Twenty-year-old fiery film student Brighton Holmes knows exactly what she wants: an epic adventure on the open road in her late father's 1969 Chevelle, alone. Her quest is to visit all fifty states and find a place to call home.
When a family friend asks for a favor, UK rocker in recovery, Alex Stihl, joins her on the road trip, stirring up trouble; the last thing she needs. It doesn't help that he has a mob of fans and a crazy
ex-girlfriend tailing his every move.
Brighton and Alex clash as they cruise out of New York. She grows resigned in the rolling hills of Amish country and he crashes hard in a hotel on the edge of the Smoky Mountains. While Brighton
seeks a place to wash her mind of the past, Alex dodges reminders of heartbreak.
They both try to escape everything they have in common: heartache, loss, and confusion about what's next. But the magic of New Orleans unites Brighton and Alex as they fight desperately for the other until the desert leads them to discover exactly what they're resisting and missing.
When they reach the Oregon coast, Brighton uncovers her musical talent, bringing them closer together and helping her reconcile losing her father. But the trip comes to an end when they arrive in Los Angeles. Real life intervenes, splitting them apart; she moves into her new off-campus apartment and he has to return to his band.
After the semester begins, Brighton tries to shake her mind loose from Alex, but the memory of his sexy voice, rainy day eyes, and the miles they shared, lingers like a song stuck in her head. Six
months later, when his band returns to Los Angeles for a concert, the compass of her heart finally leads her home.
Grief-stricken over the death of the boss who was like a father to her, Olivia Bailey is left to deal with the aftermath--the arrival of his dashing but estranged son, Pierce Alexander. But she can't stand him and he doesn't trust her. Will working for the new CEO remain to be an impossible task?
***
Olivia Bailey might be plain and boring, but she's content with her current lifestyle, working for the kind but lonely old man who owns Alexander Corporation. But his untimely death flips her simple life upside down. Now, she must deal with his estranged son, the heir to his business empire, together with the growing feelings building up between them. Will Olive manage to bear the pressure and issues cropping up along the way--or is this too much to ask?
Disclaimer: This story won The Wattys 2014 People's Choice Award.
Cover Design by Ashley Marie Bandy