About Before Ever After
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Crown (August 2, 2011)
What if ‘til death do us part meant more than you could ever know? In Samantha Sotto’s debut novel BEFORE EVER AFTER (Crown Trade: Aug. 2, 2011) a love story defies the bounds of time and space to redefine our notion of forever.
Shelley Gallus’ happy ending abruptly ended three years ago when her husband Max died. She has settled into life as a widow, braving Sunday mornings alone with a cup of Jasmine tea and a poor imitation of Max’s famous baked eggs and cheese, until her fragile recovery is shattered one morning when the doorbell rings. On her doorstep she finds handsome young Paolo, who bears not only an uncanny resemblance to her late husband but some unbelievable news: Max is alive!
Shelley would be overjoyed by the words she has been longing for if not for two small details. First, Max was blown to bits by a Madrid subway bomb. And second, Paolo claims to be her 32-year-old husband’s 32-year-old grandson. Still, the single spark of hope that she could be reunited with the love of her life is all Shelley needs to launch her across the globe with Paolo in search of Max.
During their journey, Shelley is preoccupied with memories of “The Slight Detour,” the budget European tour package where she met and fell in love with her tour guide husband. Reality descends as Shelley begins to realize that Max’s vivid stories of bloody Parisian rebellions, medieval Austrian monasteries, and doomed Venetian cities may not have been stories at all.
Shelley had always believed her marriage was the stuff of fairy tales. But when fantasy collides hard with reality, and she and Paolo come closer to discovering the truth about Max, Shelley faces an agonizing leap of faith before she can have her happily ever after.
“A smartly written romance, mystery and historical adventure all wrapped up in a page-turner that will have you guessing until the very end. I could not stop thinking about it.” —Adena Halpern, author of The Ten Best Days of My Life
“First-time author Sotto’s lush literary gifts draw one in to the terrible beauty of her tale of immortality.” —Library Journal
About Samantha Sotto
SAMANTHA SOTTO fell in love with Europe’s cobbled streets and damp castles when she moved to the Netherlands as a teenager. Since then, she has spent nights huddled next to her backpack on a beach in Greece, honeymooned in Paris, and attended business meetings in Dusseldorf in the pleasant company of a corporate credit card. Before Ever After was inspired by her experiences living, studying, and traveling in Europe. Samantha lives in the Philippines with her family. This is her first novel.
For more info on Samantha and Before Ever After, check out her website, www.samanthasotto.com, her blog, her Facebook page, and Twitter.
.
Samantha Sotto’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, August 1st: girlichef
Wednesday, August 3rd: Stiletto Storytime
Monday, August 8th: Bellas Novella
Tuesday, August 9th: Amused by Books
Friday, August 12th: Chick Lit Reviews
Monday, August 15th: Wandering Thoughts of a Scientific Housewife
Thursday, August 18th: Wandering Thoughts of a Scientific Housewife – author interview
Thursday, August 18th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Monday, August 22nd: Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
Thursday, August 25th: Savvy Verse and Wit – author guest post
Monday, September 5th: Colloquium