Dear Reader,
Many, many months ago, I joined up with several authors for a new series. We met in Seattle, Washington, for an intense planning meeting and research trip. We had a great time touring the town and eating delicate chocolates as we planned out a neighborhood of billionaires. Yep, a whole neighborhood. But this neighborhood is unlike any out there. It’s a playground for the ultra-wealthy. They build homes that fit their personalities and live on 20+ acres of land. They have 24/7 security. And, a private landing strip for their planes.
This is us in front of the “Gum Wall.” We were trying so hard no tot touch it!
From left to right: Amberlee Day, Holly Stevenson, Christene Houston, Chelsea Hale, Lucy McConnell, Maria Hoagland, and Erica Penrod.
Well, fast forward several months and it’s release week for my new book. I have been waiting and waiting for this book to release and the anticipation was killing me Thankfully, I can finally celebrate with you.
Cover Reveal
A few weeks ago, I asked for your help to pick the cover model for my new book. The results of the pole are in and I have the cover for you! Check it out!! If you’re ready to start reading, click here.
Bringing it together
Writing this book was a beautiful experience. I’ve had the idea for a lawyer Beast who lives in a castle on the coast since I saw the live action Beauty and the Beast movie. However, as life often happens, being able to write this book didn’t happen on my time. Now that it’s ready, though, I see how it all came together and I’m so happy I waited. This is how it starts out.
Just outside the city of Seattle, a castle sits on a cliff overlooking Puget Sound. The Chateau has perched there since a French prince was removed to the wilds of America for loving the wrong woman. However, the prince was not one to hide in the shame forced upon him. He built himself a grand castle on a large estate, where he raised a happy family and amassed a considerable fortune.
Years went by, and the castle and the land passed from one generation to another until it reached the prince’s great-great-grandson, Adam Moreau, a corporate lawyer who was known for tearing apart his competition in the courtroom. His grandfather had taken the considerable fortune and turned it into ridiculous wealth, which meant young Adam wanted for nothing—nothing but the opportunity to prove himself a Moreau in every sense of the name. Unfortunately, as the coffers grew with each generation, the love that had brought the family to the rocky cliffside dwelling dwindled, and Adam was left with the incorrect assumption that love is a weakness. After all, a lawyer couldn’t afford sentimentality. His cunning ways and fierce legal attacks earned him many nicknames, but only one lasted the test of time: the Beast.
Our story begins on a cold and drizzly winter Washington day when even the brilliant colors of changing leaves have been pushed aside by a muted overcast sky and gloominess. Adam, in a move prompted purely by the increase in his financial standing, has subdivided a portion of the family estate and turned it into an exclusive development for billionaires called The Cove. As all but three of the lots have sold and the eclectic group of homes nears completion, he’d like to open Phase II. However, local politicians are hesitant to allow the rezoning of some of the city’s longtime wooded areas.
At the suggestion of his Public Relations Advisor, Adam invites Seattle’s most influential people, including the mayor, the city council, and the members of the zoning commissioning, into his castle for lunch. He’s counting on wooing them with fine foods and perhaps intimidating them with the heavily guarded gate into The Cove, the solid stone castle walls, and his own reputation as the nation’s most formidable attorney. If all goes well, the provincials will leave their doubts and Phase II may begin posthaste. For who could ever resist the Beast?
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Meet Bella Creer
Bella Creer approached the hospital bed, not wanting to wake up her father but needing to see his chest rise and fall with her own eyes. Her Superman looked old. Gray whiskers graced his lined cheeks, and his pale skin was sallow in the dim light. He stirred and took a deep breath before opening his eyes. “Bella,” he rasped.
She reached for the cup on the side table and offered him a drink. The water went down with a large gulp and he sighed with relief, licking his dry lips. She’d stop by the gift shop and find some ChapStick for him before coming back up. “Hey, Dad.”
He reached for her hand. “I’m in trouble, baby girl.”
“No, Dad,” she hurried to reassure him. “The doctor says your heart is going to be fine.”
“No.” He chuckled weakly. “I’m in trouble at work.”
She leaned closer. “Dad, work is hardly your main concern right now. Let’s just worry about getting you better.”
“Listen to me. I’m under contract to finish The Cove on time, or I’ll lose everything.” Dad sank deeper into his pillows.
“What do you mean, everything?”
“I’ve poured everything into this contract and agreed to wait for payment until the project is complete. And if I don’t finish on time, I don’t get paid.”
Bella gasped. “That’s how you beat the other firms.”
He nodded slightly, the movement crinkling the pillow. “You have to finish it for me.” His grip on her hand tightened. “You’re the only one I trust.”
“Dad—I can’t just—” She cut off. Ten hours ago, she had several reasons she couldn’t drop everything and run up to The Cove. Ten hours ago, she had a fiancé and a third-tier job as an assistant legal clerk. Dad had worked on this project for a couple of years; it was in the background of her life but near the center of his. She should have paid more attention—especially when he went to work for the Beast. The man ran in a completely different circle, a circle that was so far out of her reach it might as well have been on Pluto.
Could she just up and quit? She hadn’t even bothered to call the office and tell them why she hadn’t come back from lunch. In truth, the work was boring and the people were cold. Leaving would be a relief.
Her heart fluttered at the idea of taking over the multibillion-dollar project. If she put her nose to the grindstone and didn’t look up for twenty years, she may still never have the chance to take on a project like this one. And to be able to say she worked for Adam Moreau? That was huge for a résumé. Any law firm in the country would look twice—his reputation was stellar. She’d have to Google him to learn more—all she really knew of him was that she should run the other way if ever his name was opposite hers on a case.
Her eyes fell on her father, who could hardly keep his eyes open. All the reasons she should do this for herself paled in comparison to doing it for her father. He’d given up the fast lane when her mother died so she’d have a parent home at night to help with her science projects and pack a lunch in the morning. He’d made a good life for them, one full of love and mental challenge. He was her champion, and this was an opportunity to be a champion for him.
“I’ll do it.” She pressed a kiss to his forehead. “You get some rest and know that I’ll take care of everything.”
Live Like a Billionaire
If you want to disappear into a world where a cook makes your meals, a maid washes your clothes, and there’s a beauty parlor in the basement of your castle, then you can start reading by clicking here.
Happy reading,
Lucy
A horrible blind date was the inspiration for this book. And by horrible, I mean the kind of blind date that makes you want to hide if you see the person walking down the street. But, what if you had to see them again? What if circumstances beyond your control brought you together again and again. And what if, in those chance encounters, you started to see the real person on the other side of that mortifying experience–and he wasn’t so bad.
Lucy McConnell 