I could just imagine my mother's face when she saw me - her troublemaking youngest daughter, the university dropout who worked in a bar - turning up hung-over and in a ridiculously tiny miniskirt... Ah, to be the black sheep of the family… Eight years ago, Charlie lost her brother in a mountaineering accident. She's come a long way since, or rather has fallen a long way down… A drop out, an alcoholic and promiscuous to boot, she is a constant disappointment to her family. Eight years ago, Richard Davenport watched his best friend die. Now a successful businessman, he's never forgotten the promise he made to Charlie's brother that he would keep her safe. But how do you go about saving someone hell-bent on self-destruction? One night Charlie goes too far and Richard is her only option for help. Can he break through and stop her lying to herself? Or will Charlie finally succeed in tumbling over the edge…

Tara Bond grew up in Surrey, England. She read History at Cambridge University, before working in various sensible office jobs. She lives in London with her husband, and loves reading and writing, as well as watching movies and TV box sets. Her guilty pleasures are cocktails and chocolate desserts.