The secrets of the bayou dance to the rhythm of jazz!
Quake
Jazz Sessions Book 1
by Maya Alden
Genre: Romantic Suspense
The secrets of the bayou dance to the
rhythm of jazz!
She was the princess of Bayou Belle, sleeping with me, a bayou rat born on the
wrong sides of the sheets.
Gaia Doucet was my first love, the one who had me body and soul…until she
accused me of something terrible; and I was sent into cruel exile by her
mother. But now, ten years later, I'm back. Her grandfather has left me
controlling interest of the Doucet empire and I'm ready to enjoy my revenge.
I'll start with her mother and end with her.
While I made a fortune in New York, she's slinging drinks at Jazz Sessions, her
brothers' bar in the pulsing heart of the French Quarter. I have achieved all
my dreams and she's a failure.
I'm ready to crush her into the ground even though I want her with the same
desperation as I did a decade ago.
But when someone hires a hitman to kill her, it sets off a tumultuous QUAKE
that shakes the very foundations of our lives. Hate her, I may, but I won't be
able to live in a world where she's not there.
In the steamy, seductive streets of New Orleans, where secrets and scandals are
as common as the sultry jazz rhythms, Quake is the first book in the Jazz
Sessions series. Please note, each novel in this series is a standalone
romance, complete with its own satisfying happily ever after. Yet, the shadow
of a sinister family mystery stretches across the arc of the first three books.
Perfect for fans of LJ Shen and Shain Rose.
Note: This book contains mature themes, including violence, strong language,
& sexual content, for full content warnings, please see Content Warnings
page on Maya's website
GUEST POST
This Writer's Dirty Secret: I Write for the Research
Here's a confession that might surprise you: my primary
motivation for writing isn't just to tell a story. It's the research.
Yes, you read that right. The allure of delving into new worlds, uncovering
facts, and learning about diverse subjects is what drives me to write. Each
book I've written has been a journey into a new realm of knowledge, and I want
to share this thrilling aspect of my writing process.
When I wrote Quake, I wasn't just crafting a story set
in New Orleans; I was immersing myself in the city's rich history. I learned
about Herbsaint, a traditional anise-flavored liqueur that was invented in New
Orleans when the absinthe was banned. Herbsaint was then used to make Sazerac
cocktails. As I wrote the book I learnt a lot about the vibrant history of the
French Quarter. The research was like a trip through time, uncovering the soul
of New Orleans that I then wove into the fabric of my story.
With An Ugly Love, where my characters ventured into the world of winemaking. I found myself learning how to make GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) wine. The process was fascinating, enriching my narrative with the authenticity of the wine culture. I also learnt a lot about dyslexia, though I already knew a lot because my father-in-law has this different ability and some of my friends as well.
In The Temporary Wife, I explored the challenges of
living with rheumatoid arthritis. This wasn't just about adding a condition to
a character. It was about understanding the daily struggles and the emotional
journey of those affected, adding depth and empathy to my characters.
Twisted Hearts took me on a dual journey: first, into
the life of journalists, revealing their struggles when they're kidnapped and
what happens to their families. Then, it led me into the heart of the conflict
in Nigeria, a topic both complex and heart-wrenching. This book was a testament
to the courage and resilience of journalists and those who rescue them.
Writing Not A Love Marriage unveiled the intricacies
of the senate confirmation process for judges. This research was an eye-opener
into the political nuances and the judicial system, which I found incredibly
enlightening.
In A Golden Christmas, I ventured into a new genre,
Agatha Christie style whodunit. Learning how to craft a mystery that would keep
readers guessing until the last page was both challenging and exhilarating.
And now, with my upcoming book Twisted Love, I've dived into the dark world of serial killers and the grim realities of death row. Understanding serial killer profiles and the conditions of prisoners on death row was not just about adding thrill to the story; it was about peering into the depths of human psychology and the justice system.
So, there you have it, my dirty little secret. I write as
much for the love of storytelling as I do for the love of learning. Each book
is a passport to a new world, a new subject, a new understanding of the
complexities of life. And I wouldn't have it any other way. As I continue on
this journey, I invite you to join me in exploring these diverse worlds through
the pages of my books.
EXCERPT
Chapter
1
Gaia
I knew he was back when
I saw the single calla lily left at the doorstep. The prodigal son had
returned. My first lover, my only love, had left his calling card.
I'd have thought it was
a romantic gesture when I was younger, but now I knew it was a threat. Rome
Decuir didn't do romantic gestures. Even ten years ago, when I'd first fallen
into bed with him, he told me what we had was just sex.
I'd been seventeen,
silly in love.
I picked up the calla
lily and walked out to the front porch of the Bayou Belle Mansion: my childhood
home, my prison, my source of joy and pain, all wrapped into one.
This is where Rome and
I had begun. I was so much in love that I'd done what I could to protect him,
which included staying away from him. He'd been exiled from Bayou Belle for his
sin of fucking Gaia Doucet, granddaughter of Lucien Doucet. Rome may have been
banished from Bayou Belle, but I had been discarded.
I knew he'd come to New
Orleans.
My grandfather had told
me what was in his will before he died. I'd told no one, not even my brothers,
because Grandpère had asked me not to. He'd wanted to warn me that Rome Decuir
would be the first non-Doucet to own fifty-five percent of Bayou Belle Holdings
and the beautiful prison I had grown up in, the house that was more palace than
home.
But what was in a name?
Rome was more Doucet, more like my grandfather Lucien when it came to business
acumen, than my mother, siblings, and cousins all put together, even if he was
born on the wrong side of the sheets and had no Doucet blood flowing in
his veins.
My mother and cousins
all owned shares of Bayou Belle Holdings—but Rome would have the deciding vote
as soon as Lucien Doucet's will was read. Grandpère had done this to make right
what had been done wrong ten years ago. He'd done it to punish my mother for
her crimes against Rome and to punish me for being weak.
I had lived for ten
years without Rome, knowing he hated me, wasn't that punishment enough?
"The whole family
will be out for blood," Grandpère had chuckled.
For
Rome's blood.
Well, good luck with
that. The boy he used to be had been tough, but the man he'd become, from all
accounts, was more formidable. He'd made a lot of money, like he'd wanted. He'd
become the corporate juggernaut he'd promised he'd be. And now he'd own Bayou
Belle and have more power than any Doucet. A big fuck you to all of us,
Doucets.
I was happy for him. I
had wanted this for him. Had made sure he'd have it. I had given up Bayou
Belle, relinquished my inheritance, and invested in Rome's future.
I knew that my brothers
wouldn't mind what Grandpère had done; in fact, they'd celebrate. My oldest
brother, Blaze, had jazz and traveled the world with his saxophone and band.
Sure, he got a law degree from Duke, but he ditched that. He had no interest in
the law, Bayou Belle or being a Doucet. My middle brother, Zephyr, co-owned
Jazz Sessions with Blaze, a jazz club in the French Quarter where I managed the
bar and kitchen, and he the jazz.
I didn't have any of
the Bayou Belle fortune; instead, I was free of my mother and of being that Doucet.
My brothers still had
plenty of Doucet money in their bank accounts after selling their shares of
Bayou Belle to Grandpère and buying Jazz Sessions. They'd given me a job
at the bar and a place to stay in the apartment upstairs. They'd tried to make
me an equal partner, but I'd resisted. I couldn't take something I hadn't
earned.
I had changed ten years
ago; they saw it and correctly associated it with Rome and me breaking up.
Zephyr had begged me to tell him what had happened when Rome was exiled. I didn't. Couldn't. Then, it had been perilous in case Rome returned. Now, it didn't matter. The statute of limitations for rape was only five years in Louisiana.
Chapter
2
Rome
I watched her twirl the
calla lily in her hands as she stood on the porch.
I knew she'd find the
flower. I'd make sure of it. It was petty, but I'd earned my right to torment.
I snuck into the estate
as I used to when I was a half-breed bayou rat, fucking the heiress. The rat
who had to use the servant's entrance even though I was friends with Zephyr.
Even though I was under the wing of Lucien Doucet. But Camille Doucet ran the
household, and she'd made it clear that a servant's bastard son should know his
place.
Gaia closed her eyes
and let the calla lily stroke her skin, down her cheek, down, down, down to her
cleavage. Her breasts were larger. She'd been a girl then. Just seventeen. Now,
she was a woman. She'd cut her long hair. It was a sleek bob. It suited her.
Sharpened her angular Doucet features. She was still beautiful. She walked into
a room, and you couldn't look away, or maybe, it was just I who couldn't look
away. She'd always had a hold on me.
She'd been a virgin
then. Not like me. I'd been fucking girls since I was fifteen. Gaia had been
pristine. Innocent. I still remembered her milky white skin that I put
marks on. The way she'd whimpered when I'd hurt her that first time. The way
she'd held on, telling me she wanted me, only me.
She'd come to the small
stilt house I'd lived in with my mother until she died, and then alone. The
Bayou Belle servants lived there. My mother's stilt house was separate so that
the master of the house could come and go unnoticed. Mama died when I was fifteen,
and no one cared that I lived alone. I was relieved that I'd been allowed to
stay at Bayou Belle. The estate had been my home since birth, a bastard with no
blood relation to the Doucet, an illegitimate rat borne off Lucien's daughter,
Korina's husband Shawn, and my beautiful and kind mother, Arcadia Decuir, a
Bayou Belle servant.
The heiress had dirtied
herself with me.
I love
you, Rome.
Yeah, well, love hadn't
lasted, had it? She sold me out. I'd been made to leave Bayou Belle and New
Orleans, exiled with the sword of a rape conviction hanging over me.
Once her mother knew we
were fucking, Gaia changed her tune. She told Camille I raped her.
I'd been given a
choice. Leave or go to prison. My twenty-year-old ass couldn't believe Gaia, my
Calla Lily, would do this. I'd demanded Camille that Gaia tell me herself. And
she had. She'd told me I'd raped her, and I should go. Her eyes had been
red-rimmed, her face pale, and her lips trembling. But the words…they were
clear.
But now I was back.
Soon to be the King of Bayou Belle.
Lucien Doucet had told
me he was making amends. He told me he was giving me what I needed to get
revenge, if that was what I wanted. In return, he wanted me to save the Doucet
family business and the family name because his heirs were destroying it.
I didn't want Bayou
Belle for the money. I'd made plenty. I wanted it for the prestige and, more
importantly, for revenge.
Oui!
I'd start with Camille, work my way through that bastard second husband of
hers, Rufus Stark, the other Doucets who owed me, and then and only then, I'd
go for Gaia.
"Try to forgive
her even though what she did is unforgivable," Lucien told me when he came
to see me in New York.
"I can't,"
I'd told him honestly.
"Rome, when you
love someone, you hurt when they hurt," he'd warned me.
"I don't love her.
I never loved her," I'd assured him.
"Then so be it.
They've all made their beds, and they'll have to sleep in them. As will
you."
I certainly intended to
sleep in my bed once I cleared out the Doucets from my new house. The Bayou
Belle Mansion was going to be mine, I thought with satisfaction.
She didn't
live here. Zephyr told me she lived in an apartment atop the jazz bar he owned.
Gaia had aspired to do
great things. She'd been ambitious. It gave me satisfaction that she'd not
achieved any of her desires and had ended up running a fucking saloon while I
had made every dream of mine come true.
"You don't know
everything," Zephyr had told me once when he was in New York, and we'd
gotten drunk after my company had made its first big investment.
"Really?" I'd
taunted.
"She's my sister,
man."
"I know. Trust me,
I know."
He shook his head.
"I wish you'd…I wish she'd…."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Zephyr raised his shot glass. "To ICeR Capital. Congratulations,
Rome."
"Thanks, Z.
Couldn't have done it without your help." I clinked my glass with his.
Zephyr had invested in my company and believed in me. I'd kept my friendship
with him, even though his sister had tried to ruin my life.
J'emmerde
cette salope! Fuck the bitch!
"It is my
pleasure. I'm happy to see you succeed," Zephyr had said sincerely.
And
he had been. He was my oldest friend. One of my closest friends. That he loved
his sister as much as I hated her was an irony that wasn't
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About the Author
Maya has a passion for weaving tales of love and desire.
With a background in literature and a heart filled with hope, Maya pours her emotions onto the pages of her novels, capturing the essence of true love and the power it holds to transform lives. Combining unforgettable characters, sizzling chemistry, and heartfelt emotions, Maya's stories will whisk you into a world of passion and enchantment.
Maya invites you to join her on a journey of love, laughter, and happily-ever-afters that will leave you with a sigh and a smile.
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This looks really different. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed guest post and excerpt. Sounds like a good romantic suspense.
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