Katlyn Duncan - This Summer

Before college, before responsibilities, Hadley Beauman and best friend Lily are determined to have a summer to remember. There will be all the usual dramas - ex-boyfriends who don't seem to know what 'ex' means, pesky younger brothers with unrequited crushes, but what Hadley didn't anticipate was the out-of-the-blue return of the seriously hot boy-next-door, Will Carson. The boy who broke her heart when he skipped town two years ago.

Will may have shot up a foot and filled out (oh yes), but inside he carries the weight of guilt - for leaving, for coming back... Now he's just passing through to tie up loose ends, but it's clear the old chemistry still crackles between him and Hadley. Trouble is, it's built on two years of lies...

This summer might just be the best time of their lives, but is Hadley ready for everything to change - again?

Praise for KATLYN DUNCAN

‘Katlyn Duncan’s YA debut, Soul Taken , is a thrilling ride that will leave you breathless for the next page, and curious to find the true soul we nurture within.’ Jennifer Murgia, author of the Angel Star series and Between These Lines

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‘Wow! Talk about a completely unique concept with tons of new ideas, roles, and characters that took me on an exhilarating adventure.’ 4.5 stars from I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews on Soul Taken

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‘I really loved this book. From the first page I was totally hooked and couldn’t put it down until I was finished.’ Dark Faerie Tales on Soul Taken

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‘ Soul Taken is a BRILLIANT read! …This is one of those books to look out for.’ 5 stars from A Diary of a Book Addict

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‘It is a quick read and leaves you excited for the next installment of the series…Can’t wait to read more from this debut author!’ 5 stars from Allie Kacmar* on Soul Taken

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‘I loved the book, such a fast read. I felt like I knew each character personally…Then mix in the excitement of the souls being taken, it really makes you think.’ 5 stars from Joanne* on Soul Taken

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‘ Soul Taken is a tasty morsel indeed.’ 5 stars from Nicky Peacock*

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‘Wow! What a story. While I enjoyed the first book Soul Taken , Soul Possessed takes this story to a whole new level. In this book, the stakes have been raised, extra layers have been added to a story that will keep you glued to its pages till you get to the cliff hanger conclusion.’ 4 stars from Realm of the Shappired Dragon

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‘ Soul Taken and Soul Possessed were super good! The main character was spunky and fun, and utterly different from other main characters. The plot was original and I did not see some things coming. The writing was spectacular , and I read both books in a matter of days. There was the perfect amount of angst, tension, and passion all blended together.’ 4.5 stars from Tween 2 Teen Books

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‘ONE of the best I’ve read this year! I dare someone to read this series and tell me I am wrong! DARE! This is a very promising series that I have no doubt will leave everyone who reads it with intense desire for the next chapter!’ from Dark Novella

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*Amazon reader reviews

Also by Katlyn Duncan

The Life After trilogy:

Soul Taken

Soul Possessed

Soul Betrayed

This Summer

Katlyn Duncan

www.CarinaUK.com

Katlyn Duncanhas been reading and writing since before she can remember. Her earliest memories involve dragging her mom to the store to get the latest Goosebumps book. She earned two science degrees and currently works in the medical field. She spends her free time writing, reading and renovating her Victorian “fixer upper” in southern New England with her husband.

To amazing summers filled with DMB, TBS, DQ and Frodo Baggins

Contents

Cover

Blurb

Praise

Book List

Title Page

Author Bio

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Four

Extract

Endpages

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

Hadley

“There’s the heartbreaker!”

I stop in the middle of my driveway and glare at my best friend, Lily. She’s grinning madly.

I roll my eyes. “Is this going to be a thing?” I shout over the radio blaring from her car. I glance at the houses across the street and hustle to the passenger door.

Lily reaches for the volume and turns the music down to a level just below ear-shattering as I slide into the passenger seat. She snaps her gum, still holding onto her smile. “Probably.” Her hand leans on the horn.

I slap her hand away from the steering wheel.

“What?”

“You know Mrs. Jones hates that.” My neighbor across the street spends most of her day peering between her curtains, taking her self-appointed neighborhood watch duties very seriously.

Lily blows a raspberry and I shake my head.

“You know you love me,” she says.

Ethan, my eager seventeen year old brother, bounds out of the house.

“It’s not every day that Hadley Beauman breaks it off with the most drool-worthy guy in school,” Lily continues.

“That’s the thing,” I say, adjusting the hem of my shorts over my tanned legs. “We aren’t in school anymore. So technically it’s not a big deal.”

Lily hoots. “I see my methods are finally rubbing off on you. It’s about damn time.” She flips her chestnut waves over her shoulder. “It feels good, doesn’t it?” she says in a low, seductive voice.

I roll my eyes. Lily has no experience with a boyfriend but she has plenty with guys. Men, mostly. She finds high school boys too immature.

“Not really,” I say honestly. Carter and I were together for barely a year.

Ethan opens the back door and jumps in.

I sneak a glance at him and I’m blasted with his scent: some cologne that Mom gave him for Christmas. It’s a fight to get him up and showered in the morning, never mind put on scent, but I knew he didn’t do it for me.

Lily turns around in her seat and unleashes a smile at him. He gives her a lopsided grin. I don’t know how she does it, but with just a look she manages to turn even the most confident guys into blithering idiots. My brother never stood a chance. “Looking good, Ethan. A two-week cruise really does the Beauman clan well.” She flicks her finger at a lock of my sun-kissed blonde hair that had lightened even more over the graduation vacation from my parents. Dad was busy with work so it was my mom and her best friend along with Ethan and me.

Lily puts the car in reverse, then brakes so quickly I’m thrown back in my seat. I grab the seatbelt. “Why are you stopping?”

Lily’s head is turned toward the house next door. The two story cape that I’ve avoided looking at over the past two years. “What’s with the sign?”

“Dad told me they are selling the house,” Ethan chimes in.

My breathing constricts as I break the promise to myself and look up at the sharp lines of the house. I can just see the corner of Will Carson’s window from this angle, but I tear my focus away and look over the overgrown lawn to the 'For Sale' sign near the curb. A blue car idles in the driveway and I squint to make out who is in the driver’s seat.