Shadow Heart

Nobody wants to talk about them, but there are events that occur in our lives that become deep, dark secrets we hold inside. And they dramatically influence who we are and who we become.

Such is the case for seventeen-year-old Nicky Young who was raised by an alcoholic father and disengaged mother.
When Nicky tries to make her way into the world she is confronted by the demons of her dysfunctional and sometimes violent upbringing.

Unlike many of her friends, she has shied away from boys, makeup, and clothes, instead focusing on achievement and her goal of getting into Stanford. But when Nicky meets Ryan Tilton, a sexy, high profile professional baseball player eight years her senior, a strong desire is awakened in her.

Nicky questions Ryan's motives for wanting to be with an inexperienced girl. Is he a scoundrel or does he genuinely care about her? Nicky is both excited and frightened, torn between protecting her heart and wanting to trust. Ryan brings his own demons--losing his father at the age of fourteen, and a sexual partner from his past who will not leave him alone.

Will their young, uncertain love be enough to help them open their hearts and experience intimacy they both crave so deeply or are Nicky and Ryan on a collision course?

Loosely based on the author's life growing up in San Francisco, this inspired contemporary romance novel deals with the disturbing secrets siblings share, the dance between love and protecting one's heart, and the innate desire to connect with another even when it means risking everything.