Title: Forgetting August
Series: Lost & Found #1
Author: J.L. Berg
Release Day: December 1, 2015
She can forgive, but can she forget?
Some days, Everly still thinks she sees him. In the food court at the mall, or in a car speeding past as the light changes. It only lasts a second, but when it happens, she slips back to a time when she was ruled-and nearly ruined-by August Kincaid. And it doesn't matter that she's moved on, that she's about to marry another man. In those moments the only thing she can do to regain control is take a deep breath and remind herself that August can't hurt her-because he's in a coma. Except that he's not anymore.
August is awake. With no memories, he sets out to solve the mystery of his lost life. He unearths a photograph of a beautiful redhead named Everly and knows instinctively that she's the key. But when he finds her, the August she describes is more monster than man.
Tortured by the thought of having hurt her, August wants only to become the man Everly deserves. As the new August emerges, Everly glimpses the person she first fell in love with. But can she trust that this August is real? When the final secret of their shared past is revealed, one of them will make a choice that changes their future forever . . .
My hand shook as I pulled the box into my lap, preparing myself for what may lay hidden within. I felt nervous and sick with anticipation. I suddenly wanted to flee, but where would I go? And how would I get there? Moving my leg took more concentration than I was willing to admit and I was still attached to what looked to be a hundred monitoring devices.
The box stared back at me, waiting...wondering when I would crack its lip and finally divulge the secrets it had been keeping for so long.
What if I didn't like what I found? What if I did?
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on the lip and pulled, knowing there was only one way to find out.
All neatly arranged inside, I found clothes, a wallet and a scattering of other personal belongings. I immediately went for the wallet, knowing it would hold the most information. Everything else forgotten, my fingers traced the smooth edges of the soft leather as I bent it open.
There staring back at me was a picture of my own face. Because of the mirror across the room near the sink, I'd managed to catch a glimpse of my reflection a time or two since awaking here hours earlier.
The man looking up at me on the California driver’s license photo was a stark contrast to the person I was today.
Cold empty green eyes looked through me, as if the world and everything in it were beneath him. With a crisp white shirt and flawless green tie and jacket, there was no smile permeating through the lens--not even a hint of emotion was showing. My now long, unkempt hair had been trimmed short and neat, matching the impeccable persona that could be seen even through the tiny picture.
My attention turned towards the address.
1023 Sea Cliff Lane, San Francisco.
I looked out the window, trying to see if anything beyond its paned glass brought back any hints or memories of a life I once led.
San Francisco.
Even though the driver’s license confirmed what the nurse had already told me, I still felt no connection with the city below. Nothing called out to me, nothing held my attention.
Was there anyone down there that would remember my name?
I dug further through the wallet, finding a couple hundred dollars in cash, as well as several credit cards and a few membership cards to places I'd never heard of, but apparently belonged to.
Or had belonged to.
What happened to your life when you went into a coma? Did you disappear? Cease to exist or did life carry on? I looked at the address on my driver’s license and wondered if I still had a home...a bank account? I wasn't dead, but who had been paying my bills for the last two?
Did I have money to pay the bills?
Fuck.
Suddenly, all I wanted was to slip back into that coma and never wake up again.
And then I saw her.
It was just a glimpse at first, the edge of a picture sticking out from inside the wallet--a wisp of hair that had me pulling at it to see it properly.
With the golden gate bridge as our backdrop, a much younger, carefree version of myself held a girl in my arms and suddenly the world didn't feel so lonely anymore. Copper red hair tumbled down her back like a fiery mane. Her bright blue eyes sparkled as if she held untold secrets waiting to be revealed. In my own eyes, I didn't see harshness or the rigid void of nothing. I saw her, reflecting back in spades, the love radiating between us.
I flipped the photo over, hoping for something...anything that would tell me who this girl was.
There was nothing but a date and a name.
August and Everly - 2005
Everly.
She had a name.
Now all I had to do was find her.
What do you do when your ex-lover wakes up from a coma and can't remember you? Freak out, that's what.
Everly has only loved one man and his name is August Kincaid. She grew up in the foster care system and when she turns eighteen she meets him in a bar and the rest is history. Soon enough they are a happy couple until everything changes. He becomes distant and later on she becomes his captive. After August is in a coma, Everly has a second chance at love. She has moved forward with her life and she is working as a barista. Her world shifts when she learns he has woken up.
The old August Kincaid loves power and money, but the new August doesn't even know what type of ice cream he likes. He feels alone and confused. The only thing that makes sense it's his connection to Everly. He knows she was important in his life but she is now taken and soon she will belong to someone else. Convincing her that he has changed is on the top of his list.
I loved the story, from the prologue to the excruciating last page. I have so many questions and I want the answers now. The new August is so amazing. I love how down to earth he is. He doesn't care about money. He wants to live a sensible life and he truly cares for Everly.
Everly is torn between the new and improved August that still has some vestiges of the man she used to love and Ryan, the new man in her life who cares for her deeply.
I need book 2 now!!!!
5/5 Fangs
Cliffhanger: Yes
A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Title: Remembering Everly
Series: Lost & Found #2
Author: J.L. Berg
After a stunning cliffhanger ending in Forgetting August, USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg delivers the happily ever after that fans have been waiting for in the sequel, REMEMBERING EVERLY.
He's forgotten his past, but it hasn't forgotten him. After losing two years of his life trapped in a coma, August Kincaid will do anything to win back the love of his life. But his past threatens to destroy his second chance at happiness, it's Everly who is in danger of paying for his crimes.
Forever Romance and J.L. Berg invite readers to join them for a Facebook party on December 9 from 7 – 10 PM EST to celebrate FORGETTING AUGUST. In addition to fun guests and giveaways, there will be a great discussion about the book as J.L. Berg takes fan questions. RSVP here
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Author J.L. Berg is a California native living in the South. She is the author of the self-pubbed Ready series, which has sold over 100,000 copies. Married to her high school sweetheart. She and her husband have two beautiful girls that drive them batty on a daily basis. When she's not writing, you can find her with her nose stuck in a romance book, in a yoga studio or devouring anything chocolate.
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