A story of heartbreak, loss, redemption and second chances: Pocketful of Sand from New York Times bestselling author M. Leighton

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ìSheís beauty for my ashes. And Iím hope for her heartache.îóCole Danzer

I donít know what makes a great love story. Is it that instant attraction when boy meets girl? The passionate kisses and the fairy-tale ending? Or is it a lifetime of tragedy, paid in advance, for a few stolen moments of pure bliss? The pain and the suffering that, in the end, you can say are worth it for having found the missing piece of your soul?

The answer is: I donít know. I donít know what makes a great love story. I only know what makes my love story. I only know that finding Cole when I did, when Emmy and I were running from a nightmare, was the only thing that saved me. That saved us. He was more broken than I was, but somehow we took each otherís shattered pieces and made a whole. If that is what makes a great love story, if that is what makes an epic romance, then mineÖours is the greatest of them all.

Contains material that some may find disturbing. Not intended for readers under the age of 18.

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Tracey’s Review

There are books that just absolutely sweep you away, that touch you so completely that you have to sit with it once you’re done and just be. To say that I think this book is amazing would be an understatement. There are not enough ways for me to express just how much this book affected me, and how wonderful I think it is.

I have long been an avid fan of Michelle Leighton. Her stories are always full: love, joy, angst, and, yes, pain, Michelle writes all of these emotions so very well. Her characters most often have pasts that have left them not quite whole.

“Sometimes I think broken people gravitate toward one another, like our shattered pieces connect on a level that unscarred people never know.”

Both Eden and Cole have faced things in their pasts that would have leveled lesser people. That they are able to find in each other, brokenness and all, a connection and a safe place is a testament to love and healing. This is not a simple love story, though, and Cole’s and Eden’s journey to each other is not without challenges. I think that this is part of what makes Pocketful of Sand so powerful, because the characters and their story are more real.

“I’ve been alone a long time, and not once have I ever felt lonely. Bereft, yes. Angry, hell yes. Bitter, remorseful, hopeless, yes, but never lonely. Not until you. You changed everything…And I wasn’t prepared for that. I wasn’t prepared for you…

I hear him shift and then I feel the feather-light brush of his lips on my forehead, the tip of my nose, the curve of my cheek.

‘I know you’re awake. And I love you,’ he says quietly, his mouth near my ear.”

Michelle has captivated me with Cole, with his anguish, his self-imposed solitude, and with his heart. And Eden, fighter that she is, overcomer that she is, along with little Emmy, deserve every single bit of happiness that comes their way.

I can’t say enough times that Pocketful of Sand should be on your must-read list. It is certainly one of my favorites of 2015, and if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Thank you, Michelle Leighton, for this heartbreakingly beautiful book.

About M. Leighton

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M. Leighton is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.