Southbound Surrender

Synopsis:

Five days. Fifty square feet. One last shot at love. 

Cash Rowland first laid eyes on the tenacious and irresistible Piper Sullivan when they were both seventeen. He falls for her hard and just when he thinks she's doing the same, Piper is torn from his life without warning. She leaves no contact information but only a vague promise of fate. 

Five years later, their paths unexpectedly cross. When he shows up with his eighteen-wheeler unannounced, Cash persuades Piper to head out on the open road to give him one last shot at love. But what should be a routine delivery across six states suddenly becomes an unforgettable journey when they save a woman with a broken past and discover that second chances are only for the lucky ones.

 

SouthboundSurrender

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My Review

I was given this book by author for honest review. Truck driver Cash has been in love and searching for Piper for 5 years ever since they were torn apart by circumstances in high school. The universe is all about signs if you pay attention and know how to read them. Funny and sweet with a lot in between.

Excerpt

“Damn,” I mutter as I open the door and scramble out. They don’t teach this stuff in trucking school, but …

            It’s the woman I love. Plus, if I’ve learned anything in my twenty-two years of life, it’s that thugs can’t be trusted.

            So I sprint around the grill of Cash Money and rush to Piper, pulling at her arms that are stocked full of apples. “Let’s go, NOW!”

            “Cash, let go!” she yells back as the apples tumble out of her arms and onto the street. “We’ve got to pick this stuff up so we can go –”

            “They’re stealing my load!” I sputter. Then she looks back to the woman who’s sitting on the road, barely pretending to pick up anything. Her legs are splayed wide open to showcase what she’s wearing underneath her skirt: nothing. I pull at Piper’s arm again. “We have to get back in the truck before they steal that, too. NOW!”

              “Oh God,” she shrieks as she finally follows me back to the truck. I swing around the front to meet the surly eyes of a thug wearing a black hoodie. He raises his hand to display a switchblade. The blade glints in the sun as he jabs it toward me, but it stops short of my body. I’m not sure if the jab is a threat or a promise. All I know is that this guy looks certifiably crazy, and he definitely has plans to steal Cash Money.

            “Back off,” he warns in a thick accent. He’s most likely Cuban.

Welcome to the Gateway of America. 

I raise my hands in the air and that’s when I hear a sound pierce the sky that nearly breaks me in two. Piper’s bloodcurdling scream comes from the other side of the truck. The thug inches the blade closer, threatening me now, and I do what he least expects me to do.

I punch him.

Because if I’ve learned anything else in twenty-two years, it’s that I’ve outrun a gun with a punch. I’ll take my chances outrunning a knife.

 

Playlist:

Jason Mraz – I’m Yours

Mumford and Sons – I Will Wait

Ben Harper – Steal My Kisses

Sugar Ray – Spinning Away

Johnny Cash – Burning Ring of Fire

Johnny Cash – Walk the Line

Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly – Cruise

Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel

Luke Bryan – Country Girl

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

Ray Charles - Georgia on my Mind

Author Bio:

 

Raen Smith is the author of the Unraveled Series and Southbound Surrender. She loves writing about complex characters with a sprinkling of happily ever after. 

When she isn't writing novels, she spends her time wrangling two small sons and teaching at a technical college. She lives in a small corner of Wisconsin with her husband and two sons. 

Author Links:

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