Season of Deception

After Amanda Jarvis prays for a special friend to move into the vacant house near her isolated mountain home, she is unfazed when the answer to her prayer is the opposite of her expectations. Unlike the boys at school, Tyler Armstrong doesn't seem to mind having a girl around, and the two become instant friends. And after fleeing with his mother to find refuge from his abusive father, Tyler's hunger for a life that feels "normal" is satisfied as a bond forms between the two families.
In the first book of the Season Series, Season of Hope, the foundation of Tyler and Amanda's friendship grows solid over ten years of life together on Nathan's Mountain. But as graduation nears, life begins to change as Amanda's plans for college fall through while Tyler is on track to meet his goal to become a Navy SEAL. Amanda finds the uncertainty of her future a constant source of inner struggle, while Tyler is wrestling with an unforeseen crush on his best friend. Their slow-paced life, filled with long talks be-neath the star-filled sky, is quickly fading away, leaving little time to deal with their emotions as they take off on separate paths.

After Amanda's aunt, Phoebe Garrison, invites her to New York for a summer job in her advertising agency, Amanda's life takes an unexpected turn. She attracts the attention of photographer Robert Calloway while attending a gala on her first night in the city. After Amanda's accidental photobomb while he's photographing the mayor, Calloway approaches her with promises to "make her a star." Disgusted with his inap-propriate advances toward her, Amanda pulls a stunt to deter his interest. Besides, if she wants to be a star, she's not going to need the likes of Robert Calloway to launch her career. Geena Chiatti, the editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine where Calloway's em-ployed, wants Amanda in her magazine after seeing his photographs from the gala. Amanda has the look they've been in search of for a fashion editorial in an upcoming issue.

Knowing this could be her opportunity to pay for her education and realize her dream of attending Barnard College, Amanda signs a modeling contract and moves in with Phoebe. In the meantime, her attempt to dissuade Calloway has only provoked him to pursue her further. She considers him a nuisance for the most part, but the fact that he was questioned in the disappearance of his wife is enough to make her keep her distance.

While Tyler continues his Navy SEAL training, his occasional trips to visit Amanda in the Big Apple, have made him suspicious of Phoebe's intentions. Her in-creasing desire to control Amanda's career in order to feed her own ambitions has him concerned. Amanda refuses to confront the issue, feeling she has more important things to occupy her mind; she's too distracted with Tyler's upcoming deployment and the fact that she's been blind-sided by an unexpected affection for her best friend.

In Tyler's last moment alone with Amanda, his final good-bye is a kiss that will leave her burdened with regret for unexpressed feelings and unanswered questions. Hidden agendas along with suppressed emotions have created conditions for a decep-tion that will soon change everything . . .