by Marie Force
Part of Gansett Island, book 11
First published 2016
Owen Lawry stands just days from departing Gansett Island for his father's assault trial. The charges stem from an attack on Owen's mother nearly a year earlier. Owen has built his adult years around escaping his violent childhood, but now he must confront the father he abandoned over ten years ago. He desperately wants his pregnant fiancée Laura McCarthy to remain on the island, away from the ugliness of his past. Laura refuses to abandon Owen during this crucial moment. She plans to stand beside him through the courtroom proceedings and beyond into their marriage. Only the trial and her final divorce decree separate them from their long awaited wedding. Meanwhile, Owen's mother Sarah decides to reveal the truth about her brutal marriage to Charlie Grandchamp, the man who has offered her friendship and companionship for months. Sarah's inability to accept Charlie's physical affection finally makes sense when she shares her secrets. The trial's outcome threatens everything Owen has worked to build, while Sarah risks losing Charlie's support by exposing her damaged past.
Genres: romance, suspense, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Gansett Island
Period: Present Day
330 pages · Hardcover · HTJB, Inc.
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence