EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
12 Days of Clean Romance - Day 8
featuring Sheralyn Pratt
For Day 8 of our 12 Days of Clean Romance, we're featuring author Sheralyn Pratt. This promotion is hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader and features 12 of her favorite authors, whose books you can trust to be clean, fun, and 100% worth reading!
Pimpernel: Royal Ball
by Sheralyn Pratt
Description
One man, one night, one dance, and one question ... none of which Claire Ramsey sees coming.
She thinks the night is a test - a call to rise above her insecurities and step more fully into her skills. It’s been a year since she learned about the Pimpernel and fell in love with the man of so many masks. Jack’s world is full of high stakes and big players, and Claire wants in.
To her frustration, Jack is dragging his feet on letting her all the way into both his heart and his work. The risk is too high, he says. But Claire is ready to prove him wrong. She’s ready to go all-in.
What Claire doesn’t know is that Jack is no lone wolf, and the world he is shielding her from is much bigger than she has ever imagined.
But one man, one night, one dance, and one question will change all of that in a way Claire never saw coming.
Excerpt
Claire was not alone.
There was a man in the room—a dark-haired man with unreal green eyes and a suit that looked ready for a fashion shoot. The intruder was fit and tall, with a trimmed beard that looked like it had been shaped with laser precision.
Do. Not. Scream. (Again.) Do not freak. Coherency is your only bargaining chip, and only one of you works here.
For the first time that day, Claire wasn’t arguing with her instincts.
“How did you get in here?” she accused.
“Someone left the door open.”
Oh. Yeah. That would be her. She opened the floor. And left it open.
Whoops.
But that still didn’t explain what this man was doing in Margot’s office wearing the most refined suit she’d ever seen. Part of Claire felt reassured that if this man was an assassin, it would be a tidy affair. He wouldn’t want to get blood on his clothes.
“Who are you?” she asked, trying to get a sense for exactly how much trouble she was in.
“I’m the boss’s son.”
That made no sense. “Margot is the boss.”
He seemed to weigh her answer. “Depends on how you look at it. If you’re talking about the business, yes. That’s Margot’s. But if we’re talking about what brought you here tonight, then Jack works for my father. His line has served ours faithfully for many years. We like Jack.”
Wait. What? Claire knew Ren’s family had served Margot’s for generations, but she’d always thought that more as a bodyguard thing. Jack wasn’t a bodyguard. He was a problem-solver for the elite. When people growing into their power started doing things that threatened the safety of civilians, Jack was brought in to—
Something clicked in Claire’s brain.
It wasn’t like her to be the last one to catch on to something, but everything Claire had seen in the past year fit very nicely into this man’s claim. When a job came in, Jack and Margot did it. They didn’t argue over its merit or vet the client. They solved the problem.
Because someone asked—allegedly, this guy’s father.
So either this man was an assassin sent to kill her, or the boss’s son had just caught her red-handed. Whatever the case, running away and pretending this never happened didn’t seem to be an option.
Stand your ground, instinct whispered.
Stand your ground, instinct whispered.
“You need to make a choice before you speak again, Claire,” the green-eyed man said. “You must decide if you’ve just been caught where you ought not to be, or if you’re exactly where you want to be.”
Um, both felt like traps the way he said them.
Um, both felt like traps the way he said them.
Praise for the Book
"Another wild ride reinforcing the fact that Sheralyn holds a top spot on my list of favorite authors. Royal Ball was not at all what I was expecting and yet somehow it managed to meet all my expectations. Go figure. I have no clue how Sheralyn always manages to twist and turn things around taking me to places I wasn't expecting, while somehow leaving me totally satisfied by the end her books. The cover of Royal Ball might suggest to your mind that it's a fluffy romance. It's not. There is romance in it but it's more of an action/adventure/mystery mix with a little romance. I'm fascinated by how complex the world of the Pimpernel is and am amazed at Sheralyn's ability to weave together story-lines in such a seamless fashion." ~ Kathy Habel
"Sheralyn Pratt is a master at her craft! She had me all wrapped up like a pretzel reading this! This book is incredibly clever. The metaphors, the mind games, the puzzles... she had my head spinning, trying to keep up with it all! I love the characters that make an appearance in this newest book. The description she uses is visual imagery at its best. No need to skip over any boring details (there aren’t any). At times it can get a little confusing but stick with it! All will be revealed (almost) in due time and it does make more sense after a while. She only reveals a tiny bit at once so the reader feels they are figuring things out at the same pace as the characters. I loved, loved, loved, loved this book! Can’t highlight it enough." ~ Autism Mom
"I think that Pratt could write just about any genre and I would enjoy it! She makes me think (don't worry, it's not work!) and her characters are well developed and engaging. Pimpernel: Royal Ball is no exception to the rule. This is truly an adventure with new twists added to what we know about Jack (aka the Pimpernel), Margot and Kali and their world." ~ Christine Jensen
About the Author
Sheralyn was born at an early age, with 10 fingers and 10 toes. She is proud to report that she currently retains all 20 digits. Described by one reviewer as "the bomb dot com" (url already claimed ... bummer), Sheralyn has been a karate instructor, musical theater performer, a beach bum, freelance writer, nomadic traveler, and, yes, a private investigator. At the moment she enjoys working with and training her dog to give the poor thing breaks from sitting and Sheralyn’s feet with the unbearable task of watching someone write a book.
Really, and you thought your job was bad!
Sheralyn currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, although as people who know her can attest to, that is subject to change at any time.
Links
Also by this Author
Giveaway
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