One More Embrace

By Clinton Carey

Nathan just met Aphrael on his first day of senior year in high school. If there's such a thing as love at first sight, he's got it. She's beautiful, funny, smart, and doesn't take herself too seriously. As he soon learns however, things don't look like smooth sailing at the new school. As a preacher's kid, he's always been shy with girls and has a hard time making new friends. Moving so much due to his father's work doesn't make it any easier. When he finds out about her reputation, he's sure his father will object.Aphrael has been raised by an alcoholic, cold, uncaring single mother. Her life has been in turmoil as far back as she can remember. She doesn't get along particularly well with her mother, even though she tries again and again to win her acceptance. At school, she's got a reputation for sleeping with, well, pretty much anyone who asked. Once she meets Nathan, she knows she'll have to change in order to be accepted by his family. If she only knew the reasons she's been acting out since she was young, and why her mother doesn't seem to love her. She remembers...something...that changed for the worse before she even started elementary school, but mainly she remembers being raised by a succession of babysitters. The good news about her first day of the new school year is that she meets Nathan. The bad news is she gets kicked out of her home right after school.David Forman is a pilot, a devoted family man, and in line for a big promotion at the regional airline where he works. Just when everything seems to be going well, his life falls apart, and he's left trying to keep his family intact during a tortuous time for him. With a threat to his livelihood, a family in trouble, and legal issues, he begins to doubt whether he can go on.Chuck manages a motel in a run down area of the city, home to transients, low income people, and long term residents down on their luck. He's a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, a former vice president of a biker club, and has seen far too much time behind bars. His estranged wife and daughter are who he yearns for, but he's got to be clean for five years before his wife will even think of taking him back. After almost losing his daughter while in jail, his struggles to stay clean once he got out have been tough. There's light at the end of the tunnel though. He's almost served his penance; he's looking forward to regaining a relationship with his family. A surprising series of events bring all four of them together. Some for the better, some for the worse. With twists and turns that keep the reader turning the pages; psychological drama, changing relationships, physical danger, forgiveness and redemption come together to leave the reader feeling as if they've just been riding a roller coaster. One with poor brakes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1520644523
• ISBN13: 9781520644523
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 361 Pages
• Weight: 1.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 0.9" x 7.0"