All This Time
Annabelle McCormack
(Brandywood, #1)
Publication date: October 25th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Almost ten years ago, Samantha Redding swore off her hometown of Brandywood, Maryland. Sure, she misses her family, but she’s over the gossip and drama that came with small-town living. Besides, she has the photography career she always dreamed of now.
Then her mom gets sick. Faced with a long stay at home, Sam is forced to relocate a holiday photoshoot to Brandywood to meet a tight work deadline. Only problem is, she needs help from the townspeople she’s spent years distancing herself from. Strangely, Sam finds an ally in someone who kept her at arm’s length all his life: brooding and sarcastic Garrett Doyle—the guy that dumped her best friend at the altar years before.
But Sam never knew Garrett tried to keep his distance because he was really in love with her. And he’s just come back to town after trying to get his life together. Garrett knows he ought to stay away—but the sight of her brings back all those old feelings. Anyway, she’s leaving Brandywood soon enough, and then he can go back to trying to forget her.
. . . except, Sam’s about to discover that everything she thought she knew about home—and Garrett—was wrong.
A contemporary romance with steamy, open door romance and tear-jerking moments about facing the past and finding forgiveness, All This Time is the first book in the Brandywood Small Town Romance Series. CW: alcoholism, abuse, cancer, language
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Excerpt 1
Opening Scene
Seven months. That’s how long Sam Redding had been promising her sister that she would be at the hospital for the birth of her newest niece. Trust a freaking snowstorm in November to get in the way. I hope Laura’s in a forgiving mood.
The heels of Sam’s boots clopped against the tile, a mix of shuffles and loud thunks as she attempted to fling off the snow clinging to them. Sam stopped and glanced back at the trail of dirt and slush she’d streaked from the hospital lobby to the front desk to the elevators. She grimaced, then glanced around.
If the lady at the desk had noticed the mess, she didn’t appear to be concerned. The security guard by the door, on the other hand, watched her warily.
The elevator chimed and Sam jumped in, away from his scrutiny. She didn’t need one more person irritated with her. She wanted to be excited about meeting her niece, but all she felt was the nauseating burn of apprehension in her stomach. Laura had been annoyed when Sam had missed Bella and Carson’s births. “You’re my only sister, Sam. You couldn’t have tried to be there?”
With the door closing, Sam rolled her shoulders. The soft mechanical whir lulled her, despite the odd scent combo that could best be described as locker room sweat, green pepper and onion pizza, and heady men’s cologne. The smell only made her feel worse.
Would Laura be mad? Her texts had been terse. She had to know Sam couldn’t have done anything to control the weather. Sam had wanted to be here the last two times. But work had interfered and she hadn’t been experienced enough to know how to stand up to her boss for well-earned leave. This time, Sam had been more prepared.
She made her way down the hallway and found the room number, then took a moment to gather herself.
The door squeaked as Sam opened it a fraction. She tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. “Hey. You awake?”
Author Bio:
Annabelle McCormack spins you tales of epic historical adventure, heartfelt romance, and complex family dynamics with strong female protagonists to make things interesting. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Writing Program. She’s a sucker for pizza (cheese, bread, and tomatoes are the perfect foods) and mangoes, loves baking and photography, and never wants to do laundry again. She lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, where she serves as a snack bitch for her (lucky-they’re-cute) five children and three boxers.
She’s half-Costa Rican and speaks fluent Spanish, so you can always drop her a line in either English or Spanish. Pura vida!
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