Masquerade Part 10: Masquerade

By Valerie Francis

Part 10: Seduction severs ties with Grace and Marlowe and leaves them to suffer the consequences of ignoring the rules. Desperate to put it all behind her, Grace tells Marlowe that it's over between them. Will he listen?

 

What would you do if you knew you wouldn't get caught?

Unwind with this steamy love story. Told as a 12-part serial, each book is about the length of a glass of wine or a soak in the tub.

Isla Foster and Colin Jackman are strangers. Desperate to escape the daily grind of life, they each accept an anonymous invitation to a masquerade ball — one of the most prestigious events in New York City. There they are given lavish costumes, false identities and an opportunity to take part in a seductive game.

If they accept, using the aliases Grace and Marlowe, they'll meet each month for a year in a series of secret rendezvous, consequence free. No one will ever know where they go or what they do, as long as they follow three simple rules:

1. they must never know the other's identity
2. they must only meet at the prearranged times and places
3. they must not fall in love

What could possibly go wrong?

"You'll be hooked from the opening scene." - Victoria Barbour, USA Today Bestselling Author

 

A Selection of Reviews

"Masquerade reads like a piece of chocolate after dinner. It goes down smoothly and leaves you craving more."

"Amazing fantasy getaway. Perfect rainy day read!"

"Ms. Francis is a skillful storyteller. She quickly captured the attention of this fussy reader and held my interest through to the end."

"Hard to put down."

"Absolutely phenomenal. Each part is better written than the last."

"I enjoyed this book as another fun diversion from my busy life."

"It has excellent characterization and I was pulled into the story, intrigued to know what would happen next."

"Absolutely love this format of delivery for a book. Oh Masquerade you have my attention now! I voluntarily reviewed this book."

"I really like this book. The characters were believable, the story had some mystery and I liked where the series was going to go with the Masquerade themes. I especially liked how this story was 'as long as a glass of wine'. I didn't test that but it was as long as a short stint on the beach. Now I want to see what happens in the next few stories!"

"This first instalment hooked me in every way: interesting opening, great detail, fully-fleshed major characters, each with a problematical life situation and minus my pet peeve -- poor editing. This instalment is expertly written AND edited, so there are no grammatical errors or typos to weaken/distract from the story. Kudos to Ms. Francis. I look forward to reading more!"

"What a fun escape these first two books are! I just finished part 2 and am left hanging in suspense and anxiously awaiting part 3 to be delivered. This is a unique way to read for me and I love it. Come on part 3!!!!!!!!!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fifth Hammer Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9780995340343

Book preview

Chapter 1

Colin sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. His neck hurt. So did his back. Gina's sofa was beautiful and expensive, but it sure wasn't comfortable. He'd been disoriented at first; it took him a few seconds to realize where he was and why. Then the memory of Maureen and Henry came back to him, and a sense of bewilderment took hold.

Henry. Of all people.

There must have been signs, but of course he hadn't seen them. Or perhaps, he'd subconsciously chosen to ignore them. He and his wife led essentially separate lives. He'd tried to take an interest in her career and in what she was doing, but then the late nights and the drinking . . . the arguments that had followed his questions just weren't worth it, so he'd simply stopped asking.

One thing finally made sense to him though. Now he understood the source of Henry's animosity.

When their relationship had started was irrelevant. The real issue was his marriage and when it had begun to dissolve. There was no clear delineation — no defining event marking the beginning of the end. It had been a gradual, almost imperceptible erosion. These affairs, hers and his, hadn't caused the marital problems. Rather, the marital problems had caused the affairs. What he had to do now was figure out how to repair the damage.

Knowing where to begin was a challenge in and of itself. He got a headache thinking about it. Coffee though, that he could handle, and maybe it was as good a place to start as any.

Standing, he groaned at the stiffness in his muscles. He was still wearing his work clothes from the day before and the wrinkles in them were worse than ever. Ah, if only that were his biggest problem.

In the kitchen, he began poking through the cupboards to see what he might rustle up for breakfast. While Gina's liquor cabinet was well stocked, she had very little in the way of food. He did manage to find a few eggs and a loaf of bread. French toast, coming up.

He'd hoped to find solace in the routine of cooking, but instead it underscored the fact that he wasn't at home. But then, with the construction, cooking in his own kitchen wasn't exactly relaxing lately. Gina had all the latest and greatest in cookware and gadgetry. Most of it looked like it had never been used.

As though on cue, she entered as coiffed and immaculate as ever. Something smells good, she said.

Colin poured her a cup of coffee. I couldn't find your maple syrup.

That's because I don't have any.

Molasses?

She raised an eyebrow. What do you think?

Dry French toast it is,