The Getaway

Meet Esmerelda Sleuth. Sleuth is her name and investigating is her game. (Paranormal Investigating, that is.) Esmerelda makes a good living as an investigator in a rather progressive firm. She lives a stable and sensible life until she meets Lance; an old money "hottie" who works for a real estate firm next to her building. After accepting an invitation for a weekend getaway party, she quickly discovers that Lance has a secret. He is wealthy. That part is true. And, yes, he's procured a job as a realtor in the building next door. His secret is that he belongs to an underground society of humans who didn't abandon their connection to magic centuries ago when religion declared it evil and he has traveled through time specifically to find her and bring her back to his time to marry him. If that isn't enough of a far fetched tale to absorb, he informs her that she was born in his time to a family belonging to that same secret society and was promised in marriage to him as an infant. When enemies who didn't want to see the union of families take place made attempts on her life, her parents sent her into the future and erased her memories of them as a precaution. Possessing virtually no belief in magic, ghosts, psychics, time travel, etc., it takes some doing on Lance's part to convince her to believe his story and go back with him. When she does, the lies, deceit and attempts on her life start all over again. Will she escape emotionally and physically unscathed? "The Other Side Of the Mirror" is a steamy-paranormal-romance- mystery-thriller and book one of the Esmerelda Sleuth series.

"Rule number one, Elodie: You are a guest in my home, not a ghost in my bed. Stay out of my sight, and I might forget you’re the reason my sister is a rebel." Elodie Hart has spent six years running from the shadow of Victor Blackwood—the cold, calculating Alpha King and the overprotective older brother of her best friend, Camille. To the world, he is a billionaire titan; to Elodie, he is the man who had her arrested and banished for being a "bad influence." But when Camille "borrows" the keys to Victor’s private mountain villa for a girls' getaway, the ultimate trespass turns into a midnight nightmare. Victor arrives, unannounced and furious, smelling not just of rain and power, but of a primal pull that screams one terrifying truth: She is his fated mate. In a moment of reckless hate fueled by years of repressed desire, the feud explodes into a white-hot, one-night stand that should have stayed a secret. But Victor doesn’t do secrets—he does possession. He claims her as his "dirty little secret," refusing to let her go while simultaneously denying her the title of Luna. He wants her in his bed, but out of his pack’s history. However, the Moon Goddess has a twisted sense of humor. One night of forbidden passion has left Elodie with a secret of her own—a heartbeat that shouldn't exist in her "barren" body. With a rival Alpha circling her like a predator and Camille beginning to suspect the truth, Elodie must navigate a world of pack politics and betrayal. Can she survive being the Alpha’s greatest obsession, or will the weight of their secret destroy the only family she has left?

“You still got time to change your mind about this and leave like nothing happened, naughty girl, because big daddy doesn’t stop until he is done battering that pussy,” he rasped huskily, his grip on her dangerously firm as his narrow eyes bored into her soul. She could feel his big hard dick pressing against her belly. His breath hot on her face. A part of her wanted to quit, the part that wanted to be faithful to her cheating husband, Chase, so badly, but damn she had not been touched in a painfully long time and wouldn’t loose a chance to be fucked by this hot daddy in front of her. She took a deep breath before moaning her words, “Go ahead, go all the way. Even if it hurts, Daddy. Don’t stop.” And that was all the consent he needed to wreck her. Repercussions to follow later. ———————————————————- Giselle Monroe’s marriage to her distant, unfaithful husband, Chase Hemingway, is falling apart. As a last resort, she plans a romantic Valentine’s Day getaway to try and save their relationship. Chase was her first love and everything she ever wanted until he found someone else. Instead of a romantic weekend, he surprises her with divorce papers. Heartbroken, Giselle spends the night drinking with friends to mourn her lost love. That night leads to a passionate one-night stand with a handsome stranger she meets at the bar. To her shock, she discovers the man is Richard Hemingway, her ex-husband’s father. What started as a mistake turns into a forbidden affair. Now, Giselle is caught in a messy love triangle: between the son who suddenly wants her back, and the father who worships her and refuses to let her go.

Two years ago, my entire family boarded a luxury cruise ship for an ocean getaway, only to be ambushed by abductors. My parents and younger brother were all murdered. Meanwhile, I leaped into the sea, fighting for my life. Nigel Heath was the one who saved me from the water. Before my family's bodies were even recovered, my relatives rushed in, trying to seize control of the company. Again, it was Nigel who helped me hold onto everything. He stood by me, supported me, and eventually proposed to me. I agreed with tears in my eyes. Two years have passed since we got married. One day, I catch Nigel fooling around with the housekeeper he's hired for a high sum. "When are you going to make me your wife, Nigel? When can I enter your room without having to sneak around?" He kisses her and laughs. "Running out of patience?" She complains, "Her company's almost yours, so what are you waiting for? Aren't you worried you'll lose everything when she finds out you killed her parents?" He immediately grips her neck tightly, his gaze turning frosty as he growls, "She won't know as long as you keep your mouth shut. Her father killed mine, so I'm going to keep her by my side forever and torment her for life. "I'll give you what you want once she transfers the final patent to me. Step a toe out of line, and you're getting nothing." I stand outside the door as tears silently stream down my face. My husband killed my parents and is even plotting to steal the company they established! The murderer has been by my side this whole time! My parents and brother died so horribly. How can I let Nigel get what he wants?

Evonne Shannon was a poor student mother sponsored. She was also the crush I had been courting for a long time. Wanting to allow her to shine, I gave up my place in the piano competition for her. However, she glared at me with disdain for deciding this on my own. She then instantly turned around and handed the registration form to her boyfriend, Angelo Zambrano, and said, "Ange, only you deserve this competition." Evonne liked sports cars, so I begged my mother to buy her a limited-edition McLaren supercar. But in return, Evonne mocked me and called me shallow. "Don't think I'll accept you just because I'm accepting the car, Chase Shannon. You've never understood me." With my help, Evonne got to put on a facade of a mysterious billionaire's daughter. But the moment she got money from me, she turned around and went on a romantic getaway with Angelo. I thought of Evonne as my everything and even asked my mother to arrange for her to join the family company. Within half a year, she was promoted to a core team member. She then conspired with Angelo to drain the company dry and even forced me to my death. "What else can you do besides insult me with money and a materialistic lifestyle, Chase? You're the most disgusting obstacle on my path to success. Only when you're dead can I marry Ange," she declared. I was heartbroken when I heard this, and that was when Evonne pushed me off the sidewalk and into traffic. Immediately after that incident, I was reincarnated to the day I bought Evonne a piano. She was glaring at me with disdain. "If you don't want to buy it, just say so. There's no need to humiliate me like this." I let out a dismissive scoff. "Am I the one who's humiliating you, or are you the shameless one? You beg for food but complain that it's cold. You're worse than those stray dogs on the streets. At least they show gratitude after getting scraps."

The day after my best friend, Sarah Blunt married Patrick, the second son of the Brosnan family, I too became a bride and wed Matthew, his older brother. She married a swimming champion, and I, the rock-climbing coach. We thought we had our futures all figured out. Then, something happened that summer. The four of us planned a getaway but Matthew and Patrick’s baby sister, Megan joined us and our peaceful trip became a crowded affair.  While rock climbing, disaster struck—the rope snapped, and all five of us plummeted into the river below. The brothers rushed frantically to save Megan, leaving Sarah and me at the mercy of the river’s current, battered and tossed like driftwood. By the time the rescue team pulled us from the water, we were bruised, scraped, and utterly spent. In the hospital, Megan and I received devastating news that would change everything.  “You’ve been pregnant for 40 days, Ma’am. How could you put yourself in such a risky situation? Your baby survived, but your friend lost hers.” Shaken, I called Matthew to tell him about the pregnancy. His anger cut through the line. “You’re angry that I went to Megs first and now you’re trying to fool me with a fake pregnancy? She’s my sister—it’s my duty to protect her!” Sarah faced her own storm. Patrick practically scoffed at her grief. “Miscarriage? Do you expect me to believe that? The doctors said you only had a 30% chance of conceiving. I can’t stand women who create drama out of nothing.” Both calls ended abruptly, leaving us stunned as we stared at each other in the sterile light of the hospital room. In that shared silence, we made our decision—we would leave these men behind and start anew, launching a business together. But when the brothers received our divorce papers, they showed up at my door in the middle of a storm, kneeling in the pouring rain, crying through the night for a second chance.