right before their eyes | excerpt + giveaway

justread publicity tours

about the book

Sometimes the love you need most looks different than you imagined.

Clare Martin thought nothing of agreeing to live with her dementia-ridden grandmother when her parents left on mission. Balancing that with her job as a social worker and the expectations of her career-driven boyfriend proved doable—until Grandma started a house fire.

Mason Hughes has loved Clare for years, but the time was never right to tell her and now she’s dating someone else, fixing Mason firmly in the friend zone. He’s working to be a pediatric neurologist, a dream inspired by a special boy with a terminal brain condition and must choose a medical school. Finances are so tight he’s forced to consider a program across the country, a troubling fact he’s kept secret.

Lucia Roberts, a seventeen-year-old on Clare’s caseload, loses her foster home and is placed in an unwelcoming group home. At every turn she’s met with rejection and becomes desperate for any proof she has value—enough to make choices that could affect the rest of her life.

When Grandma Dottie and Lucia’s paths take a dangerous turn, Clare frantically tries to save them. As their lives knit together, will they find the love that’s right before their eyes?

publisher: mountain brook ink

release date: february 5, 2025

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble | bookbub | bookshop

other books in the series

emma's hero

excerpt

Stupid. She was stupid to get attached when she knew she wouldn’t stay.

Lucia lifted the hem of her T-shirt to her nose and inhaled lavender, all that remained of Mrs. Wilkens’s last hurried hug. As the car drove away from the Wilkens’s—her most recent “Mom and Dad,”—she steeled herself against another loss.

She bit her lip and stared at the house until the car turned a corner and stole the comfortable brick ranch from view. The para-medics had whisked her out of the way so fast she barely got to say goodbye. A lump clogged her throat. Mr. Wilkens.

Would she ever know if he was okay?

Would anyone care enough to tell her?

Miss Martin reached across Lucia’s garbage bag of belongings and brushed her arm. “Honey, Mrs. Wilkens feels awful. They intended to give me another month to find you a different foster home.”

Lucia glanced at her social worker’s glassy eyes. She’d come here during her time off. “It’s not your fault, Miss Martin.” She dropped her chin to her chest. “Sorry to interrupt your evening. I—”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” Miss Martin lifted her hand from the steering wheel, waving away the idea. “This is why I gave you my number. And, honey, call me Clare. This is such a shock. They were in good health, even at their age.”

Waves of nausea rose as Lucia replayed the last few hours. “Everything was fine. Then Mr. Wilkens said he couldn’t see right. His skin got so pale . . . his words slurred, half of his face drooped, and he stumbled . . .”

The screaming.

The frantic calls.

I’m so sorry, sweetie. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

about the author

Carrie Walker is an award-winning author who lives in Michigan with her husband and seven children. As an avid reader, she pens what she loves to read, stories that bring hope to a hurting world. Besides writing, Carrie enjoys board games, time with family and counting down the days ’til Christmas.

Connect with Carrie by visiting carriewalkerwrites.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

giveaway

(2) winners will each receive a print copy of Right Before Their Eyes as well as a $20 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 11, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 18, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

tour schedule

justread publicity tours