Feed your paranormal cravings!
Halloween can't get here soon enough! Especially when we have this tantalizing boxed set to look forward to.
A Wicked Halloween ~ 13 **BRAND NEW & EXCLUSIVE** paranormal romance tales that will thrill and chill you just in time for All Hallow's Eve.
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Five favorites:
Favorite Magical Creature/being: Dragons. It's always going to be dragons.
Favorite Book: Passage by Connie Willis (this changes almost daily).
Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving. It's all about family and food for me, what could be better?
Favorite Sport: Pretty much anything Equestrian. For watching, nothing can be quite as exciting as Eventing. As far as participating... I'm not quite that brave. I do enjoy riding, though.
Favorite Fairy Tale: Beauty and the Beast. I love that it has historical origins in truth. And it's just a lovely idea, all around.
Witness to her own mother's murder, Lena Scott long ago gave up any hope that she would be able to lead a normal, healthy life. She also thought that she'd left Salem, and that night, behind. She was never going to look back. But, looking back may be the key to more than just that mysterious Halloween night. And her home, her life, and even her work at the Salem Cafe are more intertwined than she ever imagined.
And the past is full of more secrets than Lena could ever have imagined. Everything she believed about herself, everything she knew about herself⦠all of that comes into question on yet another dark, Salem Halloween night.
As often happened, when the world felt a little festive, Lena felt more alone than usual. She was an outsider to the laughter and teasing that marked off the hours among the rest of the staff. Oh, she smiled, and she even spoke a few times, but it was always with a sense that she didnât belong.
She never had quite fit.
Her required break was punctuated by a mug of the best hot chocolate in the worldâthe menu even said soâand a thin slice of apple pie.
It was a risky move. Apple pie always made her think about Gran. Lena closed her eyes against the warmth of cinnamon, cooled by the gentle kiss of vanilla from the ice cream Luisa made in the big machine in the back. There was nothing fancy about itâno frills at all.
But it was perfect.
Lena put her fork down after one bite. A second one, she thought, could never be as good as that first taste.
It was starting to get late. Fewer customers came through the door, despite the well-lit sign saying that theyâd be open all night for Halloween.
âItâs starting to really come down out there,â a man told her, as she handed him and his wife their menus.
âOh,â she said, surprised. âI didnât even realize that it was snowing.â
âIf it was raining, Iâd say it was raining cats and dogs,â the woman said with a laugh. âI donât know what you say for that kind of snow.â
âFalling like goose down,â Lena heard her own voice say. The words startled her. She couldnât remember having heard them before, and yet, she had a feeling that they were just right.
âCharming,â the woman said, widening her eyes. âWhat a lovely image.â
Obviously the woman had never met geese, Lena thought wryly. In her limited experience, they were rarely lovely.
She did take the time, though, to stand at the door and watch the snow fall. It really was coming down, in great, fluffy flakes.
Lena laughed softly. It really did look like feathers falling out of the sky.
âLook at that,â Martin said, turned in his seat to watch the snow come down. âThatâs a real treat for Halloweenâor is Old Mother Nature playing some tricks on us all?â He laughed. âWeather like this always gets the ghosts thumping around, doesnât it, Luisa?â He turned his head towards where she stood, silent for once.
âYou hush,â she said.
âDonât pretend that youâve never seen him,â Martin teased. âYou and I both know that you did. You canât deny it.â
âSaw who?â Lena asked, despite the frisson of goosebumps crawling spider-like up her back.
Martin blinked at her in surprise. âI keep forgetting that you didnât grow up around these parts.â
âStuff and nonsense,â Luisa huffed. âLena doesnât want to listen to your ghost stories.â
âWe do.â The woman and her husband looked to Martin with eager expression. âItâs the perfect weather for a ghost story. Is it a local ghost?â
âHe lives about half a block down, that way,â Martin waved his hand absently. âBut, you can see him walking down the street, sometimes at night. Especially when it has been snowing. You know heâs a ghost because heâs dressed in stockings and breechesâand a three-cornered hatâyou know, the kind men wore in the early eighteenth century.â
âSo, a ghost unrelated to the witch trials?â The woman sounded almost disappointed.
Martin laughed. âEverything around here ends up pointing to the witch trials, one way or another. Some people say that this man had an ancestor that had been cursed by one of the witches. Others say that he was descended from a witch. One this is very sure, thoughâhe was terribly unlucky in love.â
The woman made a sighing sound. Lena made a face to herself. Sheâd never understood what was romantic about tragedy. Despite herself, she wanted to listen to this story. Ignoring, of course, the fact that Martin had waved his hand in the direction of her own, historical monument of a house.
âThis used to be the outskirts of town,â Martin said, warming to his story. His face was lit up with excitement that, for once, he had an audience that wanted to hear what he had to say. âOur ghost was a prosperous man in these parts, and known to be a quiet gentleman. He kept to himself, so of course there were gossips who said that he was surly and thought too well of himself. That he was too proud to marry a local girl.â
How could Martin possibly know such a thing? Lena wondered, but she gave in to the magic of the story-telling.
âThe stories agree that he was a handsome man. You thought he was handsome, when you saw him, didnât you, Luisa?â
The chef made a huffing sound, but made no move to go back to the kitchen.
âSo, he was handsome and wealthy, and could have married any girl in these parts just for the asking, but he never seemed interested in any of them. Not until a girl showed up at his door, shivering with the cold on a night just like this.â Martin knew he had his listeners hooked now. He spoke softly, forcing them to lean closer and hold their breaths to be able to hear. âNo one knew anything about her. Not who her people were, not where she had come from. It was love at first sight, they say. He built up his house as a kind of shrine to her, and to their love. They married and gossip said that they were expecting their first child. But, it wasnât to last.â
Lena heard the woman at the table sigh again, this time regretfully. âWhat happened?â
âThe girl disappeared,â Martin said. âThe records donât say how or whyâthey didnât in those days, you know. But, the legend that my grandfather learned from his grandfather, and passed down to me, was that she ran away from him. No one ever saw her again.â
Gasps of sympathetic horror filled the room.
âHe didnât live long after she vanished,â Martin continued, ignoring the shocked faces surrounding his casual mention of murder. âIt might have been an accident, but again it might have not. He was killed in a fall off of that big, proud stallion of his, while he was out searching for his lost love. Thatâs why he still walks to this day. They say that heâs looking for her still⦠unable to rest until he finds her again.â
Lena rubbed her icy fingers together. The chill had nothing to do with the snow outside and everything to do with the ghost story Martin was reciting.
âWhat was her name?â The woman asked, her hands clasped together. âWhat was his name?â
âHis name was Edward Pryce,â Martin said. âAs for the girl⦠the only name we have for her is âMellieâ.â
She tries to capture some of these for other book-lovers like her to enjoy.
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