by Krystal Wade
Paperback, 208 pages
October 6th 2014
by Curiosity Quills Press
They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and that's great . . . as long as you don't die.
Sixteen-year-old Haley Tremaine had it all: top-notch school, fantastic family, and a bright future, but all of that changed when an accident tore her family apart. Now, an alcoholic father, a bitter younger sister, and a cold headstone bearing her mother’s name are all she has left.
Chris Charming has it all: a powerful CEO for a father, a prestigious school, and a fortune at his fingertips, but none of that matters when he lands a reputation as a troublemaker. Struggling to follow in his father’s footsteps, he reaches out to the one person he believes truly sees him, the one person he wants: Haley.
Little do they know someone's determined to bring the two together, even if it means murder.
Haley Tremaine lives with her father and younger sister, Jocelyn. Her mother has been dead for a while, ever since the car accident she and Haley were in. Before she died, her mother made Haley promise to never tell Jocelyn the truth and to look after her. Sadly, that leads to hell for Haley, as her father hates her for looking like her mother and abuses her. She fights to keep the abuse from her sister. Jocelyn is Daddy’s beloved little girl. Her only saving graces are her best friend, Christine and the Berkshires Candle Company she has a part time job at, selling candles in their store. This is the same company her mother had been CEO before her death. No longer making money to stay in her former prestigious school, but now attending a regular high school, Haley appears to be heading down in her grades, unlike her former life and no longer with a boyfriend as she had before. But a young man Chris Charming, whose father is the current CEO of Berkshires and still goes to that prestigious school, is interested in her. But he has a bad boy reputation, one he isn’t denying. And he seems to not take no for an answer from Haley about going out with him. If her life isn’t bad enough, there appears to be a serial killer in town and maybe it might be someone she knows….
I enjoyed reading the story, though I wanted to smack Haley myself for not telling someone about the abuse her father was doing to her, just so her sister won’t learn the truth? A sister I suspected might know, but let it go on? That part just bugged me. Otherwise the mystery of the killer and the romance as she began to let down her defenses against Chris made it a pretty good story, despite Haley letting the abuse go on.
I give Charming 4 sheep.
Pamela K. Kinney
The horrid commute gives me plenty of time to zone out and think about my characters in full, brilliant details (I’m a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give me a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to me on the fifty mile trek into town (I pick up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.comif you don’t believe me).
I’ve been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of my oh-so-large life. When I’m not working, commuting, or chasing after my three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find me outside talking to my chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training my amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).
I hope you love my stories (or just like them a little; that would be okay, too). And I hope that one day you find your passion, because there’s nothing in life better than doing what you love while surrounded by people you love.
I enjoyed reading the story, though I wanted to smack Haley myself for not telling someone about the abuse her father was doing to her, just so her sister won’t learn the truth? A sister I suspected might know, but let it go on? That part just bugged me. Otherwise the mystery of the killer and the romance as she began to let down her defenses against Chris made it a pretty good story, despite Haley letting the abuse go on.
I give Charming 4 sheep.
Pamela K. Kinney
About the Author:
I’m happily married to the love of my life (don’t gag) and raising three beautiful children in the gorgeous state of Virginia. We live just outside Washington, D.C., and every day I wake up to find myself stuck in traffic trying to get there.The horrid commute gives me plenty of time to zone out and think about my characters in full, brilliant details (I’m a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give me a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to me on the fifty mile trek into town (I pick up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.comif you don’t believe me).
I’ve been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of my oh-so-large life. When I’m not working, commuting, or chasing after my three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find me outside talking to my chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training my amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).
I hope you love my stories (or just like them a little; that would be okay, too). And I hope that one day you find your passion, because there’s nothing in life better than doing what you love while surrounded by people you love.
