The Flame Must Burn

The hottest summer brings the first flames of love. Love is dangerous. It collides with culture, and culture is defied with rebellion. She promised herself to me. Ryder is the small town's local college boy. It's summertime, and he's at the beach when he sees a young, college girl. Their eyes lock together. Intrigued by her, he wants to approach her but she quickly disappears. Disappointed he returns home, but he sees her the next day in his summer class. Good girls don't fall in love. They only obey. From a traditional Middle Eastern family, Cyrah is a young foreign-exchange student. She's studying abroad in a summer program of the small-town. Intimidated by her beauty, Ryder begins writing love letters to her. She is flattered but tries to steer clear from him. But then an incident happens that draws these two star-crossed lovers together. Slowly, she begins breaking all the rules and reciprocates the same feelings. But summer doesn't last forever though, and Cyrah has to leave. Recommended for fans of Misfit and Eleanor and Park. This is the story of Red's parents, her maman and baba. Two star-crossed lovers. This is a prequel, standalone book, the first part of the Forbidden series.