EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
When Time Stands Still
by Sara Furlong Burr
When Time Stands Still by Sara Furlong Burr is currently on tour with Xpresso Book Tours. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
It’s been nearly a decade since Elle Sloan last saw Luke Hutchins. Close to ten years since she broke up with him over a single phone call, providing him with little explanation. Since the end of their relationship, Elle has done everything she could do to move on, marrying, proceeding forward with her life, almost allowing herself to completely forget about Luke.
Almost.
Out of nowhere, Elle receives a phone call from Luke’s mother. Luke has been in a horrific car accident and, a month later, has just awoken from a coma. However, instead of celebrating, his family is stunned to learn that Luke is suffering from amnesia and only remembers his life as it was before his breakup with Elle. Not wanting to tell Luke that he and Elle aren’t together anymore for fear it may compromise his recovery, Elle is asked by Luke’s family to come to the hospital to see him. Their hope is that she will slowly be able to jog his memory and cushion the blow.
Guilt-ridden over how their relationship ended, Elle readily agrees, finding herself transported back in time with Luke to the life they once shared and the future they could have had together.
Excerpt
I heard voices even before I stepped inside of the room. They were soft, but one by one, I was able to discern who was speaking. The first voice struck me like a freight train, catapulting me further back in time with each word he spoke. The second one made my heart skip a beat.
As I walked farther into the room, I saw another vision of my past sitting next to the hospital bed. His attention, at first, was entirely focused on the occupant in the bed, until movement from me diverted his attention to me. He locked eyes with me, surprise on his face quickly turning to an odd combination of contradiction. Anger, excitement, and suspicion all appeared to be waging war and were enough to give me whiplash just looking at him. Peter Monroe—or just Monroe, as he preferred to be called—had been Luke’s best friend since pretty much the dawn of each other’s existence. He’d aged. His boyish good looks had hardened into a man who would have been difficult to recognize to me, save for the same square chin, overly large nose, and mischievous eyes I had remembered so fondly.
Another step inside the room revealed a sight I had fought valiantly to keep from infiltrating my dreams for the last several years. Like Monroe, he didn’t notice my arrival at first, and I was grateful for that because the shock I was feeling at that moment would have undoubtedly transferred onto him. His head was turned, his eyes, from what I could see of them, were closed. Most of his features were facing Monroe, but from what little I could make out of them, he looked exactly how I remembered him. The rest of his body, however, was a different story.
His hair had begun to grow back after having obviously been recently shaved to prep him for surgery. On the side of his head that was visible to me, a bandage was secured to his scalp just above his ear and was wrapped around his head. Both of his legs had been broken and were secured with immobilizers, resembling large boots. He’d been through hell and back physically, and I feared he’d soon go through the same emotionally, all because of me.
Tears fell down my face before I even had the chance to realize they had formed. Not wanting Luke to see me upset, I dabbed my eyes with my sleeve and did my best to maintain my composure before he realized I was there. With a lump in my throat, I took a step closer to the bed, approaching it on the opposite side of Monroe. There another chair sat, which I was grateful for in the event my legs felt like they were going to give out on me. Monroe sat watching me expectantly, silently screaming at me to announce my presence and put an end to the torment Luke must have been going through since regaining consciousness.
Closing my eyes, I took a breath and spoke. “Luke.”
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“I’m a sucker for second chance romances, especially when there is angst involved. I LOVE ANGST! There is nothing like the rip-your-heart-out-and-stomp-on-it theme, as long as the story has an HEA. I definitely give this one my highest recommendation!!” ~ fbpsmum
“Loved this newest book by Sara Furlong-Burr. It was a very easy read and hardly wanted to stop reading because you wanted to know what happened next. Love her style of writing.” ~ Deb Pachulski
“With themes of alcoholism, low self-esteem and rape/assault, this might not be the book for everyone, but I recommend this as a thoughtful read emphasizing the need to be happy with yourself first before trying to bring happiness to others.” ~ shrimp8406
“Excellent title, great characters, plenty of intrigue and a unique plot, not easy to find these days.” ~ designgirl
“Sometimes, it's impossible to know how to begin to describe a book that touches your heart. All I know is I read something beautiful and real and heartbreaking at once. Maybe because I'm of an age with the main characters and related so much to their stories, their lives. Or maybe because it reminded me of a piece of myself I'd forgotten. Either way, Burr has given us a gift with When Time Stands Still.” ~ Jennifer Silverwood
About the Author
Sara Furlong Burr was born and raised in Michigan and currently still lives there with her husband, two daughters, a high-strung Lab, and three judgmental cats. When she’s not writing, Sara enjoys reading, camping, spending time with her family, and attempting to paint while consuming more amaretto sours than she cares to admit.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of When Time Stands Still and a $20 Amazon gift card (open internationally).
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