IN THE CARDS – Jamie Beck
Montlake Romance
ISBN: 978-1-47782-569-3
December 2014
Contemporary Romance

Malibu, California - 2013

Lindsay Hilliard thought she had a charmed life with a wonderful man, but it all ended when she discovered that her fiancé cheated on her. With her mother and now ex-fiancé pressuring her to forgive and forget, she flees to California for a new life living on the beach. To her surprise, her next door neighbor turns out to be Levi Hardy, a man she met years ago in Florida when he turned down her attempt at seduction and called her immature. At first, Levi doesn't recognize Lindsay, but when he does, he tries to make her not like him, which is not hard to do. But when he's badly injured in a hit and run accident, it's Lindsay who not only visits him in the hospital, but takes care of him after he gets out. Thus begins their rocky road to…romance.

Levi had an unsettled childhood as his father was a con artist who dragged his son along with him after his mother left them. Once he turned eighteen, Levi headed out on his own, never seeing his father again. Shortly before Lindsay moves to Malibu, Levi learns his father died. This leaves him introspective, wondering about his future. He doesn't have many friends, and suddenly Lindsay is not only his caregiver, but his confidante. As they grow closer, an attraction develops between them. For loner Levi, his initial reaction is to push her away, yet she seems so vulnerable, especially when her parents arrive in California and her mother pressures her to return to New York and reunite with her fiancé.

IN THE CARDS takes place over the summer of 2013 as Levi and Lindsay's relationship grows into full bloom love. Both have to deal with trust issues—Levi's due to his mother's abandonment, and Lindsay's because of her fiancé's betrayal. They'll have to trust and acknowledge their emotions and let the other into their innermost feelings. It will take time, but pain will have to happen before they can find their happily ever after.

Told from both Levi's and Lindsay's points of view in Jamie Beck's IN THE CARDS, we get to read both of their inner thoughts as they angst over their feelings about life and each other. Their journey will have readers rooting for them after all the disappointments they've faced. In the end, both Levi and Lindsay grow as they fall in love with each other. It takes a while for their romance to heat up, but I highly recommend IN THE CARDS for a tender, emotional read.

Patti Fischer