Spotlight & Giveaway: A Place for Us by Patricia Grayhall

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Patricia Grayhall’s new release: A Place for Us: A Novel

For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Harper Bliss, a thrilling tale of two women who find each other irresistible but struggle for a second chance for love, redemption, and sanctuary when the world is against them.

Jo, a driven environmental attorney based in Washington, DC, and Lauren, a spirited young woman from Britain on a journey of self-discovery, find themselves in a serendipitous encounter at a lively London pub in 1981. Their brief yet profound connection generates a whirlwind of emotions, but the vast ocean, Jo’s career aspirations, and immigration hurdles thwart their burgeoning romance.

Fast forward twenty-two years, and Jo and Lauren are unhappy in their current relationship. Fate intervenes when Lauren and her partner travel from Europe to visit Jo in her San Francisco home. The reunion is electric, rekindling a storm of emotions that neither can suppress, despite their efforts to honor their existing commitments.

Amid the majestic backdrops of Yosemite National Park and the Pacific Northwest, old passions can’t be denied, leading to dramatic confrontations and painful revelations. Jo and Lauren finally realize they must admit the truth: they are irresistibly drawn to each other. But there is no country in which they can legally live together.

A Place for Us is a poignant narrative of profound emotional depth. Will this second chance lead to happiness, or will the same forces that once drove them apart prevail again?

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from A Place for Us: A Novel 

After dinner, Brenda read her book by flashlight from the comfort of her camp chair, while Delphine returned to the tent to lie down. A full moon rose just above the horizon as Lauren and Jo cleared the dishes and washed them at the water pump.
“Have you ever seen a moonbow?” Jo asked Lauren.
“Never,” said Lauren. “What is it?”
“When the moon is low on the horizon, it catches the mist of a waterfall and creates a rainbow. The conditions are perfect for it tonight, with the full moon rising. Shall we hike up the Lower Yosemite Falls and find one? We’ll have to hurry before the moon gets too high.”
A frisson went through Lauren. This was just what she’d hoped for. “Sure, I’d love to,” Lauren said, tossing the dish towel on the table and grabbing a flashlight and her jacket.
“Bren, are you coming?” Jo asked. Brenda looked up, her headlamp blinding Lauren.
Lauren held her breath. No, please don’t come.
“No, I’m in an exciting part of my book.”
Lauren let out her breath. There wasn’t time to tell Delphine.
Lauren hugged herself to contain her excitement as Jo drove them up to the falls’ parking lot. Guided by their flashlights, they advanced up the short trail. Lauren stumbled once, and Jo caught her arm.
When they stood before the falls, the cool mist on their faces, Lauren couldn’t believe she wasn’t in a dream witnessing the magnificence with Jo in the moonlight. The roar of the falls seemed to meld with the pounding of her heart. Even with others nearby, the world contained only the moonlight, Jo, and the water roaring over the edge above them. She reached for Jo’s hand and squeezed. Jo returned the pressure and didn’t let go. Lauren was afraid to move, lest Jo remove her hand, so warm and strong. Could Jo feel her bounding pulse?
Moments later, Jo dropped her hand and turned. “Shall we head back?”
They’d missed the moonbow. But it didn’t matter to Lauren. I got what I wanted.
When they were away from the roar of the water, Jo linked her arm with Lauren’s, pulling her off the trail at one of the rest stops. Lauren’s knees wobbled. She still hadn’t recovered from the rush she’d experienced holding Jo’s hand at the falls.
“There’s something I want to say while we’re alone,” Jo said.
Lauren searched Jo’s eyes in the moonlight and thought she saw an answer to her own longing. But it can’t be.
“I regret what happened with us,” Jo said. “Back then, I didn’t have the wisdom I do now. At thirty-one, I believed the world contained infinite possibilities for love. Now, at fifty-three, I realize that in a lifetime, you connect on a soul level with only a few special people. You’re one of those people, Lauren.”
Tears welled in Lauren’s eyes, and she felt as if her chest would burst. “You were always that person for me, Jo.” She swallowed hard to suppress a sob.
“I know it’s too late for us. Life moves on. You have a partner, a home in France, an exciting job. I’m entangled with Bren. But I needed to tell you this because of how we ended.” Jo smiled. “Although maybe you noticed the teapot I carried with me all these years, just like I carried the memories.”
Lauren struggled to pull herself together. “I did.”
Their faces were so close. Jo looked as if she might kiss her. Then she let go of Lauren’s arm. “Shall we continue?”
Lauren followed her to the car, lightheaded and stepping carefully. Tears threatened her vision, and she brushed them away. It’s too late, Jo said. But does she still have feelings for me? The look on Jo’s face in the moonlight suggested she did.

Excerpt. ©Patricia Grayhall. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

Giveaway: A print copy of A Place for Us by Patricia Grayhall

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Meet the Author:

Patricia Grayhall is a retired medical doctor and author of the memoir Making the Rounds; Defying Norms in Love and Medicine, which garnered a starred Kirkus Review and many awards, including the 2024 National Indie Excellence Award LGBTQIA Non-fiction and Memoir and the 2023 Best Indie Book Award Winner in LGBTQ Memoir.
Patricia published a romance novel, Golden Years and Silver Linings, with her wife in 2023, her first foray into fiction writing.
Her third book, A Place for Us: A Novel, was inspired by her experience immigrating with her partner to Canada and will be published by She Writes Press on June 3, 2025, and distributed by Simon and Schuster. Abby Craden narrates the audiobook.

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