Vera’s always been alone. With her father gone, she’s left completely on her own until the magic in her finds a book of spells that takes her to two younger sisters she never knew she had.
Camilla loves her life the way it is. But then she finds out she has another older sister, and with that sister comes the revelation that the supernatural world is real, meaning Camilla will have to leave her old life of being a normal human behind.
Maya’s always been into the darker side of life. So finding out she’s a witch? Exciting. Unlike the hesitancy her baby sister holds at leaving her normal life behind, Maya is ready to jump all in.
The girls must now navigate this new supernatural world that comes with a warlock mentor, attacks from—attractive?—demons, and the possibility of romances that just may not be allowed.
And worse off, their mother’s death may not have been a natural accident, but a result of an attack from the supernatural world.
Nelly Alikyan was born and raised in the Los Angeles Valley, then moved to Boston for university and stayed there. Her favorite city in the world is London and if given the option, would choose to travel there 11/10.
I was raised to believe that towns full of witches were only in movies, and those spell books my aunt studied were just a silly pastime. I had no idea of the important role I play in a coven with zero knowledge of my existence, or the sacrifice my parents made by leaving behind everything they knew to protect me.
In the wake of my aunt’s mysterious death, I have no other choice but to return to my birthplace for answers. But Beacon Grove is a twisted place where distrust spreads like cancer, lies fester, and the truth is nearly impossible to find.
One thing I’m sure of is the danger that Remy Winters and our inexplicable connection pose to me as one of the Quarters of the Watchtower coven. Through painstaking research and placing my trust in this man who has been trained since birth to hunt me, I learn that my family is far more intertwined with the tight-knit town than I originally thought.
I could be exactly what they need to save their beloved Quarters, but admitting what I am to those who have been brainwashed into fearing me could put my life at risk.
Calling Quarters is a twisted tale of corruption, lies, and a love story written in the stars.
My courage grew wings and flew away as soon as I stopped my car and shifted into park. Fear took its place, as if finally, my brain had kicked into gear and realized how dangerous it was for me to be there. In the mouth of my predator’s den.
I walked to the beach instead of going to the front door like I originally planned, my eyes avoiding the beautiful sprawling mansion that overlooked it in fear of finding those coal black eyes gazing out at me. The ocean waves lazily nipped at my feet, somehow feeding the frenzy that was my mind.
I wanted to scream every frustration I had built up inside of me at it. To see the water split and shift with the sound waves as they vibrated off me, releasing every negative feeling into her depths.
A monster had grown inside of me, green with envy and red with fury. He fed off me for so long—my fears, my weaknesses, my complacency—that he managed to become a being all on his own.
I’d grown tired of other people making decisions for me. Of being at the mercy of everyone else for information about myself and where I came from.
There was a mystery surrounding my identity and why I was in Beacon Grove. I could feel the weight of curiosity in every stare as I passed by the town’s locals.
Could they tell that I was just as clueless as they were? Was it obvious that while I’d spent a lifetime as a girl named Storie Graves, I had no real idea who that person was?
A piece of me was always missing, even as a child. A hole of ignorance about my purpose in this world that no one wanted to fill in.
So, he filled it.
This fiery, jealous, raging monster.
At first, I was afraid to acknowledge him. I thought if I ignored him, he’d shrink away to nothing and disappear into the darkness inside my mind with the rest of the parts of me I was taught shouldn’t see the light of day.
It wasn’t until I befriended my monster that I gained clarity.
I saw my oppression for exactly what it was, and I would become a threat to everyone who wanted to keep me under their thumbs.
They had no idea how dangerous I’d become when I had nothing left to lose. If anything, what happened between me and Remy on the beach solidified that. Because we were very clearly connected in a way that no one wanted to admit—myself included. I was realizing that maybe that connection was more significant than I could have ever imagined.
Jen Stevens was born and raised in Michigan where she enjoys the weather of all four seasons in a single day. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, she quickly realized the corporate world wasn’t for her and instead took on the daunting role as her daughter’s snack maid. Reading has been an obsession for a long as she could remember, while writing has always been an escape. Jen could quote The Office word-for-word and proudly refers to herself as a romance junkie. She could live off anything made of sugar and has recently obtained the title of Lady. Most of all, she loves connecting with readers!
Englishman Lake Benson loaned his life savings to his dippy sister so that she could buy a shop. It was a big mistake. His sister has been steadily flushing his money down the drain – and now he wants it back. Years in the special forces taught Lake that if you want a job done, do it yourself. So he steps in to make the shop profitable, sell it and get his money back. The only problem is, the business is an underwear shop. And all Lake knows about underwear can be summed up in how fast he can unsnap a bra. To make matters worse, the tiny highland town already has a lingerie shop. A successful one, run by an ex-lingerie model. A very gorgeous ex-lingerie model, who’s distracting him from his mission more than he’d like to admit. If Lake wants to get his savings back, and get out of Scotland, he only has one option – wipe out the competition.
Kirsty Campbell has spent years rebuilding her life after she woke up in hospital in Spain to find her body scarred, and her ex-fiance had run off with all her money. The last thing she needs is a cocky, English soldier-boy trying to ruin all she has left. Her home town is only too happy to help her fight the latest English invasion, although Lake is beginning to sway them with his sex appeal and cut price knickers. With the help of her mother, and the retired ladies of Knit or Die, Kirsty sets about making sure that her shop is the last one standing in Invertary.
It’s Scotland versus England as you’ve never seen it before. It’s lingerie war.
The old pub sat huge and imposing on the corner of the high street opposite the loch. Its walls, like the rest of the buildings in the center of town, were whitewashed. The smooth surface reflected the warm light from the street lamps and made the place glow. As usual, the hanging shingle made him smile. The pub was called The Scottie Dog. Not a name meant for smugglers and Highland bandits. The leaden windows let flickers of light from inside seep out, and as someone pushed open the heavy wooden door the din of chat, and laughter, wafted into the street. It was busy. Crowded. For a minute, he wondered if he wouldn’t rather be alone.
He pushed the door open before he could chicken out and spend his evening feeling sorry for himself in his ‘70s throwback flat. The door swung inwards quickly, hitting the person on the other side. Lake stepped inside and tripped over Kirsty Campbell. Words of apology fell out of his mouth before he realized who he’d trodden on. For some reason, the fact that he’d stumbled over Kirsty lifted his spirits no end.
“Seriously,” she grumbled. “You’re here too? You’re everywhere. I can’t get away from you.”
“It’s been almost a week since we talked,” Lake pointed out.
Not a week since he’d seen her. He’d had that pleasure every day. Kirsty bent over to rub the ankle he’d trodden on. Lake smiled at the sight of Kirsty’s rear wrapped in a wine-colored skirt. His fingers tingled. They wanted to reach out and curl around her hips. Someone jostled him as they exited the pub—it broke his concentration, but not before Kirsty spotted where he’d been staring. Her perfect eyes narrowed.
“You’re a snake, Lake Benson,” she told him.
Lake cocked his head to the side in agreement.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she said.
“It’s a pub,” he said by way of explanation.
She pulled on the green coat he’d seen her wear before. Yet again she was covered from chin to ankle, and although it was cold, he was certain she must have been sweltering in the heat of the pub. She frowned at him.
“I know it’s a pub, dimwit. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be renovating? Painting something? Planning world domination?”
“The world domination plan is in the bag. My evening is free.”
He stepped to the side of the door. Now her way was clear if she wanted to go. She made no attempt to run. Instead, she dug her fists into the pockets of her coat, making it pull on her shoulders.
“Why don’t you go back to the army and leave us all in peace?” she asked. “Wouldn’t that be easier? You can’t possibly want to run a lingerie shop. Sell the thing and be done with it.”
“Oh, would that I could,” he said.
Unfortunately, no one would buy a business that hadn’t made a profit in ten years. Well, no one except his clueless sister.
She rolled her eyes.
“Betty the troll and that loony contract of hers,” Kirsty said.
Lake didn’t correct her. If she wanted to think it was the contract that stopped him and not the state of the business, then that was fine with him. The fewer people who knew it was a mess, the better. That way it would be easier to sell once he got it back in the black.
“I’d love to get my hands on her nephew.” Kirsty’s voice broke into his thoughts. “That man needs a good hiding.”
It took a minute for Lake to catch up with the conversation, and when he did a flush of heat worked up from his stomach to his head.
“If you want to get your hands on a man,” he told her, “I’m available.”
Her eyes widened.
“That’s not going to happen,” she said tightly.
Lake shrugged.
“I’m not even suggesting that I get you out of that underwear you’re so attached to. I’m just saying that I’m here. If you want me. To do with as you will.”
Her mouth opened and closed like a hooked fish. Lake smiled confidently, aware that every time she saw him she’d replay his words. He’d wear her down by default.
“It’s no big deal,” he said as he took a step closer to her, lowering his voice under the din of the bar. “Lovers by night. Enemies by day. It’s in all the best spy movies.”
“I don’t want to be your lover.” It would have been slightly more convincing if she hadn’t stumbled over the word and flushed bright pink at the same time.
Lake cocked an eyebrow, feeling pretty pleased with himself. Kirsty frowned.
“Don’t think you can wear me down, either. Guys with a lot more finesse than you’ve shown have chased after me. If I can resist them, I sure as heck can resist you.”
“I don’t plan to mention it again. I’m just going to wait. I’ll be right in front of you. Watching you think about me. Watching you think about what we could do together. How we could be together. I won’t need to say anything. It’s all going to happen in your head.”
She threw up her hands in exasperation.
“I’ll tell you something. All of this”—she waved her hand in front of him to signal that she meant him, not her—”is happening in your head, not mine. My head is empty, thank you very much.”
Lake grinned widely.
“Auch, I mean…” She poked him in the chest. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah. You want me.”
“In your dreams.”
“Yep, there too.”
“You are the most annoying man I’ve ever met and I don’t have time to deal with your many psychological problems. I’m going home.” With that, she was gone. Lake found himself grinning at the door as it swung shut behind her.
Janet is a Scot who moved to New Zealand fifteen years ago. Among other things, she’s been an artist, a teacher, a security guard at a castle, a magazine editor, and a cleaner in a drop in center for drug addicts (NOT the best job!). She now writes full-time and is working on her 19th book. Her books have won several awards, including the Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense. When she isn’t living in her head, she raises two kids, one husband, and several random animals. She survives on chocolate and caffeine.
