BookQW = CHANGE

HANNAH’S DISCOVERY

(book 16, Reclusive Man Collection)

Some secrets are buried like pecans—waiting for the right season to be uncovered.

 

The image of his mother, Amelia, finding him working in the streets still played upon his mind. Dressed in a plain day dress with her hair pulled back, she’d told him her plans to leave his father behind to serve his time alone in prison and how she was going back to Watertown to live with her widowed sister.

That very day Jake had made the decision to leave Boston and change his name. Like his mother, he wanted to be as far from his father’s reputation as possible. Even though his mother didn’t know where he was, Jake took solace in knowing that she was safe and with family who would look after her.

That was four years ago.

Jake wandered the country looking for himself, not really knowing who that might be. He’d spent some of that time as a day laborer, a factory worker, and a farm hand. The latter being the foundation for becoming a pecan farmer. He liked that his hands were callused, that his mind and body had grown strong with manual labor, and of having made something of himself honestly.

Jake Morris was far from the man his father had wanted him to be – Maurie Jacobson.

~ ~ ~ ~

US: https://amzn.to/3zvU6yx // UK: https://amzn.to/3OGhKgo

Reclusive Man Collection: https://tinyurl.com/jx98vwfv

Audible: https://adbl.co/4b8nafK

Available on all #Amazon sites

Add to Want to Read List: Goodreads / BookBub 

  

BookQW = SIMPLE

HANNAH’S DISCOVERY

(book 16, Reclusive Man Collection)

Some secrets are buried like pecans—waiting for the right season to be uncovered.

 

Locking the door behind her, Hannah strolled back to the newspaper office. Marty’s words “do you know who that is” found their way back to the front of her mind.

In the short trek back to the newspaper, Hannah focused on the man’s face. Although quite handsome, there wasn’t anything familiar about him. Nothing that would have made her remember if she’d ever met the man before today.

Except for his eyes which were quite remarkable. Dark, somber, and guarded were the words that came to mind. Yet nothing about them sparked even the faintest of memories. Hannah didn’t know the man; she would have remembered his eyes if she had.

She was only imagining Marty’s question to mean that she should know the man. It was obvious that he only wanted to know if she did know him, and that Marty didn’t. A simple question with no meaning.

At least not to her.

~ ~ ~ ~

US: https://amzn.to/3zvU6yx

UK: https://amzn.to/3OGhKgo

Reclusive Man Collection: https://tinyurl.com/jx98vwfv

Audible: https://adbl.co/4b8nafK  

BookQW = AFTER

HANNAH’S DISCOVERY

(book 16, Reclusive Man Collection)

Some secrets are buried like pecans—waiting for the right season to be uncovered.

A large figure filled the open door, blocking out most of the morning sun.

Jake Morris surveyed the room until his gaze fell upon two baskets. One marked for the general store, and the other smaller one for the café in Ridgecrest. Unfolding the note in his hand, he double-checked the quantity requested. Harper’s General Store ordered a bushel of pecans in their shells, while Jo’s Café requested a bushel of pecans that were shelled when delivered. The cafe’s order would fit nicely in the burlap sacks dangling from his back pocket.

Jake was thankful for the past two years’ crop. The weather had been perfect, and for someone who hadn’t had any idea of how to keep pecans, he thanked God every day. For more than he may rightfully deserve he imagined.

His life could have been much different if he’d stayed and followed in his father’s footsteps. Jake had wandered after the war trying to purge the death and carnage from his memory. When he finally returned home, his father had done his best to convince Jake to go into the banking business with him. But Jake didn’t have the heart or desire to be trapped in an office every day of his life, and that had caused tension between his father and himself.

Instead, he turned to manual labor working in the streets of Boston. It was a dirty, sweaty position, but he hadn’t found anything more fulfilling at the time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

US: https://amzn.to/3zvU6yx

UK: https://amzn.to/3OGhKgo

Reclusive Man Collection: https://amzn.to/3OwzV7Z   

Audible: https://adbl.co/4b8nafK

Available on all #Amazon sites

BookQW = DRIVEN

BLOOD TIES

(A Historical Time-Travel)

In the shadow of the Civil War, love became immortal.

 

Rage, sadness, and understanding mixed into one emotion that Royal could not single out. Would it have been better to have gone mad than to disappear into the unknown? To be with the one who loved you, maybe. But then again, Uncle Henry had always been driven to look for more than what Kate could have given him, children being one. Her love was not enough for him to win the war raging inside him.

Through the years, Royal had formed a bond, a pact, with Kate to sacrifice the Kinsman clan and destroy the curse slowly and naturally. The only way to accomplish the promise was to stay as far away from emotional and sexual involvements as possible.

Money not being an overwhelming concern, Royal found traveling to be his only mistress, the numerous hotels the only dwellings he would call home. He never had to worry about the sometimes tragic Kinsman history.

At least not until this afternoon and his overwhelming desire to bond with a certain long-haired angel.

All he could ever remember was the horrible tales he had heard while growing up. The Kinsman men hardly ever had happy stories to tell about the legacy, while the women would not even mention it.

Why is it that horror always seems to become embedded in a child’s mind? What had echoed through the library walls during those brandy after-dinner drinks were enough to give any youngster nightmares. The accounts he heard during those times were only impacted by what he had seen happen to Uncle Henry.

The only thing Royal understood at the time of the pact was that he would be the last to bear a resemblance to either Josie or Samuel, come hell or high water. Maybe the stories were exaggerated in a young boy’s mind; it did not matter. Seeing was believing, and Royal had seen all he needed to.

~ ~ ~ ~

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KPMN249

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KPMN249

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/472xMg

Add to Wish/Want to Read List: Goodreads / BookBub

BookQW = NEVER

BLOOD TIES

(A Historical Time-Travel)

In the shadow of the Civil War, love became immortal.

 

“You have a sister named Manda?” Emma’s heart flipped with regret that her mother had kept such a secret from her. “What happened to her, Mom?”

“The Kinsman house is what happened to her, and the family who lived there. She was in love with one of the Kinsman boys―Henry. He had this look about him like he was looking for something he knew in his heart he’d never find. Then one day word came he’d disappeared without a trace, leaving all his things behind. Manda was frantic with grief and loneliness when she came home that night, but Father turned her away.”

Emma waited in silence as a tear slid down her mother’s softly wrinkled cheek. She tried to remember the last time she’d seen her mother cry, but couldn’t.

“Father warned her to stay away from Henry, but her heart defied any sense of our family pride.”

“Manda actually went against Granddad’s word?” Emma tried to picture anyone strong willed enough to defy him.

“Yes. Our Manda had never done anything against Father before. Not until she met Henry and his crazy family, anyway,” Mabel said, settling down slightly.

“Crazy, as in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? Or just different from everyone else?” Emma asked, handing her mother yet another tissue.

“Just different, I suppose. Anyway, she seemed to always be with Henry’s family for everything. Father told her since she liked the Kinsmans so well, she’d best go live with them because as far as he was concerned, she was dead. So, she left. The need to be with Henry cost her quite a lot, but she loved him regardless.

“Manda’s been gone ever since, up until this journal, a word has never been spoken or written about her. Father wouldn’t allow it.”

~~~~~

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KPMN249

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KPMN249

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/472xMg

Add to Wish/Want to Read List: Goodreads / BookBub  

BookQW = GROUP

BLOOD TIES

(A Historical Time-Travel)

In the shadow of the Civil War, love became immortal.

 A horseman came up along beside them and saluted. “Sir, we are to make camp and take food until further orders.” The soldier then trotted up the line, repeating the order he’d just told Samuel to the rest of the men.

Samuel reined in his horse, as did the private driving the wagon.

“Samuel,” Emma said.

“What is it, Emma? You look a little worried, scared even,” he said.

“What about Royal and Henry? Will they be all right?” she asked.

“We’ll find them and then take our supper. I’ve got a lot of questions to ask those two men, as I do you, young lady,” he said.

Emma watched Samuel dismount and give instructions as to where he wanted his tent and belongings set up along the fence line. The moment she dreaded most fast approached and she shivered at the thought of how to tell Samuel about a future United States that he could never imagine.

How does one explain airplanes, walking on the moon or even trips to Mars? Very carefully and only if the conversation got that far.

Emma hopped down from the wagon and ran after Samuel. She wanted to reach him before he got too far into the ranks, but her progress was slowed by a group of soldiers who milled around what would soon be their campfire.

Their words of the war reached her ears and filled her heart with sadness. She heard them talk of being tired of the fighting and wanting to go back to their homes and loved ones. There were expressed feelings of dread that so many lives were lost for nothing. These men seemed to have lost all hope of an end to the bloodshed and death any time soon.

~ ~ ~ ~

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KPMN249

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KPMN249

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/472xMg

Add to Wish/Want to Read List: Goodreads / BookBub 

BookQW = SEVERAL

BLOOD TIES

(A Historical Time-Travel)

In the shadow of the Civil War, love became immortal.

 

Was that a hint of melancholy in her voice? Emma turned just in time to see the touch of a smile leave Kate’s softened face. Does she know something?

“Did you know the family well, Kate?” Emma stood in front of the hearth of a red brick fireplace. The evidence of objects once set upon the mantel was still faintly there, and the hearth held the ashes from past fires.

“Romance fills this room, can you feel it? A room full of books, firelight, loves…I must admit, Ms. Sorenson, I was quite surprised by your advertisement.” Kate stood next to Emma, no more relaxed then she seemed to be several moments ago. “Your description of a house to rent was very detailed.”

“Please, call me Emma.” Circling the room, she absorbed everything she could. Mentally, she painted a picture of every crook and cranny. “Yes, it was. I knew exactly what I was looking for in a home. Thankfully you answered my ad.”

Emma paused at the window seat, then sat on a cushion that looked as worn as the carpet on the library floor. The grimy bay window around the seat played host to the same pattern of tattered lace curtains hanging in the entryway.

“As for the Kinsmans, I knew of them. Everyone in town did. The family was well known for their festivities, and all in the neighborhood were always welcome. I don’t recall any stories of a Kinsman turning someone out. That is, not until Royal Kinsman decided to move on and rent out the family homestead,” Kate mentioned.

“How long has the house stood empty then?” Emma traced the delicate lace threads, hoping they didn’t crumble beneath her touch.

“Honestly, too long. It’s far too expensive to heat during the winter, and then there’s the rumors.” Kate’s voice held an edge of uncertainty as she made her way out of the room.

“Rumors? What kinds of rumors?” Emma circled the library for one last look, then joined Kate in the hallway.

“It’s an old house, Ms. Sorenson…ah, Emma. Rumors always accompany an old home like this.” Kate led Emma through the rest of the main floor. “Stories trumped up by the local kids about ghosts.”

 ~~~ Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KPMN249 ~~~

~~~ Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KPMN249 ~~~ 

~~~ Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/472xMg ~~~

BookQW = MORNING

DECEITFUL PROMISES

(A Letters to Santa Story)

This Christmas promises may deceive, but love could be the miracle they never expected.

“Miss Blackwell,” Caroline greeted, noting Lydia as cold and calculating as when they’d first met. “Thank you for meeting me here.”

Caroline knew Miss Blackwell’s blackened reputation of attempted seduction. The desire not to be in service for the rest of her life to the women she longed to become one day led her straight into Oscar’s plans. It was even rumored she’d attempted murder on several occasions as a means of revenge for being rejected. Fortunately for Miss Blackwell, there wasn’t any proof.

Lydia grew up knowing what it meant being a servant. Her childhood had been spent observing her mother working in the kitchen of a highly influential family in New York City. As she grew older, Lydia herself worked her way up to become a lady’s maid; several steps up from the kitchen maid her mother had been. After years of attempted seduction of her various mistresses’ husbands to elevate her social standing, followed by several dismissals, it was her misguided ambition to be part of society that led her to her current situation—and into the clutches of The Lion of 5th Avenue.

“I was beginning to think I’d been abandoned,” Lydia snipped.

“Have your trunks arrived?” Caroline asked, ignoring the snide remark.

“Yes, I believe Mr. Dawson had everything sent down this morning,” Lydia replied, smoothing her already perfect coiffured hair. “There were several trunks, if I recall.”

“Very well,” Caroline said, reaching for Lydia’s elbow only to have it withdrawn. “Shall we find your compartment, Miss Blackwell?”

“I’m sure the private compartment will be easy to locate, Madam Harper,” Lydia sneered, waving a hand in dismissal.

“Of course it is! Now, we should go, or you might miss the train altogether,” Caroline suggested, clasping her hands together. “I gather you have all you need for your journey?”

“Mr. Dawson has provided me with money, new clothes, and a future rich husband. What else would you think I’d need?” Lydia replied, tugging at the white suit with pink appliques.

“I heard Mr. Dawson had taken ill the past few days. How did he seem to you?” Caroline asked. She may not care for Oscar Dawson, but she didn’t wish an illness even on someone like him.

“How should I know? Whatever it is I’m sure he will be feeling much better soon,” Lydia replied, not an ounce of compassion in her cold eyes.

~ ~ ~ ~

Amazon

US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPGL6NCT

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FPGL6NCT

Add To Want to Read Lists

Goodreads: Deceitful Promises by Maxine Douglas | Goodreads

BookBub: Deceitful Promises by Maxine Douglas - BookBub  

BookQW = HELP

DECEITFUL PROMISES

(A Letters to Santa Story)

This Christmas promises may deceive, but love could be the miracle they never expected.

 

Clara Wakefield arrived at her aunt’s residence earlier in the day after having received a rather urgent request the day before. She knew from Amelia's demeanor that something was terribly wrong; otherwise, she’d never have asked Clara to help with a rather delicate situation.

Taking a deep breath, she walked down the stairs and into the dining room where her aunt waited for her.

“Ah, there you are,” Amelia said, as if she had been waiting and watching for hours for Clara to appear. “Fitz, you may serve lunch now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Fitz waved unspoken instructions to the only footman left to service the household.

“A dear friend of mine is in dire need of your skill and services.” Amelia started, her words a bit shaky.

“Who is this dear friend?” Clara looked at her aunt, shocked at seeing fear running through her eyes. Unafraid of anything or anyone, the obvious distress coursing through Amelia Wakefield gave Clara a cause of concern.

“Please, Clara, sit down. It will be so much easier for me to tell you what the situation is,” Amelia suggested, with that familiar tone of authority lacing her request.

Clara did as her aunt asked, taking the seat to the left of her. She sat quietly and waited as Fitz served lunch, then left them until needed. Clara knew her aunt well enough that Amelia carefully weighed her words before speaking. It had been how she was brought up, and although Clara was quite the opposite, she gave Amelia the respect she deserved.

“Oscar Dawson,” Amelia divulged softly.

“The Lion of 5th Avenue needs my assistance? What has he done? Murdered someone and is looking to get away with it?” Clara asked, only to be hushed by the look on her aunt’s face. Always a mystery to her, Amelia Wakefield was Clara’s father’s sister and shrouded in stories. Stories that had her thinking she may be a deeply wounded woman for what another family had done to their father, Clara’s grandfather, among a list of other things Clara’s mother didn’t go into. Could Oscar Dawson also be behind her aunt’s pain?

~ ~ ~

Amazon

US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPGL6NCT 

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FPGL6NCT

Add to "Want to Read" List / Review / Recommend

Goodreads: Deceitful Promises by Maxine Douglas | Goodreads

BookBub: Deceitful Promises by Maxine Douglas - BookBub

5/13/26 BookQW = Wonder

DECEITFUL PROMISES

(A Letters to Santa Story)

This Christmas promises may deceive, but love could be the miracle they never expected.

“I haven’t asked you for money, Father. I have merely told you that I plan on going west to start a life of my own,” Kit said.

“I understand that and since you want to make your own way, I would like to suggest a business arrangement,” Oscar said softly. “Your mother would have my head if I didn’t finance your adventure for one year at, shall we say, a four percent interest. This is in lieu of your allowance, of course.”

Kit leaned deep into the chair. He knew Larry would want to be in on this decision, but it was between Kit and his father; with no mention of Larry in the offer at all. And it was a generous one from a business point of view. His father gave him an opportunity to make his own way; but in his heart, Kit knew there would be a clause to the agreement. That’s how Oscar Dawson became the success he was.

“Draw up the financial papers. I’ll look them over and sign them if they are agreeable,” Kit said, pushing out of the chair. “Thank you, Father.

“I remember what it’s like to sow my oats.” Oscar stood, matching Kit’s height of six feet. “There is a condition though.”

“I wondered when you’d get to that,” Kit said, standing over his father’s desk, waiting.

“It’s the same one your grandfather gave me. You have one year from the date of the agreement to be successful enough to repay the loan.” In an uncharacteristic manner, Oscar sat down and reclined in the chair with his feet propped on the desk. “If you haven’t successfully paid back the loan by at the end of the agreement, you will come home and learn the family business.

“Oh, and one more thing, and this is to make your mother happy, you shall find a suitable bride as well.” Oscar stood, his gaze matching Kit’s. “A year is long enough to court a woman and fall in love.”

“I have no wish to marry for several years,” Kit reiterated, his gaze fixed on his father.

“There is no room for compromise on that one condition, Christopher. I intend to continue making your mother as happy as I can. So, you either agree or not. Your future is in your hands at this point, not mine.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Amazon

US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPGL6NCT 

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FPGL6NCT 

Add to Want to Read List

Goodreads: Deceitful Promises by Maxine Douglas | Goodreads

BookBub: Deceitful Promises by Maxine Douglas - BookBub

4/29/26 BookQW = FREE

ART OF DECEPTION 

(a Mystery on Lilac Lane story) 

Every masterpiece tells a story—this one whispers murder.

 

“Not yet,” he agreed carefully. “If we do, we lose control of the narrative.”

She looked at him, surprised. “You think he’d dismiss it.”

“I think he’d try to make it small,” Lucas said. “And whoever’s doing this would love that.”

Skye nodded slowly. “they’d know we were scared enough to call for help then.”

“And because they’d know exactly what we’ve handed over,” he added. “Photographs don’t stay quiet once they hit an evidence locker.”

Her lips pressed together. “I hate that you’re right.”

“So do I.”

Lucas picked up the Polaroid again, studying the angle and the framing. He’d spent years behind a lens. He knew what was accidental and what was deliberate.

“This wasn’t taken by an amateur,” he said. “See the composition? The way you’re centered but reflected in the glass? That takes intention.”

Skye hugged herself. “So, they know photography.”

“They understand it,” he corrected. “Which means they understand me.”

The realization settled heavily in his chest. He crossed to the front windows, scanning the street outside. People moved freely about laughing, shopping, and joyfully living their small-town lives. Nothing looked threatening and that was the problem.

~~~~

Release Day April 30, 2026!

Amazon US: https://tinyurl.com/32yxznv2 / Series: https://bit.ly/4pCtfrJ

Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/4pEsZst

Add to want to read list: Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4altB1F / BookBub: https://bit.ly/3XkQElF

4/15/26 BookQW = FAMILY

ART OF DECEPTION

(a Mystery on Lilac Lane story)

Every masterpiece tells a story—this one whispers murder.

“Andrew Vale’s family owns acreage out here,” she said quietly, circling a point near the river. “Not the barn, but close.”

“And the Hendrickson place backs onto this line,” Lucas added. “So does the old mill.”

Skye’s jaw tightened. “These aren’t random art pieces.”

“No,” Lucas agreed. “They’re surveillance.”

The realization sat heavy between them.

Skye traced the symbol again, thoughtful. “What if Eddie wasn’t the first to notice this?”

Lucas’s throat tightened. “What if he was just the first to ask the wrong person about it?”

She looked at him, eyes steady and fierce. “And now that person thinks you’re next.”

Lucas nodded. “Which means hiding isn’t an option anymore.”

Outside, a car passed slowly, tires humming against the pavement. Lucas waited until the sound faded before speaking again.

“I think this started long before Eddie,” he said. “Before me, even. Whatever this is, it’s been guarded for years.”

“And now it’s unraveling,” Skye said.

He met her gaze. “And someone’s panicking.”

Skye gathered the photos into a neat stack. “Then we stay one step ahead.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pre-order today for April 30, 2026, release!

Amazon US: https://bit.ly/3KcCujB / Series: https://bit.ly/4pCtfrJ

Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/49KybX9 / Series: https://bit.ly/4pEsZst

Add to want to read list:

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4altB1F / BookBub: https://bit.ly/3XkQElF

4/1/26 BookQW = OLD

ART OF DECEPTION

(a Mystery on Lilac Lane story)

Every masterpiece tells a story—this one whispers murder.

Ah, there it was. The real reason he wanted to find out who painted on the photo—to uncover what really happened to Eddie, and whether he’d been murdered. Ignoring the churning warning in her stomach, Skye grabbed a light jacket from the tree stand.

“Okay. Why don’t you gather what you think we’ll need? I’ll pop over to Magnolia and get food and coffee, just in case we’re out longer than expected.” Skye dashed out the door, not waiting for Lucas to answer. She didn’t want to go to the crumbling old barn, which looked like it would collapse in a light breeze. Even so, the fact Lucas wanted to go was a step in the right direction. In her mind, she pictured a dead body looking up at her. Shivering, she wondered what Lucas might see.

What if he relapsed, retreating back into grief? She wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Skye returned to the gallery with two large coffees, a bag of pastries, and a couple of breakfast sandwiches, finding Lucas waiting in his SUV.

“It’s about time, Skye!”

“I thought it would take you longer.” She glanced in the back window before sliding into the passenger seat. “Are you sure you have everything? Looks like your entire studio is back there.”

“I grabbed my camera bag when I came over, in case you needed photographs for any insurance claims.” Lucas pulled onto the street, heading out of town.

“Always prepared. Nice to see those Boy Scout values are still in place,” Skye teased, sipping from her paper cup. “Have you thought about what we’re looking for?”

“I think we should start with the ghostly figure painted on the photo,” Lucas said, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. “I put the photo in the back so we can be sure of the exact location. The barn is probably in worse shape than before—”

“We need to be careful,” Skye finished for him.

~ ~ ~ ~

Pre-order today for April 30, 2026, release!

Amazon US: https://bit.ly/3KcCujB / Series: https://bit.ly/4pCtfrJ

Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/49KybX9 / Series: https://bit.ly/4pEsZst

Add to want to read list:

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4altB1F / BookBub: https://bit.ly/3XkQElF