*~*Love Notes: Isaac to Willow – In Harmony by Emma Scott*~*

 The root of all madness is an unbearable truth…At seventeen, Willow Holloway’s life was torn apart. The happy, driven girl is gone, and she is left wracked by post-traumatic stress her body remembers even if she does not. When her father suddenly uproots the family from their posh penthouse in New York City to the tiny town of Harmony, Indiana, Willow becomes more untethered and lost under the weight of her secret. On a whim, she auditions for a part in the community theater’s production of Hamlet and unexpectedly wins the role of Ophelia—the girl who is undone by madness, and her love of Hamlet…Isaac Pearce is from the ‘wrong side of the tracks.’ The town bad boy. Girls pine for his attention and guys are in awe of him. That he’s an acting prodigy only adds to his charisma. Isaac utterly disappears into his characters; the stage is the only place he feels safe from his own traumatic home life. He wants nothing more than to escape to Broadway or Hollywood and leave Harmony behind for good.No one can play Hamlet but Isaac, and when the director pairs him with Willow in acting class, they clash again and again—neither willing to open their hearts to anyone. But clashing leads to breaking, breaking leads to the spilling of terrible secrets, and soon Isaac and Willow find Shakespeare’s words mirroring their lives. When they are cruelly torn apart, neither know how this play will end—with madness and heartache? Or healing, love, and the discovery of who they are truly meant to be.In Harmony is a standalone NEW ADULT love story, and is intended for readers 18 and up. PLEASE NOTE, this book contains sensitive material such as physical abuse, and the aftermath of sexual assault (off the page). Reader discretion is advised.

Aww…Isaac!

Keep reading to see the full Love Note!

Willow,

You once told me you hated your name. You said a willow tree is pretty, but looks weak; its limbs like the long hair of a sad girl, reaching for the ground. I think it’s perfect for you. You are so like the willow tree: beautiful and strong. Yes, strong. ‘Sturdy as an oak,’ is the saying, but a willow tree is stronger. It bends to the storm. Harsh winds whip it, its leaves are torn from its limbs and carried away.

It bends but doesn’t break.
It weeps but it doesn’t fall.

I’d take your pain if I could; erase it or carry it myself. But I can’t. The best I can do is give you everything I have, and everything I am, and hope that it’s enough. I love you, Willow, for all that you are and for surviving so many terrible storms. And for letting me take shelter in your arms when my own storm felt like it would never end.

All my love,
Isaac

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I write romances with flawed characters, characters with artistic hearts: builders, poets, and writers of various makes and models. I love to write book lovers; those who have found refuge, companionship, and escape in books, much as we do in real life. I like realism, honesty, authenticity in storytelling. I love to write about enduring love, soul-deep love, in as real a setting as I can make, but with big smooshy HEAs. I believe in diversity, open-mindedness, and inclusion. I like sweetness mixed with steam, love conquering all, and above all, hope. Love always wins.