I'm happy to say, JACK is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! With Jack the Ripper as a grim reaper who's gone rogue, I hope JACK offers a unique take on the murders.
I know it probably seems odd to combine a romance with the Jack the Ripper mystery and murders, but the story primarily focuses on the romance between the two reapers searching for Jack, while the murders serve as more of a backdrop-- and yet, not all is as it seems. Though this is a story about one of the most famous serial killers, I promise it's not a gore-fest.
There were some great sites out there that chronicled the Jack the Ripper murders, but most indispensable was Casebook: Jack the Ripper. There was also great info at Jack-the-Ripper.org and the Metropolitan Police site.
Here's a bit of a sample. I do hope you'll enjoy it!!
JACK
London, August 7, 1888
It
was a pity to ruin such perfection with death, but death waited for no one and made
few distinctions. Lilly strolled through
the park that beautiful sunny morning, looking for the reason she’d been drawn
to the area. It didn’t take long for her
to find him, the telltale sign of golden light surrounding the handsome young
man. A perfect day and a perfect life
would both soon come to an end.
She
walked in his direction, the cobbles splattered with the shifting light and
shadows that played through the tree branches.
Then, just within reach, she pretended to stumble. The young gentleman, acting on reflex and instinct,
caught her just as she’d anticipated.
“Pardon
me, sir.” Still in his arms, Lilly gave
him a shy smile. A tingling warmth
radiated from her hand as she marked the poor man, the golden light around him
now fading to grey.
She
thanked him for his assistance and then continued down the road with a pang of
regret. With her job now complete, he
would not live longer than a week. It
was always more difficult when they were young and healthy, but she did not
choose who lived or died. She only
carried out Fate’s decisions.
With
her reaps complete, and no longer in the mood to be out in the city, she took
her carriage home with nothing but her thoughts as company for the ride. She had not chosen this life, but it was
better than the alternative of a cold dark grave—though not by much. Even after ten years of bringing death to
unsuspecting souls, she had yet to do more than ignore the guilt that tore her
up inside, and mourn all she’d left behind, her life taken away before she’d
had the chance to fully live it.
Daniel,
her footman, let her in and informed her that she had company. “He insisted on waiting for you, m’
lady.” He handed her the man’s calling
card. “I dared not turn him away. He’s in the sitting room.”
She
needed no more than a quick glance at the card to see why. “Some tea, if you would be so kind.”
She
steeled herself with a deep breath, managed a smile, and entered the sitting
room. “Lord Archer. What a pleasant surprise. It’s been too long.” She couldn’t quite keep the sarcasm from her
voice or her heart from racing at the sight of him. It nearly escaped her memory how tall and
handsome the bastard was. Not that he’d
forgotten.
“Lilly,
love, certainly we know each other well enough that you can call me by my given
name.” The corners of Mason’s full and
pouty mouth turned up in a hint of a smile, as a dark lock fell casually past
hazel eyes. “I had not thought it
possible for you to look even more beautiful than the last time we met, and yet
I am mistaken.”
Lilly
was not wont to believe a single word, given that she no longer aged. She looked no older than twenty three—the age
at which she died—though her facial features had been altered just enough to
give her a new identity. It was a small
protection lest she run into someone she knew from her life amongst the living.
When
Mason closed the distance between them, she crossed her arms in front of her,
hoping it would offer some protection from his charms. It seemed Mason was the one man she could
seldom resist for long. No matter how
hard she fought it, there was something about him that weakened her defenses.
“What
do you want, Mason? I have no patience
for your games.”
“That’s
a pity, my dear, for you know how fun they can be.” He ran a gentle finger down the line of her
cheek.
She
managed a glare while cursing her body’s reaction to his touch, a tingling heat
that refused to be ignored. “I’m in no
mood, and quite frankly, I’d rather be alone.”
“Did
you have a difficult day?” His eyes
softened while he took her in, his touch warm as he gently cupped her cheek.
“Damn
it, Mason.” She swatted his hand away, frustration getting the better of
her. “I hate it when they’re young. They think they have their whole life ahead
of them, and then I come along and cut that life short.”
“You
have too kind a heart, my dear. We do
not make the decisions, even if it’s our duty to carry them out.”
He
leaned in and stole a lingering kiss—and she let him, needing to feel a part of
her fleeting humanity.
His
mood then turned towards the serious. “Unfortunately,
I’m here on a difficult matter, though I’d like nothing more than for us to
pick up where we left off.”
Lilly
rubbed her arms to ward off a sudden chill, despite the warm summer air. Mason was not one of the Elders, but had been
around long enough to hold a position of power.
She could not imagine any of his business as chancellor would concern
her, even if she was one of his reapers.
“What is it?”
“It’s
Torrington.” He searched her face as he
spoke and it made her wonder why. “Seems
like he’s gotten himself in a bit of trouble and has gone missing. I’m afraid the Elders aren’t happy in the
least, and need him found.”
Dark,
brooding, Jack Torrington. Her heart
skipped a beat to hear his name. She had
hoped to find a bit of normalcy with him, yet in the end, both her past and his
had been too much to overcome.
“Well,
I’ve not seen him in months, and you know well enough that anything I had with
Jack ended years ago.” She held Mason’s
gaze so he’d know she spoke the truth.
The last time she’d drawn the attention of the Elders, she’d barely
survived it.
He
stepped to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist, bending his head
towards hers. “It may have ended, but no
one’s ever been closer to him, and you were also the only one he had… relations with on this side of the veil. I need your help, and you know him better
than any of us, love.”
What
did her relations with Jack have to do with the matter? Feeling uneasy, she stepped out of Mason’s
arms and put some distance between them.
“Why are you looking for him? What sort of trouble has he gotten into?”
“I’ll
explain while we take my carriage. I’d
not ask if it weren’t necessary, but there’s no way around it, I’m afraid.”
“You
want to go now?” Her mind raced through
the possibilities and came up empty. Though
Jack’s dislike for being a reaper was no secret, he was not one to get himself
into any sort of trouble. Indeed the
only time Jack had ever strayed from the rules the Elders set forth was in
order to help her. “Tell me what’s
happened, Mason.”
“Words
cannot even describe.”
***
