She watched him walk away. Her blood boiled when she thought of how intriguingly handsome he was but his temerity made him unpredictable. Despite his recklessness there was still something that drew her to him. Why couldn’t she stop thinking of him, imagining his arms around her, his lips on hers? She hoped he would keep walking; it’d make her life so much simpler and steady. For now anyways.
Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “In the.” Start your post with the words “In the” – that’s the prompt! Enjoy! Find it all here
In the morning at first light I recall the day and last night my fears of hurt and source of love the life I live the Lord above I see how lucky My life can be if I keep my thoughts hopeful and free.
Welcome to the tour for the gorgeous final installment in The Order of the Crystal Daggers series by C.S. Johnson, called Heart of Hope and Fear. Read on for more details and a chance to win hardcover editions of the entire trilogy!!!
Heart of Hope and Fear (The Order of the Crystal Daggers #3)
In a moment of desperation and desire, one girl takes a leap of faith to secure the future of her nation — and save her family.
Prague, 1871
Despite the many demands that come with being a member of the Order of the Crystal Daggers, Eleanora Svobodová has plenty of reasons to celebrate. With Lumiere’s capture and Lady Penelope’s reluctant acceptance of Ferdy, not even Ben’s painful ire can completely diminish her joy.
But just as the future begins to look bright, the past catches up to Eleanora and the other members of the Order.
For as they investigate Karl’s disappearance, Eleanora learns the shocking secret about her mother’s final mission—and Lady Penelope’s treachery—just as the Emperor heads to Bohemia to conduct a special tripartite council, despite the threat to his life.
Can Eleanora and the Order find a way to save the kingdom? And even if they do, will they be able to survive a new betrayal from among their ranks?
Full of surprising twists and turns, Heart of Hope and Fear is the final book in The Order of the Crystal Daggers, a historical romance spy trilogy from C. S. Johnson.
Louis Valoris chuckled as he stirred his tea with a spoon. “I do believe it is time we were formally introduced, Lady Eleanora.”
“It’s you,” I whispered, shaking my head in shame.
“I must say, you look so much like your mother. Even in the moonlight, I would’ve sworn it was her ghost if Lumiere hadn’t found you and your brother last year.”
“Eleanora.” Lady Penelope scowled over at me.
I gave her an apologetic look, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. She’d warned me before Louis was crafty and full of cunning, and I’d been completely caught off guard.
“I must commend you on her progress, Pepé,” Louis continued. “But she’s still very naïve, and that’s dangerous, especially for one who carries the weapon of the Order, yet none of its secrets. How do you know she won’t betray you when she learns the truth?”
“Eleanora is a loyal member of the Order,” Lady Penelope said, her voice full of resignation instead of pride. “She will not betray me.”
“It would be nice to see her live up to her mother’s legacy.”
At his disparaging tone, rage and fury rocked through me to my core. Lumiere had told me less than an hour ago how Louis had a hand in poisoning my mother and killing Nassara—and now I knew he’d used Xiana to fulfill his plans.
“The dead deserve some respect, Louis,” Lady Penelope warned, speaking before I could yell at him. “I’d rather talk of the present than the past, now that we’ve arrived at our final rendezvous.”
She reached down and pulled out her own violet-colored dagger in one hand and a pistol in the other.
S. Johnson is the award-winning, genre-hopping author of several novels, including young adult sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me.
He said he wouldn’t budge. He said he would stay in that one spot until they gave him what he wanted. Well, Lucky wasn’t going to back down for nothin’. He wasn’t asking for much, just a ride to the pub. But everyone knew that the only person to be lucky when he started drinking was Lucky himself. So there he stood, arms crossed, baseball cap on backwards, refusing to move.
As time went on everything around Lucky seemed to age, except for Lucky. Buildings were erected and taken down around him, time only stood still for Lucky.
No one noticed Lucky after a while. They just drove by him, going about their business, wondering only briefly if he would ever move and go back home. But Lucky was stubborn. And so when Lucky finally died of starvation the town briskly painted a coat of non-rust aluminum over his body and left him there. The aluminum kept Lucky’s body safe from the elements but over time his body tilted and he seemed to bend at an awkward angle. No one bothered to move Lucky. If that is how he wanted to stay, he could stay that way now forever.
Stine Writing 
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