Bayou New Year: Miss Fortune World: Bayou Cozy Romantic Thrills, #7

By Riley Blake

It's out with the old and in with the new when Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie are summoned to neighboring Wasteland to save Celia Arceneaux. Prepared to bargain with an assassin, they put together last-minute plans, but even the best laid plans can be derailed, especially when motive and opportunity are not what they seem. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: J&R Fan Fiction
• Release date: Aug 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201061913

Book preview

About Bayou New Year

It’s out with the old and in with the new when Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie are summoned to neighboring Wasteland to save Celia Arceneaux. Prepared to bargain with an assassin, they put together last-minute plans, but even the best laid plans can be derailed, especially when motive and opportunity are not what they seem. 

The Bayou Cozy Romantic Thrills series was written for those who have read (at minimum) the first two books in the original Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon. These holiday-themed short stories stick with the key characters introduced in the first two novels in hopes that anyone will be able to follow along. 

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Reading Order for Bayou Cozy Romantic Thrills 

Bayou Valentine

Bayou Halloween

Bayou Christmas

Bayou Easter

Bayou Thanksgiving

Bayou Holiday

Bayou New Year

Bayou Masquerade-Coming Soon!

Chapter One

Fortune? Where in the daylights are you? Are you hiding from me? Celia’s voice rang out like an out of tune trumpet.

I’m hiding in plain sight, I muttered, wrapping another string around a helium balloon.

Oh there you are! Celia Arceneaux’s childlike enthusiasm made me cringe. I thought you might have cut out early to help the enemy.  

I narrowed my eyes. Don’t mistaken a lost bet for an opportunity. I’m not switching sides.

Ida Belle and I shook on this, Celia said. You’re required to stay until twelve to help with the decorations, party favors, and the fireworks display. You’ll be working for us until then.

Check the agreement and a clock. I have five minutes left and counting.

Ida Belle had tricked Celia. When Gertie lost to Celia during the sprint for banana pudding, two other prizes were at stake. One was for territory and the other required physical labor. Winner earned the right to choose first and Celia made a miscalculation. Thanks to Ida Belle’s swift penmanship, Celia won the banana pudding battle, but the Sinful Ladies won everything else.

The only thing I had forfeited was an extra hour in bed. I would’ve been decorating either way.

Due to the lost side wager, and taking one for the team, I had spent the last couple of hours in Wasteland helping Got No Lives, the nickname Ida Belle had given Celia and her friends. Their group would spend New Year’s Eve in Wasteland, which wasn’t what Celia had in mind.  

Claiming she couldn’t trust the competition, Ida Belle drew up a handwritten contract which specified where each faction would hold their New Years parties. With a few play on words, she’d managed to keep Sinful’s ‘turf’ for the Sinful Ladies, but forfeited one of her own for a couple of hours.  

Sometimes, you remind me so much of Ida Belle that I just want to scream, Celia said, thrusting several rolls of unraveling streamers in my direction. I’m guessing Ida Belle twisted up the words in our agreement and you’re not with us until midnight?

I know you must be disappointed, I said, painting on an exaggerated smile. But I’m not really a big fan of Wasteland.

Shame really, Celia said. "When you settle Marge’s estate, you could probably get a bargain out at Wasteland’s Former Trailer Park. It’s the subdivision name, which I’ve never understood. Maybe you could take Gertie and Ida Belle with you and the three of you could figure out the mystery.

There’s no mystery, I said, refusing to elaborate. I was four minutes and four seconds away from freedom. Besides, most everyone knew the