By the age of thirteen, Dalton Greer had already experienced abuse unfathomable to most. So by the time he was finally rescued from the latest of his long string of foster homes, he was traveling down a dangerous path. Indebted to a known drug lord as a means of protection, he chose the life of the streets thinking that was all his life had to offer…until he met her. Five years later, she’s the only bright spot in his very bleak existence. There isn’t anything he won’t do to shield her from the evil he’s experienced, and he wants nothing more than to protect her from the life he’s chosen.
The day Spencer Locke found Dalton sitting on her porch, she felt his pain and understood his rage. They were bonded by both, though he would never understand why.
He had been lost while she was found, and in that moment, she vowed to help him find his way too. As the years pass by, their initial bond transforms into something deeper. Spencer loves Dalton regardless of his past, and in spite of his choices. When all secrets are unleashed between the two, that love becomes binding. One night is all they have before fate makes its own decision. Dalton is forced to choose the path he will travel, and Spencer is left not knowing why. A story about the journey from true friendship into the blossoms of first love, the experiences of crucial sacrifice and ultimate betrayal, and the endurance of agonizing heartbreak on the way to finding lasting redemption, two souls find solace... Under the Influence of love.
*******NA Contemporary Romance that can be read as a STANDALONE******
*****Due to themes of child abuse, domestic violence, sexual situations and explicit language, recommended for readers 17+*****
After graduating from Texas A&M University, L.B. Simmons did what any biomedical science major could do. She entered the workforce as a full-time chemist. Years later, never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined herself a USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance author as well.
What began as a memoir for her children, ended up being her first self-published book, Running on Empty. Soon after, her girls were given reoccurring roles in the remainder of what became the Mending Hearts series.
L.B. Simmons doesn’t just write books. With each new work, she attempts to compose journeys of love and self-discovery so she may impart life lessons to readers. She’s tackled suicide, depression, bullying, eating disorders, as well as physical and sexual abuse, all the while weaving elements of humor into the storylines in effort to balance the difficult topics. Often described as roller coaster rides, her novels are known for eliciting a wide range of emotions in each story she tells.
