Fractured Paradise - Coming Soon!

Fractured Paradise - Coming November 6, 2012

By Alexa Bourne

This morning I'm returning to my home state, Rhode Island, for the first time in three years. That’s the longest I've been away, and I'm very excited to go back. I love hanging out with the relatives that still live there, visiting old friends, and returning to all my old stomping grounds. I wouldn't want to move back there, though. It’s a lot colder in fall and winter than where I live now, and too many things have changed. I've changed. For the first time, I’ll be returning as a published author.

Much like me, the heroine of my next Honor Guard book, Fractured Paradise, is visiting a place she hasn't seen in years, a city she spent time in with her grandmother. Rachel has arrived in Sunderland, England to take care of her grandmother's house. But, while we both may be a bit apprehensive about our trips, Rachel doesn't want to be in Sunderland at all. Through the story, though, she begins to remember the good times she had there with her grandparents, and by the end….well, I won’t spoil the ending for you.

But Rachel’s feelings aren’t the only ones to which I can relate. The hero of this book, Aidan, lives in Sunderland, but he doesn't want to be there. Like Aidan, I was restless in my hometown. I loved my time there, but once I finished college, I knew there was so much more to experience in the world, and I knew I’d have to leave RI if I ever truly wanted to be happy. Aidan thinks he's happy and has lived in Sunderland for a while, but it takes Rachel's visit to stir up his life and for him to realize he's not content. She shows him there is more to life than just getting up, going to work, and returning home each day.

As I board the plane in a few hours, I know my stomach will be jittery with both nervousness and excitement. I hope to have Rachel and Aidan’s courage with me as I step back into my hometown, the place that helped make me the writer I am today.

Blurb:

Technical analyst for the International Protective Network, Rachel Grant arrives in Sunderland intent on tidying up her grandmother’s cottage, but the disaster she discovers requires more than a gentle sweep of a dust rag. Determined to please the most important person in her life, she trades her computer keyboard for a hammer and nails to make the repairs. She doesn’t count on the chilly reception from the locals who want to claim Nan’s home as their own.

Tour guide Aidan Camden wants to buy the cottage. He’s determined to acquire the property no matter how attractive he finds the current occupant. However, when tragedy strikes, throwing them both into a tailspin, he discovers he wants more than the house. He longs for the sexy American as well. Can Aidan put his own ghosts to rest in time to save the woman who’s claimed his heart?