3rd Place Award Winner in Romance-Suspense for The BookFest Spring 2025!! International Impact Book Award Winner 2025!!
Author Kaitlyn Pete thought Hollow Creek would be a great place for a fresh start. But what she finds instead is a connection to a century-old mystery, a dangerously sexy contractor, and one terrifying truth... her stalker isn’t finished with her yet.
An open door romance recommended for mature readers, perfect for fans of Nora Roberts, Catherine Cowles and Claire Kingsley.
Best-selling author Kaitlynn Pete thought she had found her sanctuary in the quiet town of Hollow Creek, a place where she could escape the trauma of putting a relentless stalker behind bars. But when she purchases a dilapidated house on the outskirts of town and meets the sexy and charming contractor, Noah Cassidy, she realizes things aren’t quite as tranquil as they may seem.
The crumbling house seems like the perfect place to start over—until she discovers her uncanny connection to the town’s dark past. But as Kate works to uncover the disturbing truth, her stalker escapes, resuming his twisted obsession.
With the clock ticking and danger closing in, Kate and Noah must not only confront their feelings for each other, but outsmart a predator who will stop at nothing to claim her for his own. Can she survive the stalker’s deadly game, or will history repeat itself in the most terrifying way?
* Small Town * Survivor Heroine * Protective Alpha Hero * Echoes of the Past * Run For Your Life * Open Door Romance * Guaranteed HEA
3rd Place Winner in the Paranormal-Romance category for The BookFest for Dark In Blood Fall 2024***
3rd Place Winner in the Romance-Suspense category for The BookFest for The Hollow Spring 2025***
International Impact Book Award Winner 2025/Romance category for The Hollow***
1st Place Winner in the Small Town Romance/Comedy category for The BookFest Fall 2025 for Hearts Fire**
Lara Bruni is an Award Winning author who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. In her down time, she loves to lose herself in the pages of a good book and enjoys watching rom-com and action movies.
The first book in the new Heartstruck series: Hearts Fire is OUT NOW.
Tropes: found family, romantic suspense, a dash of paranormal
A romantic suspense with a close-knit found family and multiple budding love stories surrounding the central romance
With strong found family vibes, The Hollow is cozy for a romantic suspense. At once, I was at ease with Kate’s new friends. Her slow-burn romance with Noah builds the tension alongside the suspense of evading a stalker who is ready to burn everything to the ground if he can’t have Kate. Kate’s isn’t the only romance building; supporting characters find themselves entangled in love triangles. Lara Bruni also incorporates a mild supernatural element, in which Kate sees flashes of the past in her dreams, creating an intriguing arc for the series to follow as it progresses.
I enjoyed the story overall, but at times, it felt too rushed. For example, Kate and Emma going from realtor/client to best friends almost instantaneously was difficult for me to reconcile with, perhaps because I’ve found it difficult to make new close friends in adulthood. I also struggled with the portrayal of the stalker, Nick. The sections told from his point of view were not written as strongly as others. Overall, I would continue reading the series because I became invested in the side characters’ developing love stories, so I want to stick around for their happy endings. I am also looking forward to learning more about the town’s history.
I really enjoyed reading this story of Kaitlynn (Kate) and Noah, set in a small and quiet town of Hallow Creek.
I love that this story has a slow burn romance, found family, as well as mystery and suspense.
The characters in this book, which is the start of a three book series, are so realistic and likable. You can't help but want to know their stories and the character development is so realistic.
The other thing I really enjoyed about this story, is when Kate discovers that she may actually have a connection to the dilapidated house she buys and restores, we get a teaser for what's to come in the next book, which gives the feeling of more story development flowing through the series, which I can't wait to read more of in the future when they are available.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.
I really enjoyed reading this story of Kaitlynn (Kate) and Noah, set in a small and quiet town of Hallow Creek.
I love that this story has a slow burn romance, found family, as well as mystery and suspense.
The characters in this book, which is the start of a three book series, are so realistic and likable. You can't help but want to know their stories and the character development is so realistic.
The other thing I really enjoyed about this story, is when Kate discovers that she may actually have a connection to the dilapidated house she buys and restores, we get a teaser for what's to come in the next book, which gives the feeling of more story development flowing through the series, which I can't wait to read more of in the future when they are available.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An amazing slow burn small town read. I am on edge, I need to read the next books soon. Love the little romantic stories within the major mystery happening in town. Kate and Noah's slow burn romance makes my heart skip a beat. It was truly a great read.
I loved getting introduced into this small town. There was a good balance between romance and suspense. I really enjoyed the characters and am excited for the next characters that we will see for this town. I hope that the mystery continues to unravel.
Interesting read, there's alot going on with the stalker, and mystery behind the house. Add in the different relationships developing and it's enough to make the book fly by. Can't wait to see what happens next !
This was a fun and thrilling read with the perfect amount of spice sprinkled throughout. The tension was high and the additional hint of a potential ghost story just makes you want to read book 2!
Also, if you're a lover of beautiful homes you will fall in love with Kate's place!
Kaitlynn Pete is a best-selling author and feels like she has found her sanctuary in Hollow Creek, a place that appears to be a nice quiet town. Her haven, a place where she could escape her relentless stalker and the trauma that came with it, but her stalker was now behind bars.
She soon realizes that things aren't as quiet as they may first appear. She purchases a home on the outskirts of Hollow Creek that needs a lot of work, and then she meets Noah Cassidy, the charming and sexy as hell contractor she hires to help fix up her new house. That's when she realizes that things aren't as tranquil as Hollow Creek first appeared to be.
Cassidy feels like the house, even though it was crumbling and needed a lot of work, is the perfect home to start over in. That is, until she discovers her own personal connection to the towns dark past. Kate soon finds herself working to uncover the disturbing truth of the towns past and its dark past, and then her stalker escapes. And with his escape, he is free to resume his obsession with me and his twisted games.
As the clock is ticking down the minutes till danger finally closes in on them, Kate and Noah finally face the fact that they have feeling for each other. Together, they have to outsmart the stalker, a predator who's going to stop at nothing to claim her once and for all for his own.
Is Cassidy going to be able to survive the stalker's deadly games? Is history going to repeat itself in a terrifying way?
I love, love, love Lara Bruni. I can't get enough of her books. Any time I see a new book of hers out in the wild I go out and grab a kindle version of it and I know that I have to get a physical version of it on my trophy shelf as soon as I can. She is such an amazing writer, and I just love what she writes and creates.
I don't normally enjoy suspense books. They are not normally my jam. But, this is Lara Bruni, so I was more than happy to read it still, and I was not sorry for that. And I really loved reading the story of Kaitlynn (Kate) and Noah.
This book is set in the small-town of Hollow Creek, a town that has a dark past with dark secrets.
This story has a slow burn romance, found family, and a mystery that burns deep and a suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I really fell in love with the characters in this book. Hollow Creek is the first book of a trilogy, and they feel like they could be my best friend and they are likable. They feel like you could run into them on the street. And really, there's nothing you can do but want to know all the stories that the characters want to tell. The character development and character arcs are realistic and just crafted perfectly.
It was really interesting when Kate realized that she could actually have a connection to the old house that is falling apart that she purchases that starts to repair. It's there that we start to get a glimpse into what will be coming in the book to come, giving us the feeling of further story development that flows through the entire series. And I can't wait to read more of the books when they are released in the future, of course I have to wait till they are available.
I can't recommend this book and Lara Bruni books enough.
LET ME START BY SAYING THIS BOOK IS 5 FUCKING PHENOMENAL STARS!! if I could rate it more I would. I just can't get enough of Lara bruni's books.
I absolutely enjoyed every minute of reading this, I could not put it down for a second, I ran through it like my life depended on it, totally hooked. It had me on the edge of my seat with heart racing, just turning page after page needing to see what was going to happen next. The rollercoaster of emotions this put me through was wicked and wild. It's filled with mystery, action, suspense, secrets, angst, danger, banter, puzzles, spice and so much more. The characters where fucking fantastic. The storyline and plot was out of this world and well written. I loved the povs from each character, it made you feel more apart of the story. I really can't wait to see what the small town has in-store for us next. Highly recommend!
Welcome to the small town of hollow creek, a town full of mystery, a town that will call to you. And that's what it done with our fmc, she fell In love with the place. She needed a fresh start after what her stalker put her through. And some where to write her best selling novels. Just peace and quiet. What she didn't expect was the to be connected to the town and it's past and fall for the guy fixing her house. Her and Noah's relationship is a slow burn but once it gets there it's fucking hot and worth the wait. The sexual tension you could cut with a knife. Just so perfect. The banter is hilarious. I instantly fell in love with noah, Kate, Ollie, Emma and mark, they had me laughing so much. And then lily joined and I instantly took to her aswell.
My favourite quotes and scene from the book⬇️⬇️
"Noah grumbled playfully as he stalked back to the table. Aiming his stick at the cue ball, he struck it a bit too hard, sending it flying across the table and into the solid eight, which then shot off the table, bounced off the far wall and into an empty glass on a neighboring table, knocking it to the floor with a crash. The entire bar went silent as all eyes looked their way. Kate groaned and covered her face in embarrassment. “Perfect, Noah,” she muttered, peering through her fingers. “Just perfect.” Noah bowed dramatically, extending his arms out to the side, pool stick in hand. “Thank you, thank you,” he grinned. “I’ll be here all night.” Mark snorted, shaking his head." 😂😂
“Come on, doll. Behave. This is hard enough for me as it is.” Kate snickered. “Ooooh, hard, huh? How hard is it?” she asked before falling back onto the bed in a fit of drunken laughter."
This is actually the first mystery/suspense romance novel I have read and I have to say I actually loved it.
The story is fantastic and I actually read this entire novel in one sitting (I'm literally half asleep writing this review as I was up until 2am!).
The mystery, whilst not solved in book 1 is really intriguing and Lara's writing style is really descriptive and thoughtful.
Also, I love all the main characters. From Kate and Noah, Emma and Mark and Oliver and Lucy - they all interested me and I cant wait to find out more about the girls' back stories.
The spice was perfect and the MMC's are so protective of their girls.
I'm really looking forward to book 2.
This is my first read from Lara and she is definitely now one of my must read authors.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Hollow is the first book in The Hollow Creek Trilogy. I absolutely couldn’t wait to read this book, so I jumped at the chance when I saw it. Lara Bruni is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This is the third book I’ve had the privilege of reading (I have read book one and two of her Bloodmoon and Creature Series). I was enraptured the whole time while I was reading. Some parts had me on the edge of my seat, but I definitely couldn’t wait to turn the page to read more and more to find out what was happening with the “treasure/scavenger” hunt. I’m so excited to read the next book in this trilogy!
As always be mindful of trigger warnings, what I like you may not.
Listen, if you know me, then you know I don’t love a 3rd person POV. It’s hard to focus and I can never tell who’s feeling what.
HOWEVER, this was a good 3rd person POV. Lara does an INCREDIBLE job at letting you know who’s thoughts are who’s. Her scene breaks are done nicely. Ex: “back at the bbq so and so…” it’s nice. And easy to follow. So if you struggle with 3rd person I’d suggest you give this book a try.
Kate is strong and smart. She’s an author so of course she is. She’s finally found her forever home in a worn down home in a small town, the hollow is the what town fondly calls her new home. Noah is handsome and strong and VERY good with his hands. 😉 he’s a contractor of course. He’s protective and absolutely smitten with Kate. But she’s got a messy past.
This was about an author who relocated to Hollow Creek. She was going through some things and wanted a fresh start. When she first moved there she met a local realtor named Emma. They became fast friends. They spent a lot of time together. She bought this abandoned house so she could fix it up Emma referred her to Noah who was a contractor. They made arrangements to fix up the house. Well her past came back to haunt her. She was scared but tired of hiding. Kate went on about her life with Noah and her friends. This new woman Lily ended up moving to town and they all hit it off. Lily was an interior designer who wanted a fresh start as well. I loved everything about this book. Had a mix of love and suspense.
After having read through all three of the books in one a day, I feel like I’ve stumbled on three totally underrated gems. There were absolutely some things that could have been cleaned up like the pacing of the friendships, relationships, and discoveries that they have around the mysteries specifically I felt like the paranormal was touched upon somewhat explored but not necessarily expanded upon in a way that ended up making sense with the more logical/rational reasoning that was also given alongside. None of that however it takes away from how well written the books were for a relatively new author at the end of it all did I feel like I’d read three books that belong together with an intricately woven plot line and enjoyable characters? Yes, yes, I did.
I really enjoyed the mix of suspense between the stalker and the mystery of the house/town/Cassandra and Isaac. There were times when I was really on edge waiting to see what would happen with either.
I loved that while the story is focused on Kate and Noah, there's a lot of Emma, Mark, Oliver, and Lily too in the story. I adore supporting characters so to have them be a huge part of the story was great. I'm really excited to see what's in store for all of them in the future, and how the mysteries of the town continue to unravel.
If you enjoy romantic mysteries, I'd for sure give this one a go!
This was the first book I read of Lara Bruni, and I was blown away with the fast-paced suspense mystery of her work. I loved the protagonist with how she strived to put her past behind her, only to come head-on with her stalker. All the characters were interesting and enjoyable to read about. The whole book was carried through to the end with a great climax. However, the way the book ended, the author could still create a book 2. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and look forward to reading more from this author. She really has a great way of writing.
My first book from this author. I had a bit of a hard time getting into this one, but once I did, it flowed nicely. There were some good heart racing moments, and times where you weren’t sure how things were going to turn out, or how they could turn in favour of our favourite characters. The romance felt a bit forced at the beginning, but then it took a nice pivot and flowed nice and with purpose. Overall, it was a good story, and I will probably continue the series.
Man!! THIS is what I been looking for!! im a huge suspense/thriller and to get it with a little Romance sprinkled in! was amazing! and with a little dazzle dazzle of the paranormal! CHIEF KISS!! the characters where actually likeable and everything!!! i wanted more and more!! I cant wait for the next book!
Love the setting in a small town and the house that draws Kate to it. Nate and Kate’s relationship has so much to develop can’t wait to read and see what’s next!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was great. Great romance and suspense. Mystery. I have this a five. I recommend you read this book. First book I read of this author won’t be my last.
Kate is a best selling author who relocated to a small town to start a new life free from a troubled past. She finds a run down home that she sees potential to turn into something beautiful. She meets Noah, a sexy contractor, who fills her with a sense of calm and comfort. Just when she feels her future is headed towards happiness, her past catches up with her.
This is a slow burn romance. There were a few times while reading their story, I wanted to smack each character on the back of the head to knock sense into them. But, I have to say, the slow burn is definitely worth the wait. 🔥🔥
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review