Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me. Whoever coined that phrase is a bald-faced liar. Words are often the sharpest weapon of all, triggering some of the most powerful emotions a human can experience. “You’re pregnant.” “It’s a boy.” “Your son needs a heart transplant.” Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me. Lies. Syllables and letters may not be tangible, but they can still destroy your entire life faster than a bullet from a gun. Two words—that was all it took to extinguish the sun from my sky. “He’s gone.” For ten years, the darkness consumed me. In the end, it was four deep, gravelly words that gave me hope of another sunrise. “Hi. I’m Porter Reese.”

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me. Bullshit. Words destroyed me. “I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.” “Daddy, he can’t breathe!” “There’s nothing more we can do for your son.” Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me. Lies. Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me. Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness. “He’s gone.” In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise. “Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”

From USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez comes a sizzling standalone contemporary romance. “Sometimes love happens when you least expect it.” That was what my husband’s mistress told me the day I found out about their affair. I didn’t believe it until five minutes later when mouth-watering celebrity chef Tanner Reese walked up, tossed his arm around my shoulders, and told my cheating husband to take a hike. Tanner and I couldn’t have been more different. He spent his weekends at clubs, rubbing elbows with fellow A-listers. I spent mine in yoga pants with cheese boards and a glass of wine—or six. Our relationship shouldn’t have worked, but it did. That is until Tanner proved to me that even though love happens when you least expect it... So does heartbreak.

"Brave, heartbreaking, thought-provoking and utterly incomparable to anything else out there. -L.J. Shen, USA Today Bestselling Author. When my son was six months old, he was kidnapped, plunging my life into darkness. After ten years, people expected me to move on like he had never existed. But I was stuck in a holding pattern of guilt and regret, unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn’t until I met Porter Reese—a man who was just as broken as I was—that I found hope for another sunrise. No questions. No judgement. No faking it. Just two people alone in the darkness. If only he’d promised me no lies, too. Across the Horizon is a full length spin-off about Porter’s younger brother, celebrity chef Tanner Reese. “Sometimes love happens when you least expect it.” That was what my husband’s mistress told me the day I found out about their affair. I didn’t believe it until five minutes later when mouth-watering celebrity chef Tanner Reese walked up, tossed his arm around my shoulders, and told my cheating husband to take a hike. Tanner and I couldn’t have been more different. He spent his weekends at clubs, rubbing elbows with fellow A-listers. I spent mine in yoga pants with cheese boards and a glass of wine—or six. Our relationship shouldn’t have worked, but it did. That is until Tanner proved to me that even though love happens when you least expect it... So does heartbreak.