Author: Tracey Devlyn
Publisher/Publication Date: TDC Creations, Inc., September 20, 2014
Genre: Historical Romance
Book Blurb
Book One, Bones and Gemstones series
A promising young apothecary picks up the pieces of her life, only to collide with the ruthless thief-taker who once shattered her dreams and her heart.
When the love of his life chose an apprenticeship in Scotland over his marriage proposal, thief-taker Cameron Adair buried himself in his work--building an unmatched network of underworld spies. Forged by his reputation as a ruthless, greed-driven businessman, he has amassed a fortune. But he has one vulnerable spot in his armor--a brilliant, green-eyed apothecary, who continues to haunt his heart. When a murder investigation brings him back into contact with Charlotte Fielding, Cameron sets aside the past to find a killer and to distract a headstrong apothecary, clue by clue, kiss by kiss.
Night Storm
Excerpt
In the distance, Charlotte Fielding spotted the simple, white-lettered
sign that marked her destination. Apothecary. The tension she’d been carrying
in her shoulders since entering the Whitley residence loosened its biting grip.
The strain between husband and wife had not lifted in her two-day absence. If
anything, it had grown worse, now that Mr. Whitley felt well enough to defend
himself.
Charlotte’s brisk pace slowed. A man was slumped on the pavement
between her shop and the boarded-up bakery next door. He sat with one leg
stretched out across the walkway, the other bent at an angle. The rim of his
hat protected his face from identification. So, too, did the long black woolen
coat and matching muffler around his neck.
The tension in Charlotte’s shoulders returned full force. Even though
she could not identify him, she knew what he wasn’t—a beggar. Everything about
him was too fine for him to be living in the streets. She glanced around,
checking the evening shadows as best she could with only lamplight to aid her.
Anderson’s lending library, Patterson’s coffee shop, Gertrude’s lace boutique,
Tilly’s former bakery—they all stood silent and free of loitering troublemakers
and customers. If she cried out for help, would the shopkeepers hear her from
their snug, upstairs apartments?
She considered entering through the back of her building, an area
normally reserved for deliveries, but she couldn’t bring herself to venture
down the dank, narrow alleyway at this time of night. Drawing in a calming
breath, she reached into her reticule and pulled out her pouch of pepper. A
poor defense, she knew, but she always kept it, thinking it would give her a
small chance of escape if thrown in an assailant’s face.
Increasing her pace, she stopped in front of her shop’s weathered door,
the color of a cloud-streaked blue sky. The man remained motionless, silent.
Eerily so. She experienced a moment of indecision. Should she nudge him? Could
he be hurt and in need of assistance? Or should she continue on inside her own
shop and mind her own business?
“Hello, Charley.” The voice was unmistakable.
A chill started at the base of her neck and swept through her body.
Bone deep and breath stealing. With slow, precise movements, her gaze lowered
to the source of the too-familiar voice. A voice that belonged to the only man
who had ever called her Charley.
The man’s uplifted face revealed itself. Thick, bold eyebrows stood out
on a pale, pain-filled face. A once-beloved face. Cameron Adair. What little
air she had left disappeared at the sight of Cam—Cameron. Other than a brief
glimpse of him a few months ago, she hadn’t seen him for years. But she would
have known him anywhere. The shock of seeing him held her immobile, terrified
in a way she hadn’t been since the early days of their falling out.
“Charley, I need your help.”
His words, laced with a strain born of hard-fought control, snapped her
out of the past and plunged her back into the present. Cameron Adair was
sprawled at her door, hurt, needing her help.
She slid her key into the lock.
Metal scratched against metal until she heard a familiar click. Setting her bag
inside the door, she returned outside. “Are you able to get to your feet?” She
managed to keep her voice calm, unaffected. But inside, a violent tremor began
and a maelstrom of questions flooded her mind. Why come to her? Where was he
hurt? Why show up on her doorstep after complete and utter silence for five
miserable years?
Carefully, she folded her hands at her waist and locked her knees
before she could humiliate herself with senseless emotion. She had decided long
ago to waste no more of it on Cameron Adair.
Something like disappointment flared in his blue, ice-chipped eyes.
“Yes, with assistance.”
“Where are you hurt?”
“Left leg, right shoulder.”
“Let’s get you inside out of the cold, and I’ll hail a hansom cab to
take you to Dr. Hollingsworth.”
He shook his head and mumbled, “I’ve been shot. Lost too much blood.”
“Cameron, I can’t—”
“You must,” he interrupted. “I haven’t the strength to go elsewhere.”
She knew what it had cost him to admit to such weakness. And because
she knew this about him, an unrivaled fear forced her to his side.
Positioning herself in a crouch, Charlotte took a steadying breath
before sliding her arm around his broad back. Blood, sweat, and a masculine
scent uniquely Cameron’s filled her nose. She gritted her teeth against an
overwhelming desire to inhale deeply.
“Ready?” she asked.
He nodded once, his full lips pressed into a thin, determined line.
Bending forward, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder to brace himself. The
new position put them face-to-face, breath-to-breath.
Tracey Devlyn is an award-winning
author who writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more
grievous journey toward the heroine’s happy ending). She’s a co-founder of
Romance University, a group blog dedicated to readers and writers of romance,
and Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville, Chicagoland’s exciting new reading salon
devoted to romantic fiction.
An Illinois native, Tracey
spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends
torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her
Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please
visit her website.
Connect with
Tracey
Giveaway Info
$25 gift card to any online bookstore of the winner's choice, plus a "Custom-made Sachet by Tracey" – Open for International Shipping
Extra
Also,
for a limited time, Tracey will be giving away the first short story she ever published—HIS
SECRET DESIRE—re-edited and re-packaged with a beautiful new cover. FREE for a
LIMITED TIME at the following locations.
Thanks so much for the new release shout out!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Congratulations on your latest release! :D
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