MUSE MONDAY
Please welcome my special guest, Joyce Proell.
It’s a special treat for me to be on Brenda’s blog today. We’ve been
critique partners for at least nine years—maybe even longer. Over countless
discussions about beloved WIPs (works in progress), a deep trust has emerged. I
feel so blessed to have landed in a group with Brenda. She’s given me expert
advice on many projects including all three of the ‘Truth’ books in my Cady
Delafield series.
I value your input in shaping these stories. Thanks, friend.
Today, I want to talk about how the Cady Delafield series came about. As a
reader, I’ve always been split down the middle when it came to my preference
for romance versus mystery novels. Why couldn’t a book be both? Since I could
never choose which genre I preferred more, I decided to combine each element in
the ‘Truth’ books. A Deadly Truth, A
Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth are
as much suspense/mystery as they are romance.
The series was conceived as a trilogy. Murder is the catalyst that throws
Cady and Doyle together. Over the course of the three stories, they fall deeply
in love, but their path to the altar is fraught with danger, doubts, interfering
families and the ever present criminal.
Like all great mysteries, the stories are written with enough twists to
keep the reader guessing about the criminal’s identify until the end. Cady’s
feisty personality and Doyle’s confident, take charge attitude insure that
things are kept lively. Their romance is sweet, sensual, sometimes turbulent
and always fun.
Following is a little info on all three books.
A Deadly Truth
A man
obsessed, a woman willing to risk it all…
Tainted in
the eyes of Victorian society by his wife’s suicide, successful entrepreneur
Doyle Flanagan turns a deaf ear to the baseless gossip and harsh rebukes.
Ignoring his shattered reputation, he goes about his business making money,
doing some good for others and making a few enemies along the way. Arrested for
murder, he is forced to rely on a feisty school administrator to solve the
puzzle. As he struggles to prove his innocence, he realizes gaining the trust
and loyalty of Cady Delafield may be more important than his freedom.
On a quest
to locate a missing student, school matron Cady Delafield enters a stranger’s
house and discovers the woman murdered. Driven to see the murderer brought to
justice, she is determined to prevent any further tragedy even if it means
joining forces with the very man accused of the atrocity. Against the wishes of
her powerful family, she risks her job and reputation to learn the truth. But
will the truth, once revealed, drive her away from the man she has come to
love?
Passion and
murder collide in 1880’s Chicago as they race to keep one step ahead of the
police who want Doyle to pay for his crime. As the attraction between Cady and
Doyle sizzles, they battle suspicions, lies and lethal actions to uncover the
murderer before he destroys them both.
A Burning Truth
In 1881, the
air in Chicago is rife with worker discontent, yet business titan Doyle
Flanagan is hopeful for the future. He looks forward to a lifetime of peaceful
bliss with Cady Delafield and leaving the wretched past behind. But his life is
once again thrown into disarray when his office is vandalized and the night
watchman viciously murdered. Clues lead to a powerful organized labor movement.
Targeted in the press as anti-labor and with a big rally staged next door to
his offices, Doyle must uncover the culprits before his wedding plans and his
livelihood go up in smoke.
Plagued by
memories of four brutal deaths, school director Cady Delafield is determined to
drive the recent tragedies from her mind and enjoy being courted. Although his commanding personality threatens
to overshadow her, Doyle Flanagan is the most dynamic man she’s ever met. When another
tragedy unfolds placing him at the center, she takes action—action that could
shatter her future dreams.
A Wicked Truth
The wedding
date is set, and life is magical for Doyle Flanagan and Cady Delafield. Yet
trouble has a way of finding these two. Honor bound to repay an old debt, Doyle
agrees to help a friend find her sister. As he searches for the girl, painful
memories surface, stunning Cady when she discovers facts about Doyle’s hidden
past.
In spite of
incredible odds, Cady and Doyle’s love has flourished. Now mired in tragedy and
secrets, their happiness is in jeopardy. Their wits are put to the test when
catastrophe strikes close to home threatening those Cady loves the most. Can
they overcome the turmoil with a fateful decision that will change their future
forever?
Here’s an excerpt for A Wicked Truth
“Someone’s been in my room and taken things.”
His brow tightened. “How do you know?”
“I haven’t been able to find the lovely scarf you gave me. I
assumed I’d lost it or left it behind when I met Grace for tea last week. Then
today, I noticed one of your notes missing.”
“Notes?”
“When you send a gift, you always include a card or note.”
“You kept my notes?”
Doyle beamed.
“I’m a romantic, all right?” Hot with embarrassment, Cady
lifted her chin and stared him dead on. “They’re precious. I’ll cherish them
forever.”
His face softened. He skimmed a finger along her jaw and let
it linger over her lips. At his touch, her body quickened.
“What did the note say?” When he removed his hand, the spell
broke.
“Oh, it was the one about our first kiss, where I trembled
beneath your fingers.”
“Ah, I recall.” His voice dropped a level.
The same finger he’d placed over her lips now traced the
opening of her dress causing an immediate shiver of excitement. It slipped past
the fastened buttons and stopped just over her heart. “Is anything else
missing?” As easy as a breeze, he undid the button between her breasts.
“I don’t think so.” Even to her own ears, she sounded shaky.
“Are you afraid?” His finger darted inside and wiggled below
the silky fabric of her corset and chemise.
“No,” she breathed.
He dipped his head, his mouth mere inches from hers and
worked a few more buttons.
“Are you worried one of your roommates may harm you?” When
his hand disappeared inside her dress and caressed her nipple, she gasped.
“Angry,” she mumbled, aware more of the physical sensations
than logic and words.
“Cady?”
“What?” It was as if he called to her in a fog.
“You’re trembling beneath my fingers, like the first time.”
His words were a feather brush erasing all reason.
“Are you surprised?” she managed to ask.
“The way you tremble,
the change in your breathing…” With a sweep of an arm, he slipped her on his
lap.
Relieved and
thrilled that the moment she’d waited for all night had arrived, she threw her
arms about his shoulders. Her mouth fell hard on his, and she lost herself to a
kiss that seemed wonderfully endless.
To find out more about Cady and Doyle or to sign up for my newsletter,
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Happy
reading, Joyce
