Published: July 07, 2012
Words: 88,850 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781476122045

Short description

Suddenly widowed and penniless Madeleine Heron is forced to move into her sister's vacation cabin on rural Green Lake, next door to taciturn Native American conservation officer Eris Renard. Instead of the peace and solitude she hopes to find at the lake Madeleine finds herself witness to depravity, blackmail, and murder among the strange residents. And in spite of the danger, she falls in love.

Extended description

“Isn't it beautiful out here?” Jacqueline was draped elegantly across the front seat of her husband's Jeep Cherokee. “Just look at those gorgeous, rolling hills.”
Madeleine stared at her from the seat in back. She saw nothing but rocks, urinating cows, and more rocks.
“I think I've been in the city too long.”
“The cabin and the lake will charm you, Madeleine, as it has charmed the two of us,” said Manuel in his thick accent.
She looked back to the highway in time to see a dead, bloated black and white cow being lifted out of the road by a tow truck. Beyond the truck were two large black tires stuck on fence posts, the words Keep Out written on the sides in big white letters. (Read more) “Isn't it beautiful out here?” Jacqueline was draped elegantly across the front seat of her husband's Jeep Cherokee. “Just look at those gorgeous, rolling hills.”
Madeleine stared at her from the seat in back. She saw nothing but rocks, urinating cows, and more rocks.
“I think I've been in the city too long.”
“The cabin and the lake will charm you, Madeleine, as it has charmed the two of us,” said Manuel in his thick accent.
She looked back to the highway in time to see a dead, bloated black and white cow being lifted out of the road by a tow truck. Beyond the truck were two large black tires stuck on fence posts, the words Keep Out written on the sides in big white letters.
Madeleine closed her eyes and decided to sleep the rest of the way. Five years ago she would have looked at the land and its inhabitants with different eyes. She would have been curious, interested in the geological aspects, and full of wondering about the humans who might have wandered the area centuries ago. Now she felt nothing but a mild case of carsickness from riding in the back seat.
“Almost there now,” said Manuel, cheerful but tired.
He had been called in for emergency surgery at the last minute, delaying their start by several hours. It would be dark soon, so Madeleine wouldn't be able to see much that day. Jacqueline assured her they would explore the lake together the next morning. The two of them had gone shopping for food that afternoon and brought along a month's worth of supplies with them. Fresh items could be bought in the tiny town of Green Lake, just four miles away from the reservoir or in Fayville a larger town a dozen miles away. Anything else she required she could tell Jacqueline, who would bring it with her from the city.
“You should feel safe at the cabin,” Manuel informed her. “Your nearest neighbor is a conservation officer.”
“A what?”
”A game protector,” said Jacqueline. “They were known as game wardens before, but they're called conservation officers now. We met him last year. His name is Eris Renard.”
“French?” asked Madeleine.
“No,” said Jacqueline. “He's an Indian.”
“Oh,” said Madeleine, suddenly uncomfortable.
“Did he ever say what kind?” Jacqueline asked Manuel.
“What kind?” Manuel echoed, and his wife waved a hand.
“Madeleine should be able to tell us. That kind of thing is her specialty.”
Madeleine glanced at her. “I doubt I'll be able to tell what nation he's from just by looking at him.”
“Not looking. Hearing. I thought dialects were your thing.”
“Linguistics, Jac. Languages.”
“Sorry, I keep forgetting.”
“Me too,” Madeleine said under her breath.
“There's another conservation officer that comes around in the summer,” Jacqueline went on. “He stays mostly on the water, checking out the boats and such, but this one is a real looker. He won't say much to you, but then neither does Renard. They're polite and all, but they keep pretty much to themselves.”
“This Renard lives in a cabin?” asked Madeleine, and Manuel nodded.
“There are several year-round residents. He's one of them. You will meet him soon, since his is the nearest cabin. Most of the other cabins are down the hill, in Briar's Cove. Ours is near the cemetery—”
“A cemetery?”
”A really old one,” said Jacqueline. “Most of the stones are so weathered you can't even read them. It's a shame, really. You won't be able to see it tonight, but I'll show it to you in the morning.”
(Less)

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

romantic suspense, thriller and suspense, native americans, psychological horror, pedophilia, weird community, lake living

Available ebook reading formats

This book is free. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	View
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Download
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Download
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Download
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Download
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Download
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Download
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Download
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	View

Reviews

Log-in to write a Review   Log-in to add a Video Review

Review by: Lionrhod on Feb. 07, 2013 :
Really enjoyed this. Excellent storyline and well written romance/mystery. And when you start growling whenever the minor villains come on stage (Eris' mother especially) you know the author's done a good job of rendering them.

I didn't think the hero was ugly, just pockmarked. I can think of several people I know or know of who don't have the best skin but are still handsome and even sexy.

My only complaint was near the end, that the heroine didn't immediately rush back and get her kitten. Hopefully she did so after the novel was over. LOL but I'm funny that way.

The ending was deliciously creepy and made me laugh at the same time.
(review of free book)

Review by: holy angel on Feb. 02, 2013 :
this s one of the best in smashwords, i had evr read.. awesum..
(review of free book)

Review by: Pattie Barrister on Dec. 07, 2012 :
I had to add this because I couldn't see the star rating below the type box. A solid 5 stars.
(review of free book)

Review by: Pattie Barrister on Dec. 07, 2012 : (no rating)
Wow, what a good read. A real page turner. And the hero is ugly, that's a new one.
(review of free book)

Review by: hrhsophia on Nov. 11, 2012 :
Man this author threw everything in here but the kitchen sink! More murders, sex and intrigue than an episode of Dallas! Great read.
(review of free book)

Reason for report:
— Select a reason — Book is or contains spam Book infringes copyright Same content is published elsewhere with different author (for ex., by private-label rights) Duplicate Incomplete work (such as sample or serial) Should be marked adults-only Category is inappropriate Poorly formatted Nudity or other inappropriate content on cover Nudity or other inappropriate visual content in book Inappropriate erotica content Cover image is improper Content is inappropriate Other violation of Terms of Service Other reason not shown above.

Additional details: