If you are looking for a story that stands out from the rest, check out Abruption by Riley Mackenize. This story is an emotional punch to the gut set in the high energy medical world! A story you will not want to miss. Check out more about this book, read Tina’s Thoughts, and see a glimpse of this book in the excerpt below!
Abruption
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Abruption is a book that hits you in the gut. It shines the light on so many different harsh realities. There is pain, heartache, misery, and death. Yet the story is not without hope. There is life, love, and choice. When I started reading this book, I was captivated by the reality of the story. As you read, you can tell that someone with medical knowledge is sharing their insight. That reality gives the story an authenticity that I really appreciated. It toes the line of giving the reader a new medical world to explore without overwhelming you with extraneous details. It is a perfect balance. Witnessing the constant hustle and bustle of the hospital atmosphere gives the story a backdrop that is both unique and intriguing.
This story is PACKED with emotion. It bleeds both the beauty of human resilience and the desperation of loss. Once I started to read this book, I could not stop. The characters have endured so much. They have loved and lost in ways that are hard to imagine. Guy is a brilliant surgeon and father. It was refreshing to see him embrace both of those roles so well. He loves his kids. There is never a doubt in your mind. You see his sacrifices and his adoration of Finn and Max. Their interactions made my heart flutter. Jules is a beautiful woman and as the story progresses and her story unfolds, her quiet strength is admirable. This woman has endured so many nightmares and has not allowed the world to jade her. She lives for helping children and her connection with Guy and his kids is perfect. The romance between these two is well paced and sweet. They connect in ways that are understood and it allows the story to flow well.
As you read Abruption, you are caught in the ebb and flow of the story. I could not help but feel my heart race every time sweet Finn was rushed to the ER. I was caught up in the growing love story between Guy and Jules. And when things took a shocking turn towards the end, I was left reeling from the reality of what happened and where the story was going. There are moments when you seem at a loss for words and times when your heart stops. To think that this book was written by two people is crazy. The story flows seamlessly and I enjoyed it so much. This dramatic tale is not one to miss. It will leave you stunned and at times emotional, but the beauty of human tragedy is when those brought to despair rise again. This is a beautiful tale of love, hope, and the best and worst of humanity. You will not want to miss it.
“I’m not playing games, Dr. Hunter.”
I backed up until I was leaning on the opposite counter, crossed my legs, and folded my arms against my chest. “Then explain to me why I haven’t heard from you all week. I get it was our first date and it turned into a really shitty night, but I thought we ended on a high note.” Jules’ eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip. Yeah, she thinks it ended on a high note too. “I text, I call a few times, and not once did you think to pick up the phone or text back. I’m the first to admit that I’m rusty in the dating department, actually if you want to know the truth, I haven’t dated since my wife died. I’ve hooked up, not going to lie, but I haven’t dated someone with the intention of getting to know them. You’re the exception. So I’m asking, what’s with the games?”
“I needed a minute.” Her voice was low and trailed off. So much so, I thought I misheard. Then she broke eye contact and scurried away, opening cabinets and drawers for plates and silverware.
“A minute, as in four days?” We apparently had a different definition of a minute, so I needed clarification. Suddenly, the anger I thought I was over began to resurface. “Look, Jules, I’m sorry I don’t have the luxury of tiptoeing around your feelings here, so I’m going to come straight out and tell you that your minute doesn’t work for me. And it sure as hell doesn’t work for my family. I’m not trying to pressure you into anything, but I have kids, kids that already know you. Kids that already like you. This was not news when we hooked up. So if you aren’t into it, into me, or you decided all of a sudden you have an issue with my baggage, I need to know and we’ll end it now.”
Before they get too attached. Liar. Before I get too attached.
Damn, she was making me soft. She froze mid-plate grab and pivoted back around with her eyes squinted together at a peculiar angle. This expression was a new one and not one of my favorites if I had to compare. “Baggage?” She dragged out the word and cocked her head more to one side. Shit. “You think I consider Maxine and Finn baggage?” The tide changed, and I sensed she wasn’t exactly feeling me right at this moment. “Is that what you’ve been thinking all week? Seriously … seriously?” The second seriously hit an octave I’d yet to hear from her and probably could do without hearing again, so I opted to use my northern brain and keep my mouth shut. “How could you even think that? Not for one point one second. Do you hear me?”
Nope, still not answering. That was a trick question.
“Have I ever given you any inclination that I had an issue with Finn or Max, ever? No. Never!” She answered for me, loudly, and she was pissed. “I adore your children, and I’m just as attached to them as they are to me. That’s why we needed a minute. Everything was moving so fast. You don’t even know anything about me and you opened your home to … to me. You called me a natural, for God’s sake. You have no idea. So I didn’t know what to do with that, and you needed time to think about all that. I’m not sure either of us were ready for what we already let happen, never mind more. That’s why I didn’t call.”
Oh, we needed a minute. What were we, French now? I was tempted to call her on it, especially on the half of what she said that made no sense, but the look in her eyes stopped me. There was a vulnerability there, a softness, so I let her have that play. For now.
“Tell me, are you sure now?” I asked with a bite. She turned her back to me and unwrapped and plated the breakfast sandwiches.
Don’t think so, doll. You got your answer, my turn.
I walked up behind her, pressing my front to her back, pinning her in. She involuntarily shuddered, sucking in a bit of air when I kissed the spot where her neck met her collarbone. “Are you sure, Jules?” This time I asked against her skin.
Her entire body stiffened and she whispered, “No.”
Fuck.
Riley Mackenzie…Authors…
Yep. That’s an “s.” There are two of us!
We’re East coast girls separated by Long Island Sound who met in Physician Assistant School and have been besties ever since. We can safely say that thirteen miles of water does not get in the way because we talk or text, no exaggeration, at least 150 times a day. No, really, we do—about everything and nothing. Shockingly, we never (we mean never) run out of things to say. Umm, ever. We definitely laugh A LOT and we’re a tad sarcastic. And if we’re being totally honest, one or two people might have, on occasion, used our names and ‘dramatic’ in the same sentence. But it’s hard to trust the sources since they married us.
It only took twelve years, two husbands, five kids, two dogs, and a two-week vacation in Cape Cod later to decide the romance world needed a splash of medicine. Write what you know.
So you can easily find us at 4 o’clock on Bank Street beach with a glass of cold Prosecco brainstorming. And guaranteed if we bump into you, literally, it’s only because our iPhones are glued to our hands (totally out of our control) either writing or editing our next novel (and yes, it is possible to do from your iPhone, we mastered it … damn those straight quotations).
When we are not working on our book or reading the latest angsty romance on our kindles, you basically name it and we have it going on. Soccer, lacrosse, golf, swimming, dance, gymnastics, football, chess, baseball, basketball, skiing, ice skating, school, homework, and more school.
Oh yeah, did we forget to mention our careers in medicine?
Needless to say, we realized fast that something had to go, so we opted for sleep. It’s completely overrated (yet so AMAZING) and delirium makes everything funnier. Good thing we share a brain and can pretty much complete each other’s sentences (definitely weird, we know).
So that’s our story, who we are … just add AUTHORS to the list!
