As an Australian Army nurse, Annie endures the brutalities of World War II in Singapore and New Guinea. Later, seeking a change, she accepts a job with a British diplomatic family in Berlin, only to find herself caught up in the upheaval of the Blockade. Through it all, and despite the support of friends, the death of a man she barely knew leaves a wound that refuses to heal, threatening her to a life without love.
Years later, Annie is still haunted by what she’d lost—and what might have been. Her days are quiet, but her memories are loud. When a dying man’s fear forces her to confront her own doubts, she forms an unexpected friendship that rekindles something she thought she’d lost: hope.
Annie’s Day is a powerful story of love, war, and the quiet courage to start again—even when it seems far too late.
Praise for Annie’s Day:
“Moving and enlightening…“
~ Deborah Swift, bestselling author
“This is a story of courage and love, and it lingers long after you turn the last page.“
~ Caroline James, author, 5* Goodreads review
“I love the lyrical writing of this author. The descriptive prose and humor made this book a joy to read.“
In the aftermath of a death, and in the busyness that surrounds the packing up of a loved one’s possessions, there is little time to do more than skim the official papers and photo albums of a life now over.
That’s how it was with my mother’s life in a box. I knew she had served with the Australian Army Nursing Service. I knew she had been in Singapore when it fell to the Japanese in 1942, then had been posted to New Guinea. I knew she had been in Berlin after the war. But that was all. Not much. No detail.
The Australian War Memorial Archives sent me Mum’s army records, and her timeline gave me the blueprint for Annie’s Day. The rest is pure fiction, interspersed with real characters. People like Matron Drummond of the AANS, or Bill Tunner, aka Tonnage Tunner, instrumental in coordinating the Berlin Airlift, to whom I have given words, hopefully in the manner in which they spoke.
My desk became surrounded by maps, piled high with troop movements, maritime registers, tropical nursing manuals, types of aircraft, newspaper cuttings, letters, books and photos. Maybe only a line or two of interest extracted from each, but information that nonetheless gives authenticity to the novel.
Then there are the people who are kind enough to spend time talking to me, giving insights on religion, on war, on history. Personal glimpses into different cultures and customs that hopefully takes the reader to each place, giving a human element to sometimes inhuman times.
It’s those seemingly small details that give the story heart.
The photo is one of Mum, taken in early 1944 in New Guinea. That fob watch pinned to her uniform—the smallest detail—became part of Annie’s Day!
Apple Gidley
Anglo-Australian, Apple Gidley’s nomadic life has helped imbue her writing with rich, diverse cultures and experiences. Annie’s Day is her seventh book.
Gidley currently lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband, and rescue cat, Bella, aka assistant editor.
The Bridge Shanna Hatfield Publication date: October 7th 2025 Genres: Adult, Holiday, Women’s Fiction
One Bridge. Five Strangers. A Christmas Eve That Changes Everything.
On a bridge suspended above the Willamette River, five lives collide for a journey through hope and hardship in a suspenseful, heartwarming tale of courage, connection, and the magic of second chances.
Sergeant Archer Raines has worked every holiday all year for one reason: to finally spend Christmas with his wife. But when a desperate man threatens to jump from Portland’s St. Johns Bridge, Archer’s expert negotiation skills are required to defuse the situation.
Rosalee, a high-powered accountant and mom-to-be, only meant to swing by home for a forgotten phone and client file. Then her car is caught in the chaos on the bridge, she unexpectedly goes into labor, and her carefully planned world begins to unravel amidst the unfolding drama.
Exhausted nurse Nova just wants to make it home for Christmas after too many night shifts. When the pileup halts traffic and Rosalee’s baby is on the way, Nova puts her own plans on hold to help a stranger in need.
Carter, the owner of a busy tow truck business, regrets taking the call to clear the multi-car collision off the bridge. He’d intended to spend the day tackling last-minute holiday errands. Instead, he’s praying the lunatic pointing a gun at him doesn’t pull the trigger.
Fresh out of college and anxious to kick-start his career, Ian’s running late when his car won’t start the morning of his big interview. His rideshare driver turns out to be a captivating girl with a penchant for aggressive driving that narrowly saves them from being part of the wreck on the bridge, sending Ian on an unexpected path of his own.
The Bridge is the perfect uplifting holiday read and a story of how one frozen moment can thaw even the loneliest of hearts.
He’d just stepped outside when he saw a vehicle roaring up the street. The rideshare logo was clearly visible in the passenger-side corner of the windshield. He hoped the maniac driving the small SUV wouldn’t kill him in a fiery crash before they even made it out of the neighborhood.
He lifted a hand as he stepped out to the curb, and the SUV came to a precise stop beside him. All he had to do was open the door and slide into the back seat.
“You’re the dude heading to Magra? Ian Alexander?” the driver asked, giving him a glimpse over her shoulder.
Ian nodded, then cleared his throat. “Yes. I’m Ian. Do you have the address?”
“Got it right here,” she said, then blew a big pink bubble and popped her gum.
He was in the process of buckling his seat belt when she hit the gas and zipped into the street, barely slowed at the corner, and picked up speed as she headed toward the highway.
Ian prayed he’d survive the trip and wouldn’t be so rattled by the experience he’d mess up his interview. He drew in a long breath and inhaled a fragrance reminiscent of spiced cider and warm fires. He didn’t see an air freshener hanging up and wondered if it was just the driver. If so, she smelled amazing.
Head in the game.
Now was not the time to check out a girl. Besides, this one certainly wasn’t his type even if she appeared to be close to his age. From the quick glance she’d given him, he’d concluded she was into goth with her thick, black eyeliner and dark eye shadow, a nose ring, blood-red lipstick, and a dragon earring that encircled her entire ear. She had on fingerless gloves with leather cuffs and a black leather jacket sporting silver studs around the collar. He had no idea what color her hair might have been because it was all stuffed up under a slouchy black velvet hat.
He wondered what she’d look like if she washed her face and dressed in something less biker chic and more … feminine.
Ian almost face-palmed himself. Good grief! He was starting to sound like his parents. He didn’t care if the woman was dressed as one of Santa’s elves as long as she got him to his interview on time, preferably in one piece.
To distract himself from the fact that goth girl seemed to think she was training for the Indy 500 or perhaps to become a New York City cab driver, he rehearsed what he planned to say at the interview. When it felt as though the SUV went around a corner on two wheels, Ian latched onto the handle above the door and held on for dear life. What kind of crazy person was about to get him killed?
“Ever think about becoming a race car driver?” he asked as she barely slowed at a stop sign and took a right onto the highway.
She glanced back at him and smirked. “Only every other day. Unfortunately for you, today is an even day, and I’m practicing.”
Author Bio:
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.
Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.com or find out more about her here: linktr.ee/ShannaHatfield
They’ll need the sweetest getaway ever to escape this mess…
Jennifer
used to be a wholesome daydreamer who’d never broken a law in her
life.
In a moment of weakness, she lets her roommate, Nari, rope her into
a money-making scheme that isn’t exactly…legal.
How could
she have known that stealing from bad guys would be so much fun?
Soon,
Jennifer is so busy leading a double life that she barely has time to
fantasize about the hot, dimpled stranger she met at one of Nari’s
parties.
Everything is going smoothly, until someone rats them out to the
cops.
Now, Jennifer and Nari need help from a team of seasoned criminals
to pull off a heist that’ll either set them up for life…or get
them locked up for a very long time.
Can Jennifer find a path to happily
ever after that doesn’t include an ugly prison jumpsuit?
There’s
only one way to find out…
The Sweetest Getaway is a no spice, cozy heist novel with laughs, a diverse
cast, and the smartest heroines since Ocean’s 8. Perfect for fans of
women’s fiction and crime capers. Get it today for a criminally good
time.
Excerpt
“All we have to do is confidently walk to the door like we’re
supposed to be here,” Nari said under her breath.
She and Jennifer argued in the
parking lot of Omaha’s largest mansion as glamorously dressed revelers
approached the entrance, arm in arm.
“I’ll enter five minutes
before you. When they ask for our names, remember that I’m Doris and
you’re Béatrice. After that, everything will be easy. No big
deal,” Nari explained.
Right. It was no big deal to Nari because she was endlessly charming,
constantly meeting new people, and making loads of cash from random schemes
that took her all over the world. Jennifer, on the other hand, was great at
petting her neighbors’ dogs and getting lost mid-conversation in
daydreams about faraway lands she’d never visited. Doris Huang and
Béatrice Boivin were wealthy business-women who were actually invited to the
gala. Jennifer had helped Nari find an Asian and black woman on the guest list
that they could impersonate. Doris and Béatrice looked enough like them,
although Doris was in her fifties. Luckily, Doris wore glasses, so Nari could
hide her youth behind a pair of round black frames that complemented her
off-the-shoulder, gold metallic gown. “Honestly, Nari, I
don’t think it’s going to be that easy.” Jennifer tapped her
fingers nervously on her arm. “What if Doris and Béatrice are inside
already? Why don’t we look for a back entrance to sneak into
instead?” At least there would be fewer witnesses if they got
caught at the back entrance. Maybe they could even pretend they were lost, ask
for directions, and then decide to scrap the whole mission and return to their
cozy apartment. “Oh well, that didn’t work. At least we
tried!” Jennifer would say peppily. Nari would shrug. They’d end
the night bingeing on popcorn and singing nineties hits into their TV’s
karaoke app.
But Nari would never give up that easily. “Nah, we’re early.
We’ll have at least an hour before these two fabulous women show up.
They’re always late for events like this. Besides, our target is already
inside.” Jennifer groaned. “This is nuts. I’ve got to
pretend to be French like Béatrice.” She shook her head. “I
can’t even tell the difference between a good macaron and a bad one.
They’re all delicious to me. I don’t know why I let you talk me
into this.” “I know why you said yes, mon amie,” Nari
said, grinning. “Remember, you’ll be getting twenty-five percent
of whatever deal we pull off after today. If I can close this deal, it could
be worth half a million dollars.”
Jennifer had almost forgotten about the payout. Normally, Nari
compensated her for these wild rides with chili cheese fries. She sucked in
air through her teeth. “I… I can’t really say no to that,”
she said, goosebumps covering her arms. With that kind of money, maybe
she could travel far beyond Omaha’s borders. She’d meet wonderful,
surprising people. People who spoke five languages, painted in their spare
time, and effortlessly rode their electric scooters through crowded street
markets before arriving at home to make love to their beautiful spouses. Maybe
she could even quit her job as a marketing analyst. Nari swept her arm
out in front of her, as if she were showing off her kingdom. “Welcome to
the business world. There’s tons of cash just waiting for
you.”
Money came easily to Nari, even though she
had the attention span of a gnat. She could have her own massive condo if she
wanted to, but she chose to live with Jennifer to feel a sense of home so far
away from her family. Jennifer, however, was thirty-six years old and broke.
If she didn’t live with Nari, she would have to start a window washing
side hustle to be able to afford her student loan payments.
“It’s my favorite
business world, the one where we have to sneak into galas to close
deals,” Jennifer snorted.
About the Author
Sasha Preston writes women’s fiction crime capers that help you to
escape your daily reality, feel a sense of excitement, and plan your next
adventure – all with some humor and close friendship thrown into the
mix.
They say you should write about what you know. While she still
hasn’t officially committed a heist, there’s nothing she loves
more than going on adventures with girlfriends. You can find her waking up
while it’s still dark outside to write, exercise, and explore.
Some love stories don’t have clean endings—and some heartbreaks never quite heal. In The Next Breath, Laurel Osterkamp brings us a poignant, layered novel about grief, performance, and the blurry lines between memory and truth.
Robin was young when she gave Jed her whole heart, even though he warned her not to. His love was intense, beautiful, and ultimately fleeting—his death shattered her sense of safety, love, and identity. Now, ten years later, Robin is finally beginning to breathe again. She’s with Nick, a kind and genuine man who makes her laugh and helps her feel seen. But Robin hasn’t told him everything. Before they met, she agreed to star in a play Jed wrote for her before his death. As rehearsals begin and Jed visits her in haunting dreams, Robin realizes she’s emotionally divided—caught between a man who’s very much alive and one she never said goodbye to. Can she open her future to Nick if she still lives in Jed’s shadow?
We hovered for a moment, moving towards each other. When our lips met, his mouth was soft, inviting, and powerful enough to make my toes curl. He let out a little sigh, like he was relieved to be kissing me, but before I could wrap my arms around his shoulders, he stepped away.
“No,” he said. “This is a bad idea.”
“Why?” I tried to sound jokey, light. “You’ll sleep with anything that moves.”
He matched my tone. “That’s not true. I’ll only sleep with human females, in my age range, and attractive.”
“Don’t I fit that requirement?”
He looked me up and down, his nostrils flaring. “Yeah, of course you do.”
“Then why?”
Jed stepped back again, making new space between us. “I just think we’re better off as friends.”
I squared my shoulders to pretend I wasn’t wounded. “If it’s because you think you’ll corrupt me, don’t worry. I’m not a virgin.”
“Okay.” He raised his hands in defeat and kept his voice steady, like I’d bite him if he wasn’t careful. “Look, I’m not in a relationshipy place right now; I can’t be, with all my health issues. If we were together, you’d have high expectations because that’s how you are.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I see you, Robin. You don’t hide or lower your standards. I like that about you, but it also makes us bad for each other.” Lines crumpled his forehead as he held my gaze. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
I leaned against the side of the house. How had I gotten to this point, practically begging Jed to have sex with me? I was a pathetic cliché.
“No, you’re right.” I forced out a weird, strained laugh. “We’d regret it, you and me…” I tilted my head towards the stars and groaned. “Never mind. Delete the last couple of minutes from your memory.”
I turned to go inside.
“Robin…” He grabbed my arm and I let him pull me towards him. The yearning on his face told a different story to the one he’d just recited. I put my hand at the base of his neck, but withdrew my fingers in shock.
“Oh my God. You’re burning up.” His forehead was clammy and hot and not the way a healthy forehead should be.
He ducked from my touch. “I’m fine,” he growled.
“No you’re not.”
He started to hack. “Just tired.”
“Can I help you get home?”
“I don’t need your help. And I’m not ready to leave yet.”
He slammed the door as he went back into the party.
About the Author
Laurel Osterkamp writes the kind of fiction that lingers—heartfelt, reflective, and character-driven. Her novels often explore themes of grief, growth, love, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. In addition to being an Amazon bestselling author (Beautiful Little Furies), Laurel teaches adult ESL and middle school enrichment classes, and lives in Minneapolis with her family and a couple of argumentative cats. She has a penchant for running while listening to twisty audiobooks and for rewatching Beverly Hills, 90210 with near-academic zeal. Learn more at laurellit.com or follow her on Instagram.
A farm devastated. A dream destroyed. A family scattered.
And one Texas girl determined to salvage the wreckage.
Ruby Lee Becker can’t breathe. It’s 1935 in the heart of the Dust Bowl, and the Becker family has clung to its Texas Panhandle farm through six years of drought, dying crops, and dust storms. On Black Sunday, the biggest blackest storm of them all threatens ten-year-old Ruby with deadly dust pneumonia and requires a drastic choice —one her mother, Willa Mae, will forever regret.
To survive, Ruby is forced to leave the only place she’s ever known. Far from home in Waco, and worried her mother has abandoned her, she’s determined to get back.
Even after twelve years, Willa Mae still clings to memories of her daughter. Unable to reunite with Ruby, she’s broken by their separation.
Through rollicking adventures and harrowing setbacks, the tenacious Ruby Lee embarks on her perilous quest for home —and faces her one unspoken fear.
Heart-wrenching and inspiring, the tale of Ruby Lee’s dogged perseverance and Willa Mae’s endless love for her daughter shines a light on women driven apart by disaster who bravely lean on one another, find comfort in remade families, and redefine what home means.
My Writing Journey’s Taken Me All Over Texas, on Wheels, by Click, and by Page
That’s how I gathered ten years of Texas historical research. Now I’m transforming it into The Dust Series, set in a mythical town in the Texas Panhandle — and wherever the characters roam.
Unspoken is historically accurate, and wickedly fictional.
It’s a true enough tale of a Texas girl more tenacious than fire ants who faces air she can’t breathe, and what’s gone unspoken, to find family and remake home. Set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dirty Thirties and beyond, an era of drought and dusters and war, it’s at once the story of a mother and daughter and a love letter to strong women who blaze trails, bolster one another, and prevail.
“There are things, I wanted to tell him, unspoken things that can never be fixed. But I said nuthin.” —RUBY LEE BECKER in Unspoken
Unspoken is the first Texas novel in The Dust Series to be published.
Featuring dual narratives of estranged daughter and mother, Unspoken is the second Texas novel I’ve completed but first to be published. Its predecessor, Vacancy, is the inspiration for the series and coming soon. Unspoken’s sequel is underway now, which gives my characters (and me) a chance to keep rambling all over Texas, unearthing some lesser-known and fascinating history — as my research into the lesser-known events in the Dust Bowl era in the 1930s revealed.
There are miles and miles of Texas.
If you don’t think so, just set out in your car from Texarkana one morning, and see how long it takes you to arrive in New Mexico. You may end up asleep at the wheel. To research my books, I drove across Texas in many directions, of course, sometimes following old maps I’d discovered, and after one 600-mile road trip, my license plate and front grill showed it.
A 1940 map of Texas shows you how far you can go.
It’s easier to click than to drive. I uncovered a 1940 map (and many more like it) by click, that showed me there’s lots of territory to explore, wherever you land. It’s a map I referred to plenty, as I was moving my characters in Unspoken from the Panhandle to Waco to Wichita Falls and points in-between. (Not all were willing travelers, but those were the tenacious types.)
There were plenty more pages to turn, too, as I researched.
My collection of books on Texas grew, married, had children, cousins, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on, as I read out-of-print finds from secondhand bookshops or firsthand nonfiction accounts of events, along with art and photography books of the times. Immersing myself in so many visual and written sources spurred many more characters and plotlines. Stay tuned as The Dust Series unfolds. •
Unspoken, the first book in The Dust Series by Jann Alexander, features strong women facing the worst the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and world war can dish out, and somehow persevere.
About the Author:
Jann Alexander writes characters who face down their fears. Her novels are as close-to-true as fiction can get.
Jann is the author of the historical novel, UNSPOKEN, set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression eras, and her first book in The Dust Series.
Jann writes on all things creative in her weekly blog, Pairings. She’s a 20-year resident of central Texas and creator of the Vanishing Austin photography series. As a former art director for ad agencies and magazines in the D.C. area, and a painter, photographer, and art gallery owner, creativity is her practice and passion.
Jann’s lifelong storytelling habit and her more recent zeal for Texas history merged to become the historical Dust Series. When she is not reading, writing, or creating, she bikes, hikes, skis, and kayaks. She lives in central Texas with her own personal Texan (and biggest fan), Karl, and their Texas mutt, Ruby.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee lights the fuse, and the Stone siblings must rely on their wits and hearts to uncover a dangerous enemy…and an explosive secret.
Taking over her late father’s company was never part of Alex Stone’s life plan.
But now, sitting in the CEO chair at Stone Enterprises, she’s resigned to living her life alone. Being a high-powered, billionaire woman tends to narrow one’s romantic prospects. As Alex works relentlessly to reshape her inherited hotel empire, she’s acquired a target on her back complete with death threats.
Alex turns to Hawk Bronson, a man who is equal parts bodyguard, sexy, and completely infuriating. Especially when it comes to protecting her.
As the danger escalates, Hawk comes to terms with the fact that their connection goes way beyond bodyguard and assignment. He knows he should keep his distance—his own dark past and nightmares put her at greater risk—but he can’t walk away. Protecting Alex means everything. Putting her life in someone else’s care isn’t an option once he’s tasted their passion and depth of his feelings.
As they navigate a minefield of family secrets, past pain, and unexpected hope, Alex and Hawk must face their deepest fears and fight for a future together. But first, they’ll need to unmask whoever is behind the threats—before Alex becomes their next victim.
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written over forty-five books that have collectively sold more than eleven million copies. Her titles have been translated into more than twenty languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the popular Not Quite, Weekday Brides, Most Likely To, First Wives, and D’Angelos series.
Meela must marry a prince from another planet in order to ensure the
security of her people. Trouble is Meela’s known to be a bit feisty, and
sometimes that gets her into trouble. It’s bad enough she has no say in who
she’ll marry. Worse still, the queen places an obedience curse on Meela to
thwart her errant ways.
As a result of the curse, Meela finds herself in plenty of predicaments not
exactly fit for a princess. But what’s a princess to do when two gorgeous
hunks come along and place sensual demands on her Meela’s not sure she can
— or even wants to — deny?
EXCERPT
Meela stared into the flowing red river before kneeling on the grassy bank
to sulk. The red colored water rushing by her looked like blood. There were
so many red rivers on the planet that they’d looked like veins on its
surface to Meela when the star cruiser she’d traveled in approached it
earlier.
Now that she was here, she wished that someone had told her to throw
herself in the river. Her nurse had only told her to take a walk to calm her
mind. It was a rare freedom for Meela. Probably her last.
Today was the day Meela had been preparing for her whole life. Later today
she would be presented to the queen of this planet along with two other
princesses from neighboring planets. The queen would then allow her sons to
each choose the girl he wanted for his bride beginning with her oldest son,
her heir.
It wasn’t that Meela minded the arranged marriage. She was a princess after
all and her duty was to her people. Her marriage to a Prince of Nelot, the
strongest planet with the most powerful army in the system, would ensure the
protection of her people. She’d been promised in marriage since her birth
and all of her teachings were in preparation for fulfilling this
obligation.
Meela accepted that.
But when she was sixteen, the Queen of Nelot, a sorceress she was to find
out, paid a visit to Meela and her family on their home planet, Bano. She
wanted to meet Meela, considering one day she would be the bride of one of
her sons.
The queen was pleased with Meela. A little too pleased in fact. She
explained to Meela’s parents that their daughter was indeed beautiful,
cultured and intelligent — befitting a Princess of Nelot. But she felt
those very virtues put Meela in danger from others and from herself until
the wedding, so she placed an enchantment upon Meela. From that day forward,
Meela would be obedient, would do whatever she was told, until her future
husband arranged her release from the spell.
Her life had been misery ever since.
At first, Meela and her family didn’t realize just what curse had been
bestowed upon her. A few nights later Meela became angry at her father for
not allowing her some privilege. She sat complaining in her rooms while her
nurse brushed her hair. Finally her frustrated nurse told her to hold her
tongue.
It had taken several hours for the entire family to discover that someone
had to tell Meela to let go of her tongue before she could pry her fingers
away.
It got worse. While her parents enjoyed their new power over Meela, the
power to make her work at her studies longer and attend royal functions in
their places, soon they learned there was a danger to the curse. Once, one
of Meela’s friends at court had dared her to kiss the handsome visiting
ambassador from the planet Dalu. Unable to stop herself, she’d walked right
up to the man and kissed him full on the mouth.
Her parents had been so alarmed by the turn of events that she was placed
under the strictest watch until the time of her wedding. No more fun outings
with her friends. No more boring royal functions even. Meela was only
allowed to attend the most important celebrations on her planet, and then
only for a short time with at least a dozen people watching her every
movement. They might as well have locked her away in a prison.
Perhaps that is what the Queen of Nelot had intended when she’d placed the
enchantment on her.
Years passed while the Princes of Nelot fought off one legion of intruders
to their system after another, the stories of their glorious victories
painting them as great warriors. By the time the Queen of Nelot sent for
Meela for the bridal selection and subsequent wedding, she was twenty-seven,
going out of her mind with boredom, and had taken to finding creative ways
of watching the private activities of guests to the palace. It was as close
as she had ever come to having sex after all.
And now that she was here on Nelot, ready to be selected by one of the
queen’s sons and do her duty for her parents and her people, she was pretty
damned unhappy. Wasn’t it enough of a sacrifice to have the person she’d
spend her life with, share a bed with and have children for, chosen for her?
Then to have the hateful curse of obedience placed on her, robbing her of
her last years of freedom?
Meela no longer wanted to marry any son of the woman who had done this to
her. Meela didn’t even want to meet the princes.
“It’s not fair,” Meela grumbled at her reflection far below in
the red water.
“What’s not fair?”
That deep male voice alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone.
With as much composure as she could muster, Meela turned her head slowly.
She was unescorted, without any of her attendants who understood her
enchantment, for the first time since she had kissed the ambassador at
court. The pace of her heartbeat grew along with her anxiety.
“That I can’t stay and enjoy this beautiful view,” Meela said in
her best royal voice with her practiced princess smile.
Yet she forgot all about how she was to speak or smile as she gazed at the
two men standing before her, their dress indicating that they were common
soldiers of the planet. They looked very much alike, both tall men with
bodies of steel, the snug black uniforms they wore revealing that they were
all hard, firm muscles.
About the Author
Isabella Jordan is the alter ego of an otherwise stressed out web designer,
programmer, and internet junkie. When she’s not trying to perfect her own
personal caffeine IV drip, she enjoys spending time with her family, doing
volunteer work, and writing. She loves creating new stories of all kinds and
chatting with readers and friends.
