On Misconceptions and Happy Surprises by Miranda Liasson
Was there a guy or girl in high school you just couldn’t stand for whatever reason and years later, realized you couldn’t have been more wrong? I know we all have this person in our lives. Often we hold on to certain judgments and misconceptions about someone that we are convinced are correct. Sometimes all it takes is time and experience to look beyond our original judgments. This is the case with both the heroine and hero in my new book, Then There Was You.
A year before the story begins, Sara is a family doctor, about to continue her medical training in a prestigious subspecialty. She is also days away from marrying her high school sweetheart, who is also a doctor.
One bachelor party disaster later, all her dreams go up in dust.
On this infamous night, her fiancé sleeps with his high school crush, who made an unforgettable entrance by popping out of a cake. And whom does Sara blame for this disaster? Well, of course, she blames her fiancé. But without him around, his best friend, Colton Walker—who organized the bachelor party—bears the brunt of her anger. He’s now the police chief of their town and she blames him first and foremost for allowing the party to get so out of control.
Sara and Colton have had a long river of antagonism running between them ever since high school. Colton was good-looking, athletic, and popular, but, having a difficult upbringing with his share of hardship, he was also angry and somewhat of a jerk. He had no trouble poking fun at Sara, a brainy girl who wore braces and glasses with a tendency to blush.
Over the years, they’ve both grown and changed. Now Sara’s back in Angel Falls to join her father’s medical practice and to take care of her grandmother, who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She’s also trying to stay away from Colton…which is impossible, because as the much-beloved police chief, he’s everywhere. Colton has his own problems…like keeping his younger sister in line, and trying to live up to his hero-father’s reputation. The great fun of this story was watching them discover just who the other person really is—and neither is the person they thought they were!
In addition, Sara must discover who she really is. For years she pleased everyone but herself. She went with the path of least resistance, as so many of us do. As she gains confidence in herself and the self-understanding that she deserves better than her ex-fiance, Sara also realizes that if she doesn’t make herself happy, she’s certainly not going to be happy with anyone else.
The fantasy hidden in this story is that the handsome, popular guy may not have noticed you in high school—at least, he didn’t notice me. Or maybe he did, but I totally blew it. The guy I wanted, a beautiful, brown-eyed boy with dark, wavy hair whom everyone liked, teased me in a goodhearted way but I was always left tongue-tied. I could barely speak around him, and so I suffered endlessly. Looking back through the wisdom of the years, I had so much to offer that guy! If I would’ve been more confident in myself, I could’ve maybe had a chance to really get to know him. Instead, I was a tangle of nerves and yearning agony.
I loved watching Sara and Colton’s defenses lower bit by bit until their true hearts were revealed. Somehow, the fact that they had the courage to look beyond their history made me feel a whole lot better about the awkward teenager I was. (There’s something very forgiving about re-writing a tiny piece of your own history, whether you do it subconsciously or not.) And that made this enemies-to-lovers story a joy to write.
I have two print copies of Then There Was You by Miranda Liasson to giveaway! Just leave a comment and I’ll choose two random winners on Saturday. US/Canada shipping.
**Edited 6/5 – The two winners are: Anita H. and Cathy Cornett. Winners have been emailed.
About Miranda Liasson: Miranda Liasson, a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart winner and an Amazon bestselling author, loves to write stories about everyday people who find love despite themselves, because there’s nothing like a great love story. And if there are a few laughs along the way, even better! Then There Was You is the first book in her Angel Falls series from Forever Romance. For more on Miranda and her books, visit mirandaliasson.com.
Buy link:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/miranda-liasson/then-there-was-you/9781455541799/
This sounds like a fun book. Thanks for the review, Mandi.
Just my kind of story. I can’t wait to read this!
After reading the excerpt, I can’t wait to read this story. Great review!
I’ve been seeing this book all over the place. Lots of good things are being said. It now sits at the top of my wish list. Thanks for giving us a chance to win.
Thanks so much for having me today, Smexy Books! And for letting me talk about my new release. xo
This book is totally up my alley. Can’t wait to read!
Yay! Thanks, Terry!
Sounds like a fun read!
:)
Miranda is a new author to me – I’d love to read her book!
Thanks, Diane!
This book is so fabulous. I adored Sara and Colton!
Thanks, Heather!
Enemy’s to lovers, oh yeah!
I love that trope too! :)
I loved this book!
Thanks Jen! xo
She is a new to me author! Love finding them and their books! This one looks amazing, thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks, Martha, nice to meet you too :)
I can honestly say that I didn’t have this type of experience in high school or college. I was fortunate to be friends with who I wanted and same with dating :) thanks for sharing!
Erin, you were probably a lot more mature than I was in high school! Good for you!
I adored this book!!
Thank you, Doni! <3
Thanks for sharing your new book, I love the whole idea of revisiting the past and getting a new perspective through the wisdom of being older and wiser.
Thanks Anita! <3
Sounds good! I love the enemies to lovers trope.
Sounds like a book I would enjoy. Thanks for the chance.
Enemies to lovers and second chance in the same story plus addressing the sadness of Alzheimer’s…this will be a great read! And I love
the cover…
Love this storyline type.
Ohhhh!! I’m already in love with the COVER and then the synposis intrigued me, but now I’m at all in status. I really want to read this book!! I know I’m late so I most likely won’t win, but I just wanted to wish everyone good luck and tell you the I can’t wait to read your words!! Xoxo