conspiracy theories – Small Town Fiction

Moonstone Conspiracy by Elizabeth Ellen Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You won’t find any wilting wallflowers in this fast-paced adventure! I love a book that is well-researched and historically believable even if an author does use artistic licence for the purpose of the story. Moonstone Conspiracy by Elizabeth Ellen Carter is an adventurous read that kept me glued to my pillows, awake all night while my own hero snored not-so-gently beside me.

It’s the French Revolution, a tumultuous time in history, one filled with double-crossing spies, rebels and women coming into their own underground. The heroine is no blushing virgin, instead she is a strong-willed, worldly-wise and much talked about villainess. (Yes, that is a word – noun (in a film, novel, or play) a female character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot i.e. “she’s portrayed as a glowering villainess, accompanied by ominous music as she enters” ~ Google) The hero is as dashing and devious as the blurb suggests, and the read delivers all the action it promises.

Full of great dialogue, loads of action and of course, sizzling romance – grab a pillow, put your feet up and prepare to be entertained.

This read was from my ever-growing ‘To Be Read’ list.
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Revolution in France, rebels in England, and one woman caught in the crossfire…

For her unwitting participation in a plot to embezzle the Exchequer, Lady Abigail Houghall has spent the last two years exiled to the city of Bath. A card sharp, sometime mistress, and target of scandalous gossip by the London Beau Monde, Lady Abigail plots to escape her gilded cage as well as the prudish society that condemns her. But the times are not easy. France is in chaos. The king has been executed, and whispers of a similar revolution are stirring in England. And because of her participation in the robbery plot, the Spymaster of England is blackmailing her into passing him information about the members of London’s upper crust.

When the dashing English spy Daniel Ridgeway takes a seat at her card table and threatens to expose her for cheating, she has no choice but to do as he demands: seduce the leader of the revolutionaries and learn what she can about their plot. As she’s drawn deeper into Daniel’s dangerous world, from the seedy backstreets of London to the claustrophobic catacombs of a war-torn Paris, she realizes an even more dangerous fact. She’s falling in love with her seductive partner. And the stakes of this game might just be too high, even for her.

With Detective Mark Johnson and Lily Bennetti safely in the hands of my editor, I distracted myself from the nail-biting wait by starting another novella trilogy. The idea came to me out of the blue and pushed any other planned work right off my whiteboard. A hero called my name, except he’s no ordinary, every day hero and he wasn’t about to be wrapped up neatly and put into a box. This is a man with a mind of his own and he is on a mission.

Newly single Arian Kendrick and her friend Penny are taking a well-deserved break in Mykonos, enjoying the beauty of Paradise Beach. Arian has given up on finding the perfect man…until she meets the mysterious, sexy, kind and caring Jax. The problem is, he’s almost too perfect and Paradise Beach holds secrets she might find hard to believe.

I don’t want to spoil it too much for you right now, because like most works in progress, things can change from draft to draft, but I can tell you that this is a story that will hopefully have you smiling, perhaps even crying a little as Jax and Arian take you on a journey to find the true magic of love and soul mates.

Here’s a quick sneak peek for you:

“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with men, Penny,” Arian Kendrick told her best friend as they sipped cocktails under an umbrella on the snow-white stretch of sand. “I want more from a relationship than football and meat pies on a Saturday. I want to be wined and dined and romanced.”

Penny shrugged. “Now just because Simon and Alex turned out to be dickheads, doesn’t mean all guys are like that. You knew it wouldn’t last, be honest. So, what are you looking for in your ideal man?”

“I don’t know, someone who is kind, romantic and adventurous? A man who doesn’t mind cuddling after the main event instead of flipping over and turning the telly on? Here we are…” Arian waved a hand across her knees at the brilliant blue sea in front of their sun-loungers, “…in Mykonos. Greece is meant to be the land of the gods, right?”