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Beneath The Falling Leaves
At 26, Brooke McVay has made what everyone calls "the responsible choice." She's rented an apartment in her girlfriend's small New England hometown, determined to finally make their relationship work. Four years of being on and off, of trying long-distance, of missed calls and broken promises... It's all left Brooke exhausted. Yet here she is, trying one more time.
Then she meets Emily's mother.
Vanessa Mitchell is everything Brooke never knew she needed. At 48, recently divorced and still discovering who she is outside of being someone's wife and mother, Vanessa should be off-limits in every possible way. She's also the most captivating woman Brooke has ever encountered. Confident, intelligent, and stirring feelings Brooke's never experienced in four years with Emily.
As autumn transforms the town into a canvas of red and gold, Brooke finds herself drawn into Vanessa's orbit. What begins as an uncomfortable attraction becomes an undeniable connection, and Brooke realizes she's been looking for love in all the wrong places.
For Vanessa, Brooke represents everything she's been denied. Not just desire, but the earth-shattering passion she always assumed was fiction. After decades of marriage to her high school sweetheart, Vanessa is discovering that some awakenings come late, but they come fierce. Brooke makes her feel alive in ways she'd given up hoping for, in ways that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself.
But falling for your daughter's girlfriend isn't just taboo—it's devastating.
As their connection deepens from stolen moments to something neither can deny, Brooke and Vanessa must navigate the impossible terrain between desire and loyalty, between finally finding the right person and destroying the one who brought them together.
When everything falls apart, will they choose each other, or will guilt and obligation keep them from the one relationship that finally feels right?
Then she meets Emily's mother.
Vanessa Mitchell is everything Brooke never knew she needed. At 48, recently divorced and still discovering who she is outside of being someone's wife and mother, Vanessa should be off-limits in every possible way. She's also the most captivating woman Brooke has ever encountered. Confident, intelligent, and stirring feelings Brooke's never experienced in four years with Emily.
As autumn transforms the town into a canvas of red and gold, Brooke finds herself drawn into Vanessa's orbit. What begins as an uncomfortable attraction becomes an undeniable connection, and Brooke realizes she's been looking for love in all the wrong places.
For Vanessa, Brooke represents everything she's been denied. Not just desire, but the earth-shattering passion she always assumed was fiction. After decades of marriage to her high school sweetheart, Vanessa is discovering that some awakenings come late, but they come fierce. Brooke makes her feel alive in ways she'd given up hoping for, in ways that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself.
But falling for your daughter's girlfriend isn't just taboo—it's devastating.
As their connection deepens from stolen moments to something neither can deny, Brooke and Vanessa must navigate the impossible terrain between desire and loyalty, between finally finding the right person and destroying the one who brought them together.
When everything falls apart, will they choose each other, or will guilt and obligation keep them from the one relationship that finally feels right?
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 29, 2025
13 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Emma Collins
121 books34 followersLibrarian note: There are other authors with the same name.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 1, 2025
beautiful story..
Beautiful story. Finding love with someone younger your daughter’s ex girlfriend. The joy, the heartache the acceptance. But finding someone who would support you through it all.
This book was well written, the characters real just enjoyed it immensely.
Beautiful story. Finding love with someone younger your daughter’s ex girlfriend. The joy, the heartache the acceptance. But finding someone who would support you through it all.
This book was well written, the characters real just enjoyed it immensely.
December 1, 2025
Eh. Overwrought writing and not much of an attraction between the leads.. As I've said before I have no inherent problem with insta-love, but this was more like no-love.
The brick wall ending after a vague non-conclusion to the main conflict was pretty annoying, too. But it's pretty slim pickings for this trope at the moment so I guess we've got to take what we can get.
The brick wall ending after a vague non-conclusion to the main conflict was pretty annoying, too. But it's pretty slim pickings for this trope at the moment so I guess we've got to take what we can get.
January 1, 2026
Hard choices
This was a nicely written story that covered such a taboo topic. The romance between Vanessa and Brooke really highlighted what one would risk for love. This was an interesting story that kept me turning the pages to see how it would all play out.
This was a nicely written story that covered such a taboo topic. The romance between Vanessa and Brooke really highlighted what one would risk for love. This was an interesting story that kept me turning the pages to see how it would all play out.
December 4, 2025
My favorite book of 2025
I loved this. I read it in one sitting, staying up way too late.
If you love age gaps, this is it. This had everything I want in an age gap romance.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kindle Unlimited
I loved this. I read it in one sitting, staying up way too late.
If you love age gaps, this is it. This had everything I want in an age gap romance.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kindle Unlimited
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews