Birdie
Her funeral unraveled decades of secrets hidden from me—horrible secrets. This rabbit hole I’ve fallen down has revealed my past is much more sinister than I could have imagined. Everything I thought I knew has been a lie and now there’s only one place for me to turn: back to the people who have been searching for me all these years. One of those people is my newfound brother’s best friend: Lonan Burke, star defenseman for the Minnesota Lakes. His dirty talk and praise offer an easy escape as I shift into my new life. I’m ready to start anew with the ones who love me, but I’m not so sure I can settle down when I’ve just been set free.
Lonan
She’s back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it’s not so innocent anymore. She’s a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I’ve only got one shot with her, and I’m not taking it for granted. I may give her the passion she’s been craving, but she’s the intimacy I’ve waited for my whole life. When her story hits the media, she needs a place to hide. I offer her sanctuary in my penthouse. For the first time, this frigid condo feels like a home, and she’s made me believe the future I’ve always wanted is within reach. For now, I’m willing to hold her hand during the day and pin them down at night. But I want more.
Wow. Just…wow. When I turned the final page, I had to sit with my feelings for over an hour, completely overwhelmed, not even sure what I was feeling, only that I was feeling everything and I needed to feel it. I’ve never read anything quite like this. It wasn’t whiplash exactly, but there were so many moments where I could hardly believe what I was reading. I devoured it, unable to slow down, desperate to see what would happen next. And when it was over? I was gutted. Drained. Raw in the best, most unforgettable way.
(Bridget) Birdie’s entire world, and sense of self, shatters at her “adoptive mother’s” funeral, when she learns the woman who raised her wasn’t her mother at all, but her kidnapper. For twenty-four years, her life has been built on lies. Now, the truth comes crashing in: she has a real family who has been searching for her all this time. Instead of running from the pain, Birdie takes a leap of faith and runs toward it, toward the family she never knew, toward the love and connection she was always denied. On her way home, Birdie seizes a chance to escape her unraveling reality, if only for a night. That escape comes in the form of Lonan Burke, the dangerously irresistible NHL defenseman whose brash charm and relentless praise turn what should have been a fleeting distraction into something far more intoxicating.
“I want someone who will bang me like a screen door in a hurricane. Loud, hard, and often. Nothing too crazy, just passionate. I want to feel wanted by someone.”
What makes their one-night stand so addictive isn’t just the spice, although that’s definitely there and impossible to ignore. It’s everything wrapped around it. For Birdie, it’s pure escape. Lonan is her chance to shut out the chaos, even if it’s only for a night. For Lonan, though, it hits differently. From the moment he sees her, something tugs at him—her face, her smile, the way she feels achingly familiar. But he can’t place it. Not yet. To him, she’s just this gorgeous magnetic woman in front of him. Not his best friend’s little sister, not the girl who disappeared decades ago.
“I won’t be your next one‑night stand. … You will never be a one‑night stand for me. There’s more to us than that.”
Lonan’s done with the playboy image, even if the world still sees him that way. The moment it hits him, this is Birdie, his best friend’s sister, the girl who vanished decades ago, the crush he never stopped carrying, everything shifts. What started as one reckless night suddenly feels like fate handing him a second chance. With the press circling and Birdie’s entire life turned upside down, he does the only thing that feels right: offering her both refuge and protection.
“You only feel scared because you’re doing something really brave. It’s going to be okay. If you ever need anything, just ask.”
Their history only makes it harder to walk away. As kids, they once mapped out their future in a treehouse, promising to marry one day, so long as Lonan fixed it up to Birdie’s specifications. Spoken with all the innocent certainty that only a first love can bring. Now, face to face as adults, those childhood dreams collide with grown-up realities: family secrets, lost time, and the weight of who they’ve both become.
“I decided to marry Bridget when I was eight. I don’t need to think anymore.”
But passion and history alone won’t carry them. Birdie is forced to confront the truth about who she is and the family she was stolen from, while Lonan has to decide if he’s ready to be the man she deserves—not the playboy persona everyone else has come to expect. Together, they’ll have to find out if this second chance can withstand both the spotlight and the scars of their past.
“You are the only woman who will ever own my heart, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you tear it apart either. I won’t accept anything less than forever from you. Do you understand?”
Before We Came is an emotional, addictive read that blends sizzling chemistry with the kind of twists that keep you hooked from start to finish. If you love second-chance romances tangled up with secrets, a hockey hero who’s impossible to resist, and a heroine whose world is turned upside down, this story delivers.
That said, there are moments where the writing tilts a little too sweet, with a few over-the-top lines that can feel a bit cheesy against the backdrop of such an emotional rollercoaster. And Birdie’s ability to navigate the trauma of her abduction so quickly felt a little easier than I expected, given the weight of her past. But honestly, those lighter touches almost work in the book’s favor, softening the heaviness of the plot and keeping the focus on the romance.
It’s perfect for a weekend binge when you want a romance that hits hard, burns hot, and keeps you guessing from one page to the next.
“I will love you forever,” he says against my lips. “Forever,” I promise. No matter the circumstances, we would always find each other. This love existed before I forgot, before I remembered, and before we came to be what we are in this moment.