“We are all pawns in someone else’s game.”
No one knows this better than Violet Phillips. When her beloved mentor goes missing, she suspects murder, which sends her spiraling out of control and away from the stable life she has built for herself. Soon, her past will begin seeping out with a vengeance.
“I will teach you how this game is played.”
Self-destruction threatens to consume Violet when a handsome neighbor that has been watching her from afar intervenes on her behalf. Shepard Leone may be six years younger, but it does not stop him from seducing her ears as well as her heart.
“Fascinating how much life can change in twenty-four hours.”
When Violet is forced to go down a dark road into a past where she must confront the demons that nearly destroyed her, will she be unable to deviate? Struggling with the loss of her missing friend, Shepard will find a way in and reawaken desires that she thought were forever lost. But Violet never forgets that if you are not careful, distractions will be your undoing.
The distinct taste of bourbon and oranges burned my throat as they went down.
I gave myself fifteen minutes before they hit, which was good. My song was four minutes long and afterwards, I might be useless. Before I could walk away, Frankie had returned, placing a bottle of 151 and a lighter down in front of me.
“I haven’t done this in forever, Frankie! You really want me blowing flames without practice? I am going to burn my fucking eyebrows off!”
He leaned across the bar and motioned for me to come closer to him. “You also haven’t stepped foot in my club in over ten years and look how easy it all comes back. It’s still in you.”
I didn’t know if I should feel confident or afraid of that statement…
JL Brooks lives with her active family along the Ohio River at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. A former columnist turned novelist, she spends most of her time engaged in women’s health issues and education. Believing everyone has a story to tell, chances are she will encourage you to tell yours.
