Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania (population three thousand outside of tourist season).
And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed date, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has rescued: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.
Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works. For a time.
But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. There’s an immediate connection, and it’s more electric than the bond of two people who endured a traumatic event. It’s something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something she is afraid to trust.
Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?
Often times I leave a book feeling happy but this one left me so satisfied that days later I still thnk about the characters and all the crap they went through, especially the heroine Catherine. From a young age, we see how she is taken advantage of by an older man and how she and her family were ostracized. She was an outcast. She becomes a teen mom, leaves home and never reveals who the father is. Cath works hard to have a life for her and her child, Brenna. One night after a bad date she saves the life of an NHL player Brett Madden from a burning car. Catherine lives in a small sleepy town where everyone is always in other people's business. She has worked hard and kept her head down and finally the town is moving past her scandal...7 years later people! Now with her saving this athlete, there are paparazzi and news media EVERYWHERE. She does not want to be known but you know how that goes right...?
Alright, now that's all I will give you because honestly, I feel that going into this book blind is the best way to do it. At first, I really did not like Catherine's mom. Total biotch, and now as a mom I get why she did certain things but sometimes eve for me she way out of line. I get protecting your kid but when you say shit to hurt her intentionally well that's pretty messed up.
Next ther is Brett. YOOOOOO!!! I mean...
He is not arrogant or narcissistic, he is just a guy who has a big heart and so swoon worthy. Right from when he enters the picture I melted. Everything about him was perfect although I will admit there was a second there when I thought something not so nice. I mean she did save him so I felt ohhh maybe he just likes her cuz of that but the further the story went and I got a better sense of who Cath was I could easily understand why he liked her. This was a slow burn, really slow burn and I loved every second of it.
Catherine has many people in her life. Her best friend and town cop Kevin, I love Kevin I thought he was an amazing friend throughout everything. He truly just cares about Cath and Brenna and wants nothing but the best for them.
Lou and Leroy I mean can I have them? I love that KA Tucker wrote about diverse characters but it wasn't like she was trying, she didn't stereotype them or make them stand out when they spoke, they were just PEOPLE! I loved them. Then there is Misty, I like this girl but damn she needs to check herself sometimes. LOL
All in all, I really enjoyed this novel. From start to finish KA had my attention. While it is unlike any other book she has written I truly found it to be refreshing. The plot, the way the story unfolded, Cath's reservations and why she felt the way she did. How she cared for her daughter, every aspect was truly great.
K.A. Tucker is the author of He Will Be My Ruin and the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series. She currently resides outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and a Chug.
About S.C. STEPHENS
S.C. Stephens is a bestselling author who enjoys spending every free moment she has creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance.
Her debut novel, Thoughtless, an angst-filled loved triangle charged with insurmountable passion and the unforgettable Kellan Kyle, took the literary world by storm. Amazed and surprised by the response to the release of Thoughtless in 2009, more stories were quick to follow. Stephens has been writing nonstop ever since.
In addition to writing, Stephens enjoys spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading fabulous novels, loading up her iPod with writer’s block reducing music, heading out to the movies and spending quality time with her friends and family. She currently resides in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her two equally beautiful children.
