The Leftover Son

(A closed-door romantic suspense) Book 1 of the Portrait of an Unlikely Affair series

She is the face the whole world knows. He is the ghost in a shadow world not meant to be seen.

Avonlea Stone is movie royalty, living life in the spotlight until a violent encounter forced her into the shadows. Seeking refuge in the mountains of Montana, she’s just looking for a chance to breathe and not be a celebrity. She never expected her boyfriend’s family to be hiding a secret of their own: Brian. He is the brother no one spoke of, a kindred spirit in the dark, and sees the woman behind the famous face. He is a mystery Avonlea wants to know more about.

But Brian is something Avonlea isn’t supposed to know. In the shadows of the visible world lie secrets that must be guarded—and a hidden few tasked with making sure they stay there. This quiet little town is the home of those few. Known to the military only as 249, Brian is a living weapon with a ticking clock in his veins. What he is should never exist in a civilized world.

But where the world would see a threat, Avonlea sees a man.

In the quiet corners of Cable Glen, an improbable friendship begins. But with Brian’s health unraveling, and his secrets at stake, this tale is on a collision course with his deadly reality – and a shadow world that has to remain out of the light.

Previously published as “Portrait of an Unlikely Affair,” by Em Brooks

This is just the beginning of a six-book adventure that entangles the reader in life, love, and honor.

Tropes found in this book/series:
*Shadow and Spotlight (Opposites Attract; Celebrity/Military)
*High Stakes
*Military Thriller
*Closed-door Romantic Suspense
*Small Town with a Dark Secret
*Forced Proximity
*Ticking Clock
*Complicated Relatives
*Protector Closed Door Romance
*'90s Nostalgia
*Secret Identities
*Cliff hangers endings resolved in the next book
*A series that builds with each book