She's grieving her intended's death. He's loving her from afar. But will a long-kept secret spoil their chance at everlasting happiness? Sacramento Valley, 1870. Josefa Stewart yearns to control her own destiny. Pregnant and mourning the murder of her betrothed, she's running out of time to find a suitable husband before she becomes a Californio nobility scandal. But that doesn't mean she'll settle for just any man who comes courting... Vaquero Santiago Valaquez knows his growing feelings for Josefa can never be requited. So when his estranged cousin makes a bid for her hand, he takes investigating the up-and-coming attorney's credentials to heart. But Santiago's probe uncovers disturbing secrets about his own family history that could destroy any prospect he ever had for love... Convinced his cousin's intentions are not fully honorable, Santiago vows to warn Josefa even though he'll sully his own good name. And while the...

Gilded Surprise! Of Gold & Blood Series 2 Elanora's Story - Books #1 & #4 POISONED LEGACY – Book One TANGLED DESTINY- CHRISTMAS NOVELLA & PREQUEL - Book Four California, 1868. New York, 1847. Two eras, Two stories, One family tragedy. Unsolved deaths. Untold treasure. Can Graysie uncover the secret of her inheritance before dark forces claim another victim? Graysie Castellanos is ready to take her final bow. When the traveling singer inherits a rundown mine, she thinks it's her golden opportunity to provide her adopted daughter – until it turns deadly. If Nathan Russell had listened to his gut, he'd have cleared out of Grass Valley before the first corpse turned cold. But the Aussie-born adventurer refuses to abandon the gorgeous singer and her young child to their doom. Neither has a clue...

A deathbed promise. An impossible task. Will saving a loved one mean losing everything? New York, 1871. Sadie McGillicuddy's word is her bond. Swearing to her dying mother to always protect her willful sister, she's soon tested when her beautiful younger sibling runs off into the night. Jumping on a train to San Francisco in hot pursuit, the resourceful young woman evades a gangland enforcer's unwanted attention with the help of a handsome stranger. Count Dolphie Westerhoven's future feels uncertain. Grieving a father who just left him penniless, the lone-wolf Austrian is traveling to San Francisco when an intriguing passenger slips into his private carriage. Quick to offer her protection at his aunt's house, he fears there's more to her story when she's delivered a severed hand. With her sister refusing to leave the mob boss's clutches, Sadie despairs of getting...