by Kate S. BurnsPublish: Mar 24, 2026 Series: The Deception SeriesContemporary RomanceRomantic SuspenseRomance
Book Overview
Macy thought she’d found the kind of love that consumes you. She just never asked what it would cost.
Macy’s life unravels in a single, devastating day—she loses her job and the man she thought was her future, both without warning. Reeling and uncertain, she leans on her closest friends for comfort, never expecting that one impulsive night out will change everything. That’s when she meets Cade Donovan: magnetic, attentive, and impossible to resist.
Cade is everything Macy didn’t know she was missing. He listens. He plans. He talks with a certainty that sweeps her off her feet. Their connection ignites fast and burns bright, and for the first time, Macy feels truly seen, valued, and understood.
As Macy’s career finds new momentum and her confidence begins to return, cracks start to appear beneath the surface of their perfect love story. Cade’s charm is shadowed by sudden flashes of temper and his constant need for her attention. Still, she convinces herself this is what passion looks like—intense, consuming, and worth the cost.
But when Cade pushes their relationship further and faster than she’s ready for, Macy hesitates. Slowing down means risking the love she’s fought so hard to hold onto—or finally confronting the truth she’s been afraid to see. Caught between desire and self-preservation, Macy must decide whether love is meant to be overwhelming… or if walking away might be the bravest choice of all.
BIOGRAPHY Mikael Carlson is an award-winning political fiction author, including a silver medal from Readers' Favorite and National Indie Excellence, American Fiction, Lyra, and Global E-book Awards. He was named one of the ‘50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’ by The Authors Show in 2018.
Mikael is a former U.S. Army Paratrooper and retired Army National Guardsman. He conducted over 50 airborne operations following the completion of jump school at Fort Benning in 1998, and trained on several occasions with the British Airborne, earning British Parachutist wings. Mikael participated in several international jump competitions and traveled to Arnhem for an anniversary jump celebrating the Allied sacrifice during Operation Market Garden in World War II.
He graduated with a Master of Arts in American History in 2010 and a B.S. in International Business from Marist College in 1996. An avid traveler and unabashed political junkie, you can find him at www.mikaelcarlson.com.