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Faded Truths: Some truths fade. Others wait in the dark, patient and unforgiving.
Not yet published
Expected 15 Jul 26Edwina
Five years ago, Hayden Stone was the man who changed everything for me. He was my professor, the one person I should never have crossed a line with, yet somehow the only one who ever saw through every wall I built around myself. What began as resentment and defiance slowly turned into something neither of us could control, something dangerous enough to destroy both our lives. Loving him was never simple. It was intense, consuming, and filled with secrets we should never have kept.
And when the truth finally came between us, it shattered everything we had.
Walking away from him was the only choice I had, even if it meant carrying a secret that would change my life forever.
Now, five years later, the past I tried so hard to bury stands in front of me again. Hayden is still the same man who once held my heart in his hands, the same man whose presence makes every carefully built wall around me begin to crack.
But he has no idea what those five years have hidden.
He does not know the truth I have been protecting.
He does not know what part of my life belongs to him. And when that truth finally comes to light, it will not only reopen the wounds we tried to forget. It will force us to face everything we once destroyed, and everything we might still lose.
Hayden
Five years should have been enough to move on. Enough time to rebuild the life that fell apart the moment she walked out of it. Enough time to convince myself that losing her was inevitable, that what we had was destined to end the way it did.
But forgetting Edwina Carter was never something I wanted.
For five years, I searched for her in places I knew she would never return to. In crowded streets, in unfamiliar cities, in quiet moments when memory refused to leave me alone. I looked for traces of the girl who walked into my classroom and slowly unraveled every rule I had spent my life living by.
Edwina Carter was never meant to matter to me. Yet the more I tried to keep my distance, the more she found ways to break through the walls I had built around myself. What we became was reckless and unforgivable.
And when the truth finally surfaced, it destroyed everything we had before either of us could stop it.
But some things refuse to fade.
Now she stands in front of me again, no longer the girl I once knew. Edwina Carter no longer exists. The woman before me is Edwina Rhodes, carrying a new name and shadows I cannot yet understand.
The distance of five years has not erased the pull between us, and every instinct in me warns that getting close to her again will only reopen wounds that never truly healed.
Yet walking away from her a second time feels impossible.
Because there is something about Edwina that still belongs to me, something I sense every time our paths cross.
And the closer I come to the truth she is hiding, the more I realize that the past we tried to bury is not finished with us. Not even close.
Five years ago, Hayden Stone was the man who changed everything for me. He was my professor, the one person I should never have crossed a line with, yet somehow the only one who ever saw through every wall I built around myself. What began as resentment and defiance slowly turned into something neither of us could control, something dangerous enough to destroy both our lives. Loving him was never simple. It was intense, consuming, and filled with secrets we should never have kept.
And when the truth finally came between us, it shattered everything we had.
Walking away from him was the only choice I had, even if it meant carrying a secret that would change my life forever.
Now, five years later, the past I tried so hard to bury stands in front of me again. Hayden is still the same man who once held my heart in his hands, the same man whose presence makes every carefully built wall around me begin to crack.
But he has no idea what those five years have hidden.
He does not know the truth I have been protecting.
He does not know what part of my life belongs to him. And when that truth finally comes to light, it will not only reopen the wounds we tried to forget. It will force us to face everything we once destroyed, and everything we might still lose.
Hayden
Five years should have been enough to move on. Enough time to rebuild the life that fell apart the moment she walked out of it. Enough time to convince myself that losing her was inevitable, that what we had was destined to end the way it did.
But forgetting Edwina Carter was never something I wanted.
For five years, I searched for her in places I knew she would never return to. In crowded streets, in unfamiliar cities, in quiet moments when memory refused to leave me alone. I looked for traces of the girl who walked into my classroom and slowly unraveled every rule I had spent my life living by.
Edwina Carter was never meant to matter to me. Yet the more I tried to keep my distance, the more she found ways to break through the walls I had built around myself. What we became was reckless and unforgivable.
And when the truth finally surfaced, it destroyed everything we had before either of us could stop it.
But some things refuse to fade.
Now she stands in front of me again, no longer the girl I once knew. Edwina Carter no longer exists. The woman before me is Edwina Rhodes, carrying a new name and shadows I cannot yet understand.
The distance of five years has not erased the pull between us, and every instinct in me warns that getting close to her again will only reopen wounds that never truly healed.
Yet walking away from her a second time feels impossible.
Because there is something about Edwina that still belongs to me, something I sense every time our paths cross.
And the closer I come to the truth she is hiding, the more I realize that the past we tried to bury is not finished with us. Not even close.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
"My girl. My little Flare. The only woman I ever wanted badly enough to ruin myself over."
After the absolutely DEVASTATING ending of Faded Touches, I don't think I was prepared for what Faded Truths had in store.
Five years have passed. Edwina has built a completely new life in London under the name Edwina Rhodes. She's no longer the girl who believed love alone could fix everything. She's stronger, guarded, independent, and determined to keep the life she fought so hard to build.
Until Hayden Stone walks back into her life. And LET ME TELL YOU...that first reunion???
I WAS HOLDING MY BREATH.
Five years of unanswered questions, heartbreak, longing, regret, and love that never really disappeared all come crashing back the moment they see each other again. Every conversation felt heavy with everything they never got the chance to say, and the tension between them was absolutely INSANE.
One of my favourite things about this book was watching Edwina reclaim herself.
She's still kind, still compassionate, still so easy to root for, but she's also learned that loving someone shouldn't come at the cost of losing herself. She doesn't simply fall back into Hayden's arms because he reappears. She makes him earn every step back into her life, and I loved that the story gave her the space to choose herself without ever diminishing the love she still carried for him.
Then there's Hayden.
OH, HAYDEN STONE. God... this man absolutely shattered me.
"To her I existed as nothing more than a figure inside a darkened hall, while to me she remained the reason winter had never ended."
Getting inside his head completely changed the way I saw him.
The cold, intimidating professor from the first book is still there, but now we finally get to see everything he's been carrying beneath that carefully controlled exterior. Grief, guilt, regret, hope...it all hits so much harder once you understand what those five years were actually like for him.
Did he make mistakes? Absolutely.
Did I want to shake him sometimes? ALSO YES.
But one thing I never questioned was how deeply he loved Edwina. His choices weren't born from a lack of love—they came from fear, guilt, and believing he was protecting the people he cared about. Watching those layers slowly peel away made his character arc one of my favourite parts of the entire duet.
"Kissing her felt like coming home, a familiar comfort that settled deep within my soul."
What I loved most about their relationship this time around was how different it felt from the first book.
Faded Touches thrived on forbidden attraction, stolen moments, and unbearable tension. Faded Truths is about healing. It's about forgiveness. It's about learning that sometimes love isn't enough on its own—but when two people are willing to grow, forgive, and truly see each other, maybe they can still find their way back.
That emotional shift made this book feel even more special to me.
"What is home now?"
"You," I said. "And Helena."
This one finished me. Because after everything they'd endured, after all the years apart, home was never a place. It was always each other.
I also HAVE to mention Chapters 16 and 22 because...IYKYK.
Those chapters peeled back every last wall Hayden had built around himself and showed a vulnerability I wasn't expecting. They completely reframed parts of his character for me and delivered some of the most emotional moments in the entire duet. I genuinely had to stop reading for a minute just to process everything.
Elvina's writing deserves so much appreciation too. She writes emotion with such quiet intimacy that even the smallest interactions carry so much weight. Whether it's a single conversation, a lingering glance, or one heartbreaking confession, every scene is given the time it needs to breathe, making every emotional payoff hit EXACTLY the way it's supposed to.
Overall, Faded Truths was everything I wanted from the conclusion to Hayden and Edwina's story.
It gave both characters the growth they deserved, answered the questions I'd been carrying since the first book, and delivered a second-chance romance that felt completely earned.
And Hayden Stone? Yeah...He's officially secured himself a spot on my list of favourite fictional men. I'M NEVER MOVING ON.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Faded Truths takes us back into Hayden and Edwina’s world after everything that was left broken between them in Faded Touches. Time has passed, the wounds have deepened, and life has moved forward in ways neither of them could have expected. But when they find their way back to each other, it’s very clear that buried under secrets and heartbreak, the love is still very much there.
Okay, so first of all, if you haven't read Faded Touches yet, this is your cue to disappear for a few hours and go do that first. I'll try my best not to spoil anything, but this duet is one where all the reveals are half the experience and I want you to feel every single one of them so trust your girl and come back later.
“Every inch, every breath. I need you with me, by me. Always.”
I actually waited until the second book was released before starting this duet because I'd heard all about the cliffhanger and let me just say...BEST. DECISION. EVER. I binged both books back to back in a single day and I genuinely couldn't imagine reading them any other way. I knew there was a time jump going into this book...but NOTHING prepared me for opening that first chapter. My heart genuinely dropped. The thought of all that lost time, all that love sitting untouched for years, oh God it really, REALLY hurt my heart.
I don't say this very often, but every now and then a series comes along that I know I'll reread every single year because the couple just means that much to me. Hayden and Edwina are officially one of those couples. I genuinely felt every ounce of their love, their heartbreak, and their longing. When they hurt, I hurt. This duet had such a profound emotional impact on me, and it's easily earned a place in my top ten favourite series of all time...and believe me, I've read a lot of books.
“I swear to God, there is no version of my life that works without you in it.”
Hayden absolutely wrecked me. Yes, he made a mess of things with his secrets, but never once did I feel like he acted out of malice. If anything, my heart just hurt for him. Seeing the emptiness he carried after losing Edwina, how completely hollow he became...it genuinely felt like his life had paused the moment she walked away. Now THAT’S a special kind of love. And when the truth finally came out, the man Hayden became afterwards was honestly my favourite version of him. So gentle, so tender, so intentional. And of course, shoutout to the dirty talk in this book cause dang, no one can dirty talk like the way Hayden can.
And of course my girl Edwina was never a wallflower. She had this beautiful balance between smarts, softness and strength that made her very loveable. She had to make some incredibly difficult decisions throughout this duet and honestly? I understood every single one of them. Watching the woman she became after everything she'd endured made me admire her so much. And while power dynamics definitely exist in this story, I honestly felt like it was actually Edwina held the real power all along. Easily a 10/10 FMC!
“Kissing her felt like coming home, a familiar comfort that settled deep within my soul.”
One thing that really stood out to me throughout this duet was Elvina's writing. She was a new author for me and I was sooooo impressed. There's something so warm and intimate about the way she describes emotions, conversations, even the quiet moments between characters...it all feels incredibly moving. Chapters 16 and 22 were absolute perfection, IYKYK, like they completely finished me off. I was SOBBING like a baby. You can tell this duet was written with so much love and care. Every reveal, every emotional moment, every conversation was so deep, Elvina truly outdid herself. She has this way of making every scene feel personal, like you're right there experiencing it alongside Hayden and Edwina but in like a bubble.
Elvina has absolutely made a fan out of me, and I'm so happy our time in this world isn't over yet. I can already see several characters whose stories I desperately need, and I'll be first in line to laugh, cry, and inevitably sob my way through every single one of them.
Okay, so first of all, if you haven't read Faded Touches yet, this is your cue to disappear for a few hours and go do that first. I'll try my best not to spoil anything, but this duet is one where all the reveals are half the experience and I want you to feel every single one of them so trust your girl and come back later.
“Every inch, every breath. I need you with me, by me. Always.”
I actually waited until the second book was released before starting this duet because I'd heard all about the cliffhanger and let me just say...BEST. DECISION. EVER. I binged both books back to back in a single day and I genuinely couldn't imagine reading them any other way. I knew there was a time jump going into this book...but NOTHING prepared me for opening that first chapter. My heart genuinely dropped. The thought of all that lost time, all that love sitting untouched for years, oh God it really, REALLY hurt my heart.
I don't say this very often, but every now and then a series comes along that I know I'll reread every single year because the couple just means that much to me. Hayden and Edwina are officially one of those couples. I genuinely felt every ounce of their love, their heartbreak, and their longing. When they hurt, I hurt. This duet had such a profound emotional impact on me, and it's easily earned a place in my top ten favourite series of all time...and believe me, I've read a lot of books.
“I swear to God, there is no version of my life that works without you in it.”
Hayden absolutely wrecked me. Yes, he made a mess of things with his secrets, but never once did I feel like he acted out of malice. If anything, my heart just hurt for him. Seeing the emptiness he carried after losing Edwina, how completely hollow he became...it genuinely felt like his life had paused the moment she walked away. Now THAT’S a special kind of love. And when the truth finally came out, the man Hayden became afterwards was honestly my favourite version of him. So gentle, so tender, so intentional. And of course, shoutout to the dirty talk in this book cause dang, no one can dirty talk like the way Hayden can.
And of course my girl Edwina was never a wallflower. She had this beautiful balance between smarts, softness and strength that made her very loveable. She had to make some incredibly difficult decisions throughout this duet and honestly? I understood every single one of them. Watching the woman she became after everything she'd endured made me admire her so much. And while power dynamics definitely exist in this story, I honestly felt like it was actually Edwina held the real power all along. Easily a 10/10 FMC!
“Kissing her felt like coming home, a familiar comfort that settled deep within my soul.”
One thing that really stood out to me throughout this duet was Elvina's writing. She was a new author for me and I was sooooo impressed. There's something so warm and intimate about the way she describes emotions, conversations, even the quiet moments between characters...it all feels incredibly moving. Chapters 16 and 22 were absolute perfection, IYKYK, like they completely finished me off. I was SOBBING like a baby. You can tell this duet was written with so much love and care. Every reveal, every emotional moment, every conversation was so deep, Elvina truly outdid herself. She has this way of making every scene feel personal, like you're right there experiencing it alongside Hayden and Edwina but in like a bubble.
Elvina has absolutely made a fan out of me, and I'm so happy our time in this world isn't over yet. I can already see several characters whose stories I desperately need, and I'll be first in line to laugh, cry, and inevitably sob my way through every single one of them.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4.5 rounded
"Because whatever I did, you were still there. In my head. In my soul. In every damn silence I thought I owned.”
This was like a soap opera that I couldn't stop reading. This one picks up right where the first one ends. You definitely need to read Faded Touches first!
5 years have passed and the wounds have only gotten deeper, secrets and lies have grown. They find their way back to each other but there is so much drama! Their story is NOT easy. It is messy, raw, and so realistic. Full of ups and downs, magnetic pull, tension, overcoming betrayal and lies. Possessiveness, jealousy, uncertainty.
As much as I love both Hayden and Edwina I found myself mad at both of them at times! They both made mistakes. Both made questionable decisions. Again their journey is not an easy one. Both did things. Major things. This was a rollercoaster watching them navigate the path to forgiveness. Healing individually and together. Truly finding their way back to one another. They both endured so much over the years... It all came together beautifully 🥹 I absolutely loved how their story wrapped up. Their second chance was earned and their love conquered. The ending was a tad shocking! Once again the author gave me something I wasn't expecting! Well done! 🖤
✔️Forbidden love
✔️Age gap
✔️Secret child
✔️Slow burn reunion
✔️Second chance romance
✔️ Possessive hero
Thank you for my ARC! I'm leaving this review voluntarily!
"Because whatever I did, you were still there. In my head. In my soul. In every damn silence I thought I owned.”
This was like a soap opera that I couldn't stop reading. This one picks up right where the first one ends. You definitely need to read Faded Touches first!
5 years have passed and the wounds have only gotten deeper, secrets and lies have grown. They find their way back to each other but there is so much drama! Their story is NOT easy. It is messy, raw, and so realistic. Full of ups and downs, magnetic pull, tension, overcoming betrayal and lies. Possessiveness, jealousy, uncertainty.
As much as I love both Hayden and Edwina I found myself mad at both of them at times! They both made mistakes. Both made questionable decisions. Again their journey is not an easy one. Both did things. Major things. This was a rollercoaster watching them navigate the path to forgiveness. Healing individually and together. Truly finding their way back to one another. They both endured so much over the years... It all came together beautifully 🥹 I absolutely loved how their story wrapped up. Their second chance was earned and their love conquered. The ending was a tad shocking! Once again the author gave me something I wasn't expecting! Well done! 🖤
✔️Forbidden love
✔️Age gap
✔️Secret child
✔️Slow burn reunion
✔️Second chance romance
✔️ Possessive hero
Thank you for my ARC! I'm leaving this review voluntarily!
July 9, 2026
First off I just want to say thank you to Edwina and her team for the opportunity to ARC read Faded Truths in exchange for my honest review. I was so happy to ARC read this after ARC reading Faded Touches.
This book picks up five years after the end of the previous book, and ALOT has changed. Without spoiling, Edwina has had some major life changes when she’s comes back into contact with Hayden again. And this time it’s her with the secrets. I love how much more confident Edwina has become since Book 1, whether that be because of age or life experience. And Hayden seems like the same obsessed man as in book 1, if not more. But when they interact for the first time.. couldn’t put it down.
This book picks up five years after the end of the previous book, and ALOT has changed. Without spoiling, Edwina has had some major life changes when she’s comes back into contact with Hayden again. And this time it’s her with the secrets. I love how much more confident Edwina has become since Book 1, whether that be because of age or life experience. And Hayden seems like the same obsessed man as in book 1, if not more. But when they interact for the first time.. couldn’t put it down.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews