(WARNING )
(MATURE CONTENT)
When 21-year-old (Derek Smith) crosses paths with 19-year-old (Scarlett Bernard)
, he falls madly in love with her, allowing his obsession to grow stronger day by day. Trying to paint the perfect picture, he hides his dark, twisted past and lives a double life as a masked serial killer, murdering the people she loves most in her life. ("She is mine and mine only. I don't care how many throats I have to slice open; I'll have her to myself soon enough-Derek.)
Scarlett finds herself in love with a man she barely knows, and as time passes, she starts noticing strange things about Derek, leaving her unsteady and on edge. ("Everyone I love is dying around me. I don't want to believe it's him, but I have to know the truth-Scarlett.)
As more bodies drop like flies, Scarlett fears most for her close inner circle of friends. Her close, intimate relationship with Derek, aka Slasher, leaves them all at risk. Scarlett was just a normal college girl before she met the love of her life, not knowing she's caught in this dark web of a love story with no escape.
Clue by clue, Scarlett gets closer to unraveling the truth about the darkness that lives under that mask. Deep down inside, she knows the truth, but will she let her denial get in the way of people being murdered, or will she use her knowledge to stop dark, the menacing shadow that lurks around her? ("I love him, I really do, but sometimes I feel as if I'm sharing a bed with a complete stranger-Scarlett.)
With each soul that Derek takes with his blade, he feels more powerful, more menacing. Derek doesn't care how much blood gets spilled; just as long as he has Scarlett to himself, that's all that matters. ("I'm finally one step closer to having her she will be mine forever-Derek.)
Follow Derek and Scarlett both through their points of view in this dark, bloody, secretive, intense love story, including Scarlett's friends as they fight for survival.
When long estranged Jake returns to West Line Ranch, Liz can't help but sense that they're in for a world of trouble - though as the two become closer, Liz becomes torn between her family and the man she's starting to fall for.
*****
After the beloved owner of West Line Ranch passes away, Liz and the rest of the ranch get a wild surprise at the reading of the will - long estranged Jake is on his way back to West Line Ranch, which can only mean trouble. When he arrives to not only discover he was granted full ownership of the ranch, but that he must stay for a year, he agrees, as there's nothing holding him to his past. However, the longer he stays at the ranch, the more he begins to fall for not just the simpler way of life in the country, but for Liz as well.
This is Book 1 of the West Brothers Series.
Book 2 - Western Connection and Book 3 - Western Flame, are also available to read exclusively on Wattpad
Watty's Shortlist - 2021
[[word count: 90,000-100,000 words]]
Cover designed by Ashley Santoro