Molly Todd wakes up in a Vegas parking lot with a headache, a virtual stranger, and a wedding ring. Jobless and broke, she’s left with no other option but to go home with new husband Cooper Middleton to the Lowcountry of South Carolina to straighten out the mess they’ve made. It’s in Molly’s best interest to get an annulment sooner rather than later—before her hosts find out that she’s not the kind of guest anyone wants at their Thanksgiving dinner.

The more Molly gets to know Cooper and his family, the more she wonders if she and Cooper might have a real chance together. She longs to tell him her secret even though she knows the truth might get her kicked straight out into the nearby swamp. While she wavers, Molly’s unusual life experiences allow her to spot the skeletons in the Middleton family closet: ones Cooper’s never suspected, ones that are hidden in plain sight. What Molly discovers will shake Cooper’s foundations—and could threaten both their lives.

I really enjoyed this debut by a new to me author.

The blurb caught my attention at the first line, “Molly Todd wakes up in a Vegas parking lot with a headache, a virtual stranger, and a wedding ring.”

When she goes home with Cooper Middleton to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and meets his family as his wife, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the underlying feelings they seemed to share, the heated gazes and touches, the yearnings that seemed to say more than what they could say aloud. Yes, they were waiting for an annulment that had to wait the long weekend, forcing them to not consummate their marriage, but I loved the angsty feelings they shared of wanting more.

This coupled with Molly’s secret backstory that she has not shared with her husband, his creepy as hell dad, the mystery behind his first wife’s disappearance makes for a suspenseful, unputdownable story of intrigue and mystery. The beauty and character of the south shined through making such beautiful imagery that I could imagine it in my mind as I read. I completely fell in love with Miss Aurelia, and the epilogue left a smile on my face imagining the most perfect future. I would most definitely read this author again. Readers looks for more than just a simple romance story should give this one a try.