Title: Lost Without You (The Debt #1)

Author: Molly O'Keefe

Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, Abuse

Release Date: 19 June 2017

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Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 3.5 stars

That said, this was not an easy read. The story has the depth and intensity typical for the author but this one was rather dark and heavy to read at times due to covering the subject of child abuse. I feel a trigger warning is needed for child abuse, including attempted rape presented in real time in the Prologue and in flashbacks later in the story.

Beth and Tommy are two very broken characters that cannot be easily fixed. They have this almost cosmic connection and it seems they are each others' only salvation. The road to their HEA together was not an easy one and often in this story, I couldn't imagine how they will get the happiness they deserved, being together seemed absolutely impossible.

Tommy broke my heart, he felt real, easily accessible, his suffering and dilemmas i could understand.I felt a strong connection with him and think I understood him better. Beth remained a bit of mystery, we never get crucial details about her past and that kept me from understanding her better.

This read like the start of Tommy and Beth's journey both literally and figuratively. I wasn't sold on the whole thing with Bates and the attempted kidnapping of Beth. Tommy and Beth just started unpacking all the hurt from their past and story ended. I strongly recommend reading the next one right away.

Blurb

THE GIRL I LOVED IS THE WOMAN I CAN’T HAVE

It was simple: Pay the debt and I stay out of jail. Pay the debt and I stay alive.

But I sacrificed it all for Beth.

I didn’t pay what I owed. I’m sure punishment is coming, but I can take it - as long as Beth is safe. Away from her mother and everyone else who would hurt her.

I gave it all up for two days with her. And it was worth it.

She always was. 

THE SECRETS WE KEEP ARE WHAT TEARS US APART

We’re supposed to be done. Over. Tommy goes his way, I go mine. Cue the heartbreaking music.

I’m supposed to forget him, but I don’t think I can. And when the danger closes in on Tommy, we’re on the run again. From Bates. From my mother. From our past. And there are no safe places to hide.

Except one. And it’s the place that will hurt Tommy the most. 

But maybe it’s time for me to face my past. My demons.

Maybe it’s time for me to save Tommy for once.

Review

The emotional and physical journey of Beth and Tommy continued in the second book. It was even more intense that the first one. And a lot more sex was included which made me feel like the characters were trying to solve all their issues with sex. No matter how intimate and liberating it was, I was not convinced it was the right approach. I felt they needed more talking and less (rough) f*cking especially considering the traumas they were both dealing with.

Lost Without You by Molly O'Keefe is NOW AVAILABLE! "With wonderfully drawn characters, deep emotions, and O’Keefe’s draw-you-in-and-hold-you-tight writing, Lost Without You is totally one-clickable!" — J. Kenner NYT and Internationally Best Selling Author

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ALL DEBTS MUST BE PAID

Tommy Seven years ago, I thought I could save Beth, the girl I loved from the monster who was supposed to take care of us. I thought I could keep Beth and all the other kids at St. Jude’s Home for Court Placed Juveniles safe. I failed. Badly. Now we all have blood on our hands and owe a dangerous man a very dangerous debt. We don’t know when he’ll come calling for payment, but when he does – we pay, or we suffer. When my turn comes, I’m ready for anything. Except seeing Beth again. LOVE IS NEVER FREE Beth No one ever tells you that the cost of having your dreams come true is literally every single other part of your life. Yes, I’m a huge pop star these days, but I’m pretty much a mess, too. I’ve spent my life hiding behind disguises, make-up and costumes, all to protect myself from the kind of pain that comes from revealing your true self to someone. I did that once. With Tommy. The only person I ever loved. It didn’t turn out so well. And now, with everything else falling apart around me, I’m suddenly in the backseat of his car. Being kidnapped. And the past we’ve both tried to run from is catching up with us. 

Contains The Debt: A Prologue and 50,000 more words in the continuation of Tommy and Beth's story

About the Author:

Molly O'Keefe is an award-winning author of over 30 romance novels. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her family and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America. Sign up for her newsletter to get release day news, exclusive excerpts, sale announcements and in-depth author interviews!

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LOVE AND SECOND CHANCES ARE NEVER FREE For the five kids who live at St. Jude’s Home for Court Placed Juveniles, life is a nightmare. Carissa, the youngest, has been there the longest. And barely speaks. Rosa is sixteen and pregnant. Simon keeps his head down and studies, hoping to get back the life he lost. Beth and Tommy, in the middle of the darkness, have found each other, and all they want is to be together. But when they get caught making out at school, it puts everyone in danger. Tommy is used to the beatings from their foster father, but when Beth is singled out for punishment, Tommy can’t sit back and let it happen. AND ALL DEBTS MUST BE PAID What happens that night rips apart the lives of the five teenagers forever. After the blood has been spilled, a bargain is made. A deal with the devil that should have solved things. It should have fixed everything. But nothing is free - not love, not innocence, and certainly not freedom. And sooner or later, all debts must be paid...

EXCERPT:

“What do you want, Tommy?” she breathed. So close. So beautiful. With her free hand she took off her glasses and tossed them on the ground. Her eyes, lined in black liner raked over me. And mine raked over her. “You,” I said, so raw I was practically inside out. “Just once.” She laughed low in her throat. “You have a few questions you want answered, do you?” she asked. “Don’t you?” “God yes.” She stepped forward until she was nearly touching me. It took my inhale for my chest to brush hers. I exhaled and our bodies retreated. She inhaled and we touched. Exhaled and retreated. We each did it again. And then again. Breathing each other in, in turns. Finally it wasn’t enough and I stepped toward her, and my cock pressed against her stomach and she pushed against me. Her breasts and belly imprinted on my skin. “One time,” she said. “One time and we go back to our lives and get on with things. I’m going to forget you, Tommy. And you’re going to forget me.” I doubted it, but I wasn’t going to argue. Not with my dick pushed up against the tight muscles of her stomach. Not with her breath, sweet from the pop and the candy she’d eaten, making me crazy. “I’m serious, Tommy,” she said as if she could read my mind. “I don’t want to be hurt anymore, and I really, really don’t want to hurt you anymore. Promise you’ll forget me.” “I promise,” I said, because when threatened with the idea of hurting her, I’d agree to anything to stop that. “I’ll forget you, right after I fuck you.”

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LOST WITHOUT YOU - June 19th - Amazon / iBooks 

WHERE I BELONG - June 26th- Amazon / iBooks

About the Author:

Molly O'Keefe is an award-winning author of over 30 romance novels. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her family and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America. Sign up for her newsletter to get release day news, exclusive excerpts, sale announcements and in-depth author interviews!

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A MAN WITH NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE

I sold my soul a long time ago to pay my father’s debts. Now my life is a prison: no friends. No family. Nothing it would hurt to lose.

I never should’ve touched Abby. I tried not to, but she is beautiful, magnetic, sexy. Everything I want but can't let myself have.

UNTIL HE MET HER

She seduced me not knowing who I was or what I really do in the shadows. I should have resisted her, but I wanted to be the man Abby thought I was for as long as I could.

But all debts must be paid, sooner or later. And mine are paid with blood.

Now Abby knows who I am, what I am, and she’s run from me.

I would have let her go for her own good. But when I find out she’s carrying my baby — there’s nowhere she can hide.

Review 

I wasn't sure about this book,secret baby is my least favorite trope nut I quite enjoyed the first book and I trust Molly O'keefe to pull off an amazing secret baby romance, and she really did. What a powerful and moving story that turned out to be.

Baby, Come Back was not what I expected and I loved it, especially the first half so, so much. It's the before section of the story, where we get to meet Abby and Jack. Told from her POV we see a stunningly beautiful girl who knows how valuable her looks are and uses them to the fullest. She is not the smart, independent, all-knowing, perfect woman we all want to be. Quite the opposite, she is someone who made many mistakes in her life, works as a glorified waitress, uses her charms and seduces men. Yet, behind all this was just a girl with big dreams. Who fell head-over-heels for the wrong guy. And who did what she thought was best - ran away from him.

Jack was totally not who I expected him to be based on Charlotte's and Jesse's view of him. He is more complex, very much like his brother, a good boy at heard, who plays the bad boy persona the circumstances had forced on him. 

What I really love in Molly O'Keefe's stories is how she shows us that things aren't always what they seem to be on the surface. Her characters always have so much depth to them, layers and layers hidden from the rest of the world and the readers discovers them one by one during the characters journey to HEA.

While the before part of the story just blew my mind, the after part, was more predictable, still sweet and nice but less explosive and intense than the first. It was a hard-won HEA for the characters. Things got talked through, secrets were revealed and everyone came clean in order to start their life together a fresh. 

Pregnancy/baby stories are not my thing but I liked how this one was done, it didn't take all the focus of the story and didn't act as a miracle cure for all mistakes. It had an important role and I felt it fitted the whole story and character development rather well.

The story has the happiest HEA, a bit too perfect but both Abby and Jack and Charlotte and Jesse deserved it after all the hardships life threw their way. If you are hesitant to pick this series, I can strongly recommend it. What you will find in it is powerful writing, complex characters who feel like real people with their strengths and weakness, just enough drama and hot sexy times.

Title: Wait for It (Everything I Left Unsaid #4)

Author: M. O'Keefe

Date of publication: 28 Feb 2017

Genre/themes: Erotic Romance

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

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My rating: 4 Stars

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Tiffany: After fighting for a new life, I don’t want to play the victim anymore. However, with three kids to raise, I’m getting desperate enough to make a deal with the devil. My estranged brother-in-law, Blake, says he just wants to help, but he’s been trouble since I met him. I don’t know if I can believe this kinder, gentler Blake, and there’s a friction between us that has turned into the sweetest chemistry. He could be my salvation . . . or my downfall.

Blake: I haven’t always had Tiffany’s best interests at heart but I’m ready to make up for my sins. Besides, I can’t help admiring her: The girl’s a genuine survivor, tough and lean, with eyes of steel. But the more I get to know Tiffany, the more I want her. Every inch of her. Which means I’m about to make a bad situation a hell of a lot worse. 

Review

This is the fourth book in a series of exceptionally good erotic romances by Molly O'Keefe which I have enjoyed a lot.

From the bits we got from he previous books I was prepare to hate Blake and love Tiffany and it did start that way but the lines between love and hate got blurry pretty fats.

This is a very character driven story focused on character growth and change, exploring one's potential to be a better person, to live a happier life and feel more fulfilled.At the start we have two broken people, both hurt a lot by the same person, Paul, her ex and his brother. Their coping mechanisms have not the the healthiest ones. Blake was emotionally shut down, pouring his emotions into fights on the ring. Tiffany had shut down her body (along with her heart), not letting herself think of her needs, focusing on surviving abuse and taking care of her children.

Their second meeting (after the disastrous first on in The Truth Abut Him) started a long process of getting to know each other, overcoming misgivings and doubts and outright hate initially. It got mixed up desire pretty fast. And there was a dark edge to it, both of them not really denying it but rather making it as impersonal as possible. The whole paying situation did make me uncomfortable a time or two and I think the author wanted the readers to feel that way. M' O'Keefe did an amazing job at conveying the mixture of pleasure and shame it caused them both and how it forced them re-examine their preconceptions about desire, sex, love and ultimately themselves.

This is an intense erotic story, with the same high level of heat as the previous in the series. And with the same emotional depth. This is a story of facing your daemons, of standing up for yourself, of daring to hope. I loved how strong Tiffany was, and even more, how he recognized and admired her strength. All this with him being so strong physically, resilient, taking brutal beating on the ring, just to make himself feel something other that the emotional scars of his past/present.

I liked how the sorry mixed family relations in the whole romance plotline, a feature of the series which I appreciate a lot. The complexity of having a difficult family, how it shapes you and hurts and saves you at the same time. And how there is no magic cure for everything. how love is not always enough. how some people change and become their better self, while others just can't do it. and that's real, that's how life is (in my experience at least) and prefer seeing this in a contemporary romance over a manufactured, cheesy HEA where everyone ends up being the good person in the story.

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

Blurb

He's sexy... He's dangerous... He's right next door. 

I gave up everything to save my sister from a monster, and now I’m lying low in this rundown apartment so I can stay out of danger. Hiding from everyone.

Except for the guy in apartment 1A.

He’s rude. Silent. Muscled, mysterious, and hot as hell. I don’t know if he likes me or hates me, but the more time I spend with him, the less it matters.

I want him.

And for the first time in my life I'm going to go after what I want.

She doesn’t belong in my world.

From the second 1B moves in, I know she’s keeping secrets. She doesn’t belong here, much less with a street fighter like me.

But that doesn’t stop me from craving her. Her softness and sweetness. She’s a drug, and suddenly I’m addicted.

I know someone is going to try and hurt her and I can’t let that happen. But unless I push her away and get her out of my world, that someone could be me…

bad Neighbor is a new standalone book, though a second one focused on secondary characters will be coming out soon. If I have to pick one word to describe this story it would be HOT! It's also a bit dark, a lot of intense and a tad predictable.

What we have is a bad boy underground fighter falling for the good geeky and shy girl next door. By the end though what we get is not what we saw initially. Instead Jesse and Charlotte turn out to be two complicated people - loyal to their families, ready to sacrifice their own chance at happiness to help out their siblings.

I like how in every book Molly O'Keefe manages to create very intriguing characters, believable characters that draw you in their world and you can't help but fall in love with them

Charlotte journey of taking control of her life was fascinating. She was timid, geeky, lack confidence and her self-esteem was low but with Jess she acted bold, went for what she wanted despite being afraid of rejection and ridicule, was brave to try new things and i love that about her th emost. She was a really interesting character and enjoyed her a lot.

Jesse was a more the standard romance bad boy hero - rough and tough underground fighter but with a heart of gold, doing it for his family (his brother). He started as seemingly being rude to Charlotte but in fact he was there, helping her settle in, protecting her from the very beginning. He treated her just right, gave her space and time when she needed it but also pushed her just enough for her to act, to go forward,

This is an erotic romance and love scenes stand out with their intensity. That threesome that became a sort of a foursome was something special, super hot but also revealing all too well the characters' deep emotions and (hidden, at least for Charlotte) desires.

Bad Neighbor is a strong erotic read, with great characters falling in lust which quickly turns into true intimacy and love.

Purchase links: Amazon

Blurb

The only thing that matters to me is rescuing my sister from the drug-cooking cult that once enslaved us both. I’ve run cons my whole life, and I’ll use my body to get whatever I need. Max Daniels is the last connection I have to that world, the one person reckless enough to get involved. Besides, now that his brothers have turned on him, he needs me too.

The deal was supposed to be simple: a place to hide in exchange for rescuing my sister. Now he’s my prisoner. Totally at my mercy. But I’m the one captivated. Enthralled. Doing everything he asks of me until I’m not sure who’s in control.

We both crave the heat. The more it hurts, the better. But what if Max wants a different life now, to leave the game . . . to love me? I thought I knew better than to get burned. Now I’m in too deep to pull away. And the crazy thing is . . . I don’t want to.

I'm a big fan of Ms O'Keefe's writing and this series are really breaking my heart. Max and Joan's story is even more powerful, intense, darker than the Annie and Dylan's. 

I had the impression that Joan was actually older because of the self-confidence and assured way in which she acted with in the first book. What we see here is that she is in fact much younger, her confidence and bravado is mostly on the outside, a mask she wears to protect herself.. In fact the Joan we get to know in this story  is very much lost and in doubt about everything in her life.

Max, well, he is the rough and tough and ruthless biker club president we expect him to be. At the same time he is put in the rather unusual situation of being on the run from his club brothers and at the same time being held hostage by Joan. All this brings out a whole new side of his character to light which was fascinating to see.

There is lots of sexual tension in this story as usual in Ms O'Keefe's romances. A lot of their misery and frustration and anger at the world and the hard life they had to deal with, was expressed through the sex they had. The angry, punishing sex they had did push my comfort level but at the same time I liked how it led to Max an Joan opening to each other and becoming truly intimate. 

They are so much similar, both hardcore, angry and impulsive, yet desperate to make things right, loyal to their families but also plagued by their pasts and mistakes they have made. All this makes it rather difficult for them to express love and affection, either romantically or for their families in general. Giving up on all their coping mechanisms and survival mechanisms is a slow and painful process. It was not easy for either of them to dare to hope, to dream of a future they could look forward to.

Overall, I would describe this romance as a powerfully erotic story with a touch of danger but well within the limits of consent and doing (sexual) things everyone enjoyed (even the one-time with a third party involved). I liked how the characters presented their sexuality without judgement. Joan's bisexuality wasn't an issue for anyone and it was also not made into a shocking element in the story.

I'm sure fans of Ms O'Keefe will enjoy this romance and if you haven't read her books before and you like exquisitely written, intense erotic romance, I strongly urge you to give this series a try. While Burn Down the Night can be read as a standalone, it's even better if you read the previous two books (which go together) - Everything I Left Unsaid (review) and The Truth About Him (review).

Title: Gambled Away: A Historical Anthology
Author: Joanna Bourne, Isabel Cooper, Rose Lerner, Jeannie Lin, Molly O'Keefe
Date of publication: 31 May 2016
Genre: Historical romance, novellas

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My rating: 4.5 Stars

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo 

Synopsis

Excerpt

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We played our roles, told each other lies.

But now Dylan is no longer just a mysterious deep voice on the other end of the line. We’re face-to-face and our relationship is very, very real.

We still have secrets—but so much is crystal clear:

The thrilling danger.

The raw, naked desire.

The need to keep feeling the way he makes me feel. Forever.

Dylan is putting up walls, trying to keep me safe, but he can’t shut me out. He has seen my darkness and rescued me. Now it’s my turn, if only he will let me.

Review

This is the second and final book in the series about Dylan and Annie and it brings about a hard-won and very well deserved HEA for them. This time the focus is mostly on Dylan - his struggles, his demons from the past and hopes for the future.

The terrible cliffhanger from the ending of book 1 is solved right away and all the characters are faced with the consequences of their actions. The story here continuous with the same intensity - deeply emotional and erotic, both dark and the occasional rays of sunshine filtering through.

We see Annie and Dylan trying to find a way to be together despite the heavy issues of their pasts (and present). Neither of them knows to let the other one in, how to love and be loved, how to go for the things they want. Dylan's had his spirit broken, just like Annie's had her body broken. It takes a lot of effort and never backing down on both sides to finally be happy together.

We see much more of Dylan, gradually unravelling the mystery of this broken man, plagued by bad childhood and difficult family relationships. Despite his seeming coldness and detachment from everyone and everything, he still cares about his family and friends. He has difficulty showing his emotions, being open and vulnerable. But Annie is there for him all the time. She battle with her own demons - guilt, doubts, insecurity but ultimately she is strong and resilient. She fights with everything she has for the man she loves and for the happiness and future that she has been denied for so long.

Their explosive chemistry just gets stronger and ever more complex. Their romance was raw and gritty, there was a lot of fighting - with each other, with themselves, with the rest of the world. There was no sugarcoating of the truth. We see the ugliness is Dylan's life in its brutal honesty but it also opens up a road towards acceptance, reconciliation, moving on to become a better person.

The supporting cast get their storylines further developed and I my heart went all out for Dylan's brother and I'm already anxiously looking forward to his story.

It's a dark and somewhat disturbing story of suffering and loss and the glimpses of light that shine in the characters' lives are even more precious because of that. The heavy erotic element in the story works well to show the characters' development and how they manage to build a healthy romantic relationship despite everything.

A recommended read!

Title: Everythign I Left Unsaid (Everything I Left Unsaid #1)
Author: M. O'Keefe
Date of publication: 13 Oct 2015
Genre/themes: Erotic Romance, Abuse

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
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My rating: 4 Stars

And I found a hot, secret world where I felt alive for the first time.

His name was Dylan, and, strangely, he made me feel safe. Desired. Compelled. Every dark thing he asked me to do, I did. Without question. I longed to meet him, but we were both keeping secrets. And mine were dangerous. If I took the first step, if I got closer to Dylan—emotionally, physically—then I wouldn’t be hiding anymore. I would be exposed, with nothing left to surrender but the truth. And my truth could hurt us both.

Review 

I loved the Boys of Bishop series which I read last year and was ecstatic when I got the chance to read an ARC of this. This story is a somewhat dark erotic romance and fair warning from the start, it's part of a duology and ends on a cliffhanger. 

It's a powerfully written story told from dual POV. This is the story of Annie's journey towards herself - a sort of sexual (and emotional) awakening . At times it read like Dylan was healing her through sex and I'm not a big fan of this trope. What makes this story stand out for me though, was Annie's will, her strength, bravery. Dylan was certainly influential to her growth and change but ultimately it was her who took the challenge, who pushed herself to discover her boundaries. I loved how she went (a little scared and a lot of determined) after the things she wanted. The author didn't hide her fear and hesitancy, there was also her desire to try new things, to actually learn what she likes/dislikes, to discover and go after some dreams of her. For someone with her background of physical and psychological abuse, it was a miracle how much purity, innonce, light and hope she carried in herself and shared with others.

Dylan remained quite an enigma throughout the story. We see just glimpses of him and his past and present and what we get is a tortured man, strong and self-sufficient, yet one that has never truly managed to let go of the past.

I wanted to see more development of the romantic relationship, besides the sexual chemistry and all the challenging, provocation and experiments in this regard. We get just the first stages of the deeper connection forming between them and have to wait for the next book to see if/how things between may grow into something positive, good for both of them, something like a well-deserved HEA.

The plot was interesting, even intriguing at times, the twists and turns felt natural and fitting the characters. The cliffhanger was bit of a letdown for me because I'm not generally a fan of those and I feel the story could have continued perfectly well in the next book without it. 

I liked the the way the author explored the intricate relationships between the characters, they all felt real in their complexity and multi-layeredness. The focus was on Annie's journey, and it was not easy one and far from complete by the end of the book. We also meet some well-built and very intriguing supporting characters (who I'm happy to share are getting their own stories soon).

This is an intense, dark and very erotic story, yet there is certain light and hope in it. And a brutal cliffhanger, so I'd suggest if you plan on reading this book (as you should), you need to get it together with the second book, The Truth About Him (I've already read it and you can check my review on Thursday, Oct 8).

My reviews of the Boys of Bishop series:
Never Been Kissed (book 2) - 4 stars
Between the Sheets (book 3) - 4 stars
Indecent Proposal (book 4) - 4.5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Title: Everything I Left Undsaid
Author: Molly O'Keefe
Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, abuse
Release Date: 13 Oct 2015
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Pre-order links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo

Synopsis

I didn’t think answering someone else’s cellphone would change my life. But the stranger with the low, deep voice on the other end of the line tempted me, awakened my body, set me on fire. He was looking for someone else. Instead he found me.

And I found a hot, secret world where I felt alive for the first time.

His name was Dylan, and, strangely, he made me feel safe. Desired. Compelled. Every dark thing he asked me to do, I did. Without question. I longed to meet him, but we were both keeping secrets. And mine were dangerous. If I took the first step, if I got closer to Dylan—emotionally, physically—then I wouldn’t be hiding anymore. I would be exposed, with nothing left to surrender but the truth. And my truth could hurt us both. 

Why am I waiting for this? - I absolutely loved Boys of Bishop series of contemporary (so raw and gritty) and when I saw that ms O'Keefe is writing a new contemporary series it got on my TBR list right away. I just love the cover and the blurb is the right kind of mysterious to get me hooked up completely.

Author's Bio and Links

Molly O'Keefe is the RITA Award winning author of over 25 books and novellas. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, two kids and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America.