Part of Series
Elise is running from her past. Maddox longs to be her future. Elise left everything behind. Her family, her livelihood. She’s determined to escape the brothers who tormented her and find her own way, but being a peddler and performer at heart, her only prospects are within the festival community. So she sets off to find a new village and transforms herself into the Starling. But when winter approaches and her prospects are bleak, a young hatter invites her to take refuge in his parents’ home. Does she dare trust the family she’s just met when she fears retribution from her own brothers? Maddox Hatcher falls for Elise almost as soon as she walks through his door, but she’s fourteen and focused on survival, so romance is the last thing on her mind. Instead, he becomes her trusted friend and ally, a protector she can count on. But it’s been three years now, and when an old acquaintance comes into Elise’s life and catches her eye, Maddox realizes he can’t wait around forever. With the constant danger of her brothers finding her, Elise must be vigilant in guarding her identity and her safety. But nothing can prepare her for the encounter that will inevitably come. Inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this story follows Elise down the rabbit hole of the traveling festival performers, and her friendship with Maddox, the hatter who loves her.
Author
I love words. I always have. In songs, in poems, in books, in movies—words move me. In my younger years, I dabbled in writing as a therapy and an escape, but I never expected it to become more than that. While deep in the depths of mommying several small children, I took seven years to write my first book, Just Ella. During that time, I taught myself how to write a novel through a whole lot of trial and error. Not the most time-efficient method, but it gave me an education I wouldn’t have received from a class or a how-to book. Something about the struggle of writing without a formula or rules worked for me. I wrote for me. I wrote from my heart space, and I think that’s the reason that Just Ella has found room in so many of my readers’ heart spaces. I write clean romance because I love it. I love the discovery of new love. I love the relationship building that’s done with looks, words, brushing fingers, and tentative kisses. Jane Eyre is the hero of my youth and taught me that being true to yourself and clinging to your convictions will be hard, but it will bring you more genuine happiness than giving up on yourself ever can. I am an extraordinarily happy wife, and a mother of five kids. I’ve lived in Utah, Arizona, Missouri, and Virginia, but my heart is now firmly ensconced in Idaho where we’ve built a home and a community. I love chocolate, waterfalls, pretty teacups, the sight and sound of ocean waves, and most especially my husband and my five littles. I love books that leave me with a sigh of contentment, and I aspire to write stories that do the same for my readers. Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annetteklar... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoraklarsen Follow me on twitter: @AnnetteKLarsen Contact Me: http://www.annetteklarsen.com/contact...
