Incarcerated
Series- Love and War Stand alone
By - Inger Iversen
By - Inger Iversen
Genre- Adult Contemporary Romance
Publication Date- September 29th, 2014
One of the few white kids in a rural Kentucky town, Logan Whyte always kept to his own kind out of self-preservation. He never considered himself racist, but that didn’t stop him from falling in with the wrong crowd that celebrated hate as much as he fought it - or from ending up in prison for eight years on an armed robbery charge.
A successful and educated black woman, Katie Andreassen is tired of being accused of betraying her own race. Her lonely isolation, coupled with her grief over losing her mother, inspire her to create a new pen pal program at Capshaw State Penitentiary, where her father is a warden.
The program brings together the unlikely pair, but Logan and Katie soon find themselves forced to overcome past fears and prejudices. Their friendship doesn’t come easily - threatened by a crooked lawyer with a grudge and a best friend who betrays her promise to help.
When faced with a world that forces them apart, Logan and Katie must show everyone else what they have discovered: that love is, in fact, colorblind.
EXCERPT
Katie
wasn’t sure how long the phone had been ringing, but as soon as her inner
thoughts released her from the past she grabbed the receiver and squeaked out a
greeting. “Um … yes, hello?”
Anxiety heightened, Katie listened as the automated voice explained, “You are
receiving a collect call from Crashaw Correctional, Inmate #92510.” The
recording stopped, and the voice she’d been waiting to hear came on the line as
he said his name to the recording that would play for her. She didn’t have time
to think much about the gruff, rumbling voice on the other end of the line.
Since the automated operator cared nothing about Katie needing to calm her
nerves, it continued, “If you’d like to accept these charges, please press one.
If not, please hang up the phone.” Before Katie could think, or even
second-guess herself, she pressed one and covered her mouth, hoping to trap the
nervous squeal that bubbled in her chest with plans to escape from her mouth.
The line was silent for a moment before Scott’s southern accented voice filled
the line. “Hello?”
Katie
hadn’t been sure what to except from Scott’s voice since she’d never set foot
in his hometown.
She heard as Scott cleared his voice and tried again. “Hello, Kristen?” The
fake name she’d given him surprised her, and she almost wished Kristen were her
name.
She found her voice just in time to sound like a fool. “Um … yes, this is
her—she … I’m Kristen.” She slapped her forehead, but his warm chuckle stopped
her embarrassment and heat blossomed in her chest.
“Sounds like someone is nervous,” Scott teased.
Katie laughed and swallowed her nerves. It was just a phone call, why was she
acting so ridiculous? “Just a little,” she admitted.
“Well now, what’s there to be nervous about?” Katie could hear indistinct
noises in the background, and she assumed that Scott wasn’t alone in the room.
After all, he was in prison and she’d seen the phone pods before. There were
eight if she remembered correctly, and since he was in the minimum-security
ward, they were free to come and go as they pleased.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” And that was the truth. Katie had lingered by the
phone like a crazy person waiting for this call, and now that he’d phoned she
was lip-locked.
Scott’s voiced lowered. “Well, can I start this conversation out by saying you
have a beautiful voice?” At that, Katie let out a short burst of snorting
laughter, which she was sure would change his mind about her “beautiful voice”.
Scott laughed as well. “No, seriously. It’s soft and sweet, the way a woman
should sound.”
Blushing profusely, Katie smiled. “Thank you, Scott. I like your voice, too. I
wasn’t sure how you’d sound, but I like the light Southern accent.”
“Shit, honey, you should hear me when I’m angry. I can make every word one
syllable and a ten word sentence turns into four words.”
Katie
laughed. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I honestly thought you’d sound more Southern, ’cause you
said you were from Virginia.”
“Yes, I am, but I’m from Alexandria. It’s far up north, close to
DC, so I don’t really think I have an accent. If you go further down around
Suffolk, Virginia Beach, or even to the west, like Clarksville, you’ll hear a
bit of the South.” Katie relaxed a bit as she talked to Scott about her
hometown. Though while growing up, the place was stressful, it was still
familiar and helped erase a bit of the stress in her life. “Now, if you go
north all the way up to New York, they’ll call you a Southerner, but if you
head down to South Carolina, they’ll call you a Yankee!” She and Scott laughed,
and Katie couldn’t help but enjoy the timbre of his voice. Heavy and deep, the
sound traveled through the phone and settled in her ear, pleasing the part of
her that missed a man’s voice.
“You don’t sound the least bit Southern to me.”
Katie scooted back in her chair and got comfortable. The muscles
in her neck loosened, and she took a deep breath. “Of course not, Mr. Kentucky,
you are west of Virginia.”
Logan
chuckled. “True.”
There was a moment of silence, and Katie almost panicked, but
instead she thought back to the letter he’d sent her. “Hey, why did you really
want me to tell you a deep, dark secret? Planning to use it against me later?”
She chuckled nervously. If Scott ever found out that Katie was the warden’s
daughter, would he use her words against her?
“Yeah, about that ... Kristen, I just thought you might need to talk to me
about something. I say this because, when a woman reaches out to a stranger, a
convict no less, there might be something behind it. You told me that you had
friends, so I’m wondering what’s going on in your life that has you reaching
out to a stranger instead of your friends.”
Good question. “Hmmm …” She didn’t really have to think about it,
but she needed to stall for time. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to
him. However, Scott was smarter than she gave him credit for and called her
out.
“What’s this, ‘Hmmm’? You know what it is, and I think you want to
tell me.” Scott’s voice lowered, and if possible got even sexier, but Katie
ignored the warmth in her belly and focused on his words. At her silence, he
added, “You want me to go first?”
Her mouth moved before she even knew it was happening, and she
whispered, “Please.”
He wasn’t silent long, but she still felt his hesitance. “Shit,
honey, I’m not even sure if these calls are recorded or not.”
“Yes,
they are.” Katie knew this for a fact.
“Okay … but I’m still gonna do it. I’ll still tell you because I
can’t expect it from you and not do the same in return, right?”
“Right.” Katie was nervous for her turn, but curiosity about Scott
and his maybe dark deeds excited her to the core. He was in prison, and Katie
could think of a million things he could confess to her. “Don’t tell me
anything illegal, Scott,” she pleaded. She wouldn’t tell a soul, but she also
wouldn’t be able to talk to him anymore.
Gruff laughter emerged from the phone. “Honey, I
wouldn’t sully your ears with more of my crimes if I had any. You aren’t a
priest, and I ain’t asking for your forgiveness. Just your time and your
honesty.”
Incarcerated Dream Cast
Logan : Joe Manganiello
Katie: Gabrielle Union
Can you share the playlist you listened to while writing ‘Incarcerated’ with us?
SPOTIFY:
Link:
Link:
TOP FIVE SONGS
- Casual Affair...Panic! At the Disco
- Don’t Want to be Your Girl…Wet
- Drowning...Banks
- Far From Home...5 Finger Death Punch
- Breath of Life...Florence + the Machine
REVIEW
The way in which Katie and Logan met certainly was unusual, and most people wouldn't even think of giving a convicted felon the time of day, let alone falling in love with them. But Katie found in Logan something she had been searching for, for so long, and in return, her support and acceptance of him opened him up in ways he never would have thought possible.
It was great to see each of them grow and develop throughout the story, and even though there was plenty of turmoil and drama in the mix, the connection they had made before even physically meeting each other was strong enough to hold up against any adversity.
This was a beautiful tale of love and acceptance. A compelling read with plenty of heart and emotion.
About the Author
Inger Iversen lives in Virginia Beach with her tree-hugging boyfriend, Joshua and her overweight lap cat, Max. When not reading or writing she spends her time watching reruns of True Blood, Walking Dead or killing zombies in Call Of Duty. Of course, if the world were to change into some World War Z type situation, she’d probably be the only chick running around searching for a Ray Gun!
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