From the bestselling author of Weightless and A Love Letter to Whiskey
Wren Ballard is trying to find herself.
She never expected to be divorced at twenty-seven, but now that the court date has passed, it’s official. The paperwork is final. Her feelings on it aren’t.
Spending the summer in a small mountain town outside Seattle is exactly what she needs. The peaceful scenery is a given, the cat with the croaky meow is a surprise, but the real kicker? A broody neighbor with nice arms, a strange reputation, and absolutely no interest in her.
Anderson Black is perfectly fine being lost.
He doesn’t care about the town’s new resident — he’s too busy fighting his own demons. But when he’s brought face to face with Wren, he can see her still-fresh wounds from a mile away. What he doesn’t see coming is his need to know who put them there — or his desperation to mend them.
Sometimes getting lost is the way to find yourself. Sometimes healing only adds a new scar. And sometimes the last place you expected to be is exactly where you find home.
I had just grabbed my oversized hat and slipped my sunglasses on when I spotted Anderson walking up the drive with a large trash bag slung over his shoulder. He wore a simple, black V-neck and distressed jeans, an outfit way too dark and hot for the heat. A light sheen of sweat gathered on his neck as he made his way toward my cabin, his eyes hidden behind all-black sunglasses.
"Change your mind?" I asked, not even fighting the grin on my face as I walked outside and leaned against the banister.
Anderson squinted up at me, his boots heavy as they hit each stair. "About?"
"Tubing?" I asked. That was why he was here, right?
"Oh." He shook his head as he hit the top stair, shrugging the bag off his shoulders to hold it by the neck in one fist. "No, I have somewhere to be..." His voice trailed off, and even through the tinted shades of his glasses I felt his eyes on my chest. I'd strapped on my favorite boho print bathing suit and paired it with a dainty gold chain that wrapped around my neck once before dipping between my chest and crossing over my ribs.
He sniffed, holding the bag out toward me. "I just came to drop these off. My clothes. Well, the ones that could probably use a little TLC."
My eyes lit up and I reached for the bag, but Anderson snatched it back, brows shooting up into his forehead.
"No frills, Wren."
I threw my hands up in surrender. "I promise."
He smirked, just slightly, and handed the bag over, tucking his hands in his front pockets.
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" I asked, peering into the bag at my project before setting it just inside the cabin and locking the door behind me.
"I can't," he said, lips pressed together. He was tense, the muscles on his forearms tight as he glanced around at pretty much everything but me.
I opened my mouth to ask why but was cut off by the sound of a truck flying into my drive, tires sliding against the gravel.
Tucker was in the driver's seat with Davie in the passenger. Sarah and Yvette sat in the back, laughing with their hands up as the truck skidded to a stop. They were both sprawled out on a pile of tubes, wearing bathing suit tops and tiny shorts.
All of their faces froze when they saw Anderson.
"Hey, you ready, Wren?" Tucker asked warily, his eyes moving from where Anderson stood in front of me, to me, and back again.
"Yeah, one sec!" I called back.
I turned to Anderson, but his eyes were hard on Tucker, jaw ticking under his skin. When he faced me once more, an anchor fell from my throat into the pit of my stomach, immobilizing me completely. Because even though I 'd tried to convince myself I was wrong, I recognized the look in his eyes.
Possession.
And when his nose flared and he took one big step toward me, our chests brushing, his hand reaching out to rest almost imperceptibly on my hip, the anchor in my stomach exploded into flames, burning a desire so fierce I inhaled a toxic breath and didn't let it go.
"Be careful, okay?" His eyes locked on mine just before he leaned in and swiftly kissed my cheek.
He turned on his heel and jogged down the stairs and past the truck. Sarah called his name, but he didn't acknowledge her, just kept his gaze forward until he'd disappeared from view.
And then everyone looked at me.
~My Review~
5 Stars
I Was Provided A ARC By The Author
(Possible Spoilers)
"And it was then that I realized that though I was bruised, and maybe a little fractured, I was not broken.
Wren Ballard has come to the little community of Gold Bar, looking to escape, she's in need of finding herself. Weather that be finding who she once was before her marriage fell apart, or finding a newer version of herself. Maybe it's a mix of both, but all Wren knows is, right now being surrounded by mountains and trees, all alone in a quaint little cabin is what she needs. Wren was not at all expecting sexy, quite, handy man, Anderson Black to be part of her time in Gold Bar. Wren can't seem to figure out this blue eyed man, who seems just as lost as she is. But the spark that is there whenever they meet, is hard to ignore. And she's finding in him, just the thing she needs to help her process of healing. Of living.
"Because every day was the same. And then I saw her."
Anderson Black has stuck to a lonely, quite life the past six years. Weighed down by guilt and pain, he finds solace in routine. The the same thing everyday, wake, work until exhaustion, sleep, repeat. Being lost in his guilt is all he's felt over the years. But when the arrival of a beautiful city girl, with a look in her eyes that rivals his own sadness, breaks that routine, Anderson finds himself feeling. He's intrigued by this woman who's come to his little town looking to find herself. And the more time they spend together, the more she gets him to open up, to laugh. He begins to see she was what he needed in his life. What he was missing. What he needed to heal.
In the this beautiful small town, A lost city girl, a broken lumberjack, a stray cat, a group of vibrant friends, a wise world traveler, and a silent older man, all take place in helping Wren & Anderson find happiness.
"He was the sweetest distraction, the best kind of numb because I wasn't numb at all when I was in his arms. I was on fire."
Anderson & Wren were everything! This strong, witty, beautiful fashion designer, and the sexy, sweet, quite hardworking man. Will take your breath away. I could not get enough of them, I wanted to read about these two forever.
"Time spent lost and searching is time well wasted."
I also loved all the secondary characters, they brought a lot to the story especially my favorite, Momma Von. Momma Von and her words of wisdom were ah-ma-zing! The setting, the story-line, the characters, woven together made for a fantastic book. Revelry is hands down my favorite Kandi Steiner book
"There is no rules when it comes to life and love, and even if there were they would only exist to be broken."
You can feel all the heart and passion Kandi Steiner puts into her words. She weaves a beautiful story of love, life, loss, and finding yourself. Of not caring what others think, and living life for you. This book was beautifully written, the words read like poetry. It was sweet, sexy, silly, deep. And oh so much more.
Kandi Steiner is a bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons, craft beer and sweet wine — not necessarily in that order.
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