New Releases by Anne Stuart

When Bastien Toussaint vanishes, his wife Chloe knows only one thing: Something very bad must have happened to keep him away from her. She’s determined to find him, and she does, in the catacombs of Paris. There’s only one problem. He insists he doesn’t know her, which would be bad enough, but he’s decided to hold her as a hostage. Nothing she can say or do will get him to recognize her, and he’s become like the Bastien she first knew—dangerous and deadly--but she’s afraid if she escapes, she’ll never see him again. Jean-Marc has no idea who the woman is who foolishly insists he’s her husband. His current mission is too important to jeopardize, but he needs to find out who and what she is before he can either let her go or dispose of her. As he drags her through the French countryside, the shores of Lake Como, and the arid Spanish desert, Bastien finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. He can’t afford any distractions, but he can’t let her go either. He has a Nobel Peace Prize winner to get rid of, and Chloe provides him with much needed cover. When the job is done he can let her go and forget all about her. Can’t he? From the catacombs of Paris to the busy streets of London, Icebound revisits Chloe and Bastien from Black Ice, once more enmeshed in danger and murder in this sizzling tale of suspense and romance.

Molly Ferrell has one goal in life—to write a book about the long-lost poet Michael O’Flannery, who died under mysterious circumstances. To learn more about him, she’s come to the town of Hidden Harbor, Maine, only to meet with silence and hostility from the locals who knew him. Chief among them is Jake Marley, a carpenter and a sourpuss who thinks Molly’s obsession is just that, an obsession. But she’s getting beneath his skin, and all his secrets are at risk if he doesn’t get rid of her. Molly knows that something’s going on, and she’s determined to find out the truth. Who and what is Jake Marley? Whatever happened to Michael O’Flannery? And why the hell is she falling in love with a lying grump when she’s got a book to write? Trigger warning: contains references to suicide.

The rain and murders just keep coming… When Rachel Middleton marries the perfect new man and moves with her teenaged daughter to the small town of Silver Falls, she believes she's finally found serenity. Until the murders begin. Until her husband's brother returns home. All too soon her bright hopes for a future are crashing down around her. Caleb Middleton has unfinished business. He's unsettling, fascinating, and intent on shaking the foundations of her life. Before someone else dies, she'll have to decide who she can trust—her perfect husband or his dangerous brother. About the Author: ANNE STUART has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the bestseller list of the NY Times, Publisher's Weekly, and USA Today, as well as being featured in Vogue, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. Anne lives by a lake in the hills of Northern Vermont with her fabulous husband.

The stunning finale to RITA Award-winner Anne Stuart’s The Ice Series brings us back to Japan, where deadly machinations have an odd couple in their crosshairs. In the wake of a failed love affair, Jilly Lovitz takes off for Tokyo. She’s expecting to cry on her sister’s shoulder, then spend a couple months blowing off steam in Japan. Instead, she’s snatched away on the back of a motorcycle, narrowly avoiding a grisly execution attempt meant for her sister and brother-in-law. Her rescuer Reno is the Committee’s most unpredictable agent. They’d met once before and the attraction was strange—opposites in more way than one—but electric. Now Reno and Jilly are pawns in a deadly tangle of assassination attempts, kidnappings, and prisoner swaps that could put their steamy partnership on ice. Previously published.

Carolina Cunningham is not the woman she pretends to be. As owner of the Queen of Diamonds Saloon, she hides her innocence behind a tough exterior, and she has no time for a gunslinger turned sheriff who’s only interested in killing. And in her. O’Malley is in town for one reason only—to kill Little Billy Gaither, the notorious outlaw and murderer. Falling in love with Carolina only makes things more complicated, since she’s number one on Billy’s hitlist. Somehow O’Malley’s got to keep her alive, kill the monstrous Billy, and talk her into lowering her defenses. They could be happy together, if Carolina will just give it a chance. And if Little Billy Gaither doesn’t kill them first.

Follow the thrilling Ice Series across the pacific with Ice Blue by of RITA Award-winner Anne Stuart Museum curator Summer Hawthorne considered the exquisite ice-blue ceramic bowl given to her by her beloved Japanese nanny a treasure of sentimental value—until somebody tried to kill her for it. The priceless relic is about to ignite a global power struggle that must be stopped at all costs. It's a desperate situation, and international operative Takashi O'Brien has received his directive: everybody is expendable. Everybody. Especially the woman who is getting dangerously under his skin as the lethal game crosses the Pacific to the remote and beautiful mountains of Japan, where the truth can be as seductive as it is deadly…. Previously published.

Marike is a satisfied woman. She has her business making creative maternity clothes, she has her passion helping pregnant women in need, and she has her absurd house outside Chicago. She doesn’t need someone like Will Lambert upsetting the peaceful flow of her days. Will is a frustrated man. Working a high profile job in Chicago just doesn’t feed his soul, but he’s going through the motions, doing what he’s supposed to do, until he runs across Marike, her bevy of pregnant helpers, and her tumbled-down brownstone. Will needs some shaking up, and Marike is just the woman to do it. He’s just got to make sure she gets shaken up as well. Because it doesn’t take much for Will to decide that Marike is The One. Convincing her is the challenge.... (Previously published in the Valentine Babies anthology)

Emma O’Bannion has a crush on the mysterious Frenchman who lives above her, and for Valentine’s Day she decides to be his secret admirer. There’s one problem—Luc is a retired agent, and sees danger everywhere, particularly in a bouquet of roses and a box of poisoned chocolates. It’s easy enough for him to discover who’s stalking him, easy for him to kidnap her and find out exactly who she’s working for. Except that apparently her only motive is a misplaced crush. Too bad that he’s starting to feel the same way.

Malcolm MacLaren has come to the small Scottish island of St. Columba for one reason—revenge. He hasn’t counted on a beautiful, fairy-like widow to haunt his footsteps, a woman so irresistible that he could almost forget his reason for being there. Ailie Spens is an old soul. She dances barefoot in the moonlight, floats like a fey creature among the relatives who try to rule her life and does her best to convince everyone she is half-mazed. And she knows when a man is under an enchantment. He walked from the sea, terrifying the townspeople, and everyone knows he must be a selkie, a man on land and a seal in the icy North Atlantic. But Ailie knows he has come for her, to rescue her from the stifling future her relatives have deemed proper. Now she simply has to convince him to take her with him when he returns to the deep, dark sea.

What if the Sheriff of Nottingham was actually the hero? Everyone knew that the High Sheriff of Huntingdon was a madman, the son of a witch and the devil himself. His proxy wedding to a young nun is simply another appalling deed, not to be wondered at, until the bride herself arrives, a flaxen-haired girl with a resolve to equal the Sheriff’s own. True love never runs smoothly, particularly when there’s a witch, a vicious killer, and the Sheriff’s own behavior to deal with. But Sister Elspeth is strong enough to deal with all of it, and win her husband’s love in the end. There are times when even a madman can be tamed. Warning: this novella contains violence and strong sexual content. Not for the faint of heart.

The interview with the anonymous assassin is the coup of Madison’s short journalistic career. The man is heartless, soulless, and determinedly seductive, and she leaves feeling shaken. Constantine should never have given in to the pressure to speak to the reporter, but once he does, he is caught by her innocent sensuality, so much so that he can’t forget her. Scaling her balcony on a rainy Paris night is even more suicidal, but it doesn’t matter. He has to have her. Just as she has to have him. Love is not in the cards for his broken soul, but he didn’t count on someone like Madison breaking down his resolve, his barriers, his very life. Happy endings aren’t for the likes of him. That doesn’t mean he won’t fight for it. Warning: this novella contains violence and strong sexual content. Not for the faint of heart.

BONUS MATERIAL AND RECIPES INCLUDED. Next stop: Hell. Unless . . . He was a driven, heartless businessman, trampling anyone who got in his way, until one night when his grinchy-heart exploded. Now, he's back on earth with a second chance to avoid his fate. His task? To right three of his wrongs. Fail, and he's not going to like how his story ends. All her fault . . . Carrie Alexander lives a quiet life in a tiny town in Minnesota, recovering from a broken heart and her guilt. She'd been fool enough to fall in love with her heartless boss, and she'd not only been kicked to the curb, she'd brought down the whole town with her. She's doing everything she can to make up for the disaster she wrought, and she has no time for the stranger who appears at her door on a wintry Thanksgiving night--no matter how angelically beautiful he is. He's going to need a miracle . . . Healing the town is a relatively simple matter. Fixing lost souls will be a piece of cake. But how the hell can Gabriel heal the woman he's fallen in love with, knowing he's going to abandon her once again? RITA Award Winning Title! About the Author: Anne Stuart recently celebrated her forty years as a published author. She has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the bestseller list of the NYTimes, Publisher's Weekly, and USA Today, as well as being featured in Vogue, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. Anne lives by a lake in the hills of Northern Vermont with her fabulous husband.

A dangerous man . . . The man who''d broken into Elizabeth Hardy''s Colorado house was no lost ski bum. Her inexplicable and intuitive powers, those unwanted gifts, were always vague, but she knew that much. Sam Oliver was tall, dark, and deadly--a liar and a trickster, and she''d finally found a man she couldn''t ignore. Off limits . . . She didn''t look like a fraud and a liar, and after years in Army Intelligence Col. Sam Oliver should know. Instead Elizabeth Hardy was a pale, vulnerable-looking waif, though he didn''t buy her innocent act. He''d always made it a rule to keep his hands off his targets. Some rules were made to be broken. Unanswered questions . . . With a young housewife missing and presumed dead, there were no simple answers to any number of questions. Why did the missing woman look exactly like the also-missing daughter of the secretary of state? Why did Elizabeth want to trust him, why did Sam suddenly want to believe in psychics? For God''s sake, why couldn''t they resist each other? And the biggest question of all: would they survive to find out what was going on between them? Or was all hell about to break loose? RITA FINALIST! \"Elizabeth, Oliver, and danger. Certainly a combination you ought not miss!\" -Maldivian Book Reviews About the Author: Anne Stuart recently celebrated over forty years as a published author. She has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the bestseller list of the NYTimes, Publisher''s Weekly, and USA Today, as well as being featured in Vogue, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. Anne lives by a lake in the hills of Northern Vermont with her fabulous husband.

The man known as the Scorpion is as dangerous as his counterpart—most people keep a safe distance. But Miranda Rohan is already ruined and in need of a friend—surely the mysterious Scorpion will pose no threat. But even the flagrantly wicked Scorpion has his dark secrets, and Miranda has been his pawn for longer than she could ever imagine. The Scorpions are deadly, but a Rohan never retreats. With games and lies, betrayal and revenge, who will triumph in their dark game, particularly when fiery attraction comes into the bargain?

Left broke and all but homeless by her shiftless husband, widow Margaret Jaffrey turns to his family in hope of a better life for her daughter . . . until she realizes the decaying family mansion in Louisiana comes complete with a domineering matriarch, a drunken uncle, and a madman locked in the attic. The madman in question is Peter Delacroix, and he doesn't seem that crazy. In fact, Margaret is starting to find him irresistible. But if Peter isn't really unstable, then why did he confess to a murder he didn't commit? And which one of her new-found in-laws hides a lethal streak? Most of all, how will she keep her daughter safe when she's falling in love with a very dangerous man? Author Bio: Anne Stuart recently celebrated over forty years as a published author. She has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the bestseller list of the NYTimes, Publisher's Weekly, and USA Today, as well as being featured in Vogue, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. Anne lives by a lake in the hills of Northern Vermont with her fabulous husband.

Something's coming. And it involves a man. New age shopkeeper Sybil Richardson loves Christmas - she just doesn't like the impossibly sexy, incurably grumpy professor who's come to the tiny town of Danbury, Vermont to debunk all her dearly held beliefs. She doesn't like his suspicious nature, and she sure as hell doesn't like the fact that he makes her dissolve into a puddle of lust no matter how much he annoys her. Nick Fitzsimmons thinks most new age beliefs are nonsense. He has no need to linger in a one-horse town with no cell service and unreliable wifi, but for some reason, he can't make himself leave the ridiculously gullible woman who is trying so hard to get rid of him. Christmas is coming, and he knows what he wants under his tree. He just has to convince Sybil that she wants him, too. Anne Stuart recently celebrated her forty years as a published author. She has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the bestseller list of the NY Times, Publisher's Weekly, and USA Today, as well as being featured in Vogue, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. Anne lives by a lake in the hills of Northern Vermont with her fabulous husband.

This bundle contains : SHEIKH SURGEON CLAIMS HIS BRIDE,A DARK & STORMY NIGHT , and SALZANO'S CAPTIVE BRIDE. Aspiring doctor Emily returns to her hometown to spend time with her ailing grandmother, Beabea, her only family in the world. Beabea's worsening illness means their time together is dwindling... With sadness in her heart, Emily takes her sorrows to the shore, where she spots a beautiful man, Zayed, drenched in the evening's sunlight. She's shocked to learn that he is a member of an elite foreign family, and none other than her new boss at the hospital! She finds herself drawn to him, despite his complicated past and the demons that plague his heart...

Ellie Johnson Lundquist survived the massacre that killed her parents and decimated the town of Morey’s Falls, Montana. Now, with the anniversary of that day putting everyone on edge, someone has walked into town, throwing everything off-balance. Fifteen years ago Tanner’s father took an arsenal to the town square. A lone wolf, Tanner has spent his life on the road, trying to escape that memory, but now he’s come back, ready to face his father’s past and his own. Strange things have been happening in town, and Tanner’s an easy target. His presence unsettles everyone, especially Ellie, who’s eager to get him out of her life for good. There’s no way she can be attracted to the son of a killer. No way he could want her. But as the anniversary of the massacre draws closer it’s starting to look as if history is going to repeat itself. Ellie and Tanner are thrown together in a race against time to find the new killer before history comes back to haunt them and destroy any chance of a future they might have together.

What if Jack the Ripper never died? As the skies turn red over Los Angeles, Jack the Ripper roams once more. Saucy Jack is back, and women are dying. Caught up in the case, artist Lizzie Stride is haunted by dreams of the crimes. And even more disturbing? Her name is identical to a victim from 1888. J.R. Damien, a newspaper reporter, is likewise haunted by violent dreams as well, dreams vivid with details only the Ripper could know. Details that later prove true. When he meets Lizzie, he knows something else only the real Ripper would know--she's the next victim. Or will be if he doesn't stop Jack, even if that means stopping himself. Does reincarnation really exist? Are Lizzie and Damien doomed to play out the same hideous dance of death from more than a century ago in the streets of London? And why is he unable to resist Lizzie? Why is she helplessly drawn to him? In a struggle between love and death, which will prevail? Anne Stuart recently celebrated her forty years as a published author. She has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the bestseller list of the NY Times, Publisher's Weekly, and USA Today, as well as being featured in Vogue, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. Anne lives by a lake in the hills of Northern Vermont with her fabulous husband.

Her power-hungry husband takes pleasure in her pain, but she's done playing the victim. Three years ago, ex-operative Sophie Jordan made the mistake of falling in love--and marrying--her target. Now she's paying for it tenfold. Her husband might be one of the sexiest men alive, but he's also a psychopath. She's been a virtual prisoner, and the time has come for retribution--and escape. Undercover agent Malcolm Gunnison has his orders: get intel from Sophie's arms-dealer husband, then kill him. He plans to get rid of her, too, if she gets in his way, but he's unprepared when she gets under his skin instead. Whose side is she on? And what is she hiding behind those mesmerizing eyes? Sophie vowed to never fall for another man again, but this sexy undercover agent is different. With danger mounting, can Malcolm and Sophie trust each other--and their growing passion--enough to get out of this operation alive?

The Soldier Tough, gorgeous soldier of fortune Reilly (Whatever his other name is) promised his best friend he’d take care of his wife and baby, bringing them out of the war-torn South American country they were stuck in. He was expecting a spoiled, glamorous socialite, not a quiet, stubborn girl devoted to the tiny infant. The Nun Carlie Forrest had been waiting a long time to take her final vows, but caring for the new-born baby of a dead woman was more important, leaving her stuck in the abandoned convent. She wasn’t going to just hand the baby over to a man who looked like he’d never changed a diaper in his life, and she didn’t mind pretending to be the dead socialite in order to keep the child safe. The Baby Everyone wants him – the rebels, the dead dictator’s army, the rich American grandparents, and Carlie. Can she let him go when the safest place was cold and heartless? The Problem He’s all business – he has no intention of falling for his best friend’s widow. She’s all business – she doesn’t want to fall in love with this big, tough, gorgeous man. But love and trouble don’t listen to good intentions, not when you’re thrown together with your unexpected and inconvenient soul mate.

The Spinster: As a maiden aunt, Gillian Redfern lives as an unpaid servant to her demanding family. Little wonder she finds the attentions of a rake distracting, and even less wonder that her usual good sense begins to unravel when Lord Marlow takes her in his arms. The Rake: Ronan Patrick Blakely, Lord Marlow, is a man of great charm and little moral character, a gambler, a womanizer, and handsome as sin to boot. He has no qualms about placing a wager on the virtue of one small, shy spinster. But Lord Marlow is about to discover that Miss Redfern is more siren than spinster. She amuses him, arouses him, and, much to his dismay, makes him a better man. Gillian will discover, in turn, that Lord Marlow possesses the power to turn her into a very wicked woman. The rake and the spinster are poised to find a love that neither could have imagined. If only someone weren't out to destroy them both . . . Anne Stuart recently celebrated her forty years as a published author. She has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the bestseller list of the New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, and USA Today, as well as being featured in Vogue, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. Anne lives by a lake in the hills of Northern Vermont with her fabulous husband.

This book is a classic romance, originally published in 1983. After escaping from an abusive relationship, Cathy Whiteheart has sworn off men. She has no desire to date, and she’s not looking for love. When her meddling sister, drags Cathy on to Sinclair MacDonald’s yacht, neither the handsome man nor his considerable charm is going to change Cathy’s mind. At least not at first. But Sinclair is handsome and kind and when the two are thrown together time and time again, he starts to make Cathy long for the kind of love she’s always dreamed of.

A beloved romance that offers a distinctive—and distinctly entertaining—take on Valentine’s Day. The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre was supposed to be the end for Al Capone’s rivals. Instead, it turned out to be a second chance. For James Sheridan Rafferty, it’s turning out to be an eternity of second chances, one year after another. Assistant prosecutor Helen Emerson is plagued by a bad dream she can never quite remember, a nightmare that seems to be part of someone else’s life. Then a man who calls himself Rafferty comes knocking on her door… Just like he’s had every Valentine’s Day since 1929, Rafferty has fortyeight hours in which to fall in love and redeem himself. This former gangster thinks that Helen might just be the gal for him, but he has to find out who’s trying to kill her if either one of them is going to have any kind of chance at all. Previously published.

One of the author’s favorites, and a perennial reader favorite, too. Some say Ethan Winslowe is a genius. Others whisper that he’s a monster. The truth remains a mystery, since the he never leaves the forbidding mansion that’s as much a tomb as a home. All Megan Carey knows for sure is that the reclusive architect is out to destroy her father. Desperate to save the only parent she has left, Megan travels alone to the isolated village of Oak Grove. What she finds there is worse than her darkest imaginings and more intense than her wildest fantasies. By daylight, Megan is a lonely prisoner in a luxurious cage. Her nights, she spends with a phantom. As she grows to understand this man who never emerges from the shadows, Megan has to decide. Is the threat of his need for vengeance greater than the promise of his passion? Previously published.

Angela Hogan is a pilot. A good pilot, and one of the few female flying aces of the 1930s. Struggling to make a living while the Great Depression rages, Angela has no problem running a small business and competing with men who believe a woman’s place is in the home. She has a plan to bring in business. All she needs to do is break the record for flying from Newfoundland to Havana, and that’s exactly what she plans to do. But when a competing air freight company threatens her livelihood, Angela has no choice but to hire a hotshot pilot with a reputation for setting records in the air and being a lady’s man on the ground. Jack Clancy doesn’t like bossy women. He prefers blondes with more beauty than brains, but he takes the job at Hogan Air Freight in order to save enough money to ship his own plane back to the States and get it the repairs it needs. He tries to tell himself that’s the only reason, even as he is drawn inexplicably to Angela Hogan. The female pilot and her determined attitude bother Jack, but that doesn’t stop him from fantasizing about what lies beneath that prim and proper exterior, even as she squares off to fight him at every turn. Soon Jack and Angela’s shared passion for flying turns into a passion for one another. But Jack has no intention of becoming tied to a woman like Angela and having his wings clipped. And Angela has no intention of leaving the flying to the men so she can become a homemaker. She intends to finish what she started and break the record for the flight she had planned, even when it turns out that the record she’s breaking belongs to Jack Clancy.

\"Blackheart is pure Stuart Bad Boy, so sexy he will knock your socks off.\" --The Best Reviews \"Stuart proves it takes a thief to steal your heart!\" --The Best Reviews It takes a thief to steal her heart. Catspaw 1 A reformed cat burglar. Can he be trusted? Self-made socialite Francesca \"Ferris\" Byrd is too sharp to be fooled by even the smartest--and sexiest--man, even when he''s notorious ex-thief Patrick Blackheart, now one of San Francisco''s most eligible bachelors. Blackheart runs a respectable security business these days, and seems like the perfect man to protect the fabulous Von Emmerling emeralds. All he has to do is make certain the jewels get back to their owner after an elite charity ball. And all Ferris has to do is make sure he isn''t tempted to keep them. The problem is, temptation is Blackheart''s specialty, and from the moment they meet it''s clear that he''d love to steal Ferris away from her stodgy life. When the emeralds disappear, Blackheart is a top suspect. His reputation--and Ferris''s hard-won social standing--are at stake. What''s a woman to do when she''s got to kick off her high heels and follow her heart? Catspaw 2 He won her love. But is it enough to keep him out of trouble? Being engaged to sexy-hot reformed cat burglar Patrick Blackheart, now a legit security expert, is thrilling, but a challenge. Ferris Byrd has loosened up, but she''s still a law-abiding socialite, and Blackheart promised to steer clear of his old habits. If he doesn''t, the wedding is off. When a string of jewel heists in Europe matches Blackheart''s recent travel itinerary, Ferris fears he''s succumbed to his old ways. Why was he secretive about his whereabouts? She wants to believe that someone''s setting him up, but . . . An exhibit of Faberge eggs at the San Francisco Museum is the ultimate catnip for a jewel thief, and Ferris is in charge of them. She''ll be ready and waiting to unmask this cat burglar. She desperately hopes he''s not Blackheart. Anne Stuart is currently celebrating forty-five years as a published novelist. She has won every major award in the romance field and appeared on the NYT Bestseller List, Publisher''s Weekly, and USA Today. Anne Stuart currently lives in northern Vermont.

Billionaire businessman Michael Dubrovnik has never lost a negotiation. He’s used to getting his way and those who go up against him quickly learn why he’s called “The Whirlwind.” When Michael wants something, there’s no force in the world that can stop him…until he meets Laura de Kelsey Winston, the owner of the only building standing between him and Dubrovnik Plaza, the project that will be his legacy. Laura doesn’t care about Dubrovnik Plaza. She’s only interested in protecting the architectural landmark that her grandfather gave his life for. The head of a modeling agency, Laura has learned to be tough, determined and every bit as stubborn as Michael Dubrovnik. He’s gorgeous, tempting, and her worst enemy. How can she resist? Michael is in for a fight, but it’s not just the property at stake. Can he win the Glass House and still hold onto his heart?

Caught dancing barefoot in the moonlit woods, dressed only in her shift, Elizabeth Penshurst is considered by decent folk to be notorious and disgraced. Sent by her father, a reverend, to serve penance with a cousin in Hernewood, Lizzie sets her thoughts on becoming the perfectly demure and reserved young woman any suitor would want. But evil haunts the woods of Hernewood Abbey. As the Druid festival of Beltane approaches, a sinister cult seeks a virgin sacrifice. Their intended victim: Lizzie. Her only defender--and the man likely to relieve her of her dangerous maidenhood--is the mysterious Gabriel, the Dark Man, a fellow outcast and scholar of Druidism. The forest calls to them both. Their irresistible attraction, both mystical and bawdy, may be the only force more powerful than the cult''s dark purpose.

Seduction and murder. Adam Traywick may be capable of both. In this celebrated gothic romance, will Miranda be the next victim of Barrett''s Hill? When her father''s will sends strong-willed, irreverent Miranda to the New England estate of nearby Barrett''s Hill to live under the guardianship of her elder cousin--the sour Reverend Smathers--and his scheming family, trouble quickly brews. Two decades earlier a murder took place on Barrett''s Hill, and the suspects are few. Miranda''s spirited investigation raises the fear of public scandal among her hypocritical relatives--the Reverend''s alcoholic wife and viciously manipulative daughter--especially since the suspects are the Reverend, his toadying assistant Fathimore, Miranda''s own father, and the darkly irresistible Adam Traywick. Adam turns his masterful charms on Miranda, and she falls in love. Yet as it becomes clear she''s provoked the killer''s survival instincts, with herself his target, she can''t help wondering if Adam is seducing her or planning her murder.