Painting Over Cracks

Beth Collins lives her life shadowed by a secret, one she believes she can outrun by building a perfect family of her own with her attorney husband, Danny. And for a while, it seems she has—until a freak car accident kills Danny and shatters her world in an instant.

Desperate for a fresh start, Beth quits her job as a mortgage broker and buys a café. As she settles into the rhythm of her new life, she finds unexpected friendships, a sense of purpose, and eventually, even the spark of a new romance.

But when mysterious details about the crash emerge, leading to shocking secrets about her husband, Beth sets off on a search for answers. Every revelation pulls her deeper into a world she could not have imagined and forces her to confront the unthinkable—she’s mourning a man who never existed. When the illusion she’s relied on collapses, Beth must decide what future she wants and who the woman is she’s ready to become.

Description

ISBN: 978-1-971903-03-3

Publication Date: May 2026

About the Author

Lee Bukowski writes stories about complicated relationships of every kind. The messier, the better. Faced with navigating difficult situations, her characters grab the reader and take them along for the ride. Her goal is to lead both her characters and readers to personal growth and self-discovery.

After she’d raised her two daughters and taught seventh-grade English for sixteen years, the writing bug bit her. In 2017, she obtained an MFA in English and Creative Writing.

Lee lives near her large family in Reading, PA, and is admittedly useless until she’s had two cups of morning coffee. She loves reading, traveling, and trying cocktails with creative names. Lee is a Seinfeld aficionada and a Billy Joel superfan with a live-concert count of fifty shows. Rumors of stalking charges are greatly exaggerated.

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