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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

RELEASE BLITZ, 5 STAR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Vanished by T.K. Leigh




Title: Vanished
Author: T.K. Leigh
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Release Date: February 7, 2017



Blurb

Recommended for mature readers due to strong language and graphic violence.

Rayne Kilpatrick has everything. A job she’s dreamed of since a little girl. The perfect house. And a man she loves and is about to marry… Until he never returns from a humanitarian mission.

Gone. Disappeared. Vanished.

When footage of his gruesome murder by a Muslim extremist group is shown across the country and around the globe, she wants the person responsible for the disappearance of the man she loves to pay. She wants him to lose the one person who means the world to him, too, and she won’t stop until he does.

Alexander Burnham has everything… Finally. A job he enjoys where he can actually make a difference in the world. The perfect woman who he’s loved his entire life. And the most beautiful daughter a father could ask for… Until he walks into her bedroom one morning to find it empty.

Gone. Disappeared. Vanished.

It’s a race against the clock for Alexander to put the pieces together and find out who has taken his daughter and what they want from him. As information comes to light, he is forced to bury the guilt he feels after losing his fellow team member and focus instead on finding and saving his daughter…

Before it’s too late.

Vanished can be read in conjunction with or separate from the Beautiful Mess series.




Purchase Links

99c for release day only

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



My Review

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alexander Burnham is back. And it's not under the best circumstances. His daughter is missing and he sees himself going down the same road his father did. We see a different side to his and Olivia's relationship in Vanished and I loved it. This story itself only takes place over a few days, but through some flashbacks we are able to get the whole picture and completely understand the situation. 

Rayne has hit rock bottom. Her fiance Landon, who worked for Alexander, has been taken from her. It's been a year since he died and Rayne has lost everything. When she befriends a man at her grief counseling meetings, he suggests a way for her to find peace and she takes it. I'm not sure how the author intended for her readers to feel about Rayne, but I felt bad for her. She may have played a part in kidnapping Alexander and Olivia's daughter, but she really was a pawn in the overall game. Losing the love of her life and the grief that consumed her life was used against her in the most horrible way possible and my heart broke for her. (Side note: I actually would love to know more about Rayne and Landon as a couple. The author painted a such great picture of Landon and I want to know more.)

I still love Olivia and Alexander so much. Ten years into their marriage and they still have moments where they seem like newlyweds. Their daughter is their life and when she is taken from them their lives are turned upside down. Alexander feels helpless and is willing to do pretty much anything to get his daughter back. And we learn just how much Olivia has grown as not only a partner to Alexander, but also as a mother. 

There is A LOT that happens in this book, but TK's writing is just so darn good. Once I picked this up, I could not put it down. We are given tons of information, but you'll find yourself trying to figure things out as you read. But like any great book, things aren't always what they seem. There are some fantastic WTF moments and more than enough emotional ones that will have you grabbing for the tissues. We also meet some new characters and also get to catch up with some of those we already know and love. 

If you are a fan of of the Beautiful Mess series, this is a MUST READ. Just prepare yourself of a massive book hangover. And if you are new to TK's books, this is a good place to start. This book will make you curious enough to go back and see where it all began for Alexander and Olivia. 





Excerpt

This was no longer home to a fearless girl who had more love for Olivia than she deserved. This would now become a place of nightmares for her daughter. Would she ever be able to sleep in this room again? Would she ever want to sleep alone? Would she ever feel safe?

Olivia struggled to come to terms with what Melanie’s life would be like if she survived this. She hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Alexander wasn’t without his faults, and neither was Olivia, but Melanie was so young, so pure, so innocent. Now, at far too young an age, she would be jaded by the cruelties of the world.

Would she ever see her smile again?

Would she ever hear her carefree laugh?

Would she ever feel her unconditional love as she flung her arms around her?

Bleakness invaded Olivia right down to her core as she fell onto Melanie’s unmade bed. Sheets that were once warm from her presence had grown cold, and Olivia could no longer keep it in. She wasn’t just watching a made-for-TV movie about a successful, semi-famous family losing their daughter. She was living the nightmare. wishing with everything she had that this would all be over soon, that it wasn’t real.

Wake up!” Olivia screamed, slapping her face as relentless tears streamed down her cheeks. She curled into a ball, the torment growing inside her becoming unbearable. It felt like someone was ripping her open with sadistic apathy, the pace languid and sluggish, taking pleasure from each strained breath she struggled to capture. Her skin prickled with the heat of a thousand branding irons. No matter how loud she screamed, it wouldn’t dull the pain.

Wake up, Olivia!” she bellowed again, louder and more desperate. Nothing worked. No matter what she did, no matter how loud her cries, nothing would wake her from this nightmare.

Sobs wracked through her body as she fought for air. She tried to gain control over her body and tears, but it was useless. She was no longer in command of her own destiny. Even the seemingly innate task of inhaling and exhaling had become arduous and complicated. Melanie was her lifeline, her reason for living. Without her, Olivia’s heart gave out, her lungs refused to work, her body shut down.

Suddenly, a pair of familiar, strong arms cradled her, lifting her off the torturous bed, cocooning her in a shelter only they could provide. They comforted her sobs, giving her exactly what she needed. She cried into her husband’s chest, a hundred tears falling for every regret. No words were spoken. Lowering himself to the floor, he simply held her in his lap, wiping her tears, providing her with warmth in this cold, hateful world.

She didn’t know how many minutes ticked by as he remained there, silently assuring her with his presence that they would get through this, that everything would work out. Still, she knew they would never be the same. This had shaken their family to its core. There was no returning to the way things were before.

Olivia cried harder.

She cried for all the time she should have spent with her daughter instead of working tirelessly for one charity or another. She cried for all the times she told her no when she should have said yes. Yes, we can have pancakes for dinner. Yes, we can go feed the ducks at the pond. Yes, we can make Christmas cookies in July. 


Exhaustion set in as her cries subsided and she closed her eyes. The last thing she saw before drifting off was Melanie standing alone in a dark room, a blank expression on her pale face.





Beautiful Mess Series


CURRENTLY FREE

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






Author Bio


T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is a USA Today Bestselling author of the Beautiful Mess series, in addition to several other works. Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog, and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). In late 2015, she gave birth to her first (and only) baby. When she’s not planted in front of her computer, writing away, she can be found training for her next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to recall) or chasing her daughter around the house.

T.K. Leigh is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. All publishing inquiries, including audio, foreign, and film rights, should be directed to her.



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