The One, a sizzling sexy thriller plunges readers into a world of obsessive love and shocking betrayal. How well do you really know the one you love? The One proves that no one is exactly who they seem.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
The blue Cayenne hybrid SUV wove its way down the steep canyon road. It hugged each curve at a measured pace as it navigated the sharp hairpin turns. Within the car, a handsome, middle-aged couple argued. They had been in a quarrelsome discussion for some time, and tension infused the air.
“Lars, this is ridiculous. You can’t be sure of your decision. All of these years—a lifetime’s work! The repercussions could ruin everything we’ve worked for.” She ran her fingers through her bobbed black hair in frustration.
“Listen, honey, sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling. You have to stand up to the powers that be.”
“But your reputation!”
“My reputation will survive. It’s my conscience that I have to live with.” His angular, lined face was set with resignation as his fingers gripped the wheel.
Faye looked at her husband’s profile, her eyes and words pleading. “But why now? Can’t you wait a little while longer? There might be another way. There’s so much more to be done.”
Turning to look at her with a softness that belied his words, he answered, “I’ve waited too long already. My mind is made up; I’ll make the announcement at the conference in Germany. The press will be there, along with distinguished representatives from both the political and scientific communities. Believe me, Faye; this will lead to a healthy debate among everyone 4
involved. Too much is at stake. Someone needs to stand up. What I’m planning is just what is needed.”
Faye’s eyes filled with tears as she turned them back to the road. In that instant, she became aware that the car had picked up speed. “Slow down, Lars; you know how I hate this road. I don’t know why you insist on taking it.” Her voice, normally modulated, rose in volume as adrenaline flowed through her veins. “Lars, please slow down!”
Lars pressed his foot on the brake pedal to slow down. When the brake hit the floor he felt his heart leap from his chest. In a complete panic, he began pumping and pumping, desperately trying to force the brakes to engage.
Turning to his wife, his eyes strained with fear; all color drained from his face. “Jesus, Faye, something’s wrong with the brakes, they're not engaging.”
“What do you mean they're not engaging?”
Lars pumped the brakes like a bellows, but they responded only with a sickly wheeze. As the downward slope increased, the vehicle continued to pick up speed, swerving from left to right as Lars desperately tried to correct the imbalance. “What the hell’s going on!?”
The runaway vehicle reeled, slamming Faye against the door. “Lars, stop the car. You have to stop the car!”
“Damn it, Faye, I’m trying!”
Skerrrt, the tires screeched as Lars tried to keep the SUV on the road. In a complete panic, Faye braced herself against the seat as she grabbed Lars’s arm. 5
Faye’s screams were like fingernails dragged across a chalkboard. “Stopppp!”
Lars clutched the steering wheel, fighting to gain control as the Porsche bumped the wall of rock at the side of the road, which forced it to cross into the other lane. In a cold sweat, he jerked the steering wheel, and the car swerved back toward the mountain. The Porsche bounced off the wall of rock a second time, careening toward a hairpin turn.
Faye’s scream rose above the screeching of the tires. “I don’t want to die!” Desperately, her fingers clawed at her husband’s shoulder, anxious to hold on to the man who had been her world. Her life passed before her eyes in a fraction of an instant. “Oh my God, what will happen to Adelia without us?”
“Lucas, will—“ Lars words were lost as he fought to hold the screeching tires on the road, but the wheels would not sustain traction, and the car plowed through the guardrail. The man and woman, their eyes filled with terror, turned to each other in a last look as the SUV shot out like a rocket into blasting off, tires spinning. For a moment, it seemed as if the car might fly. Then the front end dropped, and gravity pulled the car toward the earth. The canyon echoed with Faye’s unearthly screams and the sound of the Porsche turning end over end as it bounced off the cliff walls, hurtling down the mountain until it landed on its roof at the bottom of the ravine with a final crash. The tires spun like a roulette wheel. Loosened gravel and rock cascaded downward—a landslide of earth and debris set off by the impact. Then came utter silence until a flock of frightened birds rose out of the canyon, their wings flapping and their cries penetrating the stillness. The only witnesses to the deadly crash flew in a frenzy out of the canyon, heading for a safer haven. 6
As if nothing had happened, the sun continued to warm the earth, the breeze wafted through the trees—life continued. The only signs of what had occurred were the black skid marks and a missing guardrail. The vehicle lay at the bottom of the canyon. The man and woman who, only moments before, had argued within it were dead. Whatever they had argued about—no longer mattered.
Professional Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
In Ami's debut novel, a beautiful equestrienne finds herself caught between her husband, who wants ownership over her body, and his sister, who's desperate for a child.
Adelia Lidstrom, a successful horsewoman just beginning to make her mark in the world of equestrianism, finds herself emotionally unmoored when her environmentalist parents are killed in a car crash. Enter the handsome Miles Bremen, a wealthy sustainable-energy investor, whose power and impulsiveness awakens her unexplored erotic desires. She quickly marries him, but she's unnerved by the constant presence of his infertile twin sister, Karolin, who uncannily resembles her. Karolin begins to act very oddly after the couple gives birth to twins, constantly badgering her brother about a mysterious plan--and a secret promise he made to her. Meanwhile, the investigation into the deaths of Adelia's parents uncovers an upsetting connection between her father and Miles, suggesting that her husband may have had a hand in the "accident." Ami excels at planting seeds of discomfort, from the troubling physical affection Karolin shows her brother to Miles' possessiveness toward Adelia, which wavers between romantic and obsessive. The foreshadowing is especially telling; at one point, when Miles quickly sifts the subject away from Adelia's parents, the author organically reveals the darker connection between Adelia's husband and father. The erotic scenes manage to be steamy without being shy, silly or clinical ("The heat from her body passed through h9im like an electrical current"), and it's surprising there aren't more of them. The novel struggles, however, when its subject matter gets more serious in later chapters, and it seems unsure how to embrace its darker themes.
A fast-paced, if somewhat muddled, novel that offers a fine mixture of sex and suspense.
Guilty Pleasures Book Review
The One was truly a page-turner. The story was well written and suspenseful. The scenes between Miles and Adelia were sexy and erotic, and as their relationship grew, you could feel the passion between the two of them escalating. ~ Leigh, Guilty Pleasures
Onlinebookclub.org
The One is a romantic suspense novel by Belle Ami. It is the first book in The Only One series.
The story begins with the death of Adelia’s parents in a car accident. Adelia has a passion for horses and competes in Grand Prix jumping. After winning a competition, Adelia is approached by Karolin Bremen, whom she greatly resembles. Karolin invites her to a dinner party. There, Adelia meets Karolin’s twin brother Miles who happened to know her father, as both were involved in the green energy industry. Adelia and Miles quickly fall in love, though there is an ulterior motive behind this sudden romance.
Given their lifestyles, the characters travel a lot. The chapters jump around from California to Pennsylvania to New York. These changes in location and the passage of time are well handled. The story is told in the third person and provides a nearly full view of the various characters’ thoughts and actions. The reader is aware early on that Miles and Karolin have concocted some sinister plan with Adelia being the target. It's not her money they're after; they have enough of their own. Their plan is gradually revealed, along with the pieces of their history that led them to this point. It’s an effective approach that holds the reader’s interest. There are many erotic scenes, and I have to admit that I laughed a lot because of them, with lines like: “Instead of my horses being ridden, I feel like I’ve been ridden.”
This is the kind of book where everyone has a fascinating backstory. In particular, Miles and his sister were orphans who came from poverty. Miles worked hard to become rich, attain everything he ever dreamed of, and provide a suitable life for his sister. He and Karolin are understandably close given this set of circumstances, but their bond is also undeniably strange.
Adelia describes herself as a “sheltered, indulged only child.” But she seems very down to earth and her self-awareness keeps her grounded. We occasionally get to see her italicized thoughts. She tries to use logic and reason, but this is often combated by her lust for Miles. Fortunately, Adelia never lets go of the feeling that there is something mysterious about her parents’ car accident. She remains dedicated to discovering the truth. It's frustrating when she doesn't use her better judgment, but then she redeems herself by following her gut instinct.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was well written with great development in terms of both plot and characters. Even the more extreme plots points are all well justified and come across as believable given the great character work. The story also has a satisfying conclusion that sets things up well for a sequel. I’m interested to see what happens next. There are some instances of rape, so be forewarned. But if you’re intrigued by this two-fold mystery, then you should consider giving this book a try.
The Matchmaker:
Angela Calminetti, mother of five, New Age practitioner and gifted psychic and telepath, is proud of her family ties and does everything she can to make sure that all of her younger siblings are as happy in love and marriage
Blending Southern Gothic mystery romance, fantasy, theater, dance, music, and flashes of humor, tells the story of a pair of lovers in two separate time periods who find themselves battling an evil fifty years apart.
