New Release: Footnote by Alexa Gregory + Excerpt & Review!

 Footnote by Alexa Gregory is now available!

Blurb:

A moving second-chance romance where hope can turn history into a footnote.

Sasha Covey needs a rewrite. Or a really big eraser. Her past doesn’t belong in the life she’s trying to rebuild. Her future—and her recovery—depend on a fresh start. Moving to Colebury seems like the perfect test until Penley Brooks waltzes into the Busy Bean. The handsome veterinarian is just as charming as when she fell for him a decade ago. Memories come flooding back, and their connection is as potent as ever.

Trouble is, Sasha has good reason to keep her distance. Her recovery is still new, and the single dad has wounds of his own. After years of being an afterthought, Penley’s goals are finally within reach. As much as she aches to reconnect, Sasha won’t stand in the way of his dreams.

Somehow, that all melts away whenever she’s with Penley. Together, dreaming is a little easier.

But dreams don’t always survive in the real world. Not when the past comes knocking.

Footnote is a standalone small-town romance set in the True North world. 

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://geni.us/FootnoteAmazon
Apple: https://geni.us/FootnoteApple
Kobo: https://geni.us/FootnoteKobo
Nook: https://geni.us/FootnoteNook
Google: https://geni.us/FootnoteGoogle

All the links in one spot: https://shor.by/busy-bean
Add to Goodreads here: http://bit.ly/2L7WFk0
Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Excerpt:

The overhanging bell chimed as the door swung open, letting in a blast of frozen wind. I was slowly getting into the habit of looking up to greet patrons as soon as the tinkling sound echoed through the Busy Bean.

It wasn’t easy. If I was measuring coffee grounds for the espresso machine, I kept focused on that. If I was counting change, I couldn’t look up, too scared to stiff customers or my bosses. Zara, Audrey, and the other employees were pros at multitasking. They were like fireflies of activity, doing twenty different things all at once, including shouting out a kind welcome to the patrons.

I wasn’t exactly good at the whole chipper-greeting thing on a regular basis, let alone in the middle of a task. Besides, a cheerful hello demanded volume and a certain exuberance that I just didn’t have.

It sure wasn’t going to happen with this particular patron.

When I finally looked up to acknowledge the newcomer, I failed to remember a few things.

How to breathe.

Where I was.

Who I was.

My knees forgot how to stand, too. They buckled under me, threatening to twist together like Roderick’s pretzels before they went into the oven. I was a half-baked lump. The only thing I could do was blink. Fast and hard to remove the strange optical illusion standing in front of me.

There was no way in hell this was happening. Not after all this time. Not now. Not here.

And yet…

How many people had eyes the color of a starry night, complete with a twinkle? I knew if I looked hard enough, I’d see a sparkle in the blue depths, a tiny glimmer of stardust floating in the dizzying gaze.

That wasn’t even half of it. There was the smile. The one that was warmer than a preheated oven in the morning. The one that hinted at a dimple that never quite made its way into existence.

Penley Brooks.

He was the only man in the whole world that had all of those attributes. Unless I had finally lost my mind, he was standing in the Busy Bean, grinning at me. Like we ran into each other every day in Colebury. Like we talked all the time.

Like we hadn’t lost touch over a decade ago.

Like I hadn’t left without a word.

My body was still, refusing to move until he confirmed his presence. Maybe he would disappear. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize me.

“Sasha Covey.” He spoke my name like it was a benediction. But maybe that was simply the fizz of hope going off in my heart. I hadn’t felt that in eleven years.

If I had a tongue before, it was gone. Lost. Sacrificed to the gods of deep, rumbling male voices that made kindling out of a woman’s legs. Oh, he had not misplaced his charm. It had doubled. Tripled. Or maybe it was all me. I hadn’t shed my silly crush on him. It came roaring up like time hadn’t made us older.

“Hey, Pen.” Zara beamed at him before arching a brow at me, silently asking me what had turned me into an immobile pile of goo.

“Zara, hey. How’s the family?”

My boss shrugged. “Wonderful.” The oven dinged like a hangman’s bell. “Excuse me. Sasha here will take your order.”

Before heading into the kitchen, she shot me another look. I wanted to reach out and beg her not to leave me alone with Penley, but that would have been too weird. Even for me. I already won the Weird Award daily; I didn’t need to add to my collection of strange exchanges.

I tried to swallow, pleading with my voice to magically reappear, but then he went and did something completely in character. Something that made my gooey body turn to mush.

He leaned on the counter.

That smirk of his was on full display. Was there a spotlight on him? That was the only explanation. No one’s hair shined like that. Was I suddenly allergic to coffee? That was the only reason why my lips were tingling wildly.

A kiss couldn’t reverberate through the decades.

It was impossible.

Scientifically unprovable. Like almost-dimples and stardust eyes.

Kisses didn’t rebound. But then again, I was no expert in first kisses. Or second. Or third.

“How are you here?” Penley’s wonder echoed my own, effervescing in the pit of my stomach.

“I work here,” I answered lamely, even though I knew what he meant. I was definitely not going to tell him how I ended up in Colebury. I’d changed a lot since the last time we saw each other. Not exactly for the better. Penley was the last person in the world who would ever get the truth out of me. It would hurt him too much.

“I can see that you work here.” His smooth laughter glided against my bare arms as he slowly took me in. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Yeah. Same. What can I get you?”

There! A full sentence. Shake it off, Sasha.

Way easier said than done.

Review:

3.25 stars ***  This was an okay read for me. Footnote is Sasha and Penley's story. The two of them met in high school when their parents were dating and living together. When their parents broke up, Sasha's mother moved them out of town and they didn't see each other again. Now, Sashsa is back in town staying with her mother, who has moved back, and trying to deal with a serious issue, an eating disorder, so that she can get back on track to go back to college soon. She is working at the Busy Bean and is shocked to meet Penley again. He is now a veterinarian and single dad. The two still feel a connection between them and an attraction that they never truly acted on as teens. They become friends and begin a relationship, despite Sasha's misgivings because of her ED. She eventually sees she needs help and can't handle her problem on her own. But the relationship works out in the end. This was a pretty good story. I enjoyed Sasha and Penley's shared history. The book was a little slow moving and I didn't feel much chemistry between the couple. They were only okay characters for me. I did feel like the big conflict between the couple was silly and didn't make sense. Still, I was happy the couple was able to reconnect and fall in love. They really needed each other and made a good match. The conflict wrapped up a little too close to the end and I wanted to see them together for longer, happy and healing. I was a little disappointed that they only had an HFN and long distance relationship with no solid commitments. Overall, though this was not a bad story. I did feel the love between Sasha and Penley. I just found it pretty heavy and angsty at the end. Still, I enjoyed it in general and found it entertaining for the most part. I am really enjoying the Busy Bean series though and look forward to more from it in the future.