Title: Echoes of the Past
Author: Iris Blobel
Genre: Australian Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
When Connor Walsh, a business lawyer in London, receives news that his estranged father is terminally ill, he returns to Fermosa Bay, a little coastal town in Australia. With the memories of his childhood years tucked away in the back of his mind, he finds his father and kindergarten friends rallying around to remind him of the past. But he’s unprepared for the growing attraction he feels for Emily, and it doesn’t take long for Connor to feel regret that his life could have been so much different.
Emily Bradshaw has waited for over twenty years to see Connor again. And although he can’t remember her, let alone their first kiss, her childhood crush is still in full swing. Eager to pick up where they left off as children, she’s determined to enjoy the short time he is in Fermosa Bay, accepting her heart will break when he returns to his life in London.
Will the echoes of the past lure him into staying in Fermosa Bay?
Excerpt:
They ate in silence for a long moment before she spoke. “Tell me about your life in London. You’re a lawyer. No Mrs Connor. Any ex-Mrs Connor?”
He chuckled. “Nope, no ex either.”
Relief flowed over her and she relaxed a little more and was a little more hopeful as well. “I always thought lawyers were chatty people. You must’ve missed that lesson.”
His mouth curled in a smile.
“How about you tell me what made you choose to be a lawyer?”
“My father’s got a firm. In a way it was expected of me.”
Emily paused, her fork halfway to her mouth, and stared at him. Something within her stirred, but she wasn’t able to define it. Surprise? Pity? Or was it the tone in which he’d delivered his last answer?
A frown pulled at her forehead. “Are you serious?”
Their gazes met, and he returned her stare with raised eyebrows. “Okay, which part of my answer doesn’t sit well?”
She placed the fork on the plate, leaned forward with her elbows on the table and arms crossed. “Well, I have to admit, you calling someone else your father sounds vaguely weird, but it was expected of you? Connor, this is the twenty-first century, you cannot expect your children—”
“London is not Fermosa Bay, Emily.”
“I get that, but—”
He sipped his wine, but never broke their eye contact. Was that his way of telling her to let it go? Telling her the subject was taboo? The excitement of a dinner with Connor all of a sudden abated and anger mixed with sadness built up in her. It was the cat scenario all over again. She knew so little about him and for a brief moment worried she might not like the adult he had become. She blinked a couple of times trying to think of how to approach or how to word her thoughts on it. But she didn’t have to.
“It wasn’t the perfect upbringing,” he said suddenly.
She tugged a strand of hair behind her ear, trying hard not to let her emotions get the best of her.
With a shrug, he added, “But it is what it is, and I cannot change it.”
Not sure how to respond, she stayed quiet.
He placed his knife and fork on the plate as well and pushed it away. “I’ve been wondering for the last couple of days how life would’ve been if Mum and I hadn’t left. But I cannot complain. I received a good education, a great job, some good friends, and a neat little house outside London.” He looked up at her. “Life’s not always wrapped up in some fancy, colourful wrapping paper, but it’s still a gift worth treasuring.”
Emily stayed quiet, took a sip of her drink before letting out a long breath. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to be ignorant,” she whispered.
He winked at her. “It didn’t fit in with your picture of me.”
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Set against the backdrop of Australia's Great Ocean Road, "Echoes of the Past" revolves around an estranged father-son relationship and their journey of reconciliation, as well as the enduring strength of childhood friendships into adulthood. This story explores family, friendship, and personal growth.
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Author Biography:
Iris Blobel writes warm, sexy, and sometimes witty Australian Contemporary Romance books for readers who, like herself, still strongly believe in love and Happily Ever Afters. And she knows HEAs. Her couples are hungry for life, done with the past, passionate about family, and emotionally hopeful for a future. The stories are mainly set in Australia but also in New Zealand and even the US, depending on where her travels take her. She loves nothing more than for her readers to join her on her journeys.
For more information, please visit her website http://www.irisblobel.com or join her on FB https://bit.ly/3CGtIk8
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