Finding Peace
Alaine Greyson
(Reclaiming Life, #3)
Publication date: September 24th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Bracken Point is full of secrets, but none top the ones Tobias Sawyer is ordered to keep.
Sent undercover, Tobias arrives at the small town of Bracken Point determined to solve the case and leave. But he never counted on meeting Madeline Grant.
Ten years ago, Madeline was injured in a house fire, leaving severe burns over her body. Now at twenty, she prefers life behind the scenes, not wanting people to see her scars. When Tobias begins to notice her, will Madeline let down her guard or run away?
Author Bio:
Alaine Greyson lives outside of Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, son and cocker spaniel puppy. She loves to push the envelope with her stories and strives to make her readers sympathize with characters from all backgrounds. Alaine is an avid reader and considers Jane Austen and Diana Gabaldon to be her literary heroes. She loves Mexican food, 80s music and is a Robert Downey Jr. super-fan. You will find mentions of things she loves throughout her books.
Excerpt
“Madeline Grant. You walk right past us and don’t even say hi? Just because you have a new job doesn’t entitle you to the ditch your best friends.”
Madeline mustered a smile and turned on her heel. “Bex! Did I walk past you? I’m so sorry. What was I thinking?”
Bex wrapped her arm around Madeline’s shoulders and guided her toward the living room. “No matter. You didn’t miss much.” The two girls settled on the couch in front of Amber, who lay sprawled on the carpet. “Amber was droning on about some girl she met in therapy.”
Amber pouted. “Was not. I know better than to get involved with anyone in my therapy group.”
Bex shot her a mischievous grin. “Then what was the deal about her milky-white skin and billowing flaxen hair?”
Amber sat upright and launched a pillow at Bex.
“Hey! Watch the face.” Bex drew a circle around her face with her hand. “This is a thing of beauty and must be protected at all costs.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here, Madeline. It gives me an extra buffer against her highness over here.”
The three girls made an unlikely threesome, but somehow the friendship worked. They had been thrust together a few months prior when Bex moved in with Cassie. Forced to share a room, Amber and Bex developed a love/hate relationship. And Madeline was usually the one in the middle. Regardless of their differences, Madeline thought they balanced each other. Amber was the wise one, Bex was the wild one, and Madeline, well, she wasn’t sure who she was yet.
“The two of you against me? Ha! You’re no match for my wit. Besides, Madeline knows better than to go against me. I’m not your fearless leader for nothing.”
Bex spoke the truth. Madeline accepted Bex’s leadership and never put her in her place like Amber did. Truth was, Bex scared her and she didn’t know how to stand up for herself.
“We’re being rude. Madeline had her first day at the photography studio. How’d it go?” Amber asked.
Should she mention Preston’s comments about her being a kid? How about the cryptic spy mission her father and Detective Logan gave her? Madeline fiddled with her scarf and gazed at the floor. What was safe around Bex? “It was okay.”
Bex’s eyes grew round. “Just okay? You’ve been gushing about this job for weeks. What happened?”
“You have to stop expecting us to share everything with you, Bex. You’re not exactly kind about things.” Amber popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
“I’m direct. Some people don’t appreciate it, but at least you know where you stand.”
“Yeah, directly underneath her highness,” Amber said.
Madeline shook her head. “I’m surprised both of you are still alive. The way you bicker, you’d think one of you would have killed the other in her sleep.”
Amber smirked and winked at Bex. “Not a bad idea. Better watch your back.”
“Oh please. You love me. No matter how much we fight during the day, we never go to bed mad.”
“True. Back to Madeline. Did you see Preston today?”
At one point, all three had a crush on Preston, but only Bex had scored a date. Madeline wasn’t surprised they would want details from her day with him. “He trained me.”
“Nice!” Bex scrutinized Madeline’s outfit. “This is what you wore? You have to let me make you over. You won’t catch Preston’s eye—or anyone else’s—looking like that.”
Madeline glanced at Amber for support but was shocked at her response.
“For once, I agree with Bex.”
Bex placed her hands on her hips, her smile growing. “Now you have to agree.”
Whenever a makeover was mentioned, Madeline declined. The thought of someone dressing her like a Barbie doll and messing with makeup to try to hide her scars made her uneasy. “We’ll see. I’m not ready to do that yet.”
“When you’re ready we’ll be here,” Amber said.
Bex huffed and picked up an issue of Elle magazine. “Whatever.”
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Sounds like a wonderful book, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Kelly! :)
ReplyDelete