Flourish: The Story of Anne Fontaine: Crimson & Clover Stories, #2

By Sarah M. Cradit

Dive into the secret, ancient, powerful world of two New Orleans families, the Deschanels and the Sullivans...


Lagniappe /ˌlanˈyap/ " a little something extra"



Following the death of her dominating mother, Anne Fontaine decides to leave the bayou to reconnect with her estranged half-sister, Adrienne Deschanel. Her hope is to forge a relationship with Adrienne that was not possible when her mother was alive. Secretly, she also hopes to find out if her extraordinary supernatural talents are shared by anyone else.

When Nicolas Deschanel gets wind of Anne's presence, he suspects that she is one of many con artists after his sister's money. Not knowing her story is true, he engages her in a game of cat-and-mouse, deciding to have some fun.

Eventually, circumstances find both of them back at the Deschanel family seat, Ophélie, where secrets and stories come to life.

The Saga of Crimson & Clover
A sprawling dynasty. An ancient bloodline. A world of magic and mayhem.
Welcome to the Saga of Crimson & Clover, where all series within are linked but can be equally enjoyed on their own.

Series List
The House of Crimson & Clover Series: Dive into the secretive, ancient, powerful world of the Deschanels & Sullivans
The Midnight Dynasty Series: There's no place like home.
Vampires of the Merovingi Series: From the ashes of the sorcerer kings rose an empire.
The Seven Series: Seven siblings. Seven years. Seven spellbinding novels.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Storyville Press
• Release date: Dec 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201420956

Sarah M. Cradit

Sarah is the USA Today and International Bestselling Author of over forty contemporary and epic fantasy stories, and the creator of the Kingdom of the White Sea and Saga of Crimson & Clover universes.   Born a geek, Sarah spends her time crafting rich and multilayered worlds, obsessing over history, playing her retribution paladin (and sometimes destruction warlock), and settling provocative Tolkien debates, such as why the Great Eagles are not Gandalf's personal taxi service. Passionate about travel, she's been to over twenty countries collecting sparks of inspiration, and is always planning her next adventure.   Sarah and her husband live in a beautiful corner of SE Pennsylvania with their three tiny benevolent pug dictators.     Connect with Sarah:   sarahmcradit.com Instagram: @sarahmcradit Facebook: @sarahmcradit

Book preview

Flourish: The Story of Anne Fontaine

Flourish: The Story of Anne Fontaine

A Crimson & Clover Story

Sarah M. Cradit

Contents

Praise for The House of Crimson & Clover

Also by Sarah M. Cradit

1. Nicolas

2. Anne

3. Nicolas

4. Anne

5. Nicolas

6. Anne

7. Nicolas

8. Anne

9. Nicolas

10. Anne

11. Nicolas

12. Anne

St. Charles at Dusk Excerpt

The Storm and the Darkness Excerpt

Also by Sarah M. Cradit

Crimson & Clover Connections

About the Author

Copyright © 2013 Sarah M. Cradit

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, at Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design by Sarah M. Cradit

Editing by Shaner Media Creations

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Publisher Contact:

[e-mail]

www.sarahmcradit.com

Praise for The House of Crimson & Clover

"Cradit’s words flow in prosaic candor like a melody of the ages: pronounced, patient, lingering, and beautiful.

Dionne Charlet, New Orleans Examiner

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Her (Cradit's) talent for creating atmosphere rivals Daphne du Maurier. This is modern Gothic with fierce smarts. Can't say it enough. I loved this book.

Christopher Rice, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Heavens Rise

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It takes a great writer like Cradit to weave the threads of so many characters into an enjoyable story. I have no doubt that the name Cradit will one day be associated with the echelon of gothic fiction writers, namely Radcliffe, Blackwood, and Rice.

Becket, Bestselling Author of The Blood Vivicanti and Assistant to Anne Rice

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Sarah Cradit's writing is tight and masterful. Her keen sense of how to pace a book and her ability to use just the right language to express the desires, fears and hopes of her characters is flawless.

Ionia Martin, Vine Top 100 Reviewer, Readful Things

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Cradit does an incredible job of building suspense. It's a slow, moody, edge of your seat suspense with a palpable sense of foreboding. This atmosphere kicks the book off and slowly escalates as you sink deeper into it.

Julie Whiteley, Clue Review

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The books are well written, the plot flows so quickly that you reach the end of the story well before you are ready and without realizing how much time has gone by since you were enchanted, committed and flung into the world of the Sullivans, Deschanels and their friends. You become a part of their lives as you are reading the books and think about the characters long after you have finished reading the book.

Stephenee Carsten, Nerd Girl Official

Also by Sarah M. Cradit

THE SAGA OF CRIMSON & CLOVER

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The House of Crimson and Clover Series

The Storm and the Darkness

Shattered

The Illusions of Eventide

Bound

Midnight Dynasty

Asunder

Empire of Shadows

Myths of Midwinter

The Hinterland Veil

The Secrets Amongst the Cypress

Within the Garden of Twilight

House of Dusk, House of Dawn

Midnight Dynasty Series

A Tempest of Discovery

A Storm of Revelations

The Seven Series

1970

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1980

Vampires of the Merovingi Series

The Island

Crimson & Clover Lagniappes (Bonus Stories)

Lagniappes are standalone stories that can be read in any order.

St. Charles at Dusk: The Story of Oz and Adrienne

Flourish: The Story of Anne Fontaine

Surrender: The Story of Oz and Ana

Shame: The Story of Jonathan St. Andrews

Fire & Ice: The Story of Remy & Fleur

Dark Blessing: The Landry Triplets

Pandora's Box: The Story of Jasper & Pandora

The Menagerie: Oriana’s Den of Iniquities

A Band of Heather: The Story of Colleen and Noah

The Ephemeral: The Story of Autumn & Gabriel

Banshee: The Story of Giselle Deschanel

For more information, and exciting bonus material, visit www.sarahmcradit.com

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.

- David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

Nicolas

Strong hands woke Nicolas Deschanel with a jolt. Groaning, he rolled over, carefully cracking one eye enough to focus on Condoleezza, the head housemaid, standing over him. He gathered from the familiar sour expression on her face that she had been there awhile.

Whaaa?? he growled, shielding his eyes from the noonday sun streaming through the ancient lace curtains. Condoleezza had a lovely habit of opening the light shades when he slept in; her not-so-passive sign of disapproval that the household head was a lazy louse. Unlike some of the others on staff, Condoleezza was not the least bit afraid of Nicolas. She had been with him since he was still waddling around in diapers.

That Sullivan boy is on the line, she advised with a mixture of relief and censure. Nicolas and his friend, Oz Sullivan, were in their thirties now, but Condoleezza still referred to