Twenty Five Years Later

by June Woods

“You really want me to keep your affair a secret?” It was a question Emma thought she would never have to ask her husband.

Pediatric surgeon Emma Reeves thought she had it all... until a sudden car crash shattered both her hand and her marriage in one day.

Now healing in her hometown of Fernandina Beach, Emma gets roped into planning her 25th high school reunion alongside her widowed best friend Rose. It's the perfect distraction, until she's forced to work with the one person guaranteed to get under her skin.

Eliot Tate. The boy who went from childhood friend to enemy #1. The man whose mere presence still makes her blood boil.

But when a mysterious photograph surfaces from their past, Emma begins to question everything she thought she knew about him, and about herself.

Some secrets are hidden for a reason. Some wounds take twenty-five years to heal. And some second chances arrive when you least expect them.

This is book 5 of 6 in the Fernandina Beach series. Scroll up to begin reading now!

88 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2026

About the author

June Woods is a coffee-loving beach bum who has spent the last decade traveling the states and meeting interesting people.

She was born and raised in Florida but has called everywhere home for a little while.

She’s been obsessed with reading ever since she learned how to, and has been writing short stories for as long as she can remember.

Her first love will always be mysteries, but she also dabbles in romantic suspense and comedy.

You can expect her books to be light, fluffy, and full of emotion. June loves making her readers feel something, even if it's just laughter.

Follow her on Amazon to be notified when new books are released:
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Reviews

[Maria Logan-Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good beach read. I was disappointed that it’s really one book spread over 6 “books”, like 6 short stories. There were a lot of words missing such as, “…curled her light brown into elegant ringlets.” Probably her hair, but it leaves the reader to fill in the blank. “…put a called Rose…” Maybe “put a call in to Rose”? Or maybe, just “called Rose”. Then there is the incorrect use of I vs. me. It’s Nathan and me, not Nathan and I in the context in which this phrase was used. I didn't bother reading the next 5 short stories.

[Wendy Calhoun · Rating 4 out of 5]

just all right

It was a good premise but the main character is pretty immature about a classmate from 25 years past. That made me not want to read the next as she acts like a middle schooler instead of a woman who is a neuro surgeon.

[Christopher Sloan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh

Drivel. Unresearched, unrealistic, drivel. I don’t know why anyone would bother to write about a neurosurgeon and not 1) know more about how the medical field and hospitals work, and 2) assume that a neurosurgeon would be such an emotional pushover and wimp. Yuck.

[Carolyn Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a short story

The writing was fine and the story has potential. My problem is that it was not marketed as a novella. Not meaning to be a snob or anything but I read fast and I prefer a book I can get into for a whole story. If you like the shorter books, I think if you don't mind reading it over several books to have an ending, you would probably enjoy it just fine.

[Cheryl Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

Where is the 2 nd book? I want to continue reading?
This is frustrating when you want to know how a story ends

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

chapter 1

This is a short fluff novel, with the catch of if you want to know how it ends, buy short novels 2, 3, 4 … And it’s a typical rich popular girl with sad tale of woe

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun quick little story that has 6 books in the series. Extremely quick read. First time reading June Woods.

[Carol Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good next book in series. Love the characters.

[Brew1989 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t understand why this is separated into 6 books. I also don’t understand how someone that knows about FL thinks we have basements. We don’t. We typically have swimming pools below ground, but not basements. Easy going style reading. Easy to like characters. Just wished it was in one book format.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

A lot of us remember awkward school days. Took me back. Good days and awkward, young mistakes and crushes, fun and fights...