Blog Tour: Already Gone: Kristen Proby and K.L. Grayson
Already Gone
Kristen Proby and K.L. Grayson
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Falling in love is easy…
New Hope, South Carolina is my home. It’s where I grew up, got into trouble, and fell in love for the first time. Scarlett Kincaid was more than the girl next door, she was my best friend, until she decided that small town life wasn’t for her. One minute she was here, and the next she was gone.
The girl I used to fish with down at the creek is now the biggest name in country music. She headlines world tours, has won four Grammy’s, and I haven’t seen her since. Until today when she sped through town in her fancy car. One look at her big brown eyes was all it took to stir up a whole slew of emotions. Emotions I’d long ago buried and sure as hell don’t have time for.
It’s the aftermath that’s hard…
There are two things in my life that matter. My music, and my dad. Twelve years ago, I packed a bag and chased my dream. Leaving New Hope and escaping the gossip mill was the easiest decision I ever made. I never planned to return, but my father needs me, and he always comes first. So, I did what I had to do. I cut my tour short and came home, despite having a sister who hates me, and a community that doesn’t trust me. And then there’s Tucker Andrews.
When he propped an arm on the roof of my car, pulled down his sunglasses and flashed his police badge, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Gone is the lanky boy who used to throw rocks at me and pull my pigtails. Tucker is now a six-foot package of brawny, sexy man wrapped in more muscle than I have hit singles. Did I mention he’s a cop and a single dad?
My goal was to help Dad, and get back to my life. But what am I supposed to when the life that used to strangle me suddenly fits like a glove, and makes me dream of things I never thought I’d have? What happens when the boy I walked away from years ago becomes one of the most important people in my life? I don’t have room in my life for a man much less love.
Right?
Because it’s impossible to hold onto someone who’s already gone.
New Hope, South Carolina is my home. It’s where I grew up, got into trouble, and fell in love for the first time. Scarlett Kincaid was more than the girl next door, she was my best friend, until she decided that small town life wasn’t for her. One minute she was here, and the next she was gone.
The girl I used to fish with down at the creek is now the biggest name in country music. She headlines world tours, has won four Grammy’s, and I haven’t seen her since. Until today when she sped through town in her fancy car. One look at her big brown eyes was all it took to stir up a whole slew of emotions. Emotions I’d long ago buried and sure as hell don’t have time for.
It’s the aftermath that’s hard…
There are two things in my life that matter. My music, and my dad. Twelve years ago, I packed a bag and chased my dream. Leaving New Hope and escaping the gossip mill was the easiest decision I ever made. I never planned to return, but my father needs me, and he always comes first. So, I did what I had to do. I cut my tour short and came home, despite having a sister who hates me, and a community that doesn’t trust me. And then there’s Tucker Andrews.
When he propped an arm on the roof of my car, pulled down his sunglasses and flashed his police badge, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Gone is the lanky boy who used to throw rocks at me and pull my pigtails. Tucker is now a six-foot package of brawny, sexy man wrapped in more muscle than I have hit singles. Did I mention he’s a cop and a single dad?
My goal was to help Dad, and get back to my life. But what am I supposed to when the life that used to strangle me suddenly fits like a glove, and makes me dream of things I never thought I’d have? What happens when the boy I walked away from years ago becomes one of the most important people in my life? I don’t have room in my life for a man much less love.
Right?
Because it’s impossible to hold onto someone who’s already gone.
Scarlett Kincaid hightailed it out of New Hope, SC twelve years ago to follow her country music dreams. And she has achieved success and fame, but barely has time for a social life. But one phone call makes her realize she has no choice but to return home and help her family.Tucker Andrews used to be her neighbor and best friend...and he crushed hard on her. But she left him when she left town, and she never came back. He has grown from nerd to buff, popular, town cop and single dad. And her rolling back into town sends him for a tailspin.
She has to make amends and it makes her realize how much she has missed while pursuing her career. She is sassy, spirited, and stubborn, but has a big heart. He is still somewhat bitter and hurt. These two definitely have some things to address to get over past pain and begin to rekindle their friendship. But she never expected the chemistry and attraction from her old friend. And she has always been his fantasy. So things are about to get heated at home.
But what do you do when your happiness relies on someone else that lives in a completely different world?
This is an angsty, sexy, heartfelt, second chance, coming home, celebrity, friends to lovers romance. These two had some communication issues and plenty of opportunities for growth. They still had issues, fears, and triggers that made things more complicated. Any chance at happiness will require compromise and sacrifice, but are these two stubborn people willing to bend? Can they find a way to make all of their dreams a reality?
I loved the community and extended family they created in this one. The dynamics between them all added depth and it really made the whole story come to life. I could not tell who wrote which parts and it flowed well in dual points of view.
Scarlett hasn’t been home in the 12 years she has built her career as a country star. But now her dad needs help and she forgets every reason she stayed away so long to be there when her family needs.
Tucker hasn’t left, picking up responsibilities in his small town. As a single dad and cop, he has a lot on his plate. His friends and family are close by to help, as well as his long time neighbor. He may have had a crush on Scarlett in school, but when she left and didn’t look back right after high school, his heart was broken.
When Scarlett finds herself back in town, she learns that some things have changed, but much as stayed the same, including the way she feels when she is with Tucker. But what has changed is his demeanor towards her. Twelve years of distance will cause even the most welcoming to put up walls, and Tucker has guarded himself against Scarlett, or at least that’s what he tells himself.
I loved watching these two circle each other and then guard themselves as they gave in. I couldn’t help but feel like they were each keeping one foot out the door as a protective instinct so when things started getting tough, they weren’t sure how to find their footing together.
I loved all the side characters in this story. Tucker’s daughter Chloe and Scarlett’s dad Rick were fun to watch interact with both characters. But Lexi took me longer to warm up to. She and Scarlett have a strained relationship and she is harsh in every interaction with Scarlett in the beginning. The guys Tucker and Scarlett grew up with add some great comedy moments even as they add to the warmth as Tucker’s support system as a single dad.
This is a great author pairing! I’ve read both of these authors before, but it was so much fun to see how these voices merged. I found everything in this story that I expect from BOTH of these authors and love the way their styles play together.
Tucker hasn’t left, picking up responsibilities in his small town. As a single dad and cop, he has a lot on his plate. His friends and family are close by to help, as well as his long time neighbor. He may have had a crush on Scarlett in school, but when she left and didn’t look back right after high school, his heart was broken.
When Scarlett finds herself back in town, she learns that some things have changed, but much as stayed the same, including the way she feels when she is with Tucker. But what has changed is his demeanor towards her. Twelve years of distance will cause even the most welcoming to put up walls, and Tucker has guarded himself against Scarlett, or at least that’s what he tells himself.
I loved watching these two circle each other and then guard themselves as they gave in. I couldn’t help but feel like they were each keeping one foot out the door as a protective instinct so when things started getting tough, they weren’t sure how to find their footing together.
I loved all the side characters in this story. Tucker’s daughter Chloe and Scarlett’s dad Rick were fun to watch interact with both characters. But Lexi took me longer to warm up to. She and Scarlett have a strained relationship and she is harsh in every interaction with Scarlett in the beginning. The guys Tucker and Scarlett grew up with add some great comedy moments even as they add to the warmth as Tucker’s support system as a single dad.
This is a great author pairing! I’ve read both of these authors before, but it was so much fun to see how these voices merged. I found everything in this story that I expect from BOTH of these authors and love the way their styles play together.
New Hope, South Carolina.
Population 6,129.
I know every soul represented in that number. Not a single one of them drives the shiny red Mercedes that just went speeding by.
Seventy-five in a forty-five.
I flick on my lights and press on the gas, sending my cruiser flying past the city limit sign and the godawful billboard that sits directly behind it; the one declaring New Hope home to country music superstar, Scarlett Kincaid.
It wouldn’t be a big deal if this were actually her home. It’s not. Scarlett may have been born here, but her fancy boots haven’t landed on this soil in over a decade.
All it took was one call from a hotshot music executive to send her packing before the ink was dry on her high school diploma. Scarlett flew from this town fast enough to leave our heads spinning. Before any of us could process what had happened, little Scarlett Kincaid—the same girl who used to build forts with me in my living room while my mama made us mac ‘n’ cheese—had a hit single sitting at number one on the Billboard charts.
She went from homecoming queen and most likely to marry a rich spouse in our senior yearbook, to the queen of country music.
The country loves her. Hell, the whole world loves her.
New Hope…not so much. And it’s high time that fucking sign comes down.
But first, I have to deal with this speed demon in the sexy red car.
I sound the sirens, and the car pulls to the side of the road and waits while I walk to the driver’s side window. It’s still up, the heavy tint preventing me from seeing inside. With a hand on my holster—because you never know what you’re going to walk up on—I knock on the window.
The dark glass lowers.
My first thought: this woman is absolutely gorgeous. Long, dark hair. Pouty lips. And a tiny pink dress. Her eyes are covered by oversized aviators, but I’m sure they’re as pretty as the rest of her.
My second thought: what crazy excuse is she going to come up with to try and get out of this ticket? It never ceases to amaze me the things women are willing to do to keep from getting into trouble. I’ve been offered everything from a blowjob to a pay-off to marriage.
“Do you know why I pulled you over today, ma’am?”
“Tucker?” The woman smiles, then pushes her sunglasses to the top of her head. And that’s when I see the brown eyes I’ve spent more than a decade trying to forget. “Tucker Andrews, is that you?”
I step back and square my shoulders. “You can call me Officer Andrews. Do you know why I pulled you over today, ma’am?”
“Tucker.” The woman laughs and shakes her head. “It’s me, Scarlett.”
At the mention of her name, I’m met with an onslaught of flashbacks. Running hand and hand through the neighborhood with her, laughing and playing, only to have her ignore me the second we got to school. The popular crowd versus the nerds who desperately tried to fit in. She the former, me the latter, and the pain it caused every time she acted as though she didn’t know my name. For years, I pretended it didn’t bother me because I knew that when I got home, Scarlett would meet me at the fence, and the awkwardness from the day would dissipate as though it never happened.
But it did. Day after day after day. I was a glutton for punishment. There was nothing in the world I loved more than Scarlett Kincaid, and it didn’t matter how badly she hurt me, I was always willing to forgive her.
Her smile and laugh might’ve gotten to me in middle school and high school, but I refuse to let it affect me now.
“I know who you are.”
Her smile falters.
Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.
During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.
Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two pugs and two cats.
About K.L. Grayson
K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO. She is entertained daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer. She has a love for alpha-males, brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that order.
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