*This is the follow up to The Line That Binds*
While searching for answers involving Stockton Estate's stone well, Ben Shadows and LJ Wayde discover one truth: the curse is real.
Unfortunately, that truth has LJ facing the same fate that's been tied to her bloodline for generations. The curse has given her the ability to help others conquer their greatest weaknesses, but it comes with a torturous price. As the rush of helping people starts to outweigh the pain of the consequences, LJ moves toward acceptance. She considers it a gift and a possibility to make up for the way she treated people in her past.
Ben pushes on to find an end to the curse despite LJ's reluctance. With reasons linked to her Aunt Janine's memory loss, Ben fears the real consequences are far worse than LJ's current symptoms. His love for her drives his need to protect her, even if it means hiding the next piece of the well's mystery.
When LJ finds what Ben has kept secret, she may never forgive him.
Will he lose her heart before he can save her mind?
**Recommended mature YA for mild language and mild sexual content.**
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Prologue:
November, 1864
Tonight was the last night.
Dahlia pulled on her jacket and stepped into the darkness. The air nipped at her face and fingers, but she pushed on, knowing this would be the last night she knelt before the well.
The moon hovered low on the horizon, giving just enough light to guide her across the still property. Winter was close. Color had fallen from the trees and the sun was setting earlier every day. Travel would be harder now, harsher, making the possibility of finding a new home more difficult. Nevertheless, it wasn't enough to dissuade Dahlia from leaving. The only thing that worried her now was how the Stocktons would treat her servant mother after she had gone. Mr. Stockton had passed last month, which meant Charles, with some guidance from his mother, was now in charge of the estate.
Dahlia stopped in front of the well and gazed up to the mansion like she had every night for weeks. Noticing a dim light in the farthest of the upstairs windows, she crouched low to hide. It was Charles' office, not his and Sarah's bedroom. Unfortunately, Dahlia knew which bedroom was theirs most of all─it could've been hers. In the weeks following the wedding, she'd been called upon to help clean their house. Their room. Every time she had to change the blankets on their bed, it made her physically ill. Thoughts of their lovemaking charged her mind. They ripped at her heart every day and haunted her every night. But they also fueled her anger, and kept her coming back to the well.
Seeing no movement within the lit room, she decided to continue. She stayed low and twisted sideways to keep an eye on the window. Digging into her pocket, she removed a thin iron pick. Its rounded tip had been worn close to its base. Her palm gripped the cool metal and its grooves settled into the cuts already etched in her skin. She located the final area of stone then started to scratch.
Hours later, after the last letter was done and her hands were raw and bloody once more, Dahlia read the words aloud and rubbed her hands over the stones. She thought of him as she spoke. Thought of him lying in her bed. His lips caressing hers. His promise for forever.
This was her promise to him and she was certain it would last longer than his had.
It would surpass their lifetimes.
Letting the pick fall to the ground, Dahlia turned toward the house again. A silhouette stood at the window, darkened by the dim light at its back.
It was him.
Charles.
She stared at his figure, knowing he was looking at her too. For one weakened moment, she longed to see his green eyes, taste the breath of his kiss, and feel the comfort of his arms again. Warm tears rolled over her icy cheeks, waking her from the spell.
He'd made his choice.
It wasn't her.
So she walked away from the well, leaving the darkened figure behind and never looking back.
J.M. Miller first discovered her love of writing in high school where she penned poetry for extra credit in English class and even braved
the anxiety of an open-mic night at a local coffee shop. Life soon followed, with a couple of careers, marriage, and a baby. The urge to write again came not long after her daughter’s birth, this time calling for more than a few lines in a messy composition notebook.
She is a military spouse, and a veteran herself, who finds inspiration in the people she’s met and the places she’s lived and traveled.
J.M. Miller first discovered her love of writing in high school where she penned poetry for extra credit in English class and even braved the anxiety of an open-mic night at a local coffee shop. Life soon followed, with a couple of careers, marriage, and a baby. The urge to write again came not long after her daughter's birth, this time calling for more than a few lines in a messy composition notebook.
She is a military spouse, and a veteran herself, who finds inspiration in the people she's met and the places she's lived and traveled.
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For a look at my review of the first book, A Line That Binds, click HERE
Nikki's Review
5 stars!!
The Line That Breaks picks up about a month after the first book ends. Ben and LJ are still searching for answers on the curse of LJ's bloodline. Is there a way to break it? Will she have to live with it? Will she lose her mind before they find the answers? Well you have to read it to find out!
Ben and LJ's relationship continues to grow. We got to see the beginning of it in the first book, now we get to see it blossom in the second.
These are absolutely delightful characters. And I don't mean just the H and h but the secondary characters as well. There are funny ones, sweet ones, serious ones and of course no book is complete without conniving ones. I wish I had friends like Spaz and Izzy.
I was very sad to see Ben and LJ's story come to a close. I really enjoyed these characters. I think the author did a fabulous job of bringing their story to life in 2 books. I'm going to miss them. I would have loved to have had more but I'm glad the author didn't draw their story out with useless filler for the sole purpose of putting out another book. I'm going to miss the beauty that is Stockton Estate with its sweeping grounds, hidden passages, troubled past, and promising future. The author truly paints a vivid picture. I enjoyed every twist and turn in the story. Some I was able to guess, some I was not, which I thought was great because when I thought I knew what was going to happen next, TWIST, I did not. When I thought I had everything figured out, TURN, I did not. Its a very engaging read. I found myself wanting to crawl into the story and help Ben and LJ. The ONLY complaint I have for the book is that LJ may have been a bit too stubborn for too long. I mean, I understand why she was, but for me, it just lasted a smidge too long. Otherwise, truly fabulous book! I highly recommend it! If you enjoyed the first, you are going to love this one! Bravo Ms. Miller!! I can't wait to see what you put out in the future.
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