The Lost (36 page)

I want to thank all of you who have been writing to tell me how much you’ve been loving the Carrera family, as well as enjoying the towns along the Jersey Shore where the series is set.

With THE LOST, I’m introducing a much darker paranormal series I’m calling
Sin Hunters
. The stories are still set along the Jersey Shore and you’ll have the beloved Carreras, but now you’ll also get to meet an exciting new race of people: The Light and Shadow Hunters.

Why the change? There was something about Bobbie Carrera, the heroine in THE LOST, that needed something different and something very special. Some
one
very special. Bobbie is an Iraq war veteran and she’s home from battle, but wounded both physically and emotionally. She’s busy trying to put her world back together and the last thing she needs is more conflict in her life.

But I’m a bad girl, you know. I love to challenge my characters into facing their most extreme hurts because doing so only makes their happiness that much sweeter. I think readers love that as well because there is nothing more uplifting than seeing how love can truly conquer all.

Bobbie’s challenge comes in the form of sexy millionaire Adam Bruno. Adam is different from any man she has ever met and Bobbie feels an immediate connection to him. There’s just one problem: Adam has no idea who he really is and why he possesses the ability to gather energy. That
ability allows him to do a myriad of things; from shapeshifting to traveling at super speed, to wielding energy and light like weapons. But these powers are challenging for Adam: as his abilities grow stronger, they also become deadly and increasingly difficult to control.

Enter Bobbie Carrera. Bobbie brings peace to Adam’s soul. Adam feels lost in the human world, but in Bobbie’s arms he finds love, acceptance, and the possibility for a future he had never imagined.

But before he can reach that future, he must deal with the present, and that means battling the evil Shadow Hunters and facing the shocking truth about his real identity.

I hope you will enjoy the
Sin Hunters
series. Look for THE CLAIMED in May 2012, which will feature someone you meet in THE LOST. Not going to spill who it is just yet, but keep in mind I just love stories of redemption….

Thank you all for your continued support. Also, many thanks to our military men and women, and their families for safeguarding our liberty and our country. THE LOST is dedicated to you for all the sacrifices you make on our behalf. God bless you and keep you safe.

When Serena Donovan, the heroine of CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPROPER BRIDE (on sale now), entered my office to ask me to write her story, I realized right away that
I was in trouble. Obviously, there was something pretty heavy resting on this woman’s shoulders.

After I’d offered her a chair and a stiff drink (which she eyed warily—as if she’s never seen a martini before!), I asked her why she had come.

“I have a problem,” she said.

I tried not to chuckle. It was obvious from the permanent look of panic in her eyes that she had a very big problem indeed. “Okay,” I said, “what’s the problem?”

“Well—” She swallowed hard. “I’m going to get married.”

I raised a brow. “Usually that’s reason for celebration.”

“Not for me.” Her voice was dour.

I took a deep breath. “Look, Miss Donovan. I’m a romance writer. I write about love, blissful marriages, and happy endings. Maybe you’ve come to the wrong place.” I rose from my chair and gestured toward the door. “Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to take the martini.”

Her eyes flared wide with alarm. “No! Please… let me explain.”

I hesitated, staring down at her. She seemed so… desperate. I guess I have a bleeding heart after all. Sighing, I resumed my seat. “Go ahead.”

“I do respect and admire my future husband. Greatly. He’s a wonderful man.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But, you see, he—” She winced, swallowed, and took a deep breath. “Well, he thinks I’m someone else.”

I frowned. “You mean, you told him you were someone you’re not?”

“Well, it’s not that simple. You see, he fell in love with my sister.”

“O… kay.”

Her eyes went glassy. “But, you see, my sister died. Only he doesn’t know that. He thinks I’m my sister!”

“He can’t tell that you’re not her?”

“I don’t know…” Her voice was brimming with despair.
“You see, we’re identical twins, so on the outside we’re alike, but we are such different people…”

Oh, man. This chick was in big trouble. “And you want to fashion a happy ending out of this, how?” I asked.

“But I haven’t told you the whole problem,” she said.

I thought she’d given me a pretty darned enormous problem already. Still, I waved my hand for her to elaborate.

“Jonathan,” she said simply.

“Jonathan?”

“The Earl of Stratford. He’s a friend of my fiancé and the best man,” she explained. She looked away. “And also, he’s the only man I’ve ever—”

“That’s okay,” I said quickly, raising my hand, “I get it.”

She released a relieved breath as I studied her. I really, really wanted to help her. She needed help, that was for sure. But how to forge a happy ending out of such a mess?

“Look,” I said, flipping up my laptop and opening a new document, “you need to tell me everything, okay? From the beginning.”

And that was how it began. By the time Miss Donovan finished telling me her story, I was so hooked, I had to go into my writing cave and write the entire, wild tale. The hardest part was getting to that happy ending, but it was so happy and so romantic that it was worth every drop of blood and sweat that it took to get there.

I truly hope you enjoy reading Serena Donovan’s story! Please come visit me at my website,
www.jenniferhaymore.com
, where you can share your thoughts about my books, sign up for some fun freebies, and read more about the characters from CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPROPER BRIDE.

Does a landscape of savage grandeur make your heart beat faster? Do jagged peaks, cold-glittering boulders, and cauldrons of boiling mist speak to your soul? Are you exhilarated by the rush of chill wind, the power of ancient places made of stone and legend?

I love such places.

TEMPTATION OF A HIGHLAND SCOUNDREL, second book in my Highland Warriors trilogy, has a truly grand setting. Nought is my favorite corner of the Glen of Many Legends, home to the series’ three warring clans. These proud Highlanders prove “where you live is who you are.”

Kendrew Mackintosh and Isobel Cameron love wild places as much as I do. Kendrew boasts that he’s hewn of Nought’s soaring granite peaks and that he was weaned on cold wind and blowing mist. He’s proud of his Norse heritage. Isobel shares his appreciation for Viking culture, rough terrain, and long, dark nights. She stirs his passion, igniting desires that brand them both.

But Isobel is a lady.

And Kendrew has sworn not to touch a woman of gentle birth. Isobel is also the sister of a bitter foe.

They’re a perfect match despite the barriers separating them: centuries of clan feuds, hostility, and rivalries. Bad blood isn’t easily forgotten in the Highlands and grudges last forever. Kendrew refuses to acknowledge his attraction to Isobel. She won’t ignore the passion between them. As only a woman in love can, she employs all her seductive wiles to win his heart.

The temptation of Kendrew Mackintosh begins deep in his rugged Nought territory. In the shadows of mysterious cairns known as dreagan stones and on the night of his clan’s raucous Midsummer Eve revels, Isobel pitches a battle Kendrew can only lose. Yet surrender will bring greater rewards than he’s ever claimed.

Kendrew does open his heart to Isobel, but they soon find themselves caught in a dangerous maelstrom that threatens their love and could cost their lives. The entire glen is at peril and a brutal foe will stop at nothing to crush the brave men of the Glen of Many Legends.

Turning Kendrew loose on his enemy—a worthy villain—gave me many enjoyable writing hours. He’s a fierce fighter and a sight to behold when riled. But beneath his ferocity is a great-hearted man who lives by honor.

Writing Isobel was an equal joy. Like me, she feels most alive in wild, windswept places. I know Nought approved of her.

Places do have feelings.

Highlanders know that. In wild places, the pulse beat of the land is strong. I can’t imagine a better setting for Kendrew and Isobel.

I hope you’ll enjoy watching Isobel prove to Kendrew that the hardest warrior can’t win against a woman wielding the most powerful weapon of all: a heart that loves.