Don’t Speak
~a modern fairytale~

by Katy Regnery

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Blurb

From New York Times bestseller Katy Regnery comes a new twist on a beloved fairytale.

A fisherman’s daughter.

The governor’s son.

Two very different worlds.

In this modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, a fisherman’s daughter from an Outer Banks island untouched by time, meets the son of North Carolina’s governor at a fancy party where she’s working.

Laire, who wants so much more from life than her little island can offer, is swept away by wealthy, sophisticated Erik, who is, in turn, entranced by her naiveté and charm. The two spend a whirlwind summer together that ends on the knife-point of heartbreak and forces them to go their separate ways.

Years later, when fate leads them back to one another, they will discover the terrifying depth of the secrets they kept from each other, and learn that shattered hearts can only be healed by a love that willfully refuses to die.

**Contemporary Romance. Due to profanity, adult themes and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**

Watch the TRAILER 

 

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Review 

5 “we make our own rules” stars

“We’re just two tiny specks of dust in a big, wide world,” she murmured. “But I feel so much, Erik. I feel so much, it’s like the whole universe couldn’t hold it even if it tried.”

An all-consuming, forbidden romance turns into a gripping, second-chance love story in Don’t Speak, another beautifully written book by Katy Regnery that will fill your heart with love and make you believe in fairytales. It is a  deeply moving and stunning love story that has easily found a special place in my heart.

Eighteen-year-old Laire Cornish is the daughter of a well-known fisherman and lives on the fairly remote Corey Island, in the outer banks of North Carolina. Isolated from the outside world most of the time, Laire dreams of escaping the island and exploring all the world has to offer. But until the day she can make her dreams come true, she works for her dad at his commercial fish house. Little did Laire know, helping her father with a blue crab delivery would put her directly in the path of Erik.

Erik Rexford is the son of the Governor of North Carolina and thus lives a high society lifestyle. Though he has everything he could ask for, Erik sometimes wishes his life were simpler and that he didn’t have to conform to the demands of “North Carolina royalty.” On the eve of his twenty-first birthday, his life forever changes when he notices a beautiful girl on his property. Though it’s clear they are from two different worlds, this notion does nothing to stop the attraction he immediately feels towards her. He cannot explain it, but there’s something about Laire that catches his eye and he longs to know her.

This was his last summer of freedom…And that girl walking so purposefully toward a shabby old fishing boat? With her windblown hair, big green eyes, and freckles? Somehow she felt like freedom.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The emotion this book pulls from you encompasses everything from the good to the bad. A great blend of sweet and sexy, angst and intensity, and so many feels, it will grab your attention from the first page and hold onto you long after the last word is read. It’s an enchanting love story that will break your heart only to then perfectly piece it back together.

I am not always a fan of insta-love but the way it was done in this book was so beautiful and it fit with the story and the setting. I felt the connection between Laire and Erik the moment they first laid eyes on each other, and I adored watching the friendship that developed. The feelings they couldn’t fight strengthened the intensity of their attraction. A mere  look makes your heart skip a beat, a single touch sends shivers through your body, and even a gentle kiss will take your breath away. Laire and Erik loved fiercely, deeply, madly, and I felt every minute of it.

She was an unlikely obsession, this girl he’d known for such a small amount of time. Were he asked under fire, he couldn’t possibly account for the depth and certainty of his feelings for her. It was like being swept away on a current he couldn’t fight. He could either move with it, or he could drown.

Don’t Speak is broken into two parts. Part One shows the beautiful beginning of a forbidden young love that grows into a love that feels like forever. When their two worlds collide, their love is ripped apart leaving nothing but broken hearts in its wake. Part Two shows the gorgeous second-chance romance that develops when two hearts meet again and realize that true love is never-ending.

I found myself reading the first part slowly, savoring the beauty of their new love only to be speeding through the second half in desperate need of a happily ever after. It was so sweet and wonderful in the beginning that I was dreading the angst I knew was coming. My heart was racing and my stomach was in knots when things started to go down. I knew it would be difficult to live through all that happens and it was. I felt so much for both of them.

“When I lost you, I lost…everythin’. There was a hole inside me the size of a crater…and nothin’, nothin’ on God’s earth, could have filled it but you.”

I loved the middle section of the story; it was a clever way to pass the time and though it was painful, it warmed my heart to hear Laire’s words. And, when Erik and Laire meet again, I was filled with so much emotion and couldn’t contain my tears. I felt what they felt. The pain, sadness, betrayal, confusion, and guilt were all there, but those emotions were overshadowed by the intense love that still consumed them completely. I knew there was a lot for them to overcome if they want to find themselves in one another’s arms again, and I thought the second part of this story when they come face to face with each other again was so well-done.

My love for these characters sort of snuck up on me and before I knew it I was completely invested in their lives and this love story. They were wonderfully written and well-developed. They complimented each other and balanced out their differences while not negating them. Laire was beautiful inside and out, and a genuinely nice person with a huge heart who loved with her whole self. Her innocence is refreshing, and though she was sheltered growing up, she didn’t allow that to hinder her dreams. Her aspirations were admirable and I loved watching her mature over the years.

Erik was such a fantastic man and I couldn’t help but fall in love with him right along with Laire. He was so patient with her and her naivety. His reaction to it was overwhelmingly sweet, and his understanding of her inexperience warmed my heart. He was honest and interested in her as a person, and I loved that he went all in when it came to Laire. His protective streak made me smile and his devotion to Laire was astounding.

“I didn’t just love you as a kid or as a summer fling or as anything that was temporary. Don’t you see? I loved you as a man, in every season, forever.”

I loved the side characters as well and the relationships Laire had with Mrs. Sebastian and Erik had with Hillary. Their unconditional support and love helped lessen the wickedness of some of the other characters. I also enjoyed the references based on The Little Mermaid. Everything flowed beautifully and added to the fairytale feel of the book. A beautiful epilogue rounded out this story concluding another fantastic addition to Katy’s ~a modern fairytale~ collection.

*ARC generously provided by the author and L. Woods PR in exchange for an honest review*

 

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 ~a modern fairytale~ collection

 

*All novels Katy Regnery’s ~a modern fairytale~ collection are written as fundraisers. 10% of the e-book sales for March and April 2017 will be donated to P.E.O. International, a non-profit organization that celebrates the advancement of women, awards scholarships and grants, and provides motivation for women to make their dreams come true.

 

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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.

Twenty-five books later, Katy claims authorship of the multi-titled, New York Times and USA Today Blueberry Lane Series, which follows the English, Winslow, Rousseau, Story, and Ambler families of Philadelphia; the six-book, bestselling ~a modern fairytale~ series; and several other standalone novels and novellas.

Katy’s first modern fairytale romance, The Vixen and the Vet, was nominated for a RITA® in 2015 and won the 2015 Kindle Book Award for romance. Katy’s boxed set, The English Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1–4, hit the USA Today bestseller list in 2015, and her Christmas story, Marrying Mr. English, appeared on the list a week later. In May 2016, Katy’s Blueberry Lane collection, The Winslow Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1-4, became a New York Times E-book bestseller.

In 2016, Katy signed a print-only agreement with Spencerhill Press. As a result, her Blueberry Lane paperback books will now be distributed to brick and mortar bookstores all over the United States.

Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, two dogs, and one Blue Tonkinese kitten create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories begin at home.

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