Author's Cut Edition: Historical Romance. A Missing Heiress, a Gambling-Hall Hostess, and a Seductress Vie to Take Down a Millionaire in Jo Goodman’s Scarlet Lies —1868, on the Mississippi and 1872, San Francisco—Brooklyn Hancock, accomplice to her swindling partner and protector, meets her match in Ryland North. When he turns the tables on her aboard a Mississippi sternwheeler, she manages to escape, believing she murdered Ryland. Four years later, Ryland North is investigating the disappearance of an heiress while also being asked by his aunt and uncle to dissuade their son from marrying a gambling-hall hostess. When he finds the gambling-hall hostess, Ryland recognizes her immediately as Brooklyn and sets about trying to save his cousin from falling for her lies. When the wedding is called off, Ryland considers his mission accomplished. Until he again encounters Brooklyn only to learn the truth and discover that it's he and Brooklyn that have been deceived and that she's in serious danger. Now they face a new reality. Ryland struggles to trust the woman who nearly murdered him as Brooklyn's thoughts turn from escape to surrender. Publisher Note: For new and old fans of Jo Goodman comes one of her classic works, freshly edited by Jo Goodman for today's audience. Fans of Mary Jo Putney, Kat Martin, Jo Beverley, Courtney Milan and Kaki Warner will enjoy this spirited adventure and romance.
Author
To find characters to illustrate my first family saga, I cut out models from the Sears catalogue. I was in fourth grade, but it was a start. In seventh grade I wrote a melodrama about two orphan sisters, one of whom was pregnant. There was also a story about a runaway girl with the unlikely name of Strawberry and one about mistaken identities and an evil blind date. My supportive, but vaguely concerned parents, sighed with relief when I announced I was going to write children's books. They bought me an electric typewriter and crossed their fingers, but somehow PASSION'S BRIDE came out. No one was really surprised. I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry and some notion that I would do marine research. Years of competitive swimming didn't help me anticipate seasickness. A career change seemed in order. I began working with adolescents and families, first as a childcare worker and later, after graduating from West Virginia University with a master's degree in counseling, as a therapist. I am currently the executive director of a child caring/mental health agency and find my work and my writing often compliment each other. One grounds me in reality and the other offers a break from it.
