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Saving Mercy
Ryan Callahan Intelligent. Pensive. Reclusive. DECEASED Mercy Hunter Ambitious. Optimistic. Independent. LIVING Ryan thought he was on the fast track to his dream life. That is, until he woke up without a pulse. Realizing he has no way to leave the space where he took his last breath, he fears he is destined to spend eternity within the confines of his dreary apartment walls. Mercy was certain she had left the clairvoyant tendencies of her bloodline behind. However, when she arrives at her new apartment in blustery Chicago, she is shocked to find that the previous tenant, Ryan, has stayed behind. As their unique friendship blossoms, Ryan begins to think he's been left behind to act as Mercy's protector, but she doesn't seem to be the kind of woman who wants to be protected. Meanwhile, Mercy is convinced it's her job to help Ryan cross over, but as she grows to know him, she's not entirely sure she's selfless enough to let him go. As they struggle through the complexities of their relationship, they realize that the collision of their worlds isn't just coincidence. It's fate.
- GenresParanormal
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2015
8 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Tillman
19 books35 followersNicole Tillman is an author who hasn't always had a love of reading. As a child, she struggled to string words together and would hide in the back of the classroom with her head down in hopes that the teacher would forget she existed. Eventually, she was introduced to a young adult series by a family friend and her love of reading bloomed.
Nicole now weaves her own stories, content to lose sleep in order to write both contemporary romance and thriller/suspense novels. She lives in the Ozarks of Missouri with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Nicole has an Associates Degree in General Studies though Missouri State University and was on her way to completing her Bachelors in Creative Writing when she decided to take a sabbatical to focus on work and her family. Now a stay at home mother, she dedicates her time to her boys, writing, and photography.
Contact Nicole
Facebook- facebook.com/authornicoletillman
Twitter- @ncotillman1
Blog- authornicoletillman.wordpress.com
Email- authornicoletillman@gmail.com
Nicole now weaves her own stories, content to lose sleep in order to write both contemporary romance and thriller/suspense novels. She lives in the Ozarks of Missouri with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Nicole has an Associates Degree in General Studies though Missouri State University and was on her way to completing her Bachelors in Creative Writing when she decided to take a sabbatical to focus on work and her family. Now a stay at home mother, she dedicates her time to her boys, writing, and photography.
Contact Nicole
Facebook- facebook.com/authornicoletillman
Twitter- @ncotillman1
Blog- authornicoletillman.wordpress.com
Email- authornicoletillman@gmail.com
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 19, 2016
I can honestly say this was a little unexpected gem. Not your conventional romance but a beautifully told ghost story written in multiple points of view.
Mercy is the daughter of new age parents that have filled her childhood years with a hippy nomadic life. She has craved stability and the first chance she gets after graduating is to move away to the city after a friend finds her a normal everyday job.
She finds an apartment that has a ghostly occupant and his name is Ryan.
I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough with this book. I wanted to know why Ryan was there in limbo. Who was Willa the little girl that kept appearing and disappearing leaving puzzles with no answers. He was there for a reason she told him and it was to do with Mercy.
If you want to read something very special that will hold your interest from start to finish, this is a book that will do just that.
Mercy is the daughter of new age parents that have filled her childhood years with a hippy nomadic life. She has craved stability and the first chance she gets after graduating is to move away to the city after a friend finds her a normal everyday job.
She finds an apartment that has a ghostly occupant and his name is Ryan.
I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough with this book. I wanted to know why Ryan was there in limbo. Who was Willa the little girl that kept appearing and disappearing leaving puzzles with no answers. He was there for a reason she told him and it was to do with Mercy.
If you want to read something very special that will hold your interest from start to finish, this is a book that will do just that.
April 27, 2015
Where do I even begin? I think first of all that it was genius that right up front you find out that Ryan is a ghost. Sometimes when I read a book, trying to figure out something that important takes away from me actually enjoying what I'm reading. Secondly, the love story within the love story made me gasp at the end. Did NOT see that coming. Lastly, the entire existence of Ryan... His actual purpose actually made me tear up. 5 HUGE stars for Saving Mercy!!!
April 5, 2015
Amazing, beautiful, and totally unexpected!
When I started to read this book, I didn't even know what it was about. This is a multiple POV book, and written so well.
We start meeting Ryan. A young guy who wakes up one morning and finds that he recent ailments aren't hurting him anymore. He had been complaining about headaches, but his doctors couldn't find anything wrong. He thinks his prayers have finally been answered. Shortly after waking, he starts realizing the horrifying truth - as he finds his body still in bed.
So, he must have been wrong, this wasn't his prayers being answered...or were they?
Now Ryan hasn't moved on. He can't leave his apartment. He's stuck. He doesn't know how to get beyond where he is, and he doesn't know what he has missed.
Enter Mercy. She has had an unconventional upbringing, and she is trying to find the path she wants to be on. She moves out to be closer to her only friend, but when she finds an apartment to move into, she knows something is off. She doesn't know what it is until she's confronted by a man in her apartment.
The man is Ryan.
Such a fun, sweet, great read. I am so glad I got this, and will be looking for more from Nicole.
When I started to read this book, I didn't even know what it was about. This is a multiple POV book, and written so well.
We start meeting Ryan. A young guy who wakes up one morning and finds that he recent ailments aren't hurting him anymore. He had been complaining about headaches, but his doctors couldn't find anything wrong. He thinks his prayers have finally been answered. Shortly after waking, he starts realizing the horrifying truth - as he finds his body still in bed.
So, he must have been wrong, this wasn't his prayers being answered...or were they?
Now Ryan hasn't moved on. He can't leave his apartment. He's stuck. He doesn't know how to get beyond where he is, and he doesn't know what he has missed.
Enter Mercy. She has had an unconventional upbringing, and she is trying to find the path she wants to be on. She moves out to be closer to her only friend, but when she finds an apartment to move into, she knows something is off. She doesn't know what it is until she's confronted by a man in her apartment.
The man is Ryan.
Such a fun, sweet, great read. I am so glad I got this, and will be looking for more from Nicole.
April 10, 2015
The start of this book was from Ryan's POV and he was getting headaches, then suddenly he wasn't. He also wasn't alive. I wasn't sure where this book could go, but it did surprise me. Mercy moves into his apartment and realises something is different about it. Her parents have an alternative lifestyle, but she wants to be the exact opposite and so tackles this issue her way. That is until she can see and hear Ryan. He also has a 'helper' on his side called Willa who provides nice comic relief for the reader with the heavier topic. Mercy can't see her, but she tries to guide Ryan and help him adjust. Just when I thought I had it all pegged, a situation occurs and everything changes. This is where it got even more interesting and we see how life works in mysterious ways. I got a little emotional at the end and was really happy with how it worked out.
April 10, 2015
One of the best reads! I found myself smiling, laughing and crying more times than I can count. A refreshingly new love story that had me hurrying to finish. Loved the ending immensely. I found this book in the same league as Nicholas Sparks good!
April 10, 2015
I loved this book. This is the first book by this author that I have read. She has made me a fan. She made me care about the characters. She made me want to know more about the characters. She made me feel.
June 29, 2016
Mercy Hunter just graduated High School and has made a major decision to move to Chicago on her own. Not without her hippie parents blessing, Mercy leaves home to live a “normal” life. She has never been one for the hippie lifestyle her parents forced upon her and her brother Lyric, so Mercy is off on her own journey to discover what the corporate world is really about. Will Mercy make it in the Windy City?
Mercy was a very unusual child, wanting or needing structure in her life. Structure her parent's could not provide for her, but thought they had. When Mercy arrives in Chicago, she is held up at her friend Drew's place until she finds a job and her own apartment. Drew sets up the job for her, where he works, and she falls ass backwards into an apartment in Chinatown. Having a very open mind, and spiritual background, Mercy immediately feels a disturbance in her new apartment. That disturbance is Ryan's ghost, and it all goes to hell in a hen basket from there!
Ryan's story was short, but to the point and sad. When Mercy meets Ryan, it was fate, a set up for the future that is to be. During the friendship and falling in love bond these two crazy kids went through, we the reader where nudged in the back of our mind that this was for a reason, but I didn't know what that reason was. I couldn't help but ask why, why now? Mercy is alive and Ryan is not. Why have them fall in love if they can never be together. Knowing that this union couldn't exist, I was still intrigued. The story was so well written and had an on going steady pace that just sucked you in. In the end, I was shocked and teary eyed. The ending was so unexpected, just as the love story with Ryan and Mercy. That ending my friends was the last thread that was holding me back from loving this book! If you believe in life after death, and love romance with a little paranormal, than this book is right up your alley!
*Book provided by the author for an honest review*
Mercy was a very unusual child, wanting or needing structure in her life. Structure her parent's could not provide for her, but thought they had. When Mercy arrives in Chicago, she is held up at her friend Drew's place until she finds a job and her own apartment. Drew sets up the job for her, where he works, and she falls ass backwards into an apartment in Chinatown. Having a very open mind, and spiritual background, Mercy immediately feels a disturbance in her new apartment. That disturbance is Ryan's ghost, and it all goes to hell in a hen basket from there!
Ryan's story was short, but to the point and sad. When Mercy meets Ryan, it was fate, a set up for the future that is to be. During the friendship and falling in love bond these two crazy kids went through, we the reader where nudged in the back of our mind that this was for a reason, but I didn't know what that reason was. I couldn't help but ask why, why now? Mercy is alive and Ryan is not. Why have them fall in love if they can never be together. Knowing that this union couldn't exist, I was still intrigued. The story was so well written and had an on going steady pace that just sucked you in. In the end, I was shocked and teary eyed. The ending was so unexpected, just as the love story with Ryan and Mercy. That ending my friends was the last thread that was holding me back from loving this book! If you believe in life after death, and love romance with a little paranormal, than this book is right up your alley!
*Book provided by the author for an honest review*
April 12, 2015
Disclosure; I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!
This book starts out with Ryan’s point of view, and honestly, I kind of questioned whether or not I would like it. I’ve never read a book like this before, but oh my gosh, I was hooked after a few chapters!!
Saving MercyThere were times that definitely made me laugh, quite a few times that made me cry!
In fact, when I got to the part where Mercy’s full name was used, I got a giggle out of it and had to let Nicole know! Mercy Earth-Echo Hunter. Pretty creative!
Shortly after waking one morning, Ryan Callahan discovers the truth that he is no longer among the living. He can move and see everything, but can’t grab anything, and when he walks in his bedroom, he sees his body laying in bed…. dead.
Mercy Hunter’s parents are Hippies who don’t stay in one place for too long, and she wants a normal life. She movies to Chicago shortly after graduating high school, to her parents’ disappointment. She finds the perfect apartment for her to live in, in Chinatown. The apartment just so happens to be where Ryan passed away.
Mercy is the only one who can see Ryan, though it takes a bit after moving in before she can see and communicate with him.
The story just gets better and better from there! Ryan and Mercy form a very odd friendship.
This book starts out with Ryan’s point of view, and honestly, I kind of questioned whether or not I would like it. I’ve never read a book like this before, but oh my gosh, I was hooked after a few chapters!!
Saving MercyThere were times that definitely made me laugh, quite a few times that made me cry!
In fact, when I got to the part where Mercy’s full name was used, I got a giggle out of it and had to let Nicole know! Mercy Earth-Echo Hunter. Pretty creative!
Shortly after waking one morning, Ryan Callahan discovers the truth that he is no longer among the living. He can move and see everything, but can’t grab anything, and when he walks in his bedroom, he sees his body laying in bed…. dead.
Mercy Hunter’s parents are Hippies who don’t stay in one place for too long, and she wants a normal life. She movies to Chicago shortly after graduating high school, to her parents’ disappointment. She finds the perfect apartment for her to live in, in Chinatown. The apartment just so happens to be where Ryan passed away.
Mercy is the only one who can see Ryan, though it takes a bit after moving in before she can see and communicate with him.
The story just gets better and better from there! Ryan and Mercy form a very odd friendship.
April 10, 2015
This book... Man, this book. I have read the majority of what Nicole has written. I love her style, I love her quirk, she's just good at what she does. Saving Mercy, though... this is hands-down, without a doubt, her best work yet. I cannot tell you the number of giggles, full out laughs, or the number of tears this book caused me. There is no predicting what will happen. Just when you think you understand, BAM! Plot twist- and a hell of a plot twist it is.
This book is written in a dual point-of-view (POV) and I think, for this story, it was the right choice. It is so well written, and she really gets into character when she writes their thoughts. To be able to get inside both main characters heads is just incredible. You can feel Ryan's panic and sadness when he realizes he's stuck in the apartment; you can see how frustrated Mercy is with her smart ass, nonliving, and unwanted roommate. You get to be on both sides of all the raw emotions as they get to know- and eventually like- one another, and it's just like a double kick in the feels. It's emotional, and heart-wrenching, and it's suspenseful... it's just beautiful. Really beautiful.
This book is written in a dual point-of-view (POV) and I think, for this story, it was the right choice. It is so well written, and she really gets into character when she writes their thoughts. To be able to get inside both main characters heads is just incredible. You can feel Ryan's panic and sadness when he realizes he's stuck in the apartment; you can see how frustrated Mercy is with her smart ass, nonliving, and unwanted roommate. You get to be on both sides of all the raw emotions as they get to know- and eventually like- one another, and it's just like a double kick in the feels. It's emotional, and heart-wrenching, and it's suspenseful... it's just beautiful. Really beautiful.
April 11, 2015
I recieved a copy of this book free for an honest review.
I began reading without knowing what it was about and honestly it was an unexpected gem.
It begins with Ryan's POV where he wakes to find he feels great for a change. It doesn't take long for him to realise he's dead.
Moving to Mercys POV Mercy leaves home to get away from her hippy parents and try normality as she calls it. Her friend Drew gets her a job, she gets an apartment, and yep it's Ryan's and he's still there and she can see him.
Ryan has Milla helping him adjust and find the reason he didn't pass over.
I don't want to spoil anything so you should read it,it has twists, turns, awww moments, lots of emotion and humour throuout which really made the book for me.
The characters were easy to get into and totally likeable I even loved the landlady lol.
A beautiful story I'm glad to have read
I began reading without knowing what it was about and honestly it was an unexpected gem.
It begins with Ryan's POV where he wakes to find he feels great for a change. It doesn't take long for him to realise he's dead.
Moving to Mercys POV Mercy leaves home to get away from her hippy parents and try normality as she calls it. Her friend Drew gets her a job, she gets an apartment, and yep it's Ryan's and he's still there and she can see him.
Ryan has Milla helping him adjust and find the reason he didn't pass over.
I don't want to spoil anything so you should read it,it has twists, turns, awww moments, lots of emotion and humour throuout which really made the book for me.
The characters were easy to get into and totally likeable I even loved the landlady lol.
A beautiful story I'm glad to have read
April 12, 2015
AMAZING READ!!!!
I want to start off by saying this is first book that I've read by Nicole Tillman and now I'm asking myself WHY did I wait so long?!?! I've bought a couple of her books and had them in my kindle waiting but they will now be moved up my list to be read.
Nicole is very talented. From the moment I started reading Saving Mercy, I was hooked. It wasn't what I expected but in a very good way. Nicole made me connect with the characters. I found myself laughing a lot but then also crying at times. This is a beautiful story that is full of unexpected twists and turns. It is well written with two phenomenal main characters that make it a page turner. I didn't want to put the book down until it was finished in one sitting. Saving Mercy is a must read! Well done Nicole Tillman!!! :)
I want to start off by saying this is first book that I've read by Nicole Tillman and now I'm asking myself WHY did I wait so long?!?! I've bought a couple of her books and had them in my kindle waiting but they will now be moved up my list to be read.
Nicole is very talented. From the moment I started reading Saving Mercy, I was hooked. It wasn't what I expected but in a very good way. Nicole made me connect with the characters. I found myself laughing a lot but then also crying at times. This is a beautiful story that is full of unexpected twists and turns. It is well written with two phenomenal main characters that make it a page turner. I didn't want to put the book down until it was finished in one sitting. Saving Mercy is a must read! Well done Nicole Tillman!!! :)
April 10, 2015
Wow.
It's been a long time since I've read a book that literally changed my mind.
Saving Mercy did that and more.
It is safe to say I love this book.
Mercy and Ryan made me laugh, made me cry- they made me feel. To me, they exist on some plane, they just have too because they were too real not too.
I will admit, I thought I would enjoy Saving Mercy, that it would be a good read. I didn't have any other opinion about it other than I would mildly enjoy it and go about my life.
It may be just me, but the lessons I took from this story will stay with me. Blame it on hormones or whatever you want, but Saving Mercy is so much more than a novel. It was a story that needed to be told, that needed to live.
And I am so very happy I read it.
It's been a long time since I've read a book that literally changed my mind.
Saving Mercy did that and more.
It is safe to say I love this book.
Mercy and Ryan made me laugh, made me cry- they made me feel. To me, they exist on some plane, they just have too because they were too real not too.
I will admit, I thought I would enjoy Saving Mercy, that it would be a good read. I didn't have any other opinion about it other than I would mildly enjoy it and go about my life.
It may be just me, but the lessons I took from this story will stay with me. Blame it on hormones or whatever you want, but Saving Mercy is so much more than a novel. It was a story that needed to be told, that needed to live.
And I am so very happy I read it.
April 12, 2015
I love this book! It is about love and finding your peace. Mercy and Ryan were each other's peace. Their love was fate and necessary for their families to continue and for an important person to come into the world. While Mercey was saved and found her love. I think Mercy and Ryan's love was fated and needed to happen so that their loved ones could find their own love and peace. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. And it will become one of the books that I pull out again and again
April 11, 2015
Never thought I would like a story about ghosts.
BUT, this was a wonderful story that will have you gasping for air and crying in sorrow.
The love in this story was written so well mhm the author that you will feel it.
Definitely will be reading more,from this author.
BUT, this was a wonderful story that will have you gasping for air and crying in sorrow.
The love in this story was written so well mhm the author that you will feel it.
Definitely will be reading more,from this author.
May 5, 2015
3.75 stars.
Overall it was a good read. I just found the end odd. It was suddenly about 2 different characters and the main characters were suddenly out of the picture. 2 characters that didn't really play a major role throughout the book. Otherwise I would have given this book a solid 4 stars.
Overall it was a good read. I just found the end odd. It was suddenly about 2 different characters and the main characters were suddenly out of the picture. 2 characters that didn't really play a major role throughout the book. Otherwise I would have given this book a solid 4 stars.
October 18, 2016
The ghost roommate is a story that seems to be growing in popularity with the women of today going crazy over romances that have some sort of incredibly large stumbling block. I’ve found several other books by indie authors all with the same plot. But this one is different starring a hippie girl in a modern world. I thought it would take a larger turn into paranormal, but aside from the ghost (which people are almost convinced exist within the real world) there really wasn’t anything else paranormal. (I almost expected Ryan’s headaches to have some sort of large mystery behind them, but after he died, they just got dropped from the plot). There was a moment where Mercy’s brother and Ryan’s sister both used the same odd nickname for their siblings even though they didn’t know each other, so I thought that might have an odd psychic connection. “Bub” Honestly, I’ve never heard anyone, aside from Wolverine in X-men use that term (and he certainly wasn’t using it as an endearment). (I have heard “bud” as short for buddy, so I suppose it could have been typoed). Though this is a romance, they don’t ever actually act as if they are in love with each other (until it’s too late, which was rather depressing). I know as a ghost story, it can’t not dwell on death, and there was the discussing of religion, too, which I guess couldn’t have been avoided either, neither of which sit all that well with me. But it did keep me reading right till the end, I loved Mercy’s new York experience and trying to adapt to life in the modern world, and I did like the characters of Ryan and Mercy so much that I almost regretted coming to the end of the book and having to say good-bye to the two of them.
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February 7, 2018I have no idea what to say about this book or how to rate this book.
So the heroine meets the dead hero and they fall in love and then the heroine also dies.
Now the dead hero's sister and dead heroine's brother come together to share their grief and then they get married and have a kid.
So this kid is named after the small girl ghost who was hanging out with the dead hero.Right.
So the heroine meets the dead hero and they fall in love and then the heroine also dies.
Now the dead hero's sister and dead heroine's brother come together to share their grief and then they get married and have a kid.
So this kid is named after the small girl ghost who was hanging out with the dead hero.Right.
November 26, 2019
Love these Characters
This is a unique and wonderful romance. It took me by surprise from beginning to end the way the 2 love stories came together. Thank you for another great book!
This is a unique and wonderful romance. It took me by surprise from beginning to end the way the 2 love stories came together. Thank you for another great book!
November 11, 2022
Unexpected
I really like this book! It's nothing like I've ever read before.. I love stories about ghost romances and every time I read them I hope they get their happiness. This book was unexpected. I can't say more other then, YOU HAVE TO READ IT! 😊 ITS SO GOOD!
I really like this book! It's nothing like I've ever read before.. I love stories about ghost romances and every time I read them I hope they get their happiness. This book was unexpected. I can't say more other then, YOU HAVE TO READ IT! 😊 ITS SO GOOD!
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November 18, 2019zero.
I have read some dumb/forgettable/annoying books this year, but this one by far is the worst one of all.
I have read some dumb/forgettable/annoying books this year, but this one by far is the worst one of all.
January 7, 2024
Cute story, easy read. I wanted to hear more of Ryan and Mercy's story. But even with the ending the writer chose I still enjoyed it and felt it was worth my time.
April 5, 2025
This was not what I expected, but in a good way. Would recommend!
July 23, 2015
AGHHHHHH! ⬅ that's excitement! ! As soon as I opened the page I was hooked like a hooker on crack! This Book is officially one of my favorites in the YA ! Ryan and Mercy's story was phenomenal, I couldn't get enough! I cried through it alot it was a very beautiful and emotional Rolla coaster for me, I have to say this is the best YA book I have ever had the pleasure of reading that's passing the twilight series so for it to pass that is insane!! I pray that this book becomes a movie so I can watch it over and over again! this was one of first books I have ever read that had a ghost love story and now I am "just like where is my ghost boyfriend " !!! definitely deserves 5 stars if given anything lower than that they are crazy!! loved it!!
April 27, 2015
This is an amazing book. A detour from her usual writing style, this break into paranormal romance is a complete success!!! I've always been a fan of paranormal romance, so I was eager to read what she came up with. Though the paranormal factor is not very heavy, I still loved this book!!! It had me crying at the end, and I even gasped out loud!! I most likely looked like a mad man reading this book, smiling, frowning, and laughing out loud. This book plays on all your emotions. You will never want it to end. However, the end is such a twist, you will agree that it couldn't have ended any other way. READ THIS BOOK!!!!!
July 2, 2015
I purchased this book on a whim because the storyline sounded interesting. After I got about 20% in it felt kind of one-dimensional and I didn't get why Ryan and Mercy were attracted to each other. Then there was a HUGE twist I didn't see coming and it went in a completely different direction. What an awesome story! The synopsis does not give you even a hint of what the story was about, which was really refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this book and cried at the end. Wonderful!!!
August 21, 2015
Love foils impossibilities, but it's hard to guess just how love will find a way between Saving Mercy's point-of-view characters Mercy, a young woman making her own in a new apartment in Chicago, and Ryan, the ghost who is trapped within those apartment walls. Add a quirky and cute know-it-all young spirit who acts as Ryan's guide to his rather stagnant and uneventful afterlife, and the story is complete with philosophical musings on im/mortality and building romantic tension. A twist ending makes this book a fun and thoughtful read.
May 9, 2015
I loved it. It's different to what I normally read but I really enjoyed it. It left me all warm and fuzzy inside.
This book is a roller coaster ride of emotions. It's easy to relate to the characters and be emersed in their situation. The story shows how life really does go full circle and there's a lovely little twist at the end.
This book is a roller coaster ride of emotions. It's easy to relate to the characters and be emersed in their situation. The story shows how life really does go full circle and there's a lovely little twist at the end.
May 21, 2015
3.75 stars
May 28, 2015
Check out my full review on my blog! http://thehopelessreader.blogspot.com...
November 7, 2016
Beautifully written!
Not my usual read but I'm so happy I did! I enjoyed every moment of this story so much I read it in one sitting. I'll be reading more of Nicole Tillmans work.
Not my usual read but I'm so happy I did! I enjoyed every moment of this story so much I read it in one sitting. I'll be reading more of Nicole Tillmans work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews