Excerpts
Read free samples of Heather O’Brien’s novels here. Simply click on the image for the desired book.
Explore the lives and loves of the O’Conners, the Grants, and the Lockhardts.
Something—or someone—ties these three families together.
The O’Conners
Until April of 1973, they are a happy family of three. Prominent Santa Barbara attorney, Kelley O’Conner, provides his adoring wife, Beth, the life she had dreamed of while growing up in the dreariness of the Pacific Northwest. Daughter Farin is the apple of her father’s eye. She possesses the beauty, drive, and talent he believes will one day bring her enormous success. Life is good…until it isn’t.
In one heart crushing moment, the O’Conners lose everything—including their patriarch. Farin is left a virtual orphan while Beth finds the relief to her unforeseen widowhood in the bottom of a bottle. With no support, no stability, and no answers to lingering questions over her father’s tragic death, Farin overcomes obstacles no ten-year-old should face. A solitary goal keeps her focused through the nightmares and loneliness: realizing her father’s dreams for her future. The day after her 18th birthday, she heads south for Los Angeles, vowing to never return to her childhood home.
The Grants
Music is the natural scapegoat whenever the Grants need an answer to the question of why three brothers from Bledlow, England now live so far apart. Sure, they all eventually migrated to America, but their lifestyles are as varied as their locations. For the most part, they’re fine with the arrangement—everyone except Ben, that is. The oldest and most settled of the three, family is paramount to him. His most fervent wish is for his siblings to relocate to southern Florida, where he lives with his wife and two sons.
Middle brother, Chris Grant, has no regrets. Not over leaving home at sixteen, and not over distancing himself from his family. He doesn’t hate them, per se, even though they disapprove of his philandering ways. It’s just that his primary relationship is with his record label and the man who made him the legend his is today. Chris has his band and all the women he could possibly want. What reason might he ever have to uproot his self-indulgent New York City existence?
Jordan Grant often finds himself playing mediator between his two older siblings. His ability to balance fame and single fatherhood provides him a unique perspective. Malibu, California has grown on him during his relatively short career. It bolsters his pop idol image while sheltering his young son from the insanity of the business. And of course, there’s Ginny—his adolescent fantasy come true. All in all, reality has eclipsed his every dream. As much as he loves his family and rejects the celebrity lifestyle, he’s come to believe one person really can have it all.
The Lockhardts
It’s not that Jameson Lockhardt didn’t want to be a father. Perhaps he did at one point. But that was before he had to make the tough decisions. Once made, there was no unringing the bell. Lockhardt Sound is a testament to determination. It is his life’s work. He built it on grit, savvy…and the systematic rejection of everything he might have once held dear. He’s seen, and done, it all. Given a choice, he would change nothing. So, if he’s not the perfect father, he can live with it. He can live with his choices, his lies, his secrets…the blood. And he will let no one rob him of the legacy he’s created.
Bobby Lockhardt adores his father every bit as much as the fans who adore the artists on the LSI label—worshipfully, and from afar. Each day, he gives his all for the company he will one day inherit. He’s good at his job. He enjoys it. But he’d be lying if he said it didn’t leave him empty. Success surrounds him, yet his own dreams remain unrealized. While GQ and Esquire magazines consider him one of the most eligible bachelors alive, they don’t know his limitations. His father does, however, and reminds him often. But perhaps not often enough…