First published 2025
Halley Holbrook celebrates her daughter Valerie's wedding while approaching her own fiftieth birthday. The bestselling author raised twin daughters Valerie and Olivia alone, determined to provide the loving home her own traumatic childhood never offered. She keeps those dark memories buried, focusing on the present instead of her painful past. When both daughters move to Los Angeles, Halley confronts an empty Fifth Avenue apartment for the first time in decades. She books a solo trip to Paris for the holidays, where she meets Bart Warner on the flight. Their friendship blossoms into something deeper, helping Halley rediscover herself after three years of solitude following her partner's death. The trip takes a sinister turn when a thief steals her handbag and begins stalking her. The harassment triggers memories of her buried trauma, threatening to drag her back into old fears. Halley refuses to become a victim again. With Bart supporting her, she takes decisive action against her tormentor. Steel explores how a mother's fierce love for her children can overcome the wounds of the past.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Paris, Los Angeles, Fifth Avenue
Period: fiftieth-birthday
288 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press