Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

Until It Fades

by K.A. Tucker

“Touching and complex…Tucker unerringly hits all the high notes of romance—the spark, the emotional depth, the mental and physical struggles—while creating a couple who seem perfectly attuned even when they are in conflict.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania (population three thousand outside of tourist season).

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed date, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has rescued: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works. For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. There’s an immediate connection, and it’s more electric than the bond of two people who endured a traumatic event. It’s something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something she is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine...before the spark fades?

Reviewed by Kelly on

4 of 5 stars

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3.5 Stars
Catherine Wright is accustomed to fabrication within the small tourist community of Balsam Pennsylvania. Enticed and manipulated into a forbidden relationship as an adolescent, twenty four year old Catherine appreciates her unassuming existence providing for her daughter. A single mother with a notorious reputation, characterised as an infatuated young woman who seduced a member of the teaching facility. Ostracised by her community, Catherine abandoned her education and severed her parental relationship. Isolated and pregnant, Catherine is offered a position waiting tables at roadside diner which provided the opportunity for her to live independently.

Brett Madden is a professional athlete, a devastatingly handsome humanitarian, bachelor and his mother is an award winning actress in the prime of her career. Brett is a passenger in a vehicle destined for a function when a devastating accident occurs, unconscious and awaiting rescue on the backwater road when a heroic Catherine comes to his aide. Catherine is remarkable and is able to manoeuvre Brett from the burning vehicle, wanting to remain anonymous.

Individually, Catherine and Brett are wonderful characters. Catherine is a ferocious and determined young woman with a wonderful network of supportive friends. She's overcome rumour and innuendo to raise a charismatic and confident young daughter. Brett is a compassionate and tender man despite his wealth and distinguished career. The gradual and tentative friendship was charismatic and delicate. Brett was appreciate of Catherine's sacrifice but refrains from being an imposition. The attraction between Brett and Catherine is undeniable but Catherine remains impervious, placing the welfare of her daughter foremost.

Until It Fades is a delicate and wonderfully tender romance. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 29 July, 2017: Finished reading
  • 29 July, 2017: Reviewed