Hot Pursuit, a Menopause Murder by Eleanor Sullo

 Encore L'Amour Mystery, 314 pages, ebook & print
Cover art by Pat Evans
Purchase link for Hot Pursuit

When Dorie's grandmother leaves a cache of antiques to her and her cousin in Provence, she's bravely off in the blink of an eye to gather her inheritance and save her dying antique shop at home. She's feeling unattractive, tired and grumpy when a gorgeous Foreign légionnaire pursues her affections. Intrigued, Dorie accompanies him to an ancient family homestead he hopes to buy, where they discover the real estate woman in a pool of blood.

With the soldier taken in for questioning by the gendarmes, Dorie is distraught, but determined to help. Secret drawers in Grand-mère's old armoire, a break-in to her cousin's shop, and the cousin himself hauled in as a suspect keep her relentlessly on the case, and flustered by her new infatuation with the younger soldier. Can the Women on Fire help this time? Or must Dorie grow in self-confidence and solve the crime alone, even as she prepares to give her heart away to a man she's still not sure she can trust?

Excerpt
"Alors. Follow me," Claude told us. He took Meg's hand to guide her through the maze, and Gerard and I followed, trying not to trip over old golf clubs, copper pots and heavy pottery pieces.

When we arrived at the armoire, it seemed massive, like a small ship looming over us. Meg felt all the surfaces with her hands, then began opening and closing the doors and drawers in the huge bureau. Gerard excused himself, saying something in the corner intrigued him. Too scared to wander around in this particularly dark area, I stayed with Claude and Meg. I even lost sight of Gerard, but we all heard a slight bang before he returned to us.

"Sorry, I hit my foot against something very large but indescribable. I hope I didn't beak anything."

Claude chuckled. "Do not worry about it, friend. I'm sure it wasn't a pot of gold, anyhow."

"And after all that, I didn't find the breaker panel either, my friends," Gerard told us.

We all chuckled and I think only I noticed Meg reaching into every small opening she found in the armoire. I heard her intake of breath as something white flashed by in her hand. "Ah, yes. Claude, will you light a match for me to see what this card I took from the armoire might be?

We all gathered close as Claude struck a match and it flamed to brightness in the dim room. Meg held up her find to the flame and I could read it perfectly well.

"L'Immobilier," I said. "It advertises a real estate company."

The corners of the card were bent. Meg smoothed them as she turned the card over and I felt us all draw in our breath as one.

I think we all anticipated what we'd see on the front of the card. "L'Agencie Capron-Maisons et Etats," houses and estates, with an address and phone number in Beaumarie. And at the bottom of the card, "Mme. Lisette Capron," the woman who'd never need another business card in this life.

The Promise Tree by Linda Rettstatt

Encore L'Amour, 306 pages, ebook & print
Cover art by Pat Evans
Purchase link for The Promise Tree

Trudi McNeil Sheppard and Wynn Colton have a history that reaches back into their childhood. They were playmates, then dating teens who became lovers until they went their separate ways for college. Thirty years later Trudi and Wynn meet again and the attraction between them quickly rekindles. They both learn that wishes and promises sometimes come true and that love endures and matures.

Excerpt:
Wynn steadied himself and wrapped his arms around Trudi. She was so small and fragile. "Hey, it's okay. Tell me what happened."

She clung to him. "I can't take this. I don't know what to do."

"Come here." He guided her to the porch swing and sat beside her, careful to keep an arm around her. "Talk to me."

She leaned her head on his chest and sniffled. "She was clear for a while. We had a nice hour or two. But it's come down to that-a good hour. And the rest…"

He didn't say anything, just continued to rub his hand in soothing circles on her back. He honestly didn't know what to say, and he wasn't certain she needed him to speak.

Trudi continued. "She knows what's happening to her. And she told me to put her into a home."
"She said that?"

Trudi nodded. "I can't do it."

"What will you do?"

Broken Promises by Nancy Minnis Damato

Encore L'Amour

351 pages

Cover art by Pat Evans

Nancy Minnis Damato's fourth book with Wings ePress

Excerpt:

Charlie shuffled a path through the muddled groupings of chairs and tables, his convivial greetings engaging Dylana in the exchanges. She further impeded their progress with her attention repeatedly drifting back to Meredith’s companion. In spite of Dylana’s uneasiness, the stranger prompted admiration. He was athletically built, hinting at constrained energy—a hunk, in her daughter’s vernacular.

Busy greeting well-wishers while cutting among the spectators, and attempting to grab a better look at Meredith’s friend divided Dylana’s attention. When Charlie halted, she flinched. She came near colliding with one of the women who, according to tabloid reports, had shared her ex-husband’s companionship during the past two years, and probably before.

The girl’s presence startled Dylana. She had dismissed the fact Brede would be attending. Actually, she’d plunged the thought somewhere between liver and bowel where anything of that sort belonged. Of course, Meredith would invite her father—no matter the bruising of the divorce.

The narcissistic oaf stood alongside the girl, facing the opposite direction. A buttered knife couldn’t slide between them. Only seconds and he would turn around.

Pull yourself together. Dylana squared her shoulders