Praise for Brenda Joyceâs Deadly series
âJoyceâs latest âdeadlyâ romance is truly a pleasure to read, given its involving plot, intriguing characters and the magic that occurs as the reader becomes immersed in another time and place.â
âBooklist on Deadly Kisses
âIf this is your introduction to Francesca Cahill, youâll be just as hooked on the series as longtime fans. Joyce skillfully pulls you into her charactersâ tangled lives as they pursue a killer. The âDeadliesâ keep you coming back for more because you care about the people and you can sink your teeth into their complicated lives as they twist and turn with mystery.â
âRT Book Reviews on Deadly Kisses
âAs Francesca searches for clues and struggles with her complicated feelings for two different men, readers will follow her from turn-of-the-century New Yorkâs immigrant tenements to its wealthiest mansions. Fans of Joyceâs Deadly romances will find the seventh in the series to be another entertaining blend of danger and desire.â
âBooklist on Deadly Illusions
âJust when you think you have it all figured out, Joyce turns it all around, leaving you with a cliff-hanger, and eager for Francescaâs next adventure.â
âRT Book Reviews on Deadly Illusions
âJoyce excels at creating twists and turns in her charactersâ personal lives.â
âPublishers Weekly
âAn elegant blend of mystery and romance simmering with sexual tension.â
âBooklist on Deadly Promises
âThe steamy revelationsâ¦are genuinely intriguing, and just enough of them are left unresolved at the bookâs end to leave readers waiting eagerly for the seriesâ next installment.â
âPublishers Weekly on Deadly Love
New York City
Saturday, June 28, 1902 10:00 a.m.
IT WAS HER wedding day.
Francesca Cahill was nearly in disbelief. Three weeks ago, her fiancé had been in prison, under arrest for the murder of the woman who had briefly been his mistress. Three weeks ago, her father had been dead set against Calder Hart in every possible way, and especially against Calderâs engagement to his daughter. Three weeks ago, New York society had been thrilled over the apparent downfall of one of its most wealthy and powerful denizens.
Francesca stared at her flushed reflection in the mirror. Hart was notorious, and his reputation had been established long before his mistress was found murdered. He openly flaunted the accepted conventions and mores of the day. His behavior was self-indulgent and often scandalous, his propensity for divorcées and married women was well-known and his art collection was so avant-garde it was shocking to most. He delighted in saying and doing as he damn well pleased; he was so wealthy, he could get away with it.
But that had been three weeks ago, and Hart hadnât fallen. Instead, the cityâs elites would attend their wedding this afternoon. Soon, they would lift their flutes to toast Hart and herself.â¦
The hypocrisy hardly surprised her. After all, she had been whispered about her entire life. While her older sister, Connie, was properly married to Lord Neil Montrose, Francesca was an eccentric, a highly educated and outspoken bluestocking, an actively radical reformerâand recently, a professional sleuth. In fact, she had helped the police investigate eight shocking crimes since the beginning of the year, and her efforts had been so significant that the police commissioner had admitted that the crimes would not have been solved without her. The press had even begun to cover her activities on a daily basis. She had become one of the cityâs leading, if infamous, celebrities.
Francesca hardly cared about fame. What she did care aboutâand had since she was a small childâwas helping those far less fortunate than she was. Reform remained as important to her as breathing. Since discovering her innate abilities as a sleuth, she had dedicated herself to helping the innocent victims of dastardly crimes.
Francesca had to pinch herself. She was deeply in love; no woman could resist Hartâs dark allure and neither could she. He was the most difficult, unpredictable man she knew. She would gladly help him battle the ghosts of his pastâshe couldnât wait to marry Hartâbut she was also afraid.
Despite his reputation, Calder Hart was wealthy, and that meant he was a catch. Societyâs reigning matrons had tried their very best to interest Calder in their perfectly groomed, perfectly mannered debutante daughters. He had scoffed openly at their efforts. Then she had begun to investigate the murder of Paul RandallâHartâs biological father. From the moment their paths had crossed, his complicated, dangerously dark natureâcoupled with his seductive charismaâhad been impossible to resist. He had become a powerful ally, a protector and defender, and even a friend. And while he had never tried to seduce her, very swiftly their friendship had become charged with desire.