Spotlight & Giveaway: The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak

Posted April 11th, 2023 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Spotlight / 32 comments

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Brenda Novak’s new release: The Seaside Library

In this sequel to the highly successful Bookstore on the Beach, this book about books sees three friends reunite in the beach community where they grew up twenty years after a tragic incident changed the course of their lives.

Three friends–Ivy, Ariana and Cam–reunite in the touristy beach town where they grew up together, coming together at the local library at which Ivy works. Twenty years ago their town, mostly frequented by tourists in summer but with a small local population, was shattered when a young girl went missing and Cam was accused, as he was the last person to be seen with her. His two best friends, Ivy and Ariana, knew their friend could never have kidnapped or harmed anyone, so they believed him and stood up for him–went so far as to lie for him. Then, partially based on their testimony, he got off, and the girl who went missing was never found.

Now, twenty years later, the girl’s body has been found, and the circumstances lead Ivy and Ariana to wonder if they were wrong all along. But even though they have begun to suspect Cam might have been the culprit, after all, they are both in a terrible situation. If he’s innocent, their defection and admission could destroy his life. And if he’d guilty, they’re complicit in what happened, because they covered for him so many years ago.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from The Seaside Library

Ariana felt herself tense. The possibility that Cam might’ve had something to do with the twelve-year-old who’d gone missing when they were in high school still gave her nightmares. She was surprised he’d be the one to bring her up, especially so casually. Was that a good sign? Or the sign of a complete psychopath? “Your wife thinks you might be responsible for what happened? Even though Ivy and I…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence, but he jumped in at that point, saving her from trying to force the recalcitrant words from her throat.
“Yes.”
“Why?” Ariana asked.
“Because of the rumors. Because I was a person of interest in the past. She’ll bludgeon me with any weapon she can.”
“But you’re not a person of interest now…” Ivy said.
“Not that I know of.”
Ariana shifted in her seat. “You haven’t heard from the police?”
“They’ve stopped by once or twice,” he replied. “But I think they’re just poking around, asking questions. They’re under pressure to solve the case. I get that. But seeing them at the house freaks Melanie out.” He sighed. “I don’t like it, either. Believe me, the last thing I want is for the investigation to focus on me again. It was bad enough the first time. But she’s only making it worse by saying weird stuff.”
“Like…” Ariana prompted.
“Like I’m so aloof she doesn’t really know me. Or I only married her because of Camilla and would leave her if we didn’t have a child together.” He waved a hand. “It goes on and on. I’m dealing with enough doubt and suspicion. I’d like to be able to rely on my wife to trust me.”
“It must be hard to feel she doesn’t,” Ariana agreed.
“It is,” he said. “There are other people on the island, people I’ve known most of my life, who are watching me closely, too–like I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Being one of his doubters made Ariana feel slightly guilty. How could she? He’d been a good friend to her.
She’d allowed the “what ifs” that’d cropped up since leaving the island to overshadow all her reasons for believing in him. But maybe that would change now that she’d returned. To feel absolutely secure in standing by him would lift a huge weight from her shoulders. He sounded sincere–truly tortured over what’d happened to Emily Hutchins–and she felt terrible for what he was going through as a result.
What if they’d been correct when they were in high school? What if he was completely innocent of any wrongdoing, and they’d stopped circumstances from making him a victim, too?
That was a possibility. But the opposite could also be true—and the consequences of what that would mean sent a shiver through her. What if they’d been wrong?

Excerpted from The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak. Copyright © 2023 by Brenda Novak. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

Giveaway: 1 Finished copy, The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak -unsigned, US entrants only

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Meet the Author:

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Bookbuyer’s Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.
https://brendanovak.com/books/the-seaside-library/