Already Gone, an all-new standalone contemporary romance by New
York Times bestselling author Kristen Proby and USA Today bestselling author
K.L. Grayson is LIVE!
Falling in love is easy…
New Hope, South Carolina is my home. It’s where I grew up,
got into trouble, and fell in love for the first time. Scarlett Kincaid was
more than the girl next door, she was my best friend, until she decided that
small town life wasn’t for her. One minute she was here, and the next she was
gone.
The girl I used to fish with down at the creek is now the
biggest name in country music. She headlines world tours, has won four Grammys,
and I haven’t seen her since. Until today when she sped through town in her fancy
car. One look at her big brown eyes was all it took to stir up a whole slew of
emotions. Emotions I’d long ago buried and sure as hell don’t have time for.
It’s the aftermath that’s hard…
There are two things in my life that matter. My music, and
my dad. Twelve years ago, I packed a bag and chased my dream. Leaving New Hope
and escaping the gossip mill was the easiest decision I ever made. I never
planned to return, but my father needs me, and he always comes first. So, I did
what I had to do. I cut my tour short and came home, despite having a sister
who hates me, and a community that doesn’t trust me.
And then there’s Tucker Andrews.
When he propped an arm on the roof of my car, pulled down
his sunglasses and flashed his police badge, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Gone
is the lanky boy who used to throw rocks at me and pull my pigtails. Tucker is
now a six-foot package of brawny, sexy man wrapped in more muscle than I have
hit singles. Did I mention he’s a cop and a single dad?
My goal was to help Dad, and get back to my life. But what
am I supposed to do when the life that used to strangle me suddenly fits like a
glove, and makes me dream of things I never thought I’d have? What happens when
the boy I walked away from years ago becomes one of the most important people
in my life? I don’t have room for a man much less love.
Right?
Because it’s impossible to hold onto someone who’s already
gone.
Download your copy today!
Excerpt:
New Hope, South Carolina.
Population
6,129.
I know
every soul represented in that number. Not a single one of them drives the
shiny red Mercedes that just went speeding by.
Seventy-five
in a forty-five.
I flick
on my lights and press on the gas, sending my cruiser flying past the city
limit sign and the godawful billboard that sits directly behind it; the one
declaring New Hope home to country music superstar, Scarlett Kincaid.
It
wouldn’t be a big deal if this were actually her home. It’s not. Scarlett may
have been born here, but her fancy boots haven’t landed on this soil in over a
decade.
All it
took was one call from a hotshot music executive to send her packing before the
ink was dry on her high school diploma. Scarlett flew from this town fast
enough to leave our heads spinning. Before any of us could process what had
happened, little Scarlett Kincaid—the same girl who used to build forts with me
in my living room while my mama made us mac ‘n’ cheese—had a hit single sitting
at number one on the Billboard charts.
She
went from homecoming queen and most likely to marry a rich spouse in our senior
yearbook, to the queen of country music.
The
country loves her. Hell, the whole world loves her.
New Hope…not
so much. And it’s high time that fucking sign comes down.
But
first, I have to deal with this speed demon in the sexy red car.
I sound
the sirens, and the car pulls to the side of the road and waits while I walk to
the driver’s side window. It’s still up, the heavy tint preventing me from
seeing inside. With a hand on my holster—because you never know what you’re
going to walk up on—I knock on the window.
The dark glass lowers.
My first thought: this woman is absolutely gorgeous. Long,
dark hair. Pouty lips. And a tiny pink dress. Her eyes are covered by oversized
aviators, but I’m sure they’re as pretty as the rest of her.
My second thought: what crazy excuse is she going to come up
with to try and get out of this ticket? It never ceases to amaze me the things
women are willing to do to keep from getting into trouble. I’ve been offered
everything from a blowjob to a pay-off to marriage.
“Do you know why I pulled you over today, ma’am?”
“Tucker?”
The woman smiles, then pushes her sunglasses to the top of her head. And that’s
when I see the brown eyes I’ve spent more than a decade trying to forget.
“Tucker Andrews, is that you?”
I step
back and square my shoulders. “You can call me Officer Andrews. Do you know why
I pulled you over today, ma’am?”
“Tucker.”
The woman laughs and shakes her head. “It’s me, Scarlett.”
At the
mention of her name, I’m met with an onslaught of flashbacks. Running hand and
hand through the neighborhood with her, laughing and playing, only to have her
ignore me the second we got to school. The popular crowd versus the nerds who
desperately tried to fit in. She the former, me the latter, and the pain it
caused every time she acted as though she didn’t know my name. For years, I
pretended it didn’t bother me because I knew that when I got home, Scarlett
would meet me at the fence, and the awkwardness from the day would dissipate as
though it never happened.
But it did. Day after day after day. I was a glutton for
punishment. There was nothing in the world I loved more than Scarlett Kincaid,
and it didn’t matter how badly she hurt me, I was always willing to forgive
her.
Her
smile and laugh might’ve gotten to me in middle school and high school, but I
refuse to let it affect me now.
“I know
who you are.”
Her
smile falters.
About Kristen:
Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her
beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move
to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen
years.
During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and
joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent
countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before
the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many
manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer
of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one
goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her
bucket list.
Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published
close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times
and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best
known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to
work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion
Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her
hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two pugs and two cats.
Connect with Kristen:
Pinterest: @handbagjunkie
About K.L. Grayson
K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis,
MO. She is entertained
daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire
every good quality she
writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six
dirty little hands, and when the
day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed
and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer.
She has a love for alpha-males,
brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy
endings…and not particularly in that
order.
Connect with K.L. Grayson
Johnaka's Review
“Second chance and single dad, 5 stars”
Once upon a time Tucker was Scarlett’s best friend but it’s been years since she’s seen him. It’s been years since she’s been home. Then when she finally does of course he’s the first one to greet her, only his greeting is a little…cold. Will she be able to thaw Tucker out or did she burn the bridge between them long ago?
A lot of things have changed since Tucker last saw Scarlett but one thing is for sure, she’s still under his skin. Scarlett proves to him she’s still the same girl he fell in love with over a decade ago and that’s a problem. His life, his daughter’s life is here in their home town and Scarlett’s well, its not. Will he let her in or will he keep her at arm’s length? One way to find out.
Proby and Grayson worked some serious magic between Scarlett and Tucker. I loved the banter and the pull between the two. Toss in the way Scarlett takes in Tuckers pre-teen daughter and it’s a match made in heaven. The only thing I didn’t like was the relationship between Scarlett and her sister, but that’s probably because I don’t have the best relationship with my sibling.
Just go one-click Already Gone. You won’t regret it. And I cannot wait to see what Proby and Grayson do together next.
Plot-5/5 Characters-5/5 Heat-5/5 Writing style-5/5 Overall-5/5
