Devil’s Cut
He took the fall to keep her safe, but some secrets are worth burning for.
Rafferty "Rafe" Barrett spent five years in a concrete cell for a crime he didn’t commit, all to protect the Barrett family legacy—and to keep Blaire Calloway, the Sheriff’s daughter, from the crossfire. Now released, Rafe is a ghost in his own hometown. Working the brutal shifts at the Ironbarrel Distillery, he moves massive oak casks in silence, determined to serve his parole and disappear like the 'Devil's Cut'—the whiskey lost to the wood that can never be recovered.
Blaire Calloway is the town’s keeper of secrets. As the Head Archivist, she knows where the bodies are buried, both metaphorically and historically. She has never forgiven Rafe for pleading guilty and shutting her out, but when she discovers discrepancies in the town’s land deeds involving the Barrett Aquifer, she realizes Rafe’s conviction wasn't justice; it was a hit job. Forced together when Rafe is assigned community service at the archives, the long-buried tension between them ignites into a scorching, undeniable heat.
As Blaire unravels a conspiracy linking her own father to a rival syndicate, she becomes a target. When the shadows of Oakhaven move to silence her, Rafe sheds his restraint, letting his 'Touch Her And Die' instinct take over. In the humid, dangerous Hollows of Kentucky, Rafe will burn his freedom and the entire distillery to the ground to keep Blaire safe, proving that some bonds are forged in fire and can never be broken.
The Blurb
Rafferty "Rafe" Barrett spent five years in a concrete cell for a crime he didn’t commit, all to protect the Barrett family legacy—and to keep Blaire Calloway, the Sheriff’s daughter, from the crossfire. Now released, Rafe is a ghost in his own hometown. Working the brutal shifts at the Ironbarrel Distillery, he moves massive oak casks in silence, determined to serve his parole and disappear like the 'Devil's Cut'—the whiskey lost to the wood that can never be recovered.
Blaire Calloway is the town’s keeper of secrets. As the Head Archivist, she knows where the bodies are buried, both metaphorically and historically. She has never forgiven Rafe for pleading guilty and shutting her out, but when she discovers discrepancies in the town’s land deeds involving the Barrett Aquifer, she realizes Rafe’s conviction wasn't justice; it was a hit job. Forced together when Rafe is assigned community service at the archives, the long-buried tension between them ignites into a scorching, undeniable heat.
As Blaire unravels a conspiracy linking her own father to a rival syndicate, she becomes a target. When the shadows of Oakhaven move to silence her, Rafe sheds his restraint, letting his 'Touch Her And Die' instinct take over. In the humid, dangerous Hollows of Kentucky, Rafe will burn his freedom and the entire distillery to the ground to keep Blaire safe, proving that some bonds are forged in fire and can never be broken.
"A masterclass in tension and atmosphere! Rafe is the ultimate protective hero, and the chemistry between him and Blaire practically leaps off the page. The Southern Gothic vibes made this a total page-turner."— KU_Reader_99