by: M.M. Skye
Genre: Black/African American Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 9, 2024
Publisher: TAWCarlisle Publishing
Sharon Gable, a seasoned interior designer in Columbia, South Carolina, swears off love after ending a relationship filled with deceit. She focuses on expanding her business with her best friend and avoiding romance until she's unexpectedly set up with architect Bradley DuPont at an engagement party. Despite her resistance, Sharon finds herself drawn to Bradley's undeniable charm and rugged allure.
Bradley, back in town to care for his ailing grandfather and manage the family business, is burdened by his West Coast job and familial obligations. Yet, Sharon captivates him like no other, offering a respite from his tumultuous family dynamics.
As their connection deepens, they must confront external forces bent on sabotaging their happiness. Will Bradley persuade Sharon that their attraction is worth exploring, or will malicious schemes tear them apart?
For fans of contemporary romance dipped in southern charm, “Away with Shadows” delivers a captivating tale of love and loss, resilience of spirit in the face of adversity, and familial complexities against the backdrop of Columbia, South Carolina, and Paris, France.
At thirty-one years old, Sharon worked particularly hard alongside her partner to maintain the prestige and respect of their company. In the last five years, she and her partner had grown their interior design business to well over five and a half million dollars in revenue, and it was still growing. They experienced both the highs and lows of being successful women, especially as women of color, but they never let that dictate their success. People from the United States and Europe contracted with the pair.
Watching her parents work hard to provide for her taught her from an early age to not let societal stigmas stop her from accomplishing what she wanted to do in life. In addition, being an only child made her self-sufficient.
When she was eight years old, her parents died in a car crash, turning her life completely upside down. The police report showed the accident occurred when her father swerved to avoid hitting a deer while they were coming back from visiting his best friend and his family in Savannah.
A firm knock at the door interrupted her from her daydream. Sharon hadn’t noticed her friend standing in the doorway of her office.
“Hello, are you still in the land of the living?” asked Kera. She leaned on the door post with her coffee mug in one hand and her purse in the other.
Sharon turned and replied, “Oh Kera, you scared me. I apologize. I was just watching this elderly couple out on the street. You should have seen them. They looked cute together.”
Kera swiftly walked over to the window. “Are you sure it was the elderly couple you were watching or were you daydreaming about you know who?”
Kera Prescott was her best friend and co-owner of Prescott Gable Interior Design, LLC, which they’d run for the past ten years. It seemed only natural for the two women to go into business together after graduating with honors from the New York School of Interior Design.
Kera was a beautiful, slender-faced woman, with oval-shaped eyes. She wore her hair in a pixie cut style that complemented her high cheekbones and the dimple between her right cheek and upper lip. Unlike Sharon, Kera was an athlete at heart. She was the captain of her high school and college volleyball team. She was three inches taller than Sharon and curvy in the hips.
The two were nominated best looking and voted most likely to be successful. As young girls, they did everything together and were inseparable.
“What?” said Sharon. “No. Girl, you know me better than that.”
“Okay. Then besides the older couple, what had you so deep in thought that you didn’t answer my question,” Kera asked.
“Question? What question are you talking about?” She was completely clueless.
Kera folded her arms and stared at Sharon with one eyebrow raised as she walked over to fill her cup from the Keurig machine.
“Look, if you think you’re going to get out of this one, think again, missy. It has been three months since we’ve had any fun together, and this time, you’re coming. No excuses.”
“What is it this time?” Sharon sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes as she walked back to her seat.
Kera looked at her with empathy. “I just want you to have some fun for a change.”
Sharon drew in a deep breath to say that she would give in to whatever event or trip her friend had planned for them, when she spotted the bright light reflecting off her friend’s hand.
Kera held out her hand to show Sharon her engagement ring. Sharon could hardly contain her emotions. She placed her hands on her cheeks and yelled with joy. Both women jumped up and down together, screaming with excitement. It was difficult for either one of them to speak.
“Would you be my bridesmaid?” asked Kera.
“Yes, you know I will! First, I want to know when this happened, and why I’m just now seeing this!” She looked at the ring with extreme happiness for Kera as they sat on the sofa in her office.
Kera’s smile was radiant. Sharon could tell she was overjoyed and waited patiently as her friend tried to gather her thoughts so she could tell her what took place.
Watching her parents work hard to provide for her taught her from an early age to not let societal stigmas stop her from accomplishing what she wanted to do in life. In addition, being an only child made her self-sufficient.
When she was eight years old, her parents died in a car crash, turning her life completely upside down. The police report showed the accident occurred when her father swerved to avoid hitting a deer while they were coming back from visiting his best friend and his family in Savannah.
A firm knock at the door interrupted her from her daydream. Sharon hadn’t noticed her friend standing in the doorway of her office.
“Hello, are you still in the land of the living?” asked Kera. She leaned on the door post with her coffee mug in one hand and her purse in the other.
Sharon turned and replied, “Oh Kera, you scared me. I apologize. I was just watching this elderly couple out on the street. You should have seen them. They looked cute together.”
Kera swiftly walked over to the window. “Are you sure it was the elderly couple you were watching or were you daydreaming about you know who?”
Kera Prescott was her best friend and co-owner of Prescott Gable Interior Design, LLC, which they’d run for the past ten years. It seemed only natural for the two women to go into business together after graduating with honors from the New York School of Interior Design.
Kera was a beautiful, slender-faced woman, with oval-shaped eyes. She wore her hair in a pixie cut style that complemented her high cheekbones and the dimple between her right cheek and upper lip. Unlike Sharon, Kera was an athlete at heart. She was the captain of her high school and college volleyball team. She was three inches taller than Sharon and curvy in the hips.
The two were nominated best looking and voted most likely to be successful. As young girls, they did everything together and were inseparable.
“What?” said Sharon. “No. Girl, you know me better than that.”
“Okay. Then besides the older couple, what had you so deep in thought that you didn’t answer my question,” Kera asked.
“Question? What question are you talking about?” She was completely clueless.
Kera folded her arms and stared at Sharon with one eyebrow raised as she walked over to fill her cup from the Keurig machine.
“Look, if you think you’re going to get out of this one, think again, missy. It has been three months since we’ve had any fun together, and this time, you’re coming. No excuses.”
“What is it this time?” Sharon sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes as she walked back to her seat.
Kera looked at her with empathy. “I just want you to have some fun for a change.”
Sharon drew in a deep breath to say that she would give in to whatever event or trip her friend had planned for them, when she spotted the bright light reflecting off her friend’s hand.
Kera held out her hand to show Sharon her engagement ring. Sharon could hardly contain her emotions. She placed her hands on her cheeks and yelled with joy. Both women jumped up and down together, screaming with excitement. It was difficult for either one of them to speak.
“Would you be my bridesmaid?” asked Kera.
“Yes, you know I will! First, I want to know when this happened, and why I’m just now seeing this!” She looked at the ring with extreme happiness for Kera as they sat on the sofa in her office.
Kera’s smile was radiant. Sharon could tell she was overjoyed and waited patiently as her friend tried to gather her thoughts so she could tell her what took place.
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You can find her with a book or a pen and paper somewhere ready to create unique characters and stories the reader can relate to. Her passion for writing began in middle school when she read her first novel. It wasn’t until high school when her tenth-grade honors English teacher encouraged her to major in English, that she began weaving tales.
Her time at Voorhees University gave her the extra knowledge she needed to hone her craft.
Away with Shadows is her debut novel.
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