Genre: Contemporary Romance Heat Level: 2 Word Count: 83, 000 ISBN: 978-1-77339-640-8 Editor: Audrey Bobak Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Lost Until You by Kimberly Daniels

Heat Level 2
$4.99
SKU 978-1-77339-640-8
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Finding You, 1

Camryn Singer never imagined that she would return to the place where she lost everything. To grant a dying wish, she and her young son make the move back to the small Jersey beach town where she grew up, hoping to somehow find the missing pieces of her life. Determined to keep her heart guarded, the last thing she needs is the force that is sexy surfer, Cole Stevens, literally slamming into her life.

Struggling against growing feelings for Cole, Camryn tries to focus on life with her son. But when Cole picks the lock to her heart, Camryn knows he might be the one to change everything. Just when Camryn thinks she’s finally finding her happiness, a ghost from the past comes back to haunt her.

Camryn must now decide between letting Cole stand with her in the fight for her life, or staying lost in the pain of the past.

 

Excerpt:

I pull his mouth back to mine and run my hands through his hair, weaving the ends through my fingers. Although lust is pumping through my veins, I set it aside, taking this moment to just enjoy his lips and feel the brush of his tongue against mine. We stay in each other’s arms for a long while as we watch the waves ripple across the rocks and the seagulls touch down to peck the water for fish. I can feel our bodies finally surrender to a sense of calm. Although we still have so much to learn about each other and many more fears to face, we find a way to take that first step and will journey the rest of the way together.

Cole interrupts my thoughts as he shifts his body out of my arms. “As much as I wish you could stay in my arms like this, I think we need to get back. I’m sure Gavin will be home soon, and I owe him pizza and ice cream.”

“How’d he rope you into that? Did Batman finally beat out Spiderman?”

Cole shrugs his shoulder and laughs. “Yeah right. Like that would ever happen. Actually, he bet on you … said your heart would let me in.”

I give him a playful smack in his ribs, and he pretends to hold his hand over them in pain. “You bet against me? You know, that’s grounds for dismissal.”

“If you would have seen the way you left the bar last night, even you’d bet against yourself.”

I pause for a moment, thinking about how I had rushed out of the bar, thinking the worst about Cole, “Good point … let’s not keep the little prince waiting!”

We laugh and simultaneously reach for each other’s hand. The beach that is so familiar and full of past heartache suddenly takes on a new life. Cole has given me a reason to look forward.

The walk home is spent talking about the normal things: work, surfing, summer plans. As we approach the end of our walk, three crazy people waving and yelling our names block the entrance to our houses. Gavin bolts toward us, jumps into Cole’s arms, and reaches one arm out for me to pull me in for a group hug. The change in his demeanor from yesterday is astounding, and I know the sight of Cole and me together is part of that. Surely Carter also helped by pumping him with junk food all night at their sleepover. Lila and Carter join the hug seconds later, making me feel like I can call this home again.

We break apart from our embrace with Lila begging for the scoop, Carter complaining of hunger, and Gavin bragging about winning his bet with Cole. Before I can answer anyone, Cole puts his arm around me and looks at Gavin.

“Gavin, I want to make sure that you’re okay with your Mommy and me spending a lot of time together.”

Gavin looks from me to Cole and replies, “Does it mean you’re gonna kiss each other a lot now? Because that’s kinda gross.”

“Well, I think you better get used to that.” Cole leans over and whispers to him, “Because your mom’s way too pretty not to kiss.”

With a disgusted look, Gavin yells out, “Eww, gross!” He then reaches around Cole’s neck again and says, “But it’s okay if you and Mommy see each other. Even if you have to kiss.”

“Aww, thanks, buddy.” Cole reaches his fist up to Gavin.

Gavin taps his fist back to Cole’s and replies, “You’re welcome, buddy.”

Watching the two of them interact like this creates a feeling of contentment and satisfaction that is so new and refreshing. Everyone starts walking toward the back deck while I take one more look out toward the vast stretch of sand. This beach town holds the reason for my nightmares and heartache. But today, it represents the birth of my new life, one that includes Cole. However, looking toward the water’s edge, my elation is quickly stripped from me as I stand staring into the aqua-colored eyes of my biggest fear.

Product Reviews

Score: 5 out of 5 (based on 12 ratings)
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5/5
Night Owl Reviews
Written by Confused Agony on 16th Nov 2018

Oh man, this book hit me hard. Camryn is such a strong person, she really is hardcore. Losing someone close to you is never a good feeling. Instead of wallowing in her grief she tried to do the best she could and be there for her son. When she meets her sexy next door neighbor and realizes his connection to her family, things get real, fast. Cole is a surfer who enjoys life when he can, he has secrets and heartache of his own. When Camryn and her beautiful son, Gavin, come into his life things start to change. I love Cole so much because in his own way he is strong and courageous. He too could have given up, anyone would have considering his situation; he chose to breathe and keep going. Gavin is a sweetheart and each time he came on screen I just wanted to hug him. He loves his mother a lot and does what he can to take care of her and make sure she’s happy. Not many kids his age are so aware of others’ feelings like that. I love that he’s addicted to the water and loves to surf. "Lost Until You" made me feel a lot but I am really glad that all three found each other. I love that Camryn has Carter and Lila, they were there to support her and gave her strength in the moments when she needed to break down. I got absorbed into this book and didn’t break away until the very end. I highly recommend this great read.

4/5
Long & Short Reviews
Written by Fern on 5th Oct 2018

Flynn hadn’t had the best day – being ditched at the altar, literally, by his fiancée and now stuck in a storm with a double-booked cabin and a large stranger. All he wants is some peace and quiet to try and sort out the shambles of his life. Beau might be tall and stacked, but there’s a calmness and strength to him that Flynn immediately recognized and appreciates. Not feeling at all threatened, Flynn agrees Beau can stay at the cabin with him until the storm passes. But when that happens, will they be able to say goodbye? At first I was a little nervous that this story would be quite clichéd, I’ve read plenty of “stuck in a remote cabin during a storm” style of stories. So I was really pleased to find this short story well paced and a refreshing outlook on the tried-and-true plotline. Flynn is genuinely clueless about his true feelings and Beau isn’t the usual overbearing, pushy alpha male type. Indeed, I adored how Beau – for all his strength and self-knowledge – was patient, non-judgmental and quite kind to Flynn. I loved how neither man had a campy of flaming style of personality, while I love more flamboyant characters that wouldn’t have worked so well in this plotline or situation to my mind. Indeed, I really loved almost everything about this story despite my initial reservations. I was pleased that while there was clearly a spark and some trust between Flynn and Beau they didn’t just immediately jump into bed together – that would have seemed quite outrageous considering Flynn was clueless and had just been jilted – and the pace of the romance between them felt just right to me, fast enough it didn’t drag but slow enough it felt realistic. With interesting characters, a good pace and some seriously steamy love-making this is a great short story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Recommended.

4/5
Long & Short Reviews
Written by Orchid on 5th Oct 2018

Camryn returns to her home town of Sea City Island and remembers the bad times that drove her and her mother away. Abandoned by her own father the teenage Camryn gets pregnant and her boyfriend doesn’t want to know. Cam, her mother and best friend move to California but five years later Cam, her friend and her son return to keep a promise to her dead mother. I liked the way every time something happened to send Cam into the depths of despair, a letter from her mother surfaced to set her back on track. Cole, her next door neighbor, is the hunk she’s never forgotten from her school days, but he has hidden secrets too. The ghosts of her past also reappear but is this a good thing or a bad thing? The story has a lot of pulling together, falling apart and secrets being dragged out. Cam’s son adds a bit of levity to the story, but also heartache when he appears to bond with his father. This is a nice romance story with lots of tension although some of it seems a little over the top. Still, I enjoyed reading it.

5/5
Camryn and Cole are great together
Written by Dania Voss on 21st Jun 2018

A wonderful debut. A great summer read filled with heart, emotion and heat.

5/5
4.5 stars!
Written by Melissa Wiggins on 12th May 2018

You will be thinking about these characters long after the last page! I loved them all, from the super hot surfer, to the sweet little boy, and all the friends in between who are like family. Great summer read with interesting family dynamics and relationships, Highly recommend

4/5
This was an amazing debut novel
Written by Lindsey Kramer/ Shakespeare's Wench Book Blog on 1st May 2018

This was an amazing debut novel. I’m so glad that there is more to come. I can’t wait to read the other books coming next in this series.

4/5
Cute!
Written by Luisa Rivas-Martinez on 1st May 2018

The best thing about this story was Gavin, the 5 y/o little boy and the beachy feeling about this island just off the New Jersey shore. It’s a surfing town and almost everyone is involved in the sport. Camryn has suffered a lot in her life, and as she returns to this town, where she grew up, she’s in for some more doozies. Gavin is a sunny, smiley little boy with an obsession with superheroes. He’s fun, articulate, and very loving. His interactions with everyone in the book were sooo endearing! Five hears ago, Camryn was rejected by her boyfriend when she told him she was pregnant. Reeling from his instructions to “get rid of it”, she moved across the country, to raise her son away from danger, with her mother and her best friends, Lisa and Carter. After her mother’s death, she comes back to town, afraid of facing her old demons. Lisa and Carter also moved back with her. She finds love in the next-door neighbor and Gavin’s surf instructor, Cole. Turns out Camryn and Cole had a minute many years ago in high school and she’s never forgotten him. Now they continue with their unfinished business but they have a lot of issues to overcome. Gavin’s father, Todd, appears and wants to meet his son; Cole and Todd have an old rivalry that Camryn doesn’t know about; Cole has an old flame that doesn’t want to let him go and causes trouble; and Camryn’s father, who had abandoned her ten years ago, makes a comeback. There’s a lot of heartbreak in this story. I liked Cole, he was a surfer dude, tanned and blond, but over all that, he was a good man. He was attentive and loving, very supportive. Yet, there was a darkness within, and when he got mad, that darkness would take over and turn him into a violent man. Todd was a frequent cause of that darkness, when he accosted Camryn. I didn’t like Camryn very much. Very melodramatic, she faced all her situations with a crying jag and calling Lila. Her first instinct on all situations was to run and break up with Cole and it took Lila to yell at her and force her to face situations and have a care for Cole’s feelings. I think she left Cole about three times in the book. She was loving, a great mom, great with Gavin, but I found her tiresome with her negative attitudes and her fears about abandonment. Camryn’s mother Milena has a strong influence through the book. She had made all the arrangements for Camryn’s move back home, previous to her death, even to the extent of fixing up the house. Then she left letters strategically placed around the place and with friends. She must have been psychic, because some letters were spot on regarding some situations! This was an entertaining read but I found it a little melodramatic and negative. It was all about fears and heartbreak. The plot was based on lies and omissions and the characters were secretive and stubborn about it. I was also a little disturbed by the fact that Camryn hates Todd, called him a monster, and yet when he asks to take her son to the beach, she gives him her son and goes off to work. She did arrange for a friend to be there but even so, it was irrational to me. Some parts of the book didn’t feel real, but it was still an entertaining read, just a little annoying at times.

4/5
I liked that Cole is much more than just a surfing ...
Written by Melena on 28th Apr 2018

Have to say this series by Kimberly Daniel's was a first for me. There were times I felt that maybe this was the 2nd book not the first some things needing more explaining. I liked that Cole is much more than just a surfing coach but even he was tough to crack at first. The attraction though is unbelievable between them added the bond he has with little Gavin just made me like him more. Camyrn though understand her dilemma but felt it just seemed longer than usual and kept waiting for her to break. All in all it was a sweet romance and more about letting go to live again. Great start in the series and hope there is more of this gang at the beach. "I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own."

4/5
3.5 stars!!!
Written by Shelby on 27th Apr 2018

Lost Until You was an insta-love romance that will tugged at my heartstrings. The heroine drove me crazy at times with how melodramatic she was. And there was a character that needed a throat punch, badly. One of my favorite parts was how tightly knitted all the friends were. They were always there through thick and thin. The best part in the WHOLE book was 5 year old Gavin. He was a little cutie!!! While this was my first book by this author, I'd read her again.

5/5
... sweep you off your feet romance and heart melting sweetness. Lost Until You is the definition of what ...
Written by Britt Franks on 27th Apr 2018

Loaded with sweep you off your feet romance and heart melting sweetness. Lost Until You is the definition of what the genre is. Mixed in with powerfully emotional moments and that perfect bit of drama to make your heart race it brought back all those feelings that made me fall in love with reading romance years ago. I love, love, loved Cole and Camryn’s story! A single mother to an adorable five year old son, Camryn is in the midst of yet another great loss when she moves back home after losing her mother. My heart hurt for her. Life had dealt her blow after blow but through it all her still became an incredible mother and wonderful friend. With a little help from her mom, who may be gone but is still making sure her daughter knows she’s loved, Camryn is quickly thrust right into the man she’s never forgotten from her teenage years, Cole. Cole is what every woman thinks of when they picture the perfect boyfriend. He’s more than just Sexy. This man has a huge heart and loves deeply. The love he has for Camryn is that soul deep never ending kind of love that you can feel radiating right off the pages. The bond he forms with her son is the icing on the heart melting swooning mess cake. I adored these two!

5/5
Cole will definitely win your heart
Written by LorenB on 27th Apr 2018

A very good debut novel from this author. I think I sunk right into the story because I live at the Jersey Shore and appreciate the beachy, coastal vibe. It’s a really heartwarming story about Camryn, her 5-year-old son, Gavin, and surfing pro/instructor, Cole. Camryn and Gavin returned home to New Jersey after five years of living in California and the death of her mother, Milena, who is a very strong presence, nonetheless, in the story. Camryn’s best friends, Lila and Carter, are also her extended family and play huge parts in their lives. Cole becomes Gavin’s surfing instructor as arranged by Milena. Camryn and Cole had an encounter in high school, and five years later each is unaware of just how much that encounter affected the other. Cole had felt an instant connection to Camryn back then and has actually hoped, and waited, for her return home. However, Camryn’s constant fear and nightmares about her ex, Todd, taking Gavin away from her become an obstacle to having a relationship with Cole. Cole carries around his own secrets and demons as he hadn’t had the best life growing up. Despite that, he has turned out to be exactly the kind of man you would want – caring, loving, loyal, protective, hard-working, and fun. Todd, of course, resurfaces after not wanting anything to do with his son five years ago and claims he wants a real relationship with Gavin as well as with Camryn. As you can imagine, lots of angst and annoying issues crop up, including Cole’s ex, Tara. Aside from a couple of frustrating instances, all in all this was a very good, heartwarming romance. I look forward to the author, hopefully, continuing with the series. I received an ARC and voluntarily wrote this review.

5/5
Wonderful debut.
Written by Cee Cee Houston on 26th Apr 2018

Lost Until You is the debut novel by author Kimberly Daniels. It’ an insta-love romance that tugged at my heartstrings and left me begging for more. It made my heart pitter-patter with the array of emotions that filled the story. A touch dramatic, a lot romantic with a hint of all round sweetness that had sighs of contentment filling the air around me. This is the story of single mom, Camryn and Cole, a boy she once had a moment with in high school. Time has passed since then, Camryn has a young son and meets up with Cole when she returns to her hometown after the death of her mother. Cole is sweet, kind and gentle, the epitome of a perfect boyfriend, he’s got a big heart and is ready to fall in love. When he and Camryn reconnect, he knows it was meant to be, he just has to get Camryn on the same page. Camryn has some trust issues as any woman would who’d been through what she has, life hasn’t always been kind or fair to her and losing her mom hasn’t helped. Cole is determined to win her heart, as well as her son’s and this was wonderful to watch as it played out over the pages of my kindle. I really loved Cole. He was strong and sexy with a heart of true gold. A sweetheart if ever there was one/ All we need is love right? If you want a heart-warming romance and to be swept away in a fantastic story then look no further. Just grab this today. You won’t be sorry.

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