A Midsummer Nights Romance Anthology

 

 

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A Midsummer Night's Romance

A Historical Romance Anthology

with stories by

Grace Burrowes, Erica Ridley, Ella Quinn, Jennifer Ashley, May McGoldrick,

Sabrina York, Bronwen Evans, Jade Lee, Anna Harrington, Madeline Martin,

Elizabeth Essex, Eileen Dreyer, Alyssa Alexander, Heather Snow, Gina Conkle

An Invitation to the Ball…By Fifteen of Your Favorite Historical Romance Authors!

You are cordially invited to the most anticipated event of the Season — Lord and Lady Whitwell’s annual ball! This year’s theme is the most extravagant yet…A Midsummer Night’s Dream, filled with fairytale gardens and fantastical costumes, sparkling champagne, and heartwarming romance. Opportunities abound for secret trysts in the shadows of moonlit walks, mistaken identities, delicious unmaskings, and perhaps even a magical spell or two. But one thing is certain—fifteen pairs of hearts will never be the same again. Enjoy this collection of never-before-released novellas by your favorite historical romance authors!

SEASON OF SCANDAL

by Alyssa Alexander

Second son Noah Clarke expected to have a long career in the military. When he loses his brother to illness, Noah must return home and take his place as the new Earl of Parkwood. Yet Noah is not the same man he once was. Ton gatherings are now insipid and foolish—that is, until Noah makes the acquaintance of a masked lady scandalously clad as a soldier. But after six years on the Marriage Mart, Miss Prudence Chapman is too outspoken, too plain, and too intelligent to have received an offer of marriage. Deciding she is most firmly on the shelf, Prue is determined to spend her last spring as a Season of Scandal and doing exactly as she pleases before retiring to life as a spinster, including engaging in a battle of wits and stolen kisses with a masked stranger…Assuming he is a stranger.

A KISS FOR LUCK

by Jennifer Ashley

Lord Guy Lovell, an avowed bachelor, has no interest at all in the married state. But when young, thrice-widowed Gemma Cooke suddenly rushes into his sanctuary, seeking rescue from a boorish swain, Guy’s life changes forever.

LOVE DISGUISED

by Grace Burrowes

Rupert, Earl of Esterly, kits himself out as a footman, hoping to avoid the matchmakers’ notice at a masquerade. His lordship catches the eye, not of the proper lady he’s supposed to start courting, but of Mary, a chamber maid who has no use for titled men. He’s not what she thinks he is, but then, she’s not what she appears to be either!

UNTIL YOU

by Gina Conkle

An encounter with a smoldering Scot in a curiosity shop sets Emma’s heart aflutter. His stunning offer intrigues her—it could mean freedom. Her parents want her suitably wed, and she wants more of the dark-eyed Scot, Mr. Ramsay. But an air of mystery follows him…until Lord and Lady Whitwell’s ball where Emma dances in a private garden grotto and sets herself free.

ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT

by Eileen Dreyer

When she sneaks into the conservatory at the Whitwell’s ball, all Anastasia Dunn wants is to escape the relentless fortune-hunters. Even her engagement to an absent duke hasn’t helped. Not that she is so anxious to meet him either. She’d rather just play amid flowers, even if they aren’t hers. So when she is joined by an unknown reveler, she expects to be annoyed. Maybe it is the fact that she can’t see his face beneath the ass’s head that is part of his costume, but she wants him to stay. Until she realizes just who he is. And why he is there.

SHE WALKS IN SCANDAL

by Elizabeth Essex

Nicholas Gowan is forced to make his way in the world with his sword, teaching fencing to young lordlings with more money than sense. But when he takes on a remarkable—and remarkably attractive—new student, his prospects begin to change. The Honorable Miss Violet Worth has always known exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to fight for it. Crossed swords soon lead to crossed hearts, but a viscount’s daughter can’t fall in love with a penniless swordsmen. But Violet devises a plan to parry those determined to keep them apart with a clever feint at the Midsummer Night’s Ball.

THE AWAKENING OF LADY FLORA

by Bronwen Evans

Widowed Lady Flora Stanton is attending the Whitwell's annual masquerade ball for one thing only. To finally have a little fun and find herself a paramour. A man who she can share everything with except her heart. Her dead husband owns that and it’s locked safely away. But is she brave enough to admit she’s lonely? The rest of her life is a long time to be without pleasure. 

Attending the Whitwell’s ball, James Tennison, Earl of Battling recognizes the lady in the Grecian Goddess disguise. How could he not? She’s owned his heart for many, many years and tonight he’s putting the memory of his dead best friend to rest and going after what he wants—what he needs. He might never win Lady Flora’s heart, but he’s not prepared to step aside and let her take any other man into her bed.

ONE ENCHANTED EVENING

By Anna Harrington

Ian Norcross is a victim of proximity. Although the wealthy businessman spurns all society events, his townhouse sits next to Lord and Lady Whitwell’s, which means he’s caught up in their ball against his will—and with their guests when a little girl sneaks into his rear garden to watch the fireworks and her alluring mother Nora chasing after. Emma hasn’t spoken a word since the carriage accident that killed her father, but with the help of his shaggy hound Brutus, Ian helps Emma speak again—that is, to the dog. Stubbornly, she refuses to speak to anyone else.

As Ian and Nora help Emma find the courage to overcome the past’s tragedies, can they also find the courage to embrace their future’s happiness?

HER WILDEST DREAM

by Jade Lee

 

When his cousin ensnares a young woman in a nefarious plot, the future Duke of Birchhill must fix the disaster. Who else will protect the biracial Su Yi Phillips? What Anthony discovers is that Su Yi is not helpless, doesn’t want his rescue, and is an enchanting woman in her own right. But even she needs help now and then, and Su Yi is confused by this foreign land. Can Anthony convince her to trust what she feels? Not if his ducal family has anything to say about it. He’ll need to lay his heart bare before Su Yi risks it all for love.

UNMASKING THE EARL

by Madeline Martin

Lady Cecelia Stopford has asked her aunt, a notorious matchmaker, to help find her a husband and is expecting someone more reserved, just like her. But what she gets is a charmer who flirts with a roguish grin and utterly sweeps her off her feet. When opposites attract and mistaken identities come into play, this matchmaking gone awry appears to be a duplicitous matchmaking gone exactly right.

A PRINCE IN THE PANTRY

by May McGoldrick

Persian Prince Timour Mirza, visiting London on a diplomatic mission, has been invited to attend Lord and Lady Whitwell’s masquerade ball. Pearl Smith, down on her luck and desperate after her father’s fall from grace, is working below stairs during the same event. Timour is curious about London life and trades places with his companion before entering the ball. After Pearl comes to his aid during a moment of conflict in the Servants’ Hall, the two embark on a journey that takes them from Covent Garden to Pall Mall, knowing that all they have is this one romantic evening.

A MOONLIGHT KISS

by Ella Quinn

At the tender age of twelve, Lord Octavius Trevor was sent to serve in the Royal Navy and never looked back. Now, on the cusp of getting his own ship, they run into a storm that damaged the ship and killed the captain. His short stay in Tortola becomes much longer. A fate he he’d not looked forward to until he meets the captivating Miss Marcella Calder. For Marcella, falling in love with Octavius was the easy part, and she’s shocked when her mother refuses her permission to marry him. Duty demands he depart the island, but he promises to return. But before he does, her father sends Marcella to her sister in England where she and Octavius re-unite. But his father, the Duke of Somerset, has another marriage in mind. 

A MATCH UNMASKED

by Erica Ridley

Miss Kitty Stanley’s childhood boy-next-door—the arrogant, entirely too handsome daredevil Nathaniel Baxter—was supposed to stand up with her for the first dance the night of her come-out. The rotter went off to war instead.

Now she’s a spinster of means, enjoying her freedom at the masquerade ball of the season. Kitty has forgotten that old foolish tendre. She has no need for Brigadier Baxter. Which is a good thing, since she hasn’t seen him in five long years.

But wait… who is the handsome man behind that mask?

LOVERS AND MADMEN

by Heather Snow

Lord Edward Phillip Thomas George Walpole, Marquess of Burbridge, is as stodgy as his very English name—and a night spent at a ball fashioned after a ridiculous romp of a play is his own personal version of hell. But balls are where deals are made, and it is vital he have Lord Whitwell’s political support in brokering a treaty with France that will end more than a decade of war. Therefore, he must attend. But will Lady Calliope Hughes, as free-spirited as Edward is staid, open his eyes to what magic can be made in the moonlight?

ONE SIMPLE KISS

by Sabrina York

Sold off in marriage to a wealthy lord to save her family from penury, now-widowed Lady Rose de Vreis has no intention of marrying again. Why should she? She’s wealthy, free and, best of all, not required to attend to any man’s carnal needs. Not that she didn’t enjoy being married to Count Eddard de Vreis. Ed was a kind man, but the love she felt for him was hardly passionate. In fact, the thought of passion strikes her as ridiculous. When Liam Mackinnon returns to England to discover that Rose—the woman by whom he has measured all others—is available, he is determined to win her. When she confides she has no interest in marriage, or the physical falderal that goes with it, he knows he can change her mind. If only he can convince her to give him one simple kiss.

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DESTINY FALLS MYSTERY AND MAGIC!

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Falling Into Magic

Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 1

by 

Elizabeth Pantley

Genre: Magical Cozy Mystery

When Hayden was a child, she lost her cat. Adults told her the cat ran away, but she knew the truth. The mirror had taken her.

She knew because the mirror had given her a glimpse of an alternate world and had nearly pulled her in, so she was certain the cat had suffered that fate.

Twenty years later Hayden discovers the secret of the mirror when she is thrust into it. She learns of a world she never knew existed, and a family she never knew she had.

But danger brought her here, and it followed her. Now, Hayden is on a mission to remove the threat, so that she can begin her magical, meaningful new life in this enchanted world.

"A magical, delightful tale that held my attention with a quirky cast of characters, engaging dialogue, a pleasantly appealing universe, and an intriguing plotline that I could not put down. I can’t wait to see where we go with Hayden’s next adventure." — Dru Ann, MWA Raven Award winner, www.drusbookmusing.com

“What a captivating read! . . . I couldn't put it down. A great story, full of interesting people and places to get to know, with surprises around every corner.” — Linda C. Goodreads reviewer

“The world-building and magic system is fascinating. Destiny Falls is a wondrous place that seems to cater to citizens’ wants and needs. I love that it is almost a character in its own right, and I was intrigued by the constantly changing world. Vivid imagery paints a clear picture of Destiny falls and its inhabitants. Falling into Magic is a dynamic introduction to the Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic series.” — Julie Petitbon www.onebookmore.com/

“Finally! An author who manages to pin the Disney/Hallmark magic down on paper.” 

- Mareli & Elza, https://elzareads.blogspot.com/

“This is no run-of-the-mill paranormal book! Unique ideas. You will be glad this is a series!”

 – Susan G., Amazon reviewer

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The Disappearance of Emily

Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 2

Hayden fell through a mirror and was thrust into an alternate, magical place. Destiny Falls is not on any map and is home to a family she never knew she had. The town is enchanted and charming, but something is amiss. She gets an ominous warning, and the promise of a package. Once it arrives, someone turns up dead and there are too many other suspicious episodes to call them coincidences. All signs point to the mysterious disappearance of her mother - way back when Hayden was just two days old. Can she identify and eliminate the threat before another person in her life is stolen away?

"A magical, delightful tale that held my attention." ~ Dru Ann, Dru's Book Musings

"A captivating read! I couldn't put it down." ~ Linda C., Goodreads

"I felt transported to Destiny Falls...now that I've finished, I miss it already." ~ Julie, One Book More

"A mix of unique characters, romance, mystery and magic." ~ Charlene Q. Goodreads

"I had a fun time reading this one." ~ Lola, Lola's Reviews

"Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, BAM, a twist." ~ Leslie, Storeybook Reviews

"Really stretched my imagination!" ~ Betty, Reading is my Passion

"Funny, fluffy, far-fetched, and fabulous!" ~ Elza Reads

"Generously seasoned with sass, class, and a dose of spunk. Delish!" ~ Pages & Paws

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The mountain trail was tricky. I was moving slowly through the deep snow. I knew the lake had to be nearby. It was important to find it, but I could barely see ten feet in front of me. It was steep and slippery, and I was making my way using trekking poles to assess where I should step next. My hands and feet were cold. I heard Latifa calling out to me. Where was she? What was she saying? 

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Her lilting voice woke me from my dream. “Happy one-month-a-versary!” It’s amazing how accustomed I’d grown to my cat’s telepathic voice in my head.

I squinted at my fluffy Himalayan sidekick. She was sitting beside me on the bed. I stretched out my arms and gave an extra-loud yawn in her direction, hoping she’d get the hint that she had woken me up.

“Message received. Woke you up. So sorry. Got it.” She squinted at me and whispered, “Not sorry.”

I yawned at her again.

“Bet you forgot today is one month from the earth-shattering day we arrived in Destiny Falls.” Her big baby blues were focused on me, and her whiskers were twitching. “I have appointed myself Keeper of Your Calendar. You can be so forgetful about celebratory dates.” She shook her furry head as if it were impossible to believe.

I gave another exaggerated stretch and reached over to the bedside table. With a flourish, I presented her with a small, gift-wrapped package.

“Squeeee! You remembered!” She head-butted my face and spun a little circle on the bed, then turned to tear open the package. There was more squealing as she discovered her new, feathered cat toy.

I patted my sidekick’s head and tossed my legs over the side of the bed. A glance at my phone confirmed that Latifa-the-alarm-clock was right on time. I needed to get changed and meet Axel downstairs for a morning jog into town. He was often too busy with work to join me in the morning, so it was a wonderful treat to have some extra time with my newfound brother.

My brother. How I loved the sound of that. After a lifetime as an only child in a tiny three-person family, finding out that I had siblings and a large hidden family was monumental. Add to that a mysterious, magical new world, and I was floating on cloud nine.

The only dark spot was missing my family and my best friend, Luna. I was still trying to figure out how to tell them about Destiny Falls. I’d have to sort this out soon, since my cover story of a working trip to Denmark was nearing its expiration. A month overseas was feasible, but as the timeline continued, I’d need to address my disappearance.

My Nana and Granana would be happy that I was happy. They’ve been my biggest cheerleaders my entire life. They always said my happiness mattered most to them. Both my parents disappeared the week I was born, so my grandmother and great-grandmother jumped into raising me. They were dedicated to the job, with an enthusiasm that was a complete contrast to their tiny, delicate appearances. Luna and I referred to them as the Mighty Minis, which was an apt description. 

Figuring out how to explain that I wasn’t really in Denmark, but in a magical, hidden town in an unknown location was a whole new ball of wax. Especially since the town was finicky about who it revealed itself to. Any e-mails or texts I attempted to send, explaining my location, disappeared into the ether in a wisp of bounces— undeliverable, message not sent, connection lost. Even phone calls suddenly lost the signal. Maybe Axel, my brother (deep sigh of joy), could help me solve this problem.

I turned on the movie channel for Latifa, my furry little movie buff, tucked my ponytail through the back of my baseball cap, and headed out. I strolled slowly down the hallway, so I could absorb the beauty of this amazing home.

Hmm. That was odd. Where was the window seat? It was usually somewhere in my hallway, but it was oddly absent. There was a glorious swatch of sunlight, which is where it normally would be lounging. I snickered. Imagine that. A window seat that can lounge in the sun. Magic touched the Caldwell Crest home in the most interesting ways.

Caldwell Crest is a masterpiece of design. It could be described as a cozy, mansion-sized mountain cabin. I felt embraced by the sweeping staircase made of polished wood. I loved the plank wood floors and ceilings and the gorgeous but understated chandeliers. I adored the stone fireplaces that soared all the way up to the tall ceilings. The earthy colors of the décor were soothing. Even after a month, I was still adjusting to the fact that it was now where I lived.

The home was enchanting. I could almost believe the rumors that it was originally built as a castle back in the 1800s and magically remodeled many times. It’s difficult to understand Caldwell Crest and the mysterious place that was Destiny Falls, especially since the definition seemed to always be changing.

It had been a wild ride of a month since I’d been thrown through a portal and landed here.

Destiny Falls is different from any place I’ve ever known before. I had to let go of my preconceived notions of what defines a town. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that the town isn’t on any map and isn’t accessible by normal means.

You must be called here by either the home or the town. Then you whoosh through time and space, to the accompaniment of a flash of brilliant light, as you tumble through a mirror. It’s a one-way trip. Once you’re here, you are, well . . . “trapped” is a harsh word for such a lovely place. However, it’s accurate. I cannot choose to leave. Destiny Falls controls the comings and goings.

I feel a bit like Alice falling through the mirror into wonderland. Albeit a much nicer wonderland than Alice had to deal with.

I’ve figured out that’s it’s easier if I just go with the flow and don’t try to understand all the nuances of this place. 

Elizabeth Pantley, Author

Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages. The Disappearance of Emily is the second book in her well-received fiction series. Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest and is the mother of four and Nana to one. Visit her at nocrysolution.com

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SYLVIE DENIED

 

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Sylvie Denied

by 

Deborah Clark Vance

Genre: Women's Fiction

As she enters adulthood in the turbulent 1970s, Sylvie thinks the way to change a violent world is to become a peaceful person. Yet she slowly sees how a childhood trauma thwarts her peaceful intentions and leads her to men with a dark side – including Enzo, the man she marries. Even as his behavior becomes increasingly volatile, she believes she can make things better with love and understanding. But finally living in terror. Sylvie must find a way to escape with her daughter and a way to claim her place in the world. 

The next morning, Sylvie went to return Olga's milk pail. She breathed in the scent of tilled earth arising from the hot fields as she walked along the cobblestones that lay like rows of solid bubbles even after centuries of hooves and feet had worked to flatten them. Coming through a dark passageway, she entered the bright piazza and tripped on a cobblestone's humped back and the pail flew from her outstretched hands as she stumbled. Olga and Griselda were perched on a ledge, the tiny vines of their calico aprons extending up from the stones. Relieved she didn't land on her belly, they heaved a loud sigh as from a single breast, then laughed. 

“We always fell down, too,” said Griselda. “When I was pregnant, I fell down a whole flight of stairs,” said Olga. 

“Maybe by the time I’m used to all this weight, the baby will be born,” Sylvie said, leaning sideways to pick up the pail. 

“Yes, and you’ll be carrying the little one in your arms instead,” said Olga. 

Sylvie was about to sit when Griselda gasped so loudly that Sylvie jumped up, expecting to find a snake slithering behind her. “No! You might lose the baby if you sit on that cold stone!” 

Sylvie’s heart pounded. “I could’ve lost it from fright just now!” 

Olga folded up her sweater to make a cushion for her. 

“Just beware of the extremes,” said Griselda. “Hot and cold.” 

Sylvie wanted to rebel against all these restrictions but, without facts to counter them, didn’t dare. Besides, she admired Griselda and Olga. They’d never sit in Café Miraggio and discuss whether the economy balanced on women’s backs. But who in Café Miraggio could do what they did, bring forth life out of soil, prune grapevines and tie their branches to trellises, gather wood into bundles and sling them over their shoulders, scramble up the hill and out of sight on spring days when porcini were growing in their secret places, move quick and sure, like rabbits darting home? 

When Sylvie was eight, Mom handed her a seed packet bearing pictures of bright blue morning glories, suggesting she plant them by the arbor. Smiling, Mom said, “Read the instructions.” Sylvie took the seeds outside, poked holes in the soil with her finger and dropped them in, not knowing she’d planted them too deep, and quietly despaired when they never surfaced. She never mentioned it and Mom forgot about it. And when she planted seeds in the garden Olga gave her, she regarded the seedlings with awe, as if she’d performed a miracle. But no, it’s the spirit of life pushing through the earth as the spirit of life was in her belly. Where Mom struggled underneath male definitions, these women, growing out of their village stone, knew how their femaleness fit not just on the planet but in society. It was as if they included her in their water line.

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Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Deborah Clark Vance has lived throughout the US and in Italy. While raising her children, she earned a living by teaching piano lessons, selling her original artwork, editing a health journal, translating Italian, writing freelance articles and textbook chapters, working on a children's educational TV series, teaching in a day treatment program for adults with mental and emotional illnesses, creating garden designs and teaching as a college adjunct. After completing a Ph.D. in Communication and Culture at Howard University, she taught and served as Chair of the Department of Communication & Cinema at McDaniel College in Maryland. Although she also contributed articles and chapters to academic publications, those only earned her a modicum of prestige rather than income. She's keenly interested in the natural world as well as in social justice, spirituality and women's issues. "Sylvie Denied" is her debut novel.

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LOUISIANA LATTE

 

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Louisiana Latte

by 

Rebecca Henry

Genre: Romantic Comedy

In 1989, at the age of twenty-two, Deb was in a life or death situation. As the engines started, accompanied by the fasten seat belt sign, Deb felt her skin crawl with immobilizing fear. She had two choices, either get off the plane or die in her brand-new Gucci stilettos. Deb couldn’t get on a plane for love that day, but she could do it twenty years later for money. Money was worth dying for. 

 I dragged a down pillow from the penthouse’s luxe, fluffy king-size bed over my face to muffle the sound of my sister’s cries for help, but she was relentless. 

“Yoohoo, Becky Boo! Are you out there? I need you!” My sister’s desperate pleas carried across the hardwood floors from the steaming bathroom. 

I moaned and threw the pillow covering my face to the floor. I must have dozed off. What time was it? 

“Yoohoo, Becky Boo!” I heard Deb call. 

Nope. No luck that she’d give up. I rolled off the bed and padded across the plush rugs to the bathroom. The shower was still running, and I figured Deb needed me for something desperately pressing, like getting a bottle of shampoo out of her overnight bag. I walked into the open bathroom. Why doesn’t Deb shut the door, I wondered for the thousandth time. 

“Deb, you need something?” I asked, leaning against the granite counter. 

With a level of relief usually reserved for firefighters who just rescued lost or stranded children, Deb cried, “Oh, Becky, there you are! Yes! I need help.” 

I rubbed my tired eyes, drowsy and confused. “Okay, do you need shampoo?” 

“No, Becky, I need you to come here.” 

I blinked. “Like to the shower?” 

I could see Deb’s outline on the other side of the white shower curtain, her tan body in perfect silhouette. What does my sister want now? I wondered. I checked the rings of the shower curtain to see if they were loose. Nope. Not the shower rings. 

Deb stuck her head out from around the shower curtain, her wet hair plastered to her shoulders. “Yes, come here! But don’t look at me. I’m naked.” She disappeared again into the shower. 

I shook my head in bewilderment. “Okay, Deb! Here I am, right outside the shower,” I said, skittish. What now? The curtain moved again, and this time a long, tan leg emerged. A stiletto was strapped to her foot. I stared at the dangling foot in front of me, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. “I don’t understand, Deb.” I inched a little closer, eyeing the stiletto like a snake about to strike. “Did you forget you were wearing shoes when you got in the shower?” 

“Oh God, no!” Deb exclaimed as if I were the one being ridiculous. “You can’t go barefoot in public showers, Becky. You’ll get warts. I never shower in hotels without wearing my shoes. I don’t want to catch athlete’s foot!” 

Rather than point out that this was not a public shower, but actually the most expensive hotel room I’d ever been in, I sighed. “Why didn’t you just borrow my flip-flops?” I asked. I weighed leaving and going downstairs, but curiosity got the best of me. I had to see how this one played out. 

“Gross,” she scoffed. “You know I don’t do flip-flops. Flip-flops are for prisoners and college freshmen. Becky, listen. I need you to hold out your arm.” 

I took a step back, breaking my stare on her soaking wet stiletto. “For what?” I asked cautiously. 

“I can’t shave my legs while standing on one foot in these heels,” she huffed. “I’ll fall over and break my neck! Please, just stick out your arm so I can grab onto it. Pretty please? I’ll be super-fast.” 

I stayed perfectly still, like an animal hoping to escape detection. My eyes were once again locked on the wet stiletto. Maybe if I don’t move she will forget I’m here. 

“Becky! Please! This is an emergency!” She jiggled her soaking high heel in emphasis. “I’m going to injure myself if you don’t help me. It will only take a minute, I promise.” 

Resigned and reluctant, I slowly reached my arm inside the shower curtain. “Becky, make sure you don’t look, okay?” 

I sighed and rolled my eyes so hard I saw the back of my brain. 

“Remember, I’m naked,” Deb reminded me through the curtain. 

“Okay,” I mumbled instead of pointing out that she was not naked, she was in fact wearing shoes that cost more than a month of groceries. In the shower. So there I stood, a silent human handrail while Deb shaved her legs in six-inch designer shoes. I briefly wondered who served as Mariah Carey’s hotel shower handrail, and if she was less trouble to travel with than Deb. Who knew a business trip to Louisiana would require so much diva maintenance?

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Rebecca Henry is an American author living in the UK. Her books range from vegan cookbooks to fantasy to sci-fi to Rebecca's latest release with Urban Edge Publishing, Louisiana Latte: A Chick Lit Comedy About Sisters, Stilletos, Coffee, and One Fabulous Diva! You can find all Rebecca's books on Amazon.

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THE LIGHT CATCHER MURDERS

 

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The Light Catcher Murders

Kate Atherton Mysteries Book 1

by 

Jo Cassie McRae

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Kate Atherton’s idyllic retirement is going well…if you don’t count the two murders, the mysterious drone, and her photographer friend who manages to poke a hornet’s nest of criminal activity, that is.

Nestled in the scenic Texas Hill Country, the cozy town of Wheaton Creek seemed to Kate Atherton an idyllic place to escape the world’s harsh realities. And then there was the first murder.

Kate once enjoyed a long, successful career with a specialized, highly secret federal intelligence agency. Crises in both her personal and professional life drove her to early retirement and, ultimately, to Wheaton Creek, the perfect place for her and her former-military husband to escape what had come to feel like a world made up of wars, hatred, fear, and untimely death. And, at first, the escape was all Kate had hoped for. Then murder came to Wheaton Creek—a crime that a corrupt county sheriff seems determined to pin on Kate’s photographer friend, Lucy Celek.

Lucy’s work has been chosen to appear at a prestigious photography festival, a festival that could take her from amateur to professional standing. All goes well until the gallery displaying her work is broken into, and one of Lucy’s photographs is vandalized. A week later, the man Lucy suspected of destroying her photograph—a fellow photographer who was angry that his own work was not chosen by the festival committee—is murdered. Faced with a sheriff who shows little interest in expanding his list of suspects beyond Lucy, Kate feels she must dust off her puzzle-solving skills to find the real killer. 

Murder is just the beginning, though, as Kate’s amateur sleuthing begins to reveal a tangled web of crimes that go beyond anything she could have imagined. 

 They were on the ground. Lucy wanted to raise her head. Kate was holding her down, though, pressing her face into the rocky soil, and all Lucy could do was turn her head sideways. That was how she knew that Jack had tackled Parker in much the same manner as Kate had tackled her. 

They heard another shot, and Lucy felt a rain of debris kicked up by the bullet’s impact with the ground. “What’s happening?” 

“We’re being shot at.” Kate stated the obvious without a touch of irony in her voice. “Keep your head down.” 

“But—” 

“I said, keep your head down! For all we know, it’s you they’re shooting at!” 

“But, Stewart—” 

“Let’s worry about us for the moment, shall we?” She looked at Jack, who lay about ten feet away with Parker pinned protectively beneath him. “Suggestions?” she asked. 

“See if you can get a signal. Call the sheriff and report an active shooter.” 

“Seriously? It will take them an hour to get here!” 

“Do it anyway.” 

She fumbled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen. “Damn. No signal.” She rolled over onto her back and felt Lucy shift her position. 

“You raise your head, Lucy, and I swear I’ll knock you senseless.” Kate held the phone up as high as she dared and waved it back in forth, desperately peering at the screen in the hope that those tell-tale little gray bars would appear. “No joy,” she called out to Jack. 

“I can’t get a signal.” 

“It’s a dead zone out here,” Lucy said into the dirt. “You have to go about five miles back up the highway to get a signal.” 

“Great.” Kate tapped her phone lightly against the back of Lucy’s head. “New rule, Lucy. You don’t go where you can’t get a cell signal!” 

Lucy momentarily considered pointing out the impracticality of such a rule, especially in the Hill Country, and then decided it was not the best time to provoke Kate. Though the firing had stopped, they still didn’t dare raise their heads. 

Looking for a way out that didn’t involve going back up the slope, Jack surveyed the situation. The ravine wall to their left was even steeper and rockier than where they were now, while to their right, a stone outcropping jutted from the ravine wall. Neither alternative would be viable without climbing gear. Behind them—or, below them, as it was—the ravine wall dropped off several hundred feet and was so steep and littered with obstacles that he doubted their ability to reach the bottom in one piece. Besides, what would they do when they got there? 

“Uh, Mr. Atherton?” Parker’s muffled voice rose from beneath him. “I think you’re cracking my ribs or something. Could you maybe get off me?” 

“Just so you keep your head down, son.” 

“Yes, sir. I promise. I’m really having a hard time breathing down here.” 

Jack rolled to one side, freeing Parker, who turned onto his back. He drew several gasps of air and then turned his head to face Jack. 

“I think you saved me, sir.” 

“Possibly,” Jack agreed. “Probably.” 

“Well, thanks.” He felt around his body, taking stock. “I don’t think my ribs are broken, after all.” 

“Well, that’s good then,” Jack said. He was too distracted by their predicament to care much about the boy’s ribs. 

“So, what do we do now?” 

The question made Jack focus on Parker. “That’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it?” He could tell by the kid’s blank look that he had no idea what Jack was talking about, and sighed. To his surprise, Parker was still clutching the iPad, cradling it to his chest like a protective shield. 

“Can you launch that thing from here?” He indicated the iPad. “Your drone, I mean.” 

Parker frowned, thinking. “Possibly. It’s not a clear line of sight. It might still receive the signal, though.” 

“Can you try? I want you to fly it up to the parking area to see if our shooter’s still there.” 

“No way! If he is still up there, he might shoot it down!” 

“If he shoots it down, I’ll buy you another damned drone,” Jack snapped. “At the moment, I think our lives are a little more important, don’t you?” 

The look on Parker’s face made Jack regret his harshness. “Look,” he said in a milder voice, “the moment the drone gets off the ground, fly it fast as you can in that direction.” He pointed west. “If the shooter’s still up there, he’s watching for us. He probably won’t even notice your drone taking off. Once you’ve got it in the air, go as far as you can, and then loop up toward the road and back to the parking area. Hopefully, you’ll come up behind the shooter.” 

When Parker looked skeptical, he added, “Son, it’s your turn to save us.”

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Jo Cassie McRae is a native Texan who has lived near Austin on the edge of the Texas Hill country for over 30 years. In addition to writing, McRae loves to read, garden, and cook. Like Kate Atherton (The Light Catcher Murders), McRae's bookshelves overflow with history books, biographies, historical fiction, and mystery novels. Unlike Kate, McRae does not have a mysterious, secret former career, having worked instead as a rather ordinary legal assistant at an Austin law firm.

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