Ondine (45 page)

Dear Reader,

Thank you for selecting
Ondine.
For those of you who have been kind enough to follow along with the “No Other” series and are waiting for Sabrina’s and Sloan’s story, this is not their book. Their story is called
No Other Love,
and will be published by Avon Books in May, available mid-April.

Ondine
is, however, one of my favorite books written under the Shannon Drake—or any other—name. It was originally published in 1987, and I’m delighted to see it back on the market. The story originated from a trip to England in which I first went to a place called
The London Dungeon. The London Dungeon
specializes in the macabre, but also depicts some of the medieval history of England through its scenes of crime and punishment, and often enough as well, man’s inhumanity to man. Among the displays was a scene depicting a hanging, along with it a caption stating that a man or woman could, at times, be saved from the gallows by an offer of marriage. There was the basis for
Ondine,
a story in which the hero and the heroine have separate demons and battles to fight, and find, only through fate, that love does conquer all—and two heads are definitely better than one when trying to solve a mystery. I’m extremely fond of both my heroine, Ondine, and my hero, Warwick, strong-willed people who are determined they will not be bested by life. Charles II, one of all time favorite historical personages, also makes an important appearance.

This reprint is special to me as well because my husband, Dennis, and I posed for the cover art. (And trust me, there is nothing so special in life as being touched up by an incredibly talented artist such as Franco!)

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy
Ondine,
and the tapestry of life in which her story takes place and her characters live, and that they will become as real for you as they did for me.

Thank you so much!

YOU WON’T WANT TO READ JUST ONE—KATHERINE STONE

ROOMMATES

(0-8217-5206-5, S6.99/S7.99)

No one could have prepared Carrie for the monumental changes she would face when she met her new circle of friends at Stanford University. Once their lives intertwined and became woven into the tapestry of the times, they would never be the same.

TWINS

(0-8217-5207-3, $6.99/$7.99)

Brook and Melanie Chandler were so different, it was hard to believe they were sisters. One was a dark, serious, ambitious New York attorney; the other, a golden, glamourous, sophisticated supermodel. But they were more than sisters—they were twins and more alike than even they knew …

THE CARLTON CLUB

(0-8217-5204-9, $6.99/$7.99)

It was the place to see and be seen, the only place to be. And for those who frequented the playground of the very rich, it was a way of life. Mark, Kathleen, Leslie and Janet—they worked together, played together, and loved together, all behind exclusive gates of the
Carlton Club.

Available wherever paperbacks are sold, or order direct from the Publisher. Send cover price plus 50t per copv for mailing and handling to Penguin USA. P.O. Box 999, c/o Dept. 17109, Bergenfield, NJ 07621. Residents of New York and Tennessee must include sales tax. DO NOT SEND CASH.