Title: The Mason’s Mark: Love and Death in the Tower
Author: M. S. Spencer
Genre: Mystery, Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb:
In both the best and worst first day at work ever, docent Claire Wilding meets the man of her dreams, but her carefully rehearsed guided tour of the George Washington National Masonic Memorial collapses when she discovers a body and is drawn into a dark world of black ops and Italian renegade masons, of secret cabals and hidden treasure. Also cloaked in mystery is handsome Gideon Bliss, a George Washington expert who haunts the Memorial, his manner evasive. What is his secret? Claire fears she'll fall in love with him only to learn he's a thief or even a murderer. Juggling two eccentric mothers, an inquisitive sister, and an increasingly smitten detective, Claire must find answers to a complex web of intrigue, including who to trust and who to love.
Excerpt (PG): The Breakup
She heard not a peep from Gideon for the next three days, a welcome respite because it gave her time to think. The meddling of the mothers aside, the issue lay between Dorcas and Gideon. It didn’t matter that Dorcas had left Gideon—Claire still felt like the other woman, and it didn’t sit well with her Southern upbringing. Another skirmish with Wonder Woman would be the death of her. By the time Gideon called, she’d made up her mind. “Hi, sorry I haven’t been in touch. I—”
“I understand. You’re dealing with…family matters.”
“No,” he said slowly. “Actually, the Senate will be back from recess this week. They had a pro forma session Friday and being the lowest life form on the seniority pole, I had to preside.” He paused. “I sent the papers to Dorcas. She hasn’t responded.”
Claire didn’t want to get sucked into the soap opera. Bite the bullet. Take the bull by the horns. The horns of a dilemma? No, that’s not right. Take my medicine—take his medicine. Oh dear, I wish I were better at these idioms. “Gideon, I…I think you should clear this matter up before we see each other again.”
The phone went dead. Hmm, he took that surprisingly well. She resisted the urge to cry and went into the kitchen. When she came out carrying a glass filled with ice and a bottle of vodka, she found Gideon sitting on the packing crate. His eyebrows bristled. Claire didn’t think she’d ever seen eyebrows actually bristle. It made him look like an angry centipede.
“Claire, you can’t dump me over the phone. I forbid it.”
She poured a large tot into her glass. “I see.”
He stood and paced, not an easy thing to do in a room the size of a refrigerator box. Watching him, it occurred to Claire that she should decorate her house in the Shaker style—have all the furniture hang on pegs, up and out of the way of large trampling feet. She forced herself to focus on the words spilling out of the side of his mouth. “I never hid my predicament from you. It’s unfair to let me fall head over heels for you and then suddenly go all ethical on me.” He stopped and peered down at her. His face drooped. “Claire, I need you to help me through this.”
Her heart tried to claw its way out of her body and rush to him. She deliberately folded her arms across her chest. To muster her resolve, she pictured herself burning at the stake, the crowd chanting, “The other woman must die.” When she finally spoke, her tone was hard. “You’re a grown man, Gideon Bliss. You have to clean up your own messes. I begin to wonder if your mother may have spoiled you just a teensy bit.”
His cheekbones went rigid and his eyes narrowed, firing bullets of angry red light at her. “That was unnecessary, Claire. And unjust. But you’re right—this is my mess.” And with that he twirled, bumped his shin hard on the hall stool, and charged out the front door, leaving it open. That went even better than the phone call. This time she did not resist the urge, and burst into tears.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What I love most about the holiday season:
If you mean Christmas, I love the colors and the bells. I love being with family and giving presents. Snow is a plus. We used to have huge parties and loved seeing all our friends from different walks of life. One year we made the mistake of offering champagne—and went through 10 cases!
Why is your featured book a must-read to get you in the holiday mood?
It’s a cozy mystery—what else would you read on a snowy night? Oh, wait…romance!
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Open internationally.
Runs July 1 – July 31.
Drawing will be held on August 1.
Author Biography:
Librarian, anthropologist, Congressional aide, speechwriter—M. S. Spencer has traveled the globe. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a diploma in Arabic Studies from the American University in Cairo, and Masters in Anthropology and in Library Science from the University of Chicago. All of this tends to insinuate itself into her works.
Ms. Spencer has published thirteen romantic suspense or murder mystery novels, with two more on the way. She has two fabulous grown children and an incredible granddaughter. She divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.
Social Media Links:
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