Adriana Catalanoโs own guts hate herโor at least it feels that way. Ever since she was diagnosed with Crohnโs disease, a chronic inflammatory illness of the digestive tract, sheโs done her best to keep herself healthy. Unfortunately, that hasnโt saved her from the embarrassment of trying to figure out how to explain to a date why having dinner with him results in her spending thirty minutes in the ladiesโ room.
When the tempting and mysterious Declan Maguire starts coming in to the library where Adriana works, crushing on him seems like a safe indulgence. He has a girlfriend, so thereโs no need for her to deal with the messy reality of an actual relationship. Plus, how can she possibly resist him? Heโs everything she could ever want in a guy: ruggedly handsome, kind, funny, charming, and almost as avid a bookworm as she is.
By the time Adriana finds out that Declan is, in fact, available, sheโs deep under his spell. But is asking him out a good idea? Casual dating isnโt her style, so is it fair to ask him to take on the lifelong responsibility of dealing with her illness?
To make matters even more complicated, her condition isnโt the only challenge they have to overcome. For months Declan hasnโt looked well either, and the closer he and Adriana get, the more he seems to hold himself back. Is their relationship strong enough to survive the obstacles life throws in their path, or will their problems tear them apart?
Nicole has progressed from scribbling in notebooks to banging on keyboards, but sheโs never managed to stop daydreaming at inappropriate moments.
When not answering the demands of her characters, Nicole can often be found curled up with a good book or spending far too many hours acting the hero in whatever video game is her obsession of the moment.
One of Nicoleโs other great passions is travel. She loves being married to a native Belgian, both because she likes the idea of being โThe Americanโ and because it gives her plenty of excuses to visit Europeโthat wondrous land of coffee, chocolate, pastryโas often as possible.
Michigan born and raised, Nicole lives there with her honorary Michigander/Belgian husband and her two children.
You can find more information about Nicoleโs books at her website: http://www.nciacchella.com