Sound of Silence Series by Taylor Dean

Great big beautiful love.Does it really exist? Everyone tells me it does. They say, “Spencer Elliott, don’t worry, you’ll find it one day. You just have to find the right man and when you do, it will surprise the heck out of you.”I’m still waiting for that heck of a surprise to hit. It has proven to be elusive thus far. I’m pretty sure the entire world is lying about love and the joke is on me.I know I want a man in my heart and in my life... moreGreat big beautiful love.Does it really exist? Everyone tells me it does. They say, “Spencer Elliott, don’t worry, you’ll find it one day. You just have to find the right man and when you do, it will surprise the heck out of you.”I’m still waiting for that heck of a surprise to hit. It has proven to be elusive thus far. I’m pretty sure the entire world is lying about love and the joke is on me.I know I want a man in my heart and in my life. Unfortunately, most men immediately push my OFF button and I lose interest quickly.Feeling pressure to prove I’m trying to find my soulmate, I finally give in and agree to a date. Huge mistake. Afterward I find myself abandoned in the middle of nowhere, in desperate need of help.That’s when I meet Stony by chance.He’s a silent and unsmiling man who intrigues me with his ability to keep going after life has knocked him down. Suddenly the abstract notion of love becomes tangible and within my reach. Once I experience it, I wonder how I ever lived without it.That’s when I stay with Stony by choice.But when Stony’s hidden past and present-day reality collide, his silence is broken. And the truth about his life nearly brings me to my knees. I can’t compete with ghosts from the past.I refuse to fight for a man’s love. He either loves me or he doesn’t. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.My only hope is . . . he does. less

My hometown decided to rename me Jailbird.Every day I silently scream out, “My name is Mia Faraday!” My time in jail does not define me. I am so much more than one heated mistake. And yet, my slip-up weighs on me. There’s so much more to the story than anyone realizes. I must face Stony, my ex, and confess everything.I don’t want to. I’d rather have five teeth pulled. While I’m awake. Without anesthesia.But this is something I have to do, something I need to do. Not just for Stony... moreMy hometown decided to rename me Jailbird.Every day I silently scream out, “My name is Mia Faraday!” My time in jail does not define me. I am so much more than one heated mistake. And yet, my slip-up weighs on me. There’s so much more to the story than anyone realizes. I must face Stony, my ex, and confess everything.I don’t want to. I’d rather have five teeth pulled. While I’m awake. Without anesthesia.But this is something I have to do, something I need to do. Not just for Stony. I need to do it for me. Especially for me. I can’t move forward with my life until I gain closure from the past.When I meet Grayson Elliott, I am easily pulled into his orbit and it’s exactly where I’d love to stay. He makes me laugh and not take life so seriously. He makes me want to live again.But I don’t love me right now, and that healing needs to come first. I’m not relationship-ready or marriage material. My mind is focused on redemption. I want it. I need it.Besides, when Grayson hears about my colorful past, I’m sure he’ll be gone before I have time to utter the word goodbye.After all, who could ever love a jailbird? less