The headline in the small town newspaper read Young Woman Missing, Presumed Dead or Worse.
Leigh Lawson returned to Nags Head, North Carolina after four years with a huge shock. That big and bold headline was about her! Everyone thought she was dead!
Thetruth was that she was doing well. While gone, she had gotten cleanfrom drugs and worked hard to get her bachelor’s degree in engineering.With her life back on track, she returns home in hope that she willreceive a warm welcome. Instead, she gets the townsfolks' disdain.
Everyonehates her, everyone except Jason Altarez, an ambitious and resilientreporter with his sights locked on Leigh. He chases her with oozingcharm and romance, but does he really want her or is he after his nextstory?
Leigh’slife soon spirals out of control when the police recruit her for anundercover assignment. They want her to go back to the life of hertroubled teenage years, back into the drugs, and help them to bring thelocal drug supplier to conviction. It may be Leigh’s only chance toredeem herself with her family and friends. If she can complete thisone assignment, the town will forgive her. The only problem is that sheneeds to figure out how to stay alive in the process…
Jasonis her continuous partner through it all, proving his dedication to heras he struggles to keep her safe. Leigh wants to believe he is a man ofhis word. She wants to believe that her heart isn’t completely foolishfor falling for him, especially when she discovers evidence that Jasonmay be working for the very drug dealer that Leigh is trying to havearrested. Will he betray her in the end or will he demonstrate the mostromantic notion of all – that love at first sight truly exists?
Praise and Reviews
"A haunted past that comes back, a sex
club, dirty cops, a hitman, drugs, the FBI, an old boyfriend,
reporters, romance and sandy beaches. Altered Beginnings grabs you
right from the start and keeps you reading."~Book Reader Fairy (Romance in the Backseat Reviews)
"New
author, Destiny Booze, shows real writing potential in her debut novel,
Altered Beginnings. The story was interesting from beginning to end,
and I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists in the plot. The
heroine was interesting and anything but clichéd..."
~Goodreads Review by Deviousfairie
"Ms.
Booze has written a provocative story here. It grabs the reader from
page one and keeps them reading through the end. The grammar and
technical writing is spot on, keeping the reader in the story and not
distracting from the action."
~Long and Short Reviews
"...I
loved this story from beginning to end as well as everything in
between. The characters were well developed and I could see and feel
everything that they were seeing and feeling..."
~Mind Fog Reviews
"My 82 yr. old grandmother started reading this at 9 p.m. as she
generally reads before falling asleep. She tried to sleep but the
thoughts about this book and the action made her want to continue
reading it. She had read it before she realized that it came to an end.
That was at 2 a.m. All of us reading it here in Maine loved it and
everyone has said they will look for your next book as an author they'd
love to read from again."
~Facebook Comment by Anastasia Cassella-Young
"...Leigh
is fascinating, and Jason is intriguing as the intrepid journalist. The
friendship she has with her brother and former best friend give the
tale a warmth that the extremely serious mystery needs. The drugs,
prostitution, and violence can be harsh, but the players' concern for
others keeps the story encouraging. The dialogue is well done, and
relatively clean for a book dealing with violence. While the bad guy is
known early, the reasons are worth waiting for. ...this is a very
interesting book. The dual love stories added to the book and were a
perfect platform for changing loyalties. The sequel is set up well,
without being flagrant. I look forward to reading it when it comes out."
~Coffee Time Romance & More
"The
book keep me wanting to come back for more. It was very hard to put
down. very exciting and excellent to read. The author is great. I hope
to see more of her books"
~Barnes and Noble Review by Teresa21
"What a book. This is a 220 some page book that was pacted with information, drama,
romance, etc. It only took me a couple of days of reading and that is
with interruptions. The writer doesn't give you a lot of unnecessary
information. She makes all the necessary information available in short
and sweet words. The characters and traits were right on the mark. For
a short book there was a jam pack excitement and thriller."
~Barnes and Noble Review by smd_569
"This was really a fantastic book. Others that I have shared the book
with just can't say enough good things. One friend bought the book to
take on vacation for a "beach read" but couldn't wait after she read
the first page and read the whole book before even leaving for
vacation...said she just couldn't put the book down. Good work Destiny."
~Amazon Review by Becky Booze
