Blurb: Eighth Circle. Fraud. Also known as Gabriel Dane. He is a ray of sunshine that warms your heart with kind eyes and a dazzling smile. Don’t let him fool you with that silver tongue or lure you in with a body that draws every woman’s eye. This man is fluent in deception and a devil who only offers pretty lies. Gabriel is my old nemesis. I’m the girl that always fought back. He has every reason to hate me as much as I hate him. Now that he found me, he’s determined to make me pay for our past. Except, there are two small details Gabriel doesn’t know that will be his ultimate downfall: There are no rules when it comes to our war. And I’ve learned to lie just as good as him.
***Each novel in the series depicts a unique romance, but the plots through each book connect in one world. For the best experience, read the series in order.
Nine Standalone novels. Nine dangerous men. Nine unrepentant sinners you’ll hate to love.
Lily White is a romance writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and Asylum. In addition to dark romance Lily writes contemporary romance, taboo romance, and psychological thrillers. Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
Lily White is a romance writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and Asylum. In addition to dark romance Lily writes contemporary romance, taboo romance, and psychological thrillers. Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
Blurb: You’ll judge me. Hate me and tell me I’m wrong. Refuse to see how my darkness is what she needs. While I don’t particularly care about your feelings in the matter, and while I pursue her despite the wedding bells that rang for another, only I can see how she is drowning beneath mediocrity. How many times must I remind her? It can’t matter that I am the person who ruined her life. The man who killed her father. The constant shadow that watches her sleep. The lover who prefers dirty alleyways to freshly laundered sheets She’s mine. Always has been.
I’m the worst thing for her, yet I’m the only salvation she knows. He had his chance to make her happy. He failed. He didn’t see how she was dying inside because he couldn’t know her. Not like I know her. I am her stalker. Her protector. And the only man that can bring her back to life.
Ari is going to maul your heart and stalk your senses.
~ Shabby, BookBistroBlog
This is how a dark stalker book should be written!! This was top notch!! In a league of its own!!
~ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books
Probably the best stalker romance I have ever read!
~ I like Books Best
Giveaway:$15 Amazon Gift Card (ends on May 1)
Excerpt: Clearing my throat, I whisper, “I’m a married woman.” “You keep saying that, but I’m not sure I care.” A pause. “I’m not sure you care either.” He runs a fingertip along the curve of my hip, and I jump, my throat slamming closed as I attempt to hide the reaction. “Are you planning on having any fun tonight, Adeline? Or has your life become so boring, you’ve forgotten what it is?” I don’t answer him, but it doesn’t stop Ari from having his fun. Another soft slide of a fingertip, this time down the center of my nape, the secret touch hidden by the fall of my hair. “I hope you know I plan to wrap my fist in this hair the first time I sink inside you.” My entire body shivers, my lungs struggling to breathe as he pulls his hand away. Voice a low croon, he asks, “Will you dance with me?” Swallowing several times before I can answer, I lie to him. “I don’t dance.” But it makes me remember when I used to lose myself to the beat of music, the hours I would spend happily working myself into a full body sweat, my hair wild, my heart pounding. I’d felt so free then. So unencumbered by the weight of responsibility that came with being the wife of Grant Cabot. “I think you do,” he whispers. “My husband doesn’t dance,” I say, my voice firmer because it makes me angry to admit it. A soft chuckle. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not your husband.”
Author Bio: Lily White is a romance writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and Asylum. In addition to dark romance Lily writes contemporary romance, taboo romance, and psychological thrillers. Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
The Vanity of Roses is a fast-paced, twisty and totally captivating read.
With a Lily White book I know I’m always guaranteed a great read, yet no two books ever seem to be the same. The Vanity of Roses is a dark tinged romantic suspense, packed full of intrigue, secrets and lies. Manipulation is rife and this enemies-to-lovers romance kept me on the edge of my seat unable to put the book down.
Whilst Lisbeth should have been a dislikable character, she wasn’t, so her childhood behaviour was a little puzzling. Of course as the many complex layers of this story were slowly revealed, we began to get a better picture of just what had happened in the past and why. Callan was much easier to like, though there were times when his treatment of Lisbeth made him seem quite cruel. Though again there were reasons.
It’s a dual pov book, clearly labelled so you know who’s “voice” you are hearing and is written first person. This enabled me to really connect with and understand both main characters. There is a lot of foreshadowing and I did guess one twist in advance, but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment in any way. I loved how you weren’t sure who to trust and who was telling what lies, you really need your wits about you when reading this one! The suspense, at times, was nerve shredding.
The writing is so eloquent and poetic, creating striking visuals and eliciting a myriad of emotions. Lily White doesn’t just write a story, she constructs a living, breathing creation that absorbs your soul and challenges all your perceptions. There were secondary and even tertiary characters who had more depth and personality than some authors imbue in their main characters. Along with a complex plot, this ensures a rich tapestry of a story.
Whilst I enjoyed every single word I did feel that, at times, as though the pace slowed a little. Every scene was well written, but just a couple of times I felt as though they were not adding anything more to the story.
I massively enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it.
Blurb:
Callan Rose.
That hadn’t always been his name.
When we were children, he was nothing more than a servant boy in my family.
He was an amusement to me.
A nobody.
A weak soul who refused to fight back.
It was so easy to take advantage.
But then my father died, and I was stolen. The family moved on without me. Until I was penniless with no place to go.
I returned to the Rose Estate not knowing Callan was the head of it.
He’d honed his body and temper in the underground fighting ring. The scars only made him more beautiful.
Now I’m trapped by a seductively dark man who has nothing but vengeance running through his veins.
I’d always wanted him to fight back, but you know what they say:
Lily White is a romance writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and Asylum. In addition to dark romance Lily writes contemporary romance, taboo romance, and psychological thrillers. Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
An at times difficult read, jam packed with abuse, helplessness, neglect and misery.
This is more “psychological Lily” than “dark Lily”, an into the pits of hell mix of both. Please don’t ignore the warnings on this one!
This is one of those books that frequently switches between past and present, though it’s always made clear both WHEN you are and who’s point of view you were getting. The story is built mainly from the flashbacks, and I must admit I did struggle a little bit around 35% or so. I came close to skimming this because I was just getting a little frustrated, wanting to get somewhere in the now. However I set it aside and when I picked it back up the next day I couldn’t put the book down, so it was either me in an off mood or the story started moving in a way I needed it to. It doesn’t matter to much which one it was because after that I just couldn’t put this down.
“I love you, Ensley Bennett.” My teeth slammed together, and I screamed, a noise tearing from my throat that has been stuck there since I was a kid.
I really, really, REALLY didn’t care for Noah at first, but as I saw the pain and misery he had willingly endured as a child/teen my feelings did a total 180 flip. And then I had to avoid thinking too much about the years he had spent in prison because that just broke my heart and crushed my mind.
Our pain had raised the boy, but prison had shaped the man.
He was the firm anchor that held Ensley’s sanity in place whilst her body and soul were battered by the storms and terrors of her life. She lived in a miserable pit of hell, let down by the very people who should have protected her. To be honest I didn’t care either way if Noah had killed her parents, they didn’t deserve any kindness.
There were so many things that could potentially make you dislike Ensley, her decisions, her secrets, her refusal to ask for or accept help. But at the end of the day we have to remember that she was a child, a victim of neglect and abuse, a girl who survived the best way she could and who wanted more for Noah. He was the best thing, the only thing of joy in her life, and because she loved him she wanted to set him free.
Noah had owned me since the moment he watched me from his window and called out to me the first time. I may not have known it then, but I knew it now, and was a better woman for it, his name was chiseled over every bone and branded on every organ. I was his. In body. In mind. And in spirit.
God this isn’t an easy read, and you’ll find yourself both loving every word whilst hating them. Hating the evil, the pain, the suffering but loving Ensley and Noah, two survivors who just never gave up.
He never stopped loving me. Not when we were kids. Not while he was locked away. Not tonight. And I just cried, the sobs shaking every part of me. His arms a cage that kept me safe.
This book made The Fiveseem quite sweet and light by comparison. Don’t say you haven’t been warned, but DO give this a chance if you love a dark, psychological romance.
Noah’s mouth was next to my ear, a gritty whisper dragging me back, his erection rubbing between my legs. “I loved you every time you couldn’t love yourself. Every time you hurt me. Every time you ran away.”
Still, he whispered, the words a low growl from how hard he f**ked me. “I love you, Ensley.” Another thrust, the slap of skin. “Always have.” Another. “Always will.”
This is a love story. It’s brutal. Heartwrenching. Terrifying, honest, and raw.
But a love story nonetheless…because it is so beautiful.
Ensley: Noah Carter was the type of guy that every girl wanted. Gorgeous. Talented. Smart and kind. He was the world that revolved around me even though I didn’t deserve him. But then something went wrong. He snapped maybe, just lost his mind. I found him the night my family died, their blood staining his hands. I put him in prison. I got my revenge. But then years later he broke free and stole me away from my life.
Noah: You couldn’t know Ensley without wanting to strangle her. She was beautiful. She was wild. She was the girl next door. I grew up with her by my side. I watched her destroy herself while I held on. I protected her when she had been blind to the danger that surrounded her. I let her go once, only to find her again. She would see me this time no matter what.
A barbaric love story of mangled hearts, who despite standing in ravaged lives, find love in stolen hours in the darkness of night. It hurt my heart to go on, yet I couldn’t stop. ~ Shabby, Book Bistro Blog
A truly unique, unpredictable, raw, heartbreaking and utterly riveting read! ~ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books
A love with no limits, no restrictions and no bounds. A pure unconditional love. This story is so devastatingly heartbreaking. It is raw, gritty and disturbing.~ Literati Literature Lovers
Leaning down, Noah trapped my bottom lip between his teeth, the hold a punishment, the sting a balm. A part of that ugliness inside me fractured, that tiny amount of pain enough to knock something loose until its was rolling around and rattling.
Opening my lips with his, he swept his tongue into my mouth, filling me with his taste.
I was held up only by his grip on my shirt, balanced only by the strength of his arm and shoulder. My head fell back as he kissed along my jaw and down my neck, teeth scraping the skin, his bite sinking into my shoulder.
Lifting his head, he pressed his mouth against mine and moved to shove me against the wall, trapping me in place.
“I won’t fight you anymore, Ens.”
Noah spoke against my mouth, his knee coming up between my legs, spreading them until he could bring it up further. I rubbed against him, desperate to soothe the throbbing pulse that beat for only him, but he grabbed my hip with his other hand and held me still.
“Not anymore. You want to feel something? You need a release? I’ll give it to you, but not like this. I’m not a teenage boy whose hand can be forced. Not by you, and not by anyone.”
Our pain had raised the boy, but prison had shaped the man.
Tears welled in my eyes, the need so overpowering, that I slapped at him with my hands. He didn’t wince at my blows, he only pushed me tighter against the wall trapping my body with his own.
“Please…” The word tumbled from my lips, my body crumpling against him.
Author Bio:
Lily White is a romance writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and Asylum. In addition to dark romance Lily writes contemporary romance, taboo romance, and psychological thrillers. Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
Ratings 5 stars – This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again. 4 stars – I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others. 3 stars – This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre. 2 stars – Whilst the book was readable I either didn’t enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters. 1 star – This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.
Long Lost, an all-new sensual and suspenseful standalone in the Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake is available now!
A stolen past
The only thing Tucker remembers of his past is pain. Used in a doctor’s evil experiments, his memories and identity were erased, and his freedom taken. He believed his nightmare was over when he was liberated by the men and women of McKay-Taggart, until he heard the name Steven Reasor. The idea that he could have been involved in the terrible experiments that cost his “brothers” everything crushed him. A desperate attempt to force him to remember the truth almost cost him his life. Now his world is in chaos and his only path to finally uncover the truth and atone for his sins leads to Veronica Croft.
A painful present
Veronica “Roni” Croft knew Dr. Steven Reasor was bad for her, but she also saw a side of the man that no one else knew. Even as she began to believe their employer was hiding something sinister, she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Their affair was passionate and intense, but also fraught with danger. When he disappeared under mysterious circumstances, she took her first chance to run and never looked back. She has stayed hidden ever since, running from forces she knows are too powerful to overcome. But now the man she believed was dead, the man she mourned, has returned and needs her help.
A dangerous future
As Tucker and Roni unravel the secrets of his past, a dark force rises and threatens to destroy them. Their only chance for survival will require them to join forces with the Lost Boys’ worst enemy. Only together can they finally unlock Tucker’s past. But as Tucker’s memories begin to come back, will it free them both or tear them apart forever?
Whilst Long Lost continues a back story that started in the main Masters and Mercenariesseries and transitioned into the spin off The Forgottenbooks, it is possible to read it as a stand alone story. I say this having ‘only’ read the first 5 books of the M&M series and #3 (long enough ago to have forgotten chunks) of The Forgotten.
Veronica/Roni and Tucker are extremely well written, likeable and believable characters. I could feel the connection this pair shared right from the off. Whilst there are only a couple of fairly mild/tame sex scenes, I really didn’t miss it at all. Quite simply there was one heck of an intrigue filled, action packed plot to enjoy instead. The pace was excellent, the story moved quickly enough to hold my attention but enough time was allowed when depth and understanding were needed.
There were some VERY unexpected twists and turns, in fact most of the time I really had no idea what would happen next. I loved the story, I loved the couple and I can’t WAIT for Ezra/Beck and Solo’s story…..
Veronica took a deep breath. “The first time you kissed me we were at the lab. It was after hours and I’d stayed behind because I was finishing up some reports for Dr. Walsh. There were a couple of doctors there who thought they could mess around with me. One in particular made a nuisance of himself. He was married but he thought the younger women were all fair game. That night he’d stayed behind, too, and he was coming on to me. Hard. You walked in and he pretty much peed himself after you were done with him.”
“Did I hurt him?”
His question came out measured so she couldn’t tell if he wanted the answer to be yes or no.
“Not physically, but he didn’t touch me again. Anyway, afterward you stayed while I finished up. You said you wanted to walk me out to my car. I thanked you and we ended up talking.” She could remember how grateful she’d been to not be left alone. “It was the first time I saw you as something other than the ambitious doctor who handled things for McDonald. You stayed way longer than you had planned, and I felt bad for keeping you. You told me it was okay because it might be the only good thing you’d done for anyone in months. I don’t know what made me do it, but I went up on my tiptoes and kissed you. It wasn’t much. It was barely two seconds. When I moved back, you told me that wasn’t a kiss. You asked me if you could show me what a kiss was. And you did.”
He’d been careful with her, making sure she was all right.
Rather like he’d explained he would be now. He’d been careful right up until he’d been sure she was with him and then he’d taken over. Then he’d taken her someplace she’d never been before.
“Show me.”
She came out of the memory at the sound of his command. Show me. That was what he’d said to her that night.
She could come out of the memory because it was hers. That moment was there in her brain and she could call on it for the rest of her life. It was something so personal. Her memories were the sum of her soul. It struck her forcibly what he’d lost. What she’d lost. That memory had truly been theirs, a shared history that should have connected them for the rest of their lives.
Now she was the only one who knew what it had felt like that night. He was right there. He was standing in front of her asking for that connection again.
She went up on her toes. “Thank you. I didn’t want him near me, but I don’t feel the same way about you.” She let her lips brush his, the bare meeting of flesh that came from a woman who wasn’t sure of what she’d wanted then. Of what she wanted now. “And then you shook your head.”
Tucker shook his head and took the beer from her hand. He set it on the ledge and turned back to her. “Oh, that wasn’t a kiss. Let me show you how I kiss. Will you let me kiss you, Roni? I think about kissing you all the time.”
So close to what he’d actually said. She would take it. “Yes. Please kiss me.”
The air seemed to go out of the room and her vision focused in on him. It was like the rest of the world fell away. It was exactly as it had been that first night with him. Something had fallen into place when he’d looked at her and she’d known nothing would be the same.
If he kissed her again, they would have that connection they’d lost.
His hand went around the nape of her neck, sending a delicious warmth down her spine. He pulled her slightly, drawing her close in an easy show of strength. He brought their bodies together and her breasts brushed against his chest. His free hand wrapped around her waist and she took a moment to look into his eyes.
They were the clearest blue. Something about his eyes had always dragged her in. Even when they were cold, even when no one else had been able to see the emotion behind them, she hadn’t been fooled.
“I want to believe. But I don’t want to want to believe,” she said quietly.
“Because it would be easier if I was the bastard you’ve spent years believing I was. I know. Roni, I can’t imagine I was easy to care for then. I’m not easy now. But for however long we get together I want to try to be with you. We can take it slow and find a way to be friends again.”
She sighed at the thought because he was going to pull away and that was the last thing she wanted. Now that she was here and alone with him, she knew she couldn’t lose the chance to explore this side of the man. “We were never friends.”
She moved in and kissed him. It wasn’t what had happened that night, but that was all right. They were making a new memory, one no one could take away from them. It might all go to hell tomorrow, but she would kiss the father of her child again. She would have this new memory of him.
About Lexi Blake
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.
Ratings 5 stars – This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again. 4 stars – I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others. 3 stars – This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre. 2 stars – Whilst the book was readable I either didn’t enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters. 1 star – This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.
I’ve read quite a few of the earlier Masters and Mercenaries books, but haven’t read any of The Forgotten series. Whilst there are a few minor spoilers in this book, I’m fairly certain when I go back and read them (and that is high on my TBR priority list) I will still enjoy every single moment. Ms Blake does an amazing job of making this stand-alone, allowing you to keep up with the story, without giving too many spoilers away.
Robert is one complex man, and whilst he doesn’t know who he was he definitely knows who he is now. I fell in love with immediately, fell in love with his gentleness, his caring heart, his leadership and sense of responsibility and his protectiveness of those close to him. Life has dealt this man the worst of hands yet he fails to give up or bow down, innately showing his true character.
With how much I loved Robert I should have hated Ariel, but I couldn’t. She wasn’t perfect and she did bad things for good reasons and I totally and utterly believed in her love for Robert. This couple had chemistry that sizzled and we get treated to several very hot BDSM scenes. I may even have to invest in some wooden pegs!
The suspense/intrigue aspect of this book was outstanding. The surprises, twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat. What I really enjoyed was that some of those twists don’t play out in the way you would expect. In the way that most other authors would have developed it. I really didn’t know what was going to happen next and I was mesmerised. I was engaged by every part of this story – apart from the bit I didn’t enjoy, when the author did that ‘nasty author thing’. It might have been necessary for the story, and I may have forgiven her, but I don’t have to be happy about it 😉
Lexi Blake is a true masterat writing intense, erotic, suspenseful, BDSM stories and I cannot recommend her series highly enough. This is yet another amazing addition to it.
“A hot, sexy mix of angst, longing, suspense and drama you don’t want to miss!” — Carly Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author
Lost in You, an all-new sexy and action packed installment in the Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, is available now!
Robert McClellan was forced to serve as a soldier in a war he didn’t understand. Liberated by McKay-Taggart, he struggles every day to reclaim the life he lost and do right by the men he calls his brothers, The Lost Boys. Only one thing is more important – Ariel Adisa. The gorgeous psychologist has plagued his dreams since the day they met. Even as their mission pushes him to his limits, he can’t stop thinking about taking his shot at finding a life beyond all this with her.
Ariel Adisa is a force to be reckoned with. Her performance in Toronto proved she’s more than just a brilliant mind, but Robert still acts as if she is a wilting flower who needs his protection. Joining him on the mission to Munich should be the perfect opportunity to test their skills and cement their relationship. She and Robert are an excellent match. But when a stunning secret from Robert’s past is revealed, their world is turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same again.
While they chase dark secrets across Europe, Robert and Ariel realize that the only thing worse than not knowing who you are could be discovering who you used to be…
He led Ariel out. Down the hall he saw Dante outside the media room, a beer in his hand. He’d been turned toward the kitchen at the opposite end of the hall, as though he’d been standing there staring at it. Had he been listening to the happy couples?There was something dark in Dante that always gave him pause.Dante turned without a word and disappeared behind the doors where he would likely drink himself to sleep. It seemed to be the way he and Sasha operated.But he wasn’t thinking about that tonight. Tomorrow would be soon enough to sit everyone down and talk about the problems they were having. He would get Jax on the phone. He wasn’t leaving him out because he was in London.“Are you all right?” Ariel had stopped beside him. “Is Dante giving you trouble?”He was glad she’d been upstairs when they’d gone on their rant. “I think the pressure is starting to get to him. But we can talk about that tomorrow. I think after we get back to London we should have a big group meeting and get some things out in the open.”“They think Damon and Ian are keeping things from them?”No. He did not want to go there. He stopped in the middle of the hall and got into her personal space. She backed up against the wall and he loomed over her. It was time to move from reality to a place where they might be able to play out a few fantasies, if she was ready. “No work talk. If you want to go to sleep, I’ll kiss you now and see you in the morning. Tucker and I are in the room next to you. If you need anything I’ll be there. If you aren’t tired and you want to talk some more, we can go down to the bar and have another glass of wine with the full knowledge we don’t have to go any further than that. I’m more than willing to sit up talking to you all night long.”She tilted her head up to him. “And if I want to go to bed but not to sleep?”His heart rate ticked up, blood starting to thrum through his system as he invaded further, brushing his chest against hers. He reached for her wrists and gently brought them up and over her head, pinning her to the wall. “Then we need to make a few things clear.”She took a deep breath, her lips curling up as though she liked the way he smelled. “Me sub, you Dom. Got it.”He leaned over. “Hey, I’m trying to make sure I take care of you the way you like to be taken care of. I’ve watched you play. I don’t think your play partners realized how much you like being dominated. I think they view you as a woman who enjoys a spanking from time to time. They don’t get how much you need to know your partner is thinking about how to handle you. They don’t understand that you need to stop thinking. You need a place where you obey your partner.”“In their defense, I had no interest in sex with any of them. I was looking for a spanking, some physical play that wouldn’t lead to real intimacy. You watched me?”“I always watch you,” he admitted. “It’s why my brothers insist I’m your stalker. I watch you because I can’t not watch you when you’re in a room. If I thought for a second that it made you uncomfortable, I would make myself stop, but I think you like it.”She watched him, too, and not in a way that made him think she was wary of him. It had always been there between them—the crackle and fire of sexual chemistry.“You’re going to be a talky one, aren’t you?” she asked.And she was going to be a brat.
About Lexi Blake
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.
Neglected by her mother, abused by her stepfather, and trapped in an oppressive cult, Willow Sands has lived the past three years with the shadow of her fifteenth birthday hanging over her. That was the day her mother handed her over to David, the son of their leader, promising her a future even more bleak than she’d ever imagined. Now, with her eighteenth birthday and the day of her wedding fast approaching, she’s almost come to accept her fate.
Hope was the last thing Willow expected to feel this close to her wedding, but that’s exactly what she finds in Jared. The more time she spends with him, the more haunted she becomes by the freedom she let slip through her fingers all those years ago. She knows if she wants a real future she’ll have to break free of the crushing grip the cult has on her, and the more she gets to know Jared, the more determined she becomes to gain her freedom once and for all.
Kate L. Mary is an award-winning author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, ranging from Post-apocalyptic tales of the undead, to Speculative Fiction and Contemporary Romance. Her YA book, When We Were Human, was the 2015 Children’s Moonbeam Book Awards Silver Medal Winner for Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fiction, and the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner for Young Adult Science Fiction.
Excerpt: 
