Crystal Caudill

A Christy Award-Winning Author The Art of Love and Danger (Book 1) In the corruption-infested Queen City, Lydia Pelton writes crime novels to exact justice and right the wrongs she sees in society. When a serial killer decides to be the sword to her pen, Lydia is confronted with the consequences of her words. With murders on the rise, Officer Abraham Hall's only lead is Lydia's fiction. Despite his misgivings about the woman, he realizes he needs her help. But his unexpected attraction to Lydia proves difficult to manage. As the mystery unfolds, Abraham and Lydia race to rewrite the ending, not only for Cincinnati's citizens, but for their own hearts.

"What a cracking start to a new series I always enjoy sneaking a peek behind the curtain of a writer's life, and this tale of authorly misadventure between the Killer Queen of Romance and an upright police detective has something for everyone. Definitely worth diving into " --Carolyn Miller, best-selling author of the Regency Brides and Regency Wallflowers series What happens when fiction becomes reality? In the corruption-infested Queen City, danger lurks in every shadow, but Lydia Pelton refuses to stay silent. She writes under a pseudonym, E. A. Dupin, crafting crime novels to exact justice and right the wrongs she sees in society. When a serial killer decides to be the sword to her pen, Lydia is confronted with the consequences of her words. Four men are dead, and the city blames her. With murders on the rise, Officer Abraham Hall's only lead is Lydia's fiction, and he is thrust into an investigation with the "Killer Queen of Romance." Despite his misgivings about the woman, he realizes that even with his reputation for catching elusive criminals, he needs her help. But his unexpected attraction to Lydia proves as difficult to manage as the woman herself. As the mystery unfolds, Abraham and Lydia race to rewrite the ending, not only for Cincinnati's citizens, but for their own hearts too. "Danger, mystery, hidden identities, villains, heroes, and gallantry Everything you would expect in a dime novel, but better " --Erica Vetsch, author of the Of Cloaks & Daggers series

Trapped by their pasts, is there hope for a future? When Secret Service operative Andrew Darlington is brought in to support a US Marshal case involving counterfeiters in rural Indiana, he thinks it's simply the next rung on his climb to the top of his career. But liars can only climb so high--and Andrew is keeping a dangerous secret he doesn't ever want to get out. When he clashes with the criminal family that took over the town of Landkreis and killed the Marshal he was sent to assist, his past life is in danger of being exposed. Widow "Lightning Lu" Thorne has only one goal: escape the clutches of the Thorne family with her son. Her decision to be an informant and testify against the Thornes looked like the perfect answer. Until the Marshal ended up dead. Now the tether keeping her tied to her felonious family is tightening, and a forced marriage to someone else in the Thornes' clutches threatens to kill any hope of escape. Andrew and Lu find themselves on the same team--unwillingly. They each believe the other to be the enemy to their future plans. And even if they could learn to work together, the secrets they hold could shatter all hopes and dreams. Despite the encouragement of the local preacher, they're not even sure God can be trusted--much less other humans. Can either of them escape their past--and the family that is willing to kill their own when they smell betrayal? On the heels of her smashing debut, this second entry in Crystal Caudill's historical series maintains the excitement that readers of Michelle Griep, Liz Tolsma, and Elizabeth Camden will love.