It’s hard for me to believe that this is the end. I wasn’t able to imagine what it would be like saying good-bye to this story and these characters, who mean the world to me. Even though this is the end of the Sweet Series, Nari, Mycah, Rydan, Naminé, and even Zaylie, Desmond, and Liam will forever live on in my heart. And I hope in some way, they live on in yours, too.

Thank you to my husband, who never stopped supporting me. Thank you for taking care of me and the house when I at times became too buried in stress that I couldn’t do anything else but wallow it. I couldn’t have done this without you.

Thank you to my mom, who let these characters into her heart and cried for them, felt for them, and missed them during the months I was writing the next book. Thank you for loving them as much as I do. Your support means everything to me.

Thank you to each of my family members and friends. With or without their knowledge, I used either their first or middle name somewhere throughout the series. I’m grateful for your love and support – always.

Thank you to my bff, the peanut butter to my chocolate, the Sam to my Frodo…Mary Smith. Thank you for being the first to give my books a chance. Thank you for always being the first to read each one. I’m so proud of where you’ve come as an author, but even more proud to call you my friend. Thank you for all of your unwavering support and friendship. But Kiran is mine.

To Danielle, for spending so much time listening to me gripe about the stresses that come with being a writer. Thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for always being there for me. For always being the voice of reason and providing me that honesty I so desperately need to hear sometimes. You’ve saved me many times, and I will be forever grateful.

Kat, my awesome friend and one of the first to ever give my books a chance – I have no words to express how thankful I am for your continued support. You’re always there for me, and your opinion and feedback on my writing is something I hold dear. You make me feel better when I am at my lowest without even realizing it. Thank you so very much for letting my story and characters into your heart. Thank you for caring about them so much. Thank you for crying from having to say good-bye to them. I’m so honored to call you my friend.

Thank you to a special reader named Susan Nall for ALL of your amazing, beautiful support and words. You are wonderful!!

Thank you to each and every one of my friends on my street team: Shelley, Jasmine, Courtney, Tanya, Tina, Candace, Melissa, Aret, Kara, and Candy. Thank you so much for your support! It means the world to me, and I’m so grateful to know you all!

Thank you to Hayley, for everything you’ve done and will do for my books. You are such a sweetheart, and I really appreciate all of your hard work and support.

A special thank you to my dear friend Anastasia Pergakis, my fellow author and elf lover. I could never thank you enough for my beautiful website and all of the help you’ve given to me. But most of all, thank you for your wonderful friendship! You are amazing, and I love our late night chats! <3 Thank you for falling in love with my story and characters as much as I love them. Your passion for my books inspired me every day to make this last one the best it could be. And I thank you for that.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to my editor, Jessica Nelson from Rare Bird Editing. You make me feel so much better about my books after you’ve had your hands on them, and there are no words that can express just how much I love having you in my corner. Thank you for pushing through the stress I put on you from my deadlines, and especially thank you for letting me nag you with questions all of the time. You give me confidence and inspire me to be better. Thank you for that. Thank you for all of your hard work.

And THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to my amazing readers. Thank you for sticking by me and waiting for each book to come out. I know how painful it was in between releases, but you continued to support me through it all. Each and every one of you mean the absolute world to me. Thank you for loving this story. Thank you for falling in love with my characters.

They, and I, love you too.