Face The Truth

The Perfect Blend Series, Book 5

By Teresa Purkis

A shattered heart. A ticking clock. And a history that refuses to stay buried.

Eight months ago, veterinarian Amanda’s world was dismantled in a single afternoon. Now, she survives on a strict diet of routine, sterile clinical shifts, and a self-imposed isolation that keeps her trauma at bay. But the walls she’s built begin to crumble when she wanders into The Perfect Blend, a chaotic, vibrant Bristol coffeehouse that offers more than just caffeine.

Enter Nita: a sharp-witted Australian art teacher on a year-long sabbatical. Nita is everything Amanda isn’t—irrepressible and inquisitive, determined to unearth a century-old scandal hidden in the muddy riverbanks of the South Gloucestershire countryside.

As they trace the dark, industrial shadows of the 19th-century felt-making trade, the research pulls them closer. Between dusty archives and quiet countryside walks, the platonic lines Amanda has drawn begin to blur. But Nita’s visa is a countdown, and for Amanda, the only thing more terrifying than being alone is being left again.

In a family history built on secrets and “mad” hatters, the hardest thing to uncover is the courage to stay.

Can Amanda risk her guarded heart on a woman who is destined to leave, or will she let her second chance at love slip away into the Bristol shadows? And will Nita untangle the ghosts of the past without losing her future, or will she let her own fears force her to run from a love she never expected to find?

Can they both face the truth?