My Dearest Dahlia,

I hate that I’ve waited so long to tell you this. Hell, I hate myself for what I’ve done. This is the tenth letter I’ve written you. Each time I promise myself I’ll send it, but I don’t.

She’s still alive, Dahlia! Our daughter, Marissa, is alive. Remember when your mother arranged her transfer to the NICU in a nearby hospital and told you she died a few days later? It wasn’t true.

I visited her everyday that she was there. Then one day, she was gone. A nurse told me that she had been transferred to another hospital, but I couldn’t figure out where. I contacted your mother who came to see me with a lawyer. She offered me a lot of money if I’d give her up. At the time I refused. I couldn’t do that. But you ended things when I went to see you later that day to tell you what happened. You were done with me. Your mother was right. I was a complete fuck-up and loser. I felt like shit. It was my fault you were in such bad shape. I was never there for you. How could I be there for our baby? I couldn’t be the father I wanted to be. I was broke, and she told me she would revoke your trust fund and leave you penniless. I couldn’t do that to you.

You think your parents gave me money as some consolation prize if I dropped out of your life. They were also buying my silence. I signed my life away to them. If I ever told you about Marissa, your mother swore I’d pay and my family would suffer. Back then my mom couldn’t pay her rent and the government was giving her a hard time about survivor benefits. Somehow, your mother magically made the issues disappear. Her influence was that deep, but I don’t need to tell you that. I knew that she would make my life miserable if I ever told you the truth.

I hit bottom after you left. It took me a long time to clean up and figure out what I was going to do with my life. Once I did, I realized my goal was to make things right for you and our daughter. If only I had worked it out sooner, maybe it would’ve been different for us. I regret giving up the two of you. A better person would’ve refused your mother’s offer. But I wasn’t that man then. I don’t know if I can ever convince you of how much I love you and will always love you.

I’ve tried to find Marissa. I even hired an investigator, but came up with nothing. Your mother doesn’t want her found.

Maybe, if we find each other again, we’ll be able to search for her together.

All my Love,

Shane

Ok… PAUSE. If you have not read the prologue excerpt, then stop reading this review and come back when you are done. I will wait *whistles* This review will contain a semi-spoiler from the prologue and nothing more. I promised and I will not give anything away. When Black Dahlia ends, we are left with a BOMB dropped in our unsuspecting laps, which is reiterated in the prologue above and expanded on. That seems to be the trend for Dahlia’s story, and I have to admit it makes this story line so much better! When Dahlia reads the letter from Shawn, she discovers that her daughter is indeed alive; that her mother has lied to her and hidden her away with a family somewhere. This starts the story off in such a way that chaos ensues. Dahlia sets on a search to find her daughter and is met with so much resistance that it seems like she will never find her. All the while she is dealing with her broken yet mending heart, trying to find out what she is going to do with her life. There is so much emotion! There are genuine moments of “What the HECK are you doing?” and moments of pure unadulterated rightness. And that ending!!! Be still my heart… It ended how I hoped, despite the bumps along the way! Fans of the Gilded Flower series will love this installment! This is a perfect conclusion to Dahlia’s tale and I hope Vi is front and center next. There are some mysterious happenings surrounding that girl and things start to get a bit dicey with her.

Want to enter for a chance to win something? Well look no further! In celebration of the new release, Red Dahlia, Vivian Winslow is giving away a Starbucks giftcard! All you need to do it enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win! I don’t know about you but free coffee just tastes so much better! Make sure to enter before it is too late. Good luck!