Publication date: November 10th, 2020
Synopsis:
High school sweethearts, Niles and Eden shared a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love until an accident--and Eden's subsequent addiction to pain medication--tore them apart. Now divorced, their son Riley is Niles's whole world, and he'll do anything to keep him safe.
In constant pain, chronically tired, and resentful of Riley's relationship with his dad, Eden is a shadow of the woman she once was. When she meets Kirk, a charismatic drummer who makes her feel alive again, she's torn between evacuating with Riley before a hurricane hits and the exciting new life that beckons.
Reese has never quite gotten over the death of her father, a cop who was shot in the line of duty. Now a detective herself, and the only special operations officer on the East Ridge, Tennessee, police force without children, she volunteers for an assignment in Eastern North Carolina to help as Hurricane Florence closes in on the area.
As a potential category five hurricane spins straight toward the North Carolina coast, their lives begin to intersect in ways they never imagined as each is forced to confront issues from the past that will decide the future... their own, each other's, and Riley's.
Emotions swell like the rivers in the approaching storm in this poignant story of guilt, second chances, and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love.
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Reviews for When the Rivers Rise
"WHEN THE RIVERS RISE is a moving portrayal of the storms in our lives--both literal and figurative--and the people we turn to when they come. Joey Jones deftly explores missed opportunities and second chances in this southern story filled with heart that will leave fans longing for the next book in the series." -- Kristy Woodson Harvey, USA TODAY Bestselling author of Feels Like Falling
"A threatening hurricane is on the horizon and love is on the line... this captivating story of love and loss will keep you turning the pages and wishing for more. This is Joey Jones delivering what his fans have come to expect!" -- Riley Costello, Author of Waiting at Hayden's, a shopfiction novel
"Once the readers pick up When the Rivers Rise, they become invested in the lives of the characters in the novel. Each character plays a unique role in the plot with his or her idiosyncrasies and feelings toward one another. Each character's actions and reactions are calculated risks that Joey Jones takes to make us love or question each character's motive. Niles's and Eden's dysfunctional relationship is so much like couples of today that I found myself wondering if I knew them personally. From Reese's first assignment, I knew she would be a force to be reckoned with in the novel. Jones impressed me with how he easily wove her into the plot with Niles, especially their kick butt fight scene. From romance to suspense, Jones did it again. He drops hints throughout the chapters, but the reader should definitely expect the unexpected." -- Donna Matthews (Book Editor/North Carolina English Teacher *Retired*)
Excerpt
"Mommy needs to go to the grocery store sometime today to stock up on some items in case the storm comes this way."
If the hurricane ended up being a category one or dropped to tropical storm status, she wasn't going to leave town. If it was a two, she might leave. Anything higher, she was pretty sure they would skedaddle with her parents.
"Like chocolate milk?" Riley asked, his focus still on rolling the vehicles.
"Sure, we can get some chocolate milk, but we also need batteries for the flashlights, bottles of water, bread, canned goods, and other necessities like that."
Anytime a hurricane threatened the area, the first shelves to become empty at the local grocery stores were the ones that held the bread and the water. Soon, there would also be lines of vehicles backed up at the gas station pumps if there weren't already. If she waited too long, there might even end up being a fuel shortage. People around here panicked when it came to hurricanes, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The rule of thumb was to have one gallon of water per person per day for at least a few days, but over the years, she'd witnessed many people walking out of the market with a whole cart full. The hoarders were the ones who made it difficult for everyone to have what they needed.
"Mom, we probably need more cereal, too," Riley added, sounding all adultlike.
"The way you eat cereal, we might need to fill our cart full of it," she laughed, again thinking about those crazies who assumed they were the only ones who needed supplies.
His eyes lit up like the lights on the police car he was now using to chase the bad guys. "Are you serious?" he asked.
"I'm just being silly, son, but we'll make sure to get a couple of boxes."
Even if the power went out and the milk spoiled, she knew Riley would eat dry cereal. As she stood over him, gazing at her child as mothers often do, wondering where the time had gone and why he couldn't be a baby again, she could see Niles. She used to love how her little boy reminded her of his daddy--his expressions, his eyes, most of the features on his face.
The ratings and reviews of Jones' novels A BRIDGE APART (2015), LOSING LONDON (2016), A FIELD OF FIREFLIES (2018), and THE DATE NIGHT JAR (2019) reflects comparison to the aforementioned New York Times bestselling authors.
Joey Jones fell in love with creative writing at a young age and decided in his early twenties that he wanted to write a book. His debut novel A BRIDGE APART is a suspenseful love story that was years in the making as he tinkered with the story off and on while working full-time in the marketing field. In February 2016, Jones becomes a full-time novelist and published his second novel LOSING LONDON later that year. Three of Jones' novels have earned 4.8 out of 5.0 Amazon stars.
In his spare time, Joey enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, working out, reading, and writing inspirational quotes. His favorite meal is a New York Style Pizza with sweet tea. He won the 8th-grade spelling bee at his school, but if you ask him how many students participated, he might say, "Such minor details are not important!" He currently lives in North Carolina with his family.
Joey Jones earned a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College where he graduated with honors (2006). He was the owner of a full-service advertising agency and taught business and marketing courses as an adjunct college instructor.
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