1 Bestselling Novel, Last Words, is where reality meets Fiction, and the lines in between are blurred by forbidden love.
Amelia - 1942:
The inside of my closet held the last bit of my freedom before I was torn from my home and shoved onto a dark train.
Our destination was even darker. “Women and children to the right. Men to the left,” they shouted at us.
Everything was taken from me, leaving only the smoke filled air, piercing screams, and soul-burning cries.
I was slowly starved and weakened to the bone, but there was a man—a Nazi—who brought me extra food. He called himself a prisoner too, but he scared me, and I wondered if he was the enemy I should fear the most.
Emma - Current Day:
My grandmother hid her past in an old diary under her bed. The tattered, brown leather book sat there for years until she asked me to find it and read her unspoken words. Now, her stories and secrets are consuming every moment of my life.
She’s dying ... and asking for a man no one in our family has ever heard of.
I never imagined a hand-written book could change my entire life, but it has. It opened my eyes to a new beginning, and I learned that love is not the unsaid word my grandmother has refused to speak. It’s an action—it’s longevity, taboo and sometimes forbidden. Do we fight for what’s wrong, or do we spend our lives searching for what’s right?
Last words were never spoken because love doesn’t stop until a heart is no longer beating.
**
Review
"Last Words by Shari Ryan is a gripping, emotional, spell-binding journey of bravery, redemption, and love. Once I picked up this book, I could not put it down, completely captivated by the story. I felt every emotion the characters went through, one minute my heart caught in my throat, the next overwhelmed with the love these characters shared. I urge everyone to read this book. Allow the story to consume you as it consumed me, and remember the lesson that has sadly been forgotten lately... Love is stronger than hate."
- USA Today Bestselling Author T.K. Leigh
*"Reading Last Words was like another wake up call of how fortunate we are to be living in this world. Without all those people who fought for their rights to be Jews, I don't think any of us would exist. This book is everything. Maybe because I'm a Jew it had an extra influence on me. This is a story about surviving against all odds, loving against all odds, finding happiness in the middle of hell and maybe, just maybe a little bit of hope. ... The way it was written with the now and then's events made me sit on the edge of my seat waiting for what comes next. You can totally feel the heart and the soul of Shari being brought to us on a silver plate. ... Amelia and Charlie's story will stay with me forever, that's for sure. ... This is by far one of my favorites reads of all times.
-Lin Cohen, From Chika With Love
"One of my all-time favorite books! This book is what I'd call it a dementor - soul sucking the shit out of you, and just like all those wizards and witches in Harry Potter, I did nothing to stop it. I laid there bearing my soul and embraced the feels, the heart clenching moments, the tears, breaking my heart in the process. Because this story was just wow... unforgettable... poignant... brilliant... it left me speechless! I can honestly say that this is one of the best books ever written and a must read of 2017! Now how the hell do I move on?!"*
-Lily Garcia, Bada Reads**
"First, let me just say that I am not sure Mrs. Ryan is capable of writing ANYTHING LESS than a 5-star story. Granted, I haven't read ALL of her books and novellas (yet), but her writing style, no matter the genre/sub-genre, is nothing short of Poetic Genius. Time & again, she proves to me that I can LOVE a story outside of my normal type of story-type picks. How? Okay, my first guess is that she is some kind of Time/Space Magician, and is just writing down events EXACTLY as she witnesses them in a parallel universe, where words flow deliciously like melted butter and descriptions and characters are intensely real and vibrantly vivid, more-so than the normal 2D ones we see here on paper -- on Earth."
-T.B. Cooper, Author & Blogger
"I love stories about the Holocaust and this one was the best I've ever read! This is a love story of the truest kind. It goes back and forth from Amelia's point of view to Emma's as we find out Amelia's journey to America. It brought tears to my eyes as I'm Jewish so I could totally relate. I cried throughout the whole thing and I was addicted. I read halfway into the night and finished it today. This is a story you'll definitely need a box of tissues for. One of my all time favorite reads this year! My hat's off to you Shari."*
-Read.Review.Repeat.Blog*
"Shari Ryan is just one of the best storytellers in contemporary romance. I loved this story. It pulled at my heart, challenged my preconceived notions and just completed swept me away. One of my top reads of 2017. It's a must read."
-Dylan Allen, Bestselling Author*
From the Author
Dear Reader,Being a descendant of two Holocaust survivors, I have taken my grandmother and great-grandmother's stories, and infused my fictional characters with some of their experiences. I used this experience as if it were the letter I wish I could give them now. This book has tought me about a piece of the world in history that has taken me through an incredible personal journey of healing and understanding just as I've endured with other Holocaust books. But, this dedicated to the story of my family, which I'm thrilled to share with you.xoxoxShari
Description:
1 Bestselling Novel, Last Words, is where reality meets Fiction, and the lines in between are blurred by forbidden love.
Amelia - 1942:
The inside of my closet held the last bit of my freedom before I was torn from my home and shoved onto a dark train.
Our destination was even darker. “Women and children to the right. Men to the left,” they shouted at us.
Everything was taken from me, leaving only the smoke filled air, piercing screams, and soul-burning cries.
I was slowly starved and weakened to the bone, but there was a man—a Nazi—who brought me extra food. He called himself a prisoner too, but he scared me, and I wondered if he was the enemy I should fear the most.
Emma - Current Day:
My grandmother hid her past in an old diary under her bed. The tattered, brown leather book sat there for years until she asked me to find it and read her unspoken words. Now, her stories and secrets are consuming every moment of my life.
She’s dying ... and asking for a man no one in our family has ever heard of.
I never imagined a hand-written book could change my entire life, but it has. It opened my eyes to a new beginning, and I learned that love is not the unsaid word my grandmother has refused to speak. It’s an action—it’s longevity, taboo and sometimes forbidden. Do we fight for what’s wrong, or do we spend our lives searching for what’s right?
Last words were never spoken because love doesn’t stop until a heart is no longer beating.
**
Review
"Last Words by Shari Ryan is a gripping, emotional, spell-binding journey of bravery, redemption, and love. Once I picked up this book, I could not put it down, completely captivated by the story. I felt every emotion the characters went through, one minute my heart caught in my throat, the next overwhelmed with the love these characters shared. I urge everyone to read this book. Allow the story to consume you as it consumed me, and remember the lesson that has sadly been forgotten lately... Love is stronger than hate."
- USA Today Bestselling Author T.K. Leigh
*"Reading Last Words was like another wake up call of how fortunate we are to be living in this world. Without all those people who fought for their rights to be Jews, I don't think any of us would exist. This book is everything. Maybe because I'm a Jew it had an extra influence on me. This is a story about surviving against all odds, loving against all odds, finding happiness in the middle of hell and maybe, just maybe a little bit of hope. ... The way it was written with the now and then's events made me sit on the edge of my seat waiting for what comes next. You can totally feel the heart and the soul of Shari being brought to us on a silver plate. ... Amelia and Charlie's story will stay with me forever, that's for sure. ... This is by far one of my favorites reads of all times.
-Lin Cohen, From Chika With Love
-Lily Garcia, Bada Reads**
"First, let me just say that I am not sure Mrs. Ryan is capable of writing ANYTHING LESS than a 5-star story. Granted, I haven't read ALL of her books and novellas (yet), but her writing style, no matter the genre/sub-genre, is nothing short of Poetic Genius. Time & again, she proves to me that I can LOVE a story outside of my normal type of story-type picks. How? Okay, my first guess is that she is some kind of Time/Space Magician, and is just writing down events EXACTLY as she witnesses them in a parallel universe, where words flow deliciously like melted butter and descriptions and characters are intensely real and vibrantly vivid, more-so than the normal 2D ones we see here on paper -- on Earth."
-T.B. Cooper, Author & Blogger
-Read.Review.Repeat.Blog*
"Shari Ryan is just one of the best storytellers in contemporary romance. I loved this story. It pulled at my heart, challenged my preconceived notions and just completed swept me away. One of my top reads of 2017. It's a must read."
From the Author
Dear Reader, Being a descendant of two Holocaust survivors, I have taken my grandmother and great-grandmother's stories, and infused my fictional characters with some of their experiences. I used this experience as if it were the letter I wish I could give them now. This book has tought me about a piece of the world in history that has taken me through an incredible personal journey of healing and understanding just as I've endured with other Holocaust books. But, this dedicated to the story of my family, which I'm thrilled to share with you. xoxox Shari