Sunday Snippet: Fyre's Masquerade (a Specter Station novella)
Had a busy week witha new work project landing in my inbox. It's a holiday novel and I'm so excitedbecause I love editing holiday stories! I'm also working on a proofread, whichis a nice complement to a copy edit.
Had a slow week ofviewing due to another loss of a relative. 2023 has been a rough year for theolder generation in my family. I hope the final months are loss free.
I did watch thepremiere episode of Cannes Confidential and thoroughly enjoyed it! It'sgot intrigue and charm and the cast is stellar. Looking forward to the nextepisode.
Also caught anotherepisode of the Madame Blanc Mysteries. I'm slightly disappointed in theangst factor between the main characters but I'll roll through and see whathappens. Very excited Gloria has a new guy even if he's competition for Dom.
Watched an episodeof Peak Practice and found it kind of interesting. I liked getting someadditional screen time for the deaf characters introduced earlier. Also kind ofliked Andrew figuring out what he doesn't want.
Started a newtwo-part Silent Witness and, wow, this one had some twists and aheartbreaking scene that I almost couldn't watch. Kind of looking forward toseeing where it goes.
Caught another Deathin Paradise. Enjoyed the guys trying to avoid bringing Richard in on thecase while he was down with a tropical fever but loved that they ended up doingit anyway.
That's it for thelife update this week. Tonight's post is from Fyre's Masquerade, aSpecter Station novella.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Balek Fyre made his fortune mining asteroids and justbecame a principal owner of Specter Station. He's ready to enjoy a new stage inhis life—until the Yuli family descends on his base of operations for thegalactic midyear celebration with only one thing on their minds … getting himto marry their oldest daughter, Serena. The only problem? Balek would ratherspend time with her sister, Scout.
And a sneaky peek…
"Mother, couldn't you getScout to wear something other than those horrid black pants?" Serena Yulishuddered.
Scout tore her gaze from theporthole and made a rude gesture. "Considering I've been dressing myselfsince the age of three, I'd have liked to see her try." She went backwatching the stars go by.
Serena made a nasty comment underher breath about Scout's inability to look like more than an urchin. Scoutdidn't care what covered her body. Unlike Serena who always consulted theirmother Zara before putting on clothes—even her underwear. How her sister madeit to twenty-seven, Scout would never know.
Serena snarled. "You couldhave tried to look decent. We're hoping to make a good impression." Shefolded her hands in her lap and raised her nose in the air.
Scout snorted. "We've been onthis ship for five days. None of us look our best. At least I'mcomfortable." Her black canvas pants were soft with wear and her shirt andjacket were made of breathable fabric in the highest quality they could afford.
She could've swapped her ruggedboots—broken in to a perfect fit—for her favorite pair of leather moccasins,but the heavier footwear drove her sister crazy and Scout needed something funto do if she had to be part of this insane plot to trap a perfectly nice maninto hellish matrimony with Serena.
Serena snapped. "No one caresabout your comfort." She huffed out an angry breath.
Scout smirked. "Exactly. I'mnot the one who needs to be impressive. You are." After five days withonly two clothing changes, her sister definitely fell short. "What I'mwearing doesn't matter."
Niam Yuli snapped his fingers."Enough, both of you. We're docking soon and everyone can freshenup." He shot Scout a hard look. "You're to be on your bestbehavior."
Scout rolled her eyes. "Yes,Dad." She'd play nice when she had to and not a moment before.
This stupid scheme to hold BalekFyre to a promise his parents made decades ago reeked of desperation—and if hedidn't see right through it, he deserved wedded hell with her sister. Scout hadno doubt Balek didn't have a clue who they were. Why would he? His parents diednot long after their ill-fated agreement with the Yulis. And the horriblething? Her parents didn't care. They needed an influx of cash to save theirasses. A series of bad investments had her parents teetering on the brink offinancial ruin.
Scout rolled her eyes. "Maybeif they told Serena no every time she wanted a new outfit, they'd have somesavings." Not that her parents ever would—they only said no to Scout.
The captain's voice came over theintercom. "We've started the docking sequence. Prepare to disembark infifteen minutes." A garbled crackle ended the communication.
A tiny jolt of excitement coursedthrough Scout. While she hated the reason they'd come to Spector Station, sheloved an adventure. And the idea of Serena falling flat on her face gave Scoutsomething to look forward to also.
She smoothed down her hands downher thighs, straightening some of the wrinkles from her pants. "Let thegames begin…"
I'm having a lot offun writing this series and Balek's book is a treat. It's the last in thefour-book series and all the previous couples make an appearance.
That's it for thisweek. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
