When Jacob Sullivan’s grandfather passes away, he leaves the high life behind to honor his grandfather’s final wish: spend one month in his vacation home and decide if it’s worth keeping. However, Jacob never expected to find Iris Flynn, a mysterious woman determined to forget her past. Readers who enjoy heart-wrenching, emotional stories will fall in love with Let Me Go by Tricia T. LaRochelle, a small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance.
Jacob “JC” Sullivan is living the high life in New York City, where his stockbroker career has earned him everything he ever wanted—except someone to share it with. A childhood shaped by his parents' toxic marriage has left him convinced that love is a trap. But when his grandfather passes away and leaves him a vacation home in the quiet town of Buckingham, Vermont, JC reluctantly follows through on his final wish: spend one month there and decide if it’s worth keeping.
What JC doesn’t expect to find is Iris Flynn—a mysterious woman living in isolation with a past she’s determined to forget. Her beauty and guarded nature intrigue him, but it’s only when he witnesses the threats from locals targeting her that he’s forced to confront the undeniable chemistry between them. As they become closer, JC starts to see that his life in the city, filled with fleeting relationships and shallow success, has left him empty.
Iris, scarred by mistakes from her teenage years, has spent too much time running from her past, but JC makes her want to face those truths she’s so skillfully buried. Together, they discover that healing begins when you let go of your fears—and gamble on each other. But their growing connection threatens dark forces determined to keep Iris alone.
Let Me Go is a heart-wrenching, emotional journey about love, redemption, and the courage to forgive—not just others, but yourself.
Excerpt
Copyright 2025, Tricia T. LaRochelle
I set both bags on the deck, just above the steps and next to the railing, hoping that would provide just enough stability to keep them upright until the crazy lady had found them. No point in leaving a note. If she saw the note, she’d see the bags.
I turned to leave and found Lily standing there in front of my truck watching me with the same expression she wore on my dock. Only this time, I wasn’t afraid. Not of her. “Hey, Lily.” I loved that I now knew her name.
She bounded over.
I scratched behind her ears. “So this is your home, girl?” I squatted down to see her better.
Lily just stood there, allowing my hands to pet and pamper. What was it about this dog? I already liked her. In fact, I almost wanted to take her home with me. Being alone wasn’t something I had been accustomed to. Not lately. Lily would be a great companion. And if I suspected she was being abused, I would have done just that. But this dog was friendly, not guarded, and well cared for judging by her disposition and her thick coat of fur. Abused dogs were mean. Lily was anything but.
“Maybe you can come see me again. Would you like that, girl?” I scrubbed around her ears some more and down her neck, which she seemed to like.
And then I realized I’d overstayed my welcome. What business did I have hanging around this place? I was far from skedaddling as Raymond had instructed.
I rose. “Okay, Lily. I’ve gotta go. You come over anytime you want to, okay? I gotcha some dog treats.” Do you expect her to answer you?
I took a step toward my truck, when the sound of a screen door opened and shut from the back of the house. My curiosity getting the better of me, I inched my way toward the front corner of the porch, assuring myself my truck was only a quick jaunt away. And I was prepared to run. Like the wind if I had to.
I just wanted to see what this . . . person looked like. All I could imagine was someone you’d buy tickets to see at a county fair. Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got a crazy loon for you.
And then, she appeared, Lily running to her side.
“Hey, Miss Lily. You been wandering around again?” The woman was not old at all. In fact, she was probably younger than I was. She bent over and brushed her fingers through Lily’s fur, and I found myself envious of the animal’s care. “You wanna help me get these clothes down?” Various articles of clothing floated back and forth in the breeze.
Funny, she spoke to Lily as though she was another person. Just like I had. The late-day sun had paused just above the horizon, blanketing the scene before me in a sort of spotlight, only much softer than that, shades of pink, orange, and violet contributing to the spectrum.
I lost my breath or my ability to hold a single thought inside of my head. Iris was . . . beautiful?
No radiant. Honestly, there were no words. Was my mouth hanging open? I had no fucking idea. She stood sideways while pulling clothes off her line as the sunset filtered through her cotton white sundress, silhouetting a lean body and full breasts. A gentle breeze ran its fingers through her long locks of golden curls that cascaded all the way to her tiny waist. I wanted to touch it, and then felt weird for wanting such a thing. I dated beautiful women, some of them models. And if I were being honest, I wasn’t so bad myself, or so I’d been told. But the vision of what stood before me spoke to somewhere deep within my soul, a place unknown and uncertain. I couldn’t fathom was I was feeling in that moment. All I knew was that whatever it was, I was rendered helpless by the power of it.
Her profile highlighted a delicate nose that formed a small button at its tip. Her chin and neck were sculpted as if from sandstone, a golden tan glowing from her flawless skin. With long and delicate fingers, she unhooked a shirt and placed it in the wicker basket next to her feet. Her movements were graceful, almost rhythmic, and I couldn’t for the life of me stop watching her. My feet remained rooted to the earth as my chest filled with something indescribable. My skin tingled. If I was still breathing, I was unaware.
The only thing I couldn’t see were her eyes. It didn’t matter, they could be jet black and she’d still be the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen
About Tricia T. LaRochelle
Tricia T. LaRochelle is the award-winning author of the Sara Browne Series, a gripping romantic suspense along with Sun in My Heart and A Collision with Love, her stand-alone romances with a twist. (Her next stand-alone, Let Me Go, launches in June 2025.) Gut-wrenching romances with unforeseen plot twists are where she thrives. Her apologies ahead of time for the tears. ☺
Coming from a background and education in Marketing, Tricia has spent the past eleven years pursuing her author endeavors. She now lives in Virginia with her husband and new pup, Daisy, who keeps her on her toes. She enjoys long walks with her hubby, time with her two grown sons and DILs, and board games that bring out the silly.
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