Expected publication date: June 15, 2018
Cover blurb:
It’s been nearly a decade since Elle Sloan last saw Luke Hutchins. Close to ten years since she broke up with him over a single phone call, providing him with little explanation. Since the end of their relationship, Elle has done everything she could do to move on, marrying, proceeding forward with her life, almost allowing herself to completely forget about Luke.
Almost.
Out of nowhere, Elle receives a phone call from Luke’s mother. Luke has been in a horrific car accident and, a month later, has just awoken from a coma. However, instead of celebrating, his family is stunned to learn that Luke is suffering from amnesia and only remembers his life as it was before his breakup with Elle. Not wanting to tell Luke that he and Elle aren’t together anymore for fear it may compromise his recovery, Elle is asked by Luke’s family to come to the hospital to see him. Their hope is that she will slowly be able to jog his memory and cushion the blow.
Guilt-ridden over how their relationship ended, Elle readily agrees, finding herself transported back in time with Luke to the life they once shared and the future they could have had together.
**
Oh Sara, how I’ve missed your writing! It’s been almost 2 years since your last release and you know I’ve been a total fangirl since Enigma Black so I’ve been anxiously waiting to read this one…so worth the wait!
The book begins in the present, when Elle receives a call from Luke’s mom informing her that Luke is suffering from amnesia after a bad car accident. He has lost almost 10 years of his memories and believes they are still a couple, stuck in time before she left him with no explanation. She has moved on and married in the time since, but she can’t refuse Candy’s request to see Luke and try to make amends for her previous absence. The story then goes back and forth between the past and present, so that the reader can experience the love and loss as their story progresses.
“And it was here in Roanoke where he was awaiting my arrival, completely unaware that his heart was destined to be broken by me once again.”
I’m a sucker for second chance romances, especially when there is angst involved. I LOVE ANGST! There is nothing like the rip-your-heart-out-and-stomp-on-it theme, as long as the story doesn’t end that way. (Um, about the Enigma Black series…) I can’t explain even begin to explain the depth of emotion contained in the story, though this passage especially struck me:
“For practically a decade, I’d kept his memory buried inside of a box in a remote corner of my brain…It was its own Pandora’s Box, once opened, it had been destined to rain havoc down on my life.”
Did I mention how much I love angst? And yes reader, I cried! Actually, several times during the story I found myself tearing up, including a certain section with the only character we are supposed to dislike. That’s because even the secondary characters are written with heart and humor in some cases, and even loathing for a couple, though one was tempered with understanding. I was especially enthralled with Mena (Elle’s roommate and best friend) as she has the best lines:
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Actually, retract that, please do. You need to get laid.”
I’m really hoping that Mena will get a book of her own, maybe? I’d love to read more about her and her eventual HEA…I wasn’t surprised by that glimpse, though! 🙂
In summary, I give this story my highest recommendation because it is just that good. For those of you that take reviews based on complimentary ARCs with a grain of salt, let me put it to you this way. I enjoyed it so much I preordered it so that I can have a finalized copy also-THAT is the mark of a great book! (And BTW-if you haven’t read the Enigma Black trilogy, you need to read that one too but make sure you still have some Kleenex on hand!)