YOU NEVER KNOW

When the man of her dreams asks her to marry him, Alexis is in for a bumpy ride.

The novel opens on Alexis Roberts sitting in shock after having been attacked by an intruder in her home. Then the prologue flows into flashback, more than a year earlier. Alexis is hard of hearing, so when she meets Marcus Roberts at a work fundraiser and finds that he's not only handsome and charming, but also adept at American Sign Language, she's smitten. Of course, it’s complicated; Marcus’ ex-girlfriend steals him away in the middle of his flirtation with Alexis, and Alexis herself is weighing a proposal of marriage from her boyfriend. But as the days go by, she can’t get Marcus out of her head, and soon enough they begin a whirlwind courtship, leading her to break up with the boyfriend. Then, just a few short months after they first made eye contact at the fundraiser, Marcus pops the question, and all seems blissful. But…it may just be his confidence and worldliness—after all, he is about a decade older than Alexis—but Marcus seems to be pretty particular about getting his way. It starts with some disagreements about the size of the wedding, but soon enough, he's constantly criticizing Alexis for the money she spends on fixing up their house and the hours she spends working her job. He also seems to spend a lot of time in secret “client” meetings and whispering on the phone. At the same time, Alexis is convinced she's seen her ex following her. All this paranoia builds to a fever pitch as Alexis faces some major life decisions—and remembers how strong she is. Despite the lack of true surprise in any of the twists, there is a painful buildup of tension as Briscoe reminds us that true monsters hide in plain sight.

A crash course in what it takes to recognize and survive abuse.