Sample Chapter:
PART
I
Love and
Loss
Chapter 1
July 2, 2013
Life can change in the blink of
an eye. This blink came when a cop car cruised up The Seacrest’s white shell
driveway on a hot Saturday in July.
I’ll never forget the moment. You
know how folks remember where they were when John Lennon died? Or when
President Kennedy was assassinated? It was like that, every detail engrained in
my brain, forever.
A fresh breeze laden with the
scent of the sea rustled heavy-headed blue flowers in the nearby hydrangea
hedge. I’d soaked through my tee shirt, having just weed-wacked in the blazing
sun around the fence posts circling the horse paddock. Unfortunately, said weed
wacker had spooked Libby Vanderhorn’s favorite mare, causing her to buck three
times and knock down some fence boards. Libby was a good rider, but this time
she’d landed in a sprawling heap on the soft dirt, swearing at me.
The boss’s gorgeous, stuck-up
daughter didn’t mince words, and the sting of her accusations still sounded in
my head. How stupid can you be, Finn?
What’s wrong with you?
Libby’s father held great power
on Cape Cod. Rudolph Vanderhorn sat on so many boards, I’d lost count. His
father’s fish canning company made a fortune back in the eighties, and he and
his daughter enjoyed the proceeds of that enterprise ever since.
The Brewster Police car circled
the long drive, heading toward the mansion. The local authorities stopped by
every few days to discuss town matters with my boss. But the blue light was
flashing, which didn’t look like a casual visit.
A shudder went through me, and I
turned cold. Something bad had happened. I sensed it.
The front door opened, and Rudy
watched them approach, hands on his hips and white hair blowing in the sea
breeze.
Libby stopped hosing down her big
white mare, who thankfully hadn’t hurt herself in the crazy fit she’d thrown
earlier. Dark hair blew around the girl’s face and she stared with open
curiosity at the cruiser.
Time froze.
I stood still with a hammer in my
hand, having just fixed the boards the mare dislodged in her spooky fit.
The patrol car drove past the
front porch with the impressive columns and portico, past the six-car garage,
along the driveway to the barn, and rolled to a stop ten feet from me.
Police Chief Kramer and Deputy
Addison Lowell got out and ambled toward me, their eyes somber.
I dropped the hammer. It thudded
to the grass at my feet.
“Finn?” Kramer said. “I’m afraid
we have bad news.”
There is nothing worse than
hearing that bad news was about to be delivered. My brain went wild, imagining
the worst scenarios. But somehow I didn’t quite picture what he was about to
tell me, which frankly, was unimaginable.
“There’s been an accident,”
Kramer said.
Lowell kicked the dirt on the
edge of the path. “Car went over the cliffs,” he added, avoiding my eyes.
I looked from Kramer to Lowell.
“For God’s sake, guys.”
Kramer pulled out a piece of
paper. “Sorry. I regret to inform you that your wife, Cora Mae McGraw, and your
brother, Jackson Robert McGraw, have been killed in a vehicular accident.”
Deputy Lowell added, “We’re real
sorry, Finn.”
“Car went into the ocean,” Kramer
added. “They were dead on impact.”
I stared at them, numbness
creeping up my spine. “What?”
“Er, look, if there’s anything we
can do...” Lowell did look remorseful, and he offered a hand when I lost my
balance and grabbed for the fence.
Libby and her father appeared at
my side in seconds, but in the dreamlike state of denial and shock, I caught
only brief snatches of their words, as if the wind had grabbed them and teased
me with them.
“What happened?”
“Bad accident.”
“She died?”
“Who was with her?”
And so on.
Libby took my arm and guided me
into the big house, where I leaned woodenly against the refrigerator while
Fritzi bustled her big, ample self about the kitchen making tea and pushing
fresh blueberry muffins at the officers.
Someone guided me into a chair. I
sat, dazed and unmoving. The voices warbled around me and now my brain began to
pick through the new knowledge, still not comprehending.
Cora’s
dead?
It wasn’t real. Couldn’t be real.
Jax
is dead?
I hadn’t seen my brother in ten
years.
Ten years since I’d even talked to him. I sometimes drove by the
blueberry farm, thinking of my old life. But I never stopped.
Ten years since my parents died
in that fire. Since I lost my little sister, Eva. Ten years since my family
burned because of that cigarette smoldering in the couch.
Ten freaking years.
I didn’t even know what Jax
looked like anymore. Had he lost hair? Gained weight? Turned prematurely gray
like our father did at age thirty?
Ten years.
A shudder passed through me. A
great gulping sound sputtered from my throat. I think I started to
hyperventilate.
I locked eyes with Libby, whose
mouth was moving. I couldn’t hear her.
Cora
is dead.
Jax
is dead.
I lay my head on my arms,
convulsing silently.
One thought roamed around the
edges of the inner shouts of denial and disbelief. One thought refused to go
away, in spite of the enormity of what was happening to me.
What the
hell was Jax doing with Cora?
Author Picture:
BIO:
Aaron Paul
Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle
author of three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story,
Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his
characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous
gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and
watch for his upcoming releases THE SEACREST (2013), SANCTUARY (2014), and
VIRTUOSO (2014).
ONLINE LINKS:
·
Website http://www.lazarbooks.com
·
Blog2 http://www.murderby4.blogspot.com
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/106903480874581085678/posts
Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/aaronplazar1
BUY NOW LINK:
Giveaway:
FACEBOOK Nov 14th
LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS
Quote from bestselling author Victoria Howard
"A poignant love story that will have you reaching for
the tissues...Every woman needs her own Finn MGraw..."
BLURB:
They say
it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Finn
McGraw disagrees.
He was
just seventeen when he had a torrid summer affair with the girl who stole his
heart—and then inexplicably turned on him. Finn may have moved on with his
life, but he’s never forgotten her.
Now, ten
years later, he’s got more than his lost love to worry about. A horrific
accident turns his life upside down, resurrecting the ghosts of his long-dead
family and taking the lives of the few people he has left.
Finn
always believed his estranged brother was responsible for the fire that killed
their family—but an unexpected inheritance with a mystery attached throws
everything he knows into doubt.
And on
top of that, the beguiling daughter of his wealthy employer has secrets of her
own. But the closer he gets, the harder she pushes him away.
The Seacrest is a story of intrigue and betrayal, of
secrets and second chances—and above all, of a love that never dies.
My Review:
The Seacrest by Aaron Paul Lazar
Finn McGraw grows up on the cape in MA where his family runs the blueberry farm during the summer months.
I feel like this is two books in one because each chapter tells of a different age of the characters.
The chapters alternate in time and that is sometimes confusing. There are mainly two people-when they first meet on the beach and spend time to get to know one another. First love and sex scenes.
And the present day where the woman has died along with his brother and he now owns everything his brother had.
He is living and working at the manor of Seacrest and Libby is the one that gets him up and moving rather than just lying around the cottage on the estate after he learns of his wife's passing.
Through each of the time frames we learn of the family's past and how the others had died...
So much pain when he finds out what his brother did that broke he and Sassy up from dating.
Love the location of the sea and the cape and journeys throughout the book. Love the story line but not all the sex scenes-was a bit much.
I received this book from Vickie Dold I.O. Book Tours via the author for my honest review.
2 comments:
Thanks so much for featuring The Seacrest today on your blog! It's great to be here. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask, I'll check back from time to time. Best wishes, Aaron
Great to have you visit Aaron, thanks so much for stopping by.
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