Ella Jones knows what to expect from the long, hard winters in the northern reaches of Maine: mostly boredom and monotony, broken up with a bit of skiing or quality time spent with her family. Which leaves her utterly unprepared for the arrival of Benjamin Kakoa, a professional athlete turned advocate in need of a break from fame and notoriety.

With her world - okay, locally - famous wit and special brand of self-deprecation, Ella goes on a full-blown charm offensive to coax Ben out of his shell. But with a rocky past and an uncertain future, Ben's walls are tougher to tear down than she could have ever anticipated. And once they fall, Ella and Ben will have to come to terms with the potentially tragic reality of their love.

Navessa Allen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Into Darkness series. She lives in northern New England on a two-hundred-year-old farm with her husband, their cats, and an assortment of farm animals.