New Release Novella - Harbored - Linda Palmer New Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance
Independently Published
Aug 9, 2022
Kinde
150
Amazon
Karlie Nilsen, owner of Kaffebar coffee shop in Blue Harbor, South Carolina, isn’t who everyone thinks she is. Almost three years ago, she did "the right thing," which resulted in her having to change her name, her location, and her profession to hide from some bad men seeking revenge. Understandably, she hasn’t told a soul in town her story. She'd be in danger if she did, and, worse, so would her elderly dad, who has Alzheimers and now resides in a nursing home miles away.
Safely harbored, Karlie keeps her secrets until a sweet Muslim friend is accosted by a racist redneck outside her shop. Oblivious to consequences, Karlie rushes outside to stand up to him and winds up punching the guy. She helps her friend back inside the shop, unaware that most of the witnesses who watched but didn’t help videoed the whole incident on their cellphones. Karlie is quite surprised to find the altercation on Facebook that night—the old David and Goliath scenario, only David is a single barista who can't afford to have her face plastered all over the net. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens. The video goes viral, popping up on other social media outlets until it finally hits a cable TV good news network.
There’s no hiding anymore, so it’s no real shock when an agent shows up to talk about her safety options now that her cover has been blown. What's shocking is that he isn't the agent she's always worked with. On top of that, the Department of Justice has apparently turned over its ensconced witnesses to a private company, Singular Safety Solutions. Aaron checks out okay, but the DOJ never contacting her about these changes is highly suspicious. Karlie can't help but wonder if he's for real.
To make matters even more confusing, Ty Delaney, the high school crush who broke Karlie's heart years ago, also shows up in Blue Harbor unexpectedly. He looks as good as he did way back when, and her heart certainly wants to believe his claims that he has changed. Ty says he has been looking for her for years and is there because he saw her on TV and wants to apologize for the way he treated her. His timing stinks, and neither man likes the other. Does she dare risk trusting either of them?
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Karlie Nilsen is the owner of Kaffebar Coffee Shop in Blue Harbor, South Carolina and when one of her customers, a Muslin woman wearing a hajib was being attacked by a man right outside her shop she didn’t think twice but went to the woman’s defense. While men stood around watching and doing nothing, she wound up putting herself in danger. Karlie was videoed and it appeared on all the social media sites, town newspaper headline and appeared on a local news channel.
Karlie is in Witness Protection under an assumed name and her act of heroism could bring her location and new name to those still looking for her. She was instrumental in bringing down a man known to be a philanthropist but was into child pornography. She went to the police with what she found and he was sent to prison. She refused the protection at first until her father now suffering from dementia was put in danger something she would not allow.
She has a new life and it has been three years since all this happened, her father no longer even knows who she is and she has found new family with her friends and customers. Deputy Frank Nash looked after her and he became the father figure in her life but a visit from Agent Aaron Barber informing her of Nash’s death and updating her on the Volkov family once again puts her life in limbo.
Aaron is acting as her bodyguard just to ensure that she isn’t being followed and to make sure that her life is no longer in jeopardy. A visit from a new agent and then a visit from a man entering her shop and calling her by her real name is just the start of a very confusing day. Tyler Delaney, the boy that broke her heart in high school saw her picture on the news and searched for her. He wants to apologize for what he did and knowing him Karlie reveals part of her story.
She has never gotten over her feelings for him and his surprise visit could lead to what she always dreamed of in school, love and marriage. Years have gone by neither of them are the same people they were in high school so is a relationship even possible.
This book had me from the first page to the last and once I picked it up, I didn’t put it down until it was finished. Surprises, wonderful characters, romance and suspense. I am a huge fan of Ms. Palmer and so far, I haven’t found a book I didn’t love.
