Allure

Award-winning, bestselling author Jo-Ann Power is the Daphne du Maurier of the '90s. She last captivated readers with Never Say Never, the enchanting third installment of her American Beauties trilogy. Now, in her vintage style, she sweeps us back to Victorian England in a compelling tale of artful passion and deadly intrigue.

Cerise Lindsay is a promising young sculptress in Italy when she receives the news that her older sister, Madelaine, has drowned accidentally at a party on the Isle of Wight. Devastated, Cerise immediately returns to England to settle her sister's affairs. Upon her arrival, she finds the estate nearly bankrupt and soon suspects foul play. Cerise vows to solve the mystery, beginning with an investigation of the man who hosted the party that fateful night -- the Earl of Sandown. As the sole heir, Cerise must restore the family's financial stability by selling a beloved -- and valuable -- heirloom, a coveted statue known simply as Allure.

Blake Hargrove, the eighth Earl of Sandown, is determined to get to the bottom of Madelaine Lindsay's death. After all, she died while sailing one of his boats. When Blake and Cerise meet by chance, he's struck by her humor, her impressive knowledge of classical art...and by her radiant beauty. But when Cerise realizes who Blake is, she questions his motives. Then she learns to trust him -- and surrender to a desire she cannot deny. As the pair gets closer to the truth, the closer they grow to each other -- and to a passion burning between them. But before they can see a future together, they must settle the past...before a murderer does.

"Few thrills equal writing a romance," says Jo-Ann Power, "and adding the spice of a mystery to hurry the pace of falling in love!
"The next best thrill is settling down in the living room of my hilltop home and opening a romance novel -- or watching (for the umpteenth time!) my favorite movies: Jane Eyre, Rebecca, or Notorious. My husband Steve shares that passion for books and movies -- and his tastes are (helpfully) more modern than mine.
"With our three children grown, Steve and I now travel. We're trekking around our new home state of Texas, the great southwest, and soon we go to Ireland where I will do research for a new historical.
"It's no mystery why I like to write! In no other business can you meet so many wonderful people at home and abroad, explore their country, research their past, and afterward, tell a whopper of a story!"