Book Description: Collegiate athlete Lily Brennon has always been the piece that doesn’t quite fit in the puzzle, especially in her fragmented family, and no amount of rule-following perfection seems to bring her any closer to the love and acceptance she desperately seeks. If not for Jackson Carter, her childhood best friend and the only boy she’s ever loved, she’s sure she would have run away years ago. But when Jackson loses his father and a future basketball career within months of each other, his faith is so shattered, he shuts out everyone, including Lily.After months of heartache, Lily begins to piece together a life without Jackson, and while vacationing on a beautiful island off the Georgia coast, she begins a long-distance romance with Alex Walker, a police officer with a quick wit and a cocky grin. He revives her hope in love again, but their intense attraction and his devastating secret test Lily’s values, stretching them until they break. Through her struggles to remain true to her principles, an agonizing choice between Alex and Jackson, and a series of terrifying events that threaten all of them, Lily must endure losing everything she’s been grasping so tightly. Only then will she discover the depth of the love that already surrounds her.
Read an Excerpt!
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“Well,” Alex said, looking first at Kara, then at Rachel.
“With all the make-up, you look about twenty-one. So I’d have to say you two are
about thirteen, maybe fourteen.”
Kara’s mouth dropped open and Rachel gasped. Lily could
barely control her laughter.
“What?” Rachel exclaimed. “I am fifteen, almost sixteen!”
“And I am already
sixteen!” Kara folded her arms across her chest.
“Whoa! Don’t get your panties in a wad.” Alex threw up his
hands in surrender. “I was just giving you a hard time.”
As the girls continued to sulk, he winked at Lily.
Something about him sent a shiver down her arms.
“And how about you?” he asked.
She hesitated. She shouldn’t let him bait her into comments
she might regret. Arrogant or not, he was an officer of the law, a position she
had always been taught to respect.
Rachel finally spoke for her. “She actually is twenty-one.”
Kara lifted a brow, a puzzled look that seemed to ask if
she was okay. Lily decided to ignore it and Alex as well.
She turned and looked out over the ocean, wishing she could
enjoy it alone. The ocean and sky had melted into one large black expanse, but
she could hear the waves tumble into the rocks not far away.
“So, how long have you been police officers?” Kara asked.
“Seven years for me,” Steve answered.
“You’re kidding. You don’t seem that old.”
Steve laughed. “I went into the police academy right out of
high school. Been doing this since I was eighteen.”
Lily glanced at Kara and caught the slight nod toward
Steve. She knew she was being rude, but what did Kara expect? Flirting with a
stranger wasn’t going to fill the hole in her chest. Still, she supposed she
should at least be polite.
“That’s pretty young to become a cop,” Lily said. “You
didn’t think about going to college?”
“Nah.” He grinned like the thought was absurd. “I never
wanted to do anything but be a cop. Dad’s a cop. Mom’s a cop. Just seemed
natural.”
He smiled at her again, and the warmth of it reached out to
her. It wasn’t much, but it made her smile. Maybe getting to know Steve wasn’t
the worst idea in the world.
********************
About the author: I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and Holly Pond, Alabama, two very different towns that I love for so many reasons. Holly Pond is my soul, the place where I go to remind myself of who I am and where I come from. It's a quiet place that allows me to reset when I've fallen off track.
Birmingham is my heart, the place where I lived out my story. I go there to remember my best friend, my first love, my first job, my first heartbreak.
And then there is Saint Simons Island, the place I go to feel alive, to feel the breeze off the ocean, the salt on my tongue, the excitement of my first (and only) summer fling.
I may reside in the suburbs of Atlanta, creating memories with my sweet boys, but I call several places home.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading
Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author.
Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no
payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation
to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may
not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or
readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade
Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and
Testimonials in Advertising*
This sounds like an awesome book. I'll be adding this to my TBR list. Thanks!
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