For those of you on #teamcallie from the beginning - yay! I hope you made it through the first Maya chapter. I suppose if you’re reading this note, you did.
If you weren’t so sure about Callie as the heroine before reading, I hope she won you over. All I can say is, it had to be her. There was no one else for our Gibs.
Grumpy heroes with a hidden heart of gold are one of my favorite types of character to write. When Lucy and I were brainstorming characters, I’m pretty sure I said, “I want him, and he’s going to be an asshole.”
There’s something wonderfully satisfying about the broody guy who doesn’t think he’s cut out for love. They have such a fantastic character arc as they learn how to open themselves up to love.
Poor Gibson doesn’t think love is worth it. He figures being alone is better. At least he won’t get hurt.
But he does hurt. A lot. And it takes someone special to help him through those hurts. To help him find it within himself to forgive. And to decide he’s going to move on from his past and embrace the love in his life.
And once he does, Gibson loves big.
Callie is a name you hear from the beginning of the series. For some in Bootleg, she’s a curiosity. A story. The girl who disappeared.
For the Bodines, she becomes much more once they find her sweater among their parents’ belongings. Callie’s disappearance is pivotal in each of the first five books. In Whiskey Chaser, the scandal poses a threat to Scarlett and Devlin’s brand new relationship. In Sidecar Crush, we find out it was the reason Leah Mae stopped spending her summers in Bootleg Springs, and lost touch with Jameson. And the re-opening of the case puts a very unwanted spotlight on quiet Jameson.
The investigation comes between Bowie and Cassidy in a big way in Moonshine Kiss. In Bourbon Bliss, the case captures June’s attention. The town’s response to the media coverage brings Shelby to Bootleg Springs, which is how George hears about the town. And in Gin Fling, Jonah and Shelby are swept up in the mystery, as well as caught in the crosshairs of the Kendalls.
But Callie herself is a woman, not a story. Not a mystery. She’s a woman who took on a new identity. Who, after a childhood of abuse, refused to live her life as a victim. She grew into a confident, badass record producer who isn’t afraid to put broody rock stars in their place.
I knew that in order for her to be a match for Gibson, Callie couldn’t be timid or weak. She had to already have found her power and owned it. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her struggles, nor that she’s immune to fear. But by the time we meet her, she’s been standing on her own two feet for years. And while her life isn’t complete (after all, she didn’t have Gibson), she’s more than capable of handling him.
They’re everything the other person needed. She can roll with his moods and stand up for herself when it’s necessary. He can protect her without smothering or demanding she change who she is to fit his whims. They not only love each other, they respect and care for each other deeply.
I hope this book was everything you wanted it to be. It’s so bittersweet to say goodbye to this town and these characters. Writing this series with Lucy has been one of the biggest highlights of my career. I love this series with all my heart (almost as much as I love Lucy) and I’m both so happy to bring it to its final conclusion, and so sad to see it go.
Thanks for reading,
CK
Acknowledgments
To all our readers who’ve come along on this journey. Thank you for your theories and your boundless enthusiasm. You made this FUN.
To Lucy Score, for being an awesome writer and an even awesomer human being. My life is better for having you and Mr. Lucy in it. Thank you again, and again, and again for this experience.
Thank you to my beta readers, Nikki and Jessica, for your time and feedback. And for saving my bacon by reading it on short notice.
To Elayne for your flexibility and for another great editing job.
To Cassy for all the beautiful Bootleg covers.
And thank you to my husband and kids for remembering my name and still loving me after I spent weeks in the writing cave and you barely saw my face.
Also by Claire Kingsley
For a full and up-to-date listing of Claire Kingsley books visit www.clairekingsleybooks.com
Faking Ms. Right
Everly Dalton’s Dating Disasters
A Faking Ms. Right prequel
Faking Ms. Right
A hot romantic comedy
Bootleg Springs
by Claire Kingsley and Lucy Score
Hot and hilarious small-town romcom series with a dash of mystery and suspense.
Whiskey Chaser
Sidecar Crush
Moonshine Kiss
Bourbon Bliss
Gin Fling
Highball Rush
The Miles Family Series
Sexy, sweet, funny, and heartfelt family series. Messy family. Epic bromance. Super romantic.
Broken Miles
Forbidden Miles
Reckless Miles
Hidden Miles
Gaining Miles: A Miles Family Novella
Remembering Ivy
A unique contemporary romance with a hint of mystery.
His Heart
A poignant and emotionally intense story about grief, loss, and the transcendent power of love.
Book Boyfriends
Hot romcoms that will make you laugh and make you swoon.
Book Boyfriend
Cocky Roommate
Hot Single Dad
The Always Series
Smoking hot, dirty talking bad boys with some angsty intensity.
Always Have
Always Will
Always Ever After
The Jetty Beach Romance Series
Sexy small-town romance series with swoony heroes, romantic HEAs, and lots of big feels.
Behind His Eyes
One Crazy Week
Messy Perfect Love
Operation Get Her Back
Weekend Fling
Good Girl Next Door
The Path to You
The Jetty Beach Box Set Books 1-4
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases, as well as exclusive content, the Ask Cooper Miles advice column, and more!
About the Author
Claire Kingsley is a Top 10 Amazon bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance and romantic comedies. She writes sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, panty-melting sexytimes, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels.
She can’t imagine life without coffee, her Kindle, and the sexy heroes who inhabit her imagination. She’s living out her own happily ever after in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three kids.
www.clairekingsleybooks.com
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases, plus exclusive content and the Ask Cooper Miles advice column. Cooper’s very good at advice. Trust him.
Join Claire’s Facebook reader group Alpha Ever After for book talk, man candy, inappropriate humor, exclusive teasers, and lots of shenanigans.
You can also join Claire’s Spoiler Room on Facebook for book talk with all the spoilers.
Highball Rush: Bootleg Springs Book 6 Page 36
