Never After Us is the fourth, and final, book in the Heartbreak Mixtapes series and follows drummer Alec as he falls for his next door neighbor’s niece, Mara and her daughter Mila.
About Never After Us
Alec Horvath is the drummer for Dead Moth Parade. He was raised in foster care since birth and never found a permanent home. While growing up, he found himself involved in the school’s music department, regardless of what school it was. He spent years playing the drums for the band while watching all of his bandmates finding love and settling down. He partied hard until it became too much. Now that the band is no longer touring, he is working on his personal issues and trying to improve himself.
Mara grew up in a broken family. Her father left when she got sick. He had another family and Mara did not understand why he left her and her mother. She went to college to study journalism and coupled it with an arts degree, specifically photography. She married Sam and had a daughter, Mila. When Sam was killed, she took various photography jobs that allowed her to travel with Mila. She home schooled her daughter and taught her local customs as well as the necessary curriculum. But because they moved around so much, it was hard for her and Mila to make long term friends.
When Alec returns to Seattle from Los Angeles, he is in for a surprise. He lives in a building with no children and all of a sudden there is a child in the building. And not just any child. But she is living right next door to his penthouse. Sadly, he is devastated when he hears his neighbor, Lena, has passed away while he was out of town. Even though he was a loner, she always came by to visit and borrow a some sugar.
Mara has moved in to Lena’s penthouse in order to fulfill her responsibilities set forth in the will. She must live there for a year in order for her mother and aunts to receive their inheritance. But there are ulterior motives that she has no idea about. She is about to embark on an intensely personal journey that she has no idea is coming barreling at her.
As Mara follows the instructions left by Lena, Alec starts to accept her and Mila as his neighbors. He is no longer grousing about their presence or about drinking tea to settle his chakras. As more time passes, he even begins making tea for her as she goes through Lena’s personal belongings, including journals and letters.
Alec helps Mara get Mila into more group based activities, including karate. Now, keep in mind, this eight year old is a fount of information and questions. But she is starting to make friends because of these classes and she is loving the new activities.
Even though Mara knows who Alec is, she is shocked when Julian Wilder shows up at her door. He is just checking in on Alec, and also curious about who the woman is that has knocked him off his feet, even if he will not admit it yet.
New routines are put in place with the the three of them and it starts Mila talking about wanting a baby brother or sister. This child is precocious and smart beyond her years. God help them when she becomes a teenager.
When Mara finally learns the truth, the life she has known no longer makes sense. She starts seeing her therapist again in order to deal with the anger and abandonment issues she is feeling. And, of course, Alec is there for her. He supports her in whatever she needs.
But is this relationship just based on a shared trauma or is it real? Is Alec ready to become a father? Is Mara ready to fall in love again after what happened with her marriage? And we know Mila is ready so she can have a baby brother or sister.
Impressions
Everyone lives with demons, it is just a matter of how bad yours are. Alec has had his share. I cannot imagine growing up in the foster care system. And to see what he saw as a young impressionable boy is heartbreaking. Although he never admitted to a friendship with Lean, he was devastated by her passing. He has had so much loss in such a short life.
Mara holds so much guilt over how Sam died. They had argued and she feels she contributed to the accident. But something was going on with him that we will never know about. And I really need to know what it was. It will drive me bonkers not knowing.
I really had to appreciate both Alec and Mara’s therapists. Especially hers. The suggestion to write letters or journal her thoughts was a great idea. Although it is hard to do, it helped her deal with her anger and feelings of abandonment. And it was something she and Alec could talk about.
But the visit Mara makes to Vermont is the most emotional thing she could do. It makes her so vulnerable and opens her up to more abandonment and rejection.
Narration
This is a full cast narration and brings together four amazing narrators. Austin Stone is new to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him play Alec, Eddie, Julian, the therapist. He has quite the range and it comes through with each character. Erin is always on spot and I truly love her child voice as precocious Mila in this story. Grace Grant as Lena brings out the heartbreak of past decisions that were made and secrets that were kept. And Aaron Shedlock as Thomas (Tommy) brings out young love in a time of war and the fear he faced.
Availability
Never After Us is currently available to read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited and for purchase in all formats on Amazon.
Series Listing
- (Not So) Simple Lyrics (Heartbreak Mixtapes Book 1)
- Lyrics Remain (Heartbreak Mixtapes Book 2)
- Every Shattered Note (Heartbreak Mixtapes Book 3)
- Never After Us (Heartbreak Mixtapes Book 4)
About Claudia Burgoa
Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author.
She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breaths away. Her books are the perfect blend of steamy and heartfelt, filled with emotional characters and explosive chemistry. Her writing takes readers to new heights, providing a variety of tears, laughs, and shocking moments that leave fans on the edge of their seats.
She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, her youngest two children, and three fluffy dogs.
When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At nights, she likes to binge watches shows or movies with her equally geeky husband.
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