Angela and H.P. unfolds.

We meet Angela who moves to a new school and who is quickly befriended by the popular H.P. they live down the street from one another and are instantly inseparable. Growing up there was a little sense of H.P and Angela and if they would ever hook up but not until their last year of high school do they finally reveal their feelings towards one another. Angela goes away for a semester abroad and when H.P. comes to visit this is the first time we met Saskia who was there at a party and where she totally flirts with H.P. H.P. flirts backs and this is where things go off the rails with Angela.

Through the years they lose touch but always seem to come back together even as friends so when Angela comes home she realizes H.P. and Saskia are together and soon they marry. Of course, she isn’t the biggest fan she misses her friend and still loves H.P. honestly. However, she is forced to accept them together and by then Saskia is pregnant or lose H.P. forever. She eventually wedges herself into their lives that is a bit unhealthy and soon Saskia is missing and no one knows where she is. This is where we see Angela at the police station being questioned about Saskia’s murder.

Now the question is did Angela truly do it or was it someone else? When she tells who she thinks did it, it is jaw dropping! But is she telling the truth or not? Is she being honest or is she just a psychopath who is way off her rocker? When the ending was revealed I had chills! Angela is one character that I won't soon forget and I know you won't either. This is one twist after twist of a suspenseful novel that is really smartly written that will have you captivated until the very end.

Book Blitz: Secrets Kept by Allie Everhart

Secrets Kept by Allie Everhart

Publication date: March 2nd, 2018

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense

After finding her boyfriend cheating, Kate decides she’s had it with men. So the next night at her catering job she pretends not to be interested when Gavin, a hot guy with a great smile who attends the very exclusive Moorhurst College, asks her out. Unable to resist his charm, she agrees to have dinner with him.

On their first date, Kate’s convinced Gavin’s too good to be true. Funny, sweet, smart, and easy to talk to, he’s nothing like the losers she’s dated in the past. But maybe her luck has changed. Maybe Gavin’s the guy she’s been waiting for.

As their relationship grows, Gavin proves he really is the guy Kate’s always wanted but didn’t think existed. She’s even thinking about a future with him. But those plans come to an abrupt halt when Kate sees something she shouldn’t. Something dark and disturbing. Something that could get her killed if she ever told anyone.

Kate’s desperate to tell Gavin her secret but can’t. Even if she did, he’d never believe her. Still, she can’t keep something this big from Gavin, especially when he’s involved in it. Will she risk her life and tell him the truth? Or risk their relationship and keep this secret from the man she loves?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

EXCERPT:

Suddenly, unexpectedly, I burst out crying, tears flowing like a dam broke loose. I set my phone on the lounger and cover my face with my hands, sobbing.
Last night, and all of today, I was able to hold back the tears, but now they’re breaking free, pouring down my cheeks, dripping onto my black apron.
If Carol catches me, I’ll be in so much trouble. She’ll probably fire me. But I can’t stop. The tears have started and show no signs of stopping.
“Hey,” a voice says from behind me. I turn and see a guy coming up next to me. He sits down on the other lounge chair, facing me. The chairs are close together so when he’s seated our legs are almost touching.
“Anything I can do to help?” he asks.
I shake my head, still crying, even more so now, because this guy, whoever he is, will probably go tell Carol I’m out here crying and then I’ll for sure be fired.
“Hey.” He puts his hand on mine. “It can’t be that bad, can it?” I glance up and see him looking at me. I must look like a mess. Nose red and swollen. Makeup running down my face.
Good thing it’s dark back here, although the lights around the pool are pretty bright. I’m sure he can see what a mess I am.
I can see him just fine. He’s hot. Thick dark hair that’s mussed up in a sexy, bed-head way. Deep set eyes that appear to be a shade of blue. Strong, square jaw, shadowed by a layer of stubble. And full lips that are now lifted into a smile, showing off a slight dimple in his cheek.
Of course I run into this guy now, when I’m a crying, sniffling mess. Not that he’d be interested in me, but still.
“I just need a minute.” I wipe my face and take a deep breath. “You can go inside.”
“And leave you out here crying? Sorry, but that’s not who I am. I see a girl crying, I have to at least try to help.” He’s wearing jeans and pulls something from his pocket. A cocktail napkin from the party. “Here.” He hands it to me. “It’s clean. I promise.”
I take it and dab my eyes, then unfold it enough to blow my nose. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He’s still staring at me. “So what’s your name?”
“Kate. Kate Norris.”
“You work for the catering company?”
I nod, sniffling. “Are you going to tell my boss I’m out here?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because this isn’t where I’m supposed to be.”
“What do I care if you’re out here?”
“I don’t know. I just…I don’t know.”
He looks over at the house, then back at me. “You want to talk about it? About why you’re out here crying?”
I swallow and shake my head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s stupid. And embarrassing.”
“Stupid and embarrassing are my specialities.” He leans back on his hands. “Go ahead. Try me.”
“I’d rather not.” I dab my eyes but my napkin is soaked.
“Here.” He pulls another one from his pocket and hands it to me.
I feel a smile forming. “Do you always carry napkins around?”
“Yeah. Why?”
He’s so serious, it makes me laugh. “It just seems kind of odd.”
“Is it?” He shrugs. “Guess some might think it’s stupid. Or embarrassing.” He smiles. “See? Like I said. Stupid and embarrassing. My specialities.
So shoot. What’s making you cry?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it. I promised myself I wouldn’t.” I blot my face with the napkin.
“It has to do with a guy,” he says.
I look at him but don’t answer.
“Let me guess. Your boyfriend?”
I nod.
“You found him with some other girl?”
I nod again.
“How long did you date him?”
“Almost eight months.”
This time he’s the one who nods. “I’m guessing this happened recently? Him and this girl?”
“Yesterday. Our eight month anniversary.”
He cringes. “Ouch. You caught him on your anniversary? That’s tough. No wonder you’re crying. I can’t believe you showed up for work tonight.”
“I was hoping it’d take my mind off it. And it did, for a little while, but then…I guess I couldn’t hold it in any longer. This is the first time I’ve let myself cry about it.”
“Kate!” I hear Carol’s voice coming from the house. I’m definitely getting fired. She may be my mom’s friend but she’s also a businesswoman and she won’t stand for unprofessional behavior. And sitting out here, crying, is definitely unprofessional. “Kate, are you out here?”
I stand up. “Over here.”
The guy stands up too. I don’t even know his name.
I stay where I’m at as she comes over to us. I’d rather have her fire me out here than in front of the other staff.
The guy walks up to her, his hand extended. “Gavin Bishop. Nice to meet you.”
Bishop? As in the owners of this house? So he’s Niles’ son?
Oh, God, I am SO getting fired.

Author Bio:
Allie Everhart writes romance and romantic suspense and is the author of the popular Jade Series, Kensington Series, Wheeler Brothers, and several standalone titles. She’s also a freelance health writer and has worked on several New York Times bestselling books. Allie's always been a romantic, as evidenced by her early years as a wedding singer, her obsession with dating shows, and the fact that she still watches reruns of The Love Boat. When she’s not writing, she’s outside running, which is when she gets her best book ideas.

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