Cruel Bonds
(2025)(The first book in the Between Us series)
A novel by Emerald O'Brien and Meghan O'Flynn
In the shadow of betrayal lies a twisted game of vengeance. An addictive domestic thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn and Alice Feeney.
A funeral tore them apart, but digging the same grave could bring them back together... even if it's their own.
Violet and Gabrielle have been best friends since childhood, sharing everything-even the things they'd rather not. But when a devastating accident left a rift in their once unbreakable bond, each tried to carve out a life of her own, free from the reminders of that tragic day.
When the death of Gabrielle's grandmother brings them back together, they're hopeful they can mend old wounds. After all, they've both been lonely since they parted ways. But Violet isn't completely alone now-she has a new man in her life. Gabrielle is in love. Though history has told Gabby it's dangerous to introduce any love interest to Violet, she's eager to make sure this time is different.
This time, they aren't going to let anything come between them.
But rekindling their friendship is soon overshadowed by unexpected horrors. Both feel as if they're being watched. They catch glimpses of people who can't possibly exist. And a new series of threatening events seem far too deliberate to be mere accidents. The paranoia soon drives them further from each other-and from sanity.
Is it all in their heads? Or has their past come back to haunt them?
As Violet and Gabrielle are pulled deeper into a web of lies and obsession, they find themselves bound together in a deadly game they never chose to play. Told through a series of chilling letters-each more disturbing than the last-their shared history begins to unravel, revealing a trail of secrets, betrayal, and a shocking truth neither woman could have anticipated.
Though perhaps they should have. After all, they're far from innocent.
One might end up in an early grave-maybe she'd even deserve it. But will the other put her there?
Cruel Bonds is an unputdownable domestic thriller about love, obsession, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect those they love. It is the first novel in the Between Us series, but all novels in the Between Us world can be read as standalones. If you love unreliable narrators, family secrets, and shocking twists, this addictive epistolary thriller is perfect for fans of Keirsten Modglin, Lucinda Berry, and Freida McFadden.
Genre: Mystery
A funeral tore them apart, but digging the same grave could bring them back together... even if it's their own.
Violet and Gabrielle have been best friends since childhood, sharing everything-even the things they'd rather not. But when a devastating accident left a rift in their once unbreakable bond, each tried to carve out a life of her own, free from the reminders of that tragic day.
When the death of Gabrielle's grandmother brings them back together, they're hopeful they can mend old wounds. After all, they've both been lonely since they parted ways. But Violet isn't completely alone now-she has a new man in her life. Gabrielle is in love. Though history has told Gabby it's dangerous to introduce any love interest to Violet, she's eager to make sure this time is different.
This time, they aren't going to let anything come between them.
But rekindling their friendship is soon overshadowed by unexpected horrors. Both feel as if they're being watched. They catch glimpses of people who can't possibly exist. And a new series of threatening events seem far too deliberate to be mere accidents. The paranoia soon drives them further from each other-and from sanity.
Is it all in their heads? Or has their past come back to haunt them?
As Violet and Gabrielle are pulled deeper into a web of lies and obsession, they find themselves bound together in a deadly game they never chose to play. Told through a series of chilling letters-each more disturbing than the last-their shared history begins to unravel, revealing a trail of secrets, betrayal, and a shocking truth neither woman could have anticipated.
Though perhaps they should have. After all, they're far from innocent.
One might end up in an early grave-maybe she'd even deserve it. But will the other put her there?
Cruel Bonds is an unputdownable domestic thriller about love, obsession, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect those they love. It is the first novel in the Between Us series, but all novels in the Between Us world can be read as standalones. If you love unreliable narrators, family secrets, and shocking twists, this addictive epistolary thriller is perfect for fans of Keirsten Modglin, Lucinda Berry, and Freida McFadden.
Genre: Mystery
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