By: Kerry Lonsdale
ISBN: 1477823972
Publisher: Lake Union
Publication Date: 7/4/2017
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Everything We Keep comes the highly anticipated sequel. Told from one man’s two perspectives, Everything We Left Behind effortlessly blends suspense, mystery, and romance in an exploration of loss, resilience, and the compelling need to protect the ones we love at all cost. Two months before his wedding, financial executive James Donato chased his trade-laundering brother Phil to Mexico, only to be lost at sea and presumed dead. Six and a half years later, he emerges from a dissociative fugue state to find he’s been living in Oaxaca as artist Carlos Dominguez, widower and father of two sons, with his sister-in-law Natalya Hayes, a retired professional surfer, helping to keep his life afloat. But his fiancée, Aimee Tierney, the love of his life, has moved on. She’s married and has a child of her own.
Devastated, James and his sons return to California. But Phil is scheduled for release from prison, and he’s determined to find James, who witnessed something in Mexico that could land Phil back in confinement. Under mounting family pressure, James flees with his sons to Kauai, seeking refuge with Natalya. As James begins to unravel the mystery of his fractured identity, danger is never far behind, and Natalya may be the only person he can trust.
A special thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an early reading copy. Also purchased audio version narrated by Tim Andrés Pabon. Review to follow.
Advance Praise
“A stunning fusion of suspense, family drama, and redemption, Everything We Left Behind will hold the reader spellbound to the last sentence.” —A. J. Banner, #1 Kindle and USA Today bestselling author of The Twilight Wife and The Good Neighbor
“While Everything We Left Behind, the long-anticipated sequel to Everything We Keep, is page-turning and suspenseful, at its center it is the story of a man struggling to discover the truth of his own identity. A man who is determined above all else to protect his family, a man who is willing to risk everything to find out the truth and to ultimately uncover the secrets of his own heart. For everyone who has read Everything We Keep (if you haven’t go do that now!), this is your novel, answering every question, tying up every thread to an oh-so-satisfying conclusion.” —Barbara Taylor Sissel, author of The Truth We Bury
“With one smart, unexpected twist after another, this page-turner is as surprising as it is emotionally insightful. Everything We Left Behind showcases Kerry Lonsdale at the top of her game.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Life and Other Near-Death Experiences
“Told through a unique perspective, Everything We Left Behind is a compelling story about one man’s journey to find himself in the wake of trauma, dark secrets, and loss. As past and present merge, he struggles to confront fear and find trust, but two constants remain: his love for his young sons and his need to protect them from danger. This novel has everything—romance, suspense, mystery, family drama. What a page-turner!” —Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of Echoes of Family
About the Author
Kerry Lonsdale believes life is more exciting with twists and turns, which may be why she enjoys dropping her characters into unexpected scenarios and foreign settings. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and is a founder of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She resides in Northern California with her husband, two children, and an aging golden retriever who’s convinced she’s still a puppy. Read More
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author
#1 Amazon Kindle Best Selling Author
Honorable Mention, WOW! Women-On-Writing Flash Fiction Contest, Spring 2010
EVERYTHING WE KEEP
Top 20 Amazon Overall Bestselling book, 2016
#1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller for 5 straight weeks, 2016
#1 Amazon Bestselling Romance for 10 straight weeks, 2016
1st Place, Rose City RWA Golden Rose Contest, 2012
2nd Place, Northeast Ohio RWA Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest, 2012
3rd Place, Indiana RWA Golden Opportunity Contest, 2012 (highest first round score for the Mainstream with Romantic Elements Category)
ALL THE BREAKING WAVES
Apple iBooks Audiobook Bestseller, week of December 25, 2016 & January 8, 2017
Amazon Editors Pick: Literature & Fiction, December 2016
#1 Amazon Bestseller in Women’s Fiction: Mothers & Children Category, four weeks and counting, 2016-2017
