I’m so excited to share the third book in my Texas Ever After series with you! It was such fun reimagining two classic stories in one novel. Little Read Riding Hood meets Sleeping Beauty in this adventure-filled road trip romance.
Raised in isolation with only her grandmother and her pet wolf for company, Letty Hood must learn to trust the Pinkerton agent tasked with her protection as she embarks on a journey to face her destiny and the dragon who has sought her destruction for the last 15 years.
Interviews & Reviews gave Letty and Philip’s story a lovely review:
“. . . perfect for those who enjoy a strong sense of adventure and suspense. The perilous journey that Letty and Philip embark on is thrilling and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing. At the same time, the novel . . . will warm your heart, making it a must-read for anyone looking for an engaging and emotionally resonant historical romance.”
Here’s a short excerpt:
And her favorite memory of all—the time Daddy caught Mama under the mistletoe. He’d dipped her backward over his arm and kissed her full on the mouth. The staff had cheered, and Mama’s face had turned as red as her hair, but the way she and Daddy had looked into each other’s eyes afterward had stamped an impression on Letty’s heart that could not be forgotten.
Love. Pure and unbreakable. That’s what she craved.
Grandmother told her to be patient. She’d have her pick of gentlemen callers after she turned twenty-one and returned to Houston. But Letty wasn’t sure she wanted to resume Scarlett Radcliffe’s life. A life of weighty responsibilities and societal expectations. A life where her wealth would make her the target of fortune hunters and schemers eager to take advantage of her inexperience. Becoming the Radcliffe heiress held little appeal. Yet she couldn’t remain Letty Hood forever, roaming the woods with her pet wolf and hiding from the truth of her heritage. So she would go back. At least temporarily. She’d honor her father and mother as scripture taught, but she’d find a way to do that as the woman she’d become, not the one she might have been had her uncle not driven her into hiding.
A rhythmic thudding broke through Letty’s wishful thoughts. She jerked upright, grabbing her hood and pulling it over her head as she scrambled to her feet.
Horses. At least two. Heading her way.
She sprinted down the hill to where the trees grew thicker, desperate for the cover they’d provide. No one can see you. Her grandmother’s constant warning rang in her ears.
Had her uncle found her? Letty’s heart pounded as she raced deeper into the trees. The hooves sounded closer, but she struggled to determine their direction.
Don’t panic. Fear steals your sense, and good sense is a woman’s best weapon.
Letty skidded to a halt and pressed her back against the largest pine within reach. Instinct urged her to keep fleeing, but Grandmother’s training was stronger.
Look. Listen. Assess. Plan. Execute.
Forcing herself to inhale through her nose a couple times to get her breathing under control, she attuned her ears to her surroundings. No hoofbeats. Had the riders stopped?
Leather creaked somewhere to her left, as if a man were standing up in his stirrups. Letty turned her face that direction as she reached for the knife sheathed at her waist…
I know. It’s mean of me to leave you hanging like that. Sorry. Sort of. 😉
Maybe I can make it up to you by offering a fun treat. Here’s a free word search I put together to introduce you to the key characters and themes of the story. Enjoy!
Cloaked in Beauty is a road trip romance, so I thought you might enjoy seeing the route Letty and her heroic Pinkerton escort take as they travel cross-country from Queen City, TX down to Houston. Isn’t Queen City, the perfect place to start a princess-inspired fairy tale retelling? I couldn’t resist. 🙂 The green circles mark the places where different scenes in the book take place. They avoided towns, so you’ll notice many circles are in unpopulated areas of the map.
What was the last road trip you took?
Any interesting stops along the way?
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We too an amazing 30 day bucket list trip this summer. We went north to Canada, west to Alaska, down the NW coast to CA to see the redwoods, over to Utah to see the national parks (trip cancelled because of Covid) and then on towards AR and home. So many sights to see along the way as well as each destination. Breath taking view, historical sights and things before we had only dreamed of seeing.
Can’t wait for the opportunity to read and review Cloaked in Beauty, which is most definitely on my TBR list.
What an amazing trip, Kay! All the way to Alaska? As a mountain lover, I’m drooling a bit in envy. 🙂
My preorder was delivered to my Audible library on the 16th. Eager to listen to this story.
Yay! (I will warn you there was a glitch with the Audible version. It seems a different book was spliced in at the beginning. My publisher has been notified and they are working with Recorded Books to get the error corrected, but you might end up having to exchange the one you have with the corrected file when it becomes available.)
I took a short road trip at the beginning of 2024 when I was visiting my daughter in CA. We drove from Riverside to the small town of Julian, east of San Diego. It is an old gold mining town, now famous for its apples. In fact, you must have a piece of apple pie when there, and we always take a pie home with us. I love visiting this town and shopping in the Julian Mercantile – many great buys. My grandson is named Julian, and I always take a picture of him under the Julian Cider Mill sign, which shows how he’s grown from approx. age 6 to 15.
I already have my copy of Cloaked in Beauty and can’t wait to read it in the new year.
What a fun trip! I adore apples and apple pie made from fresh apples is my FAVORITE. It sounds like I need to add Julian to my bucket list of places to visit.
Love the map! Looking forward to this story!
We road-tripped to Florida over Thanksgiving. It was our first road trip in a while. We stopped at the Vicksburg battlefield. But that was not what made the road trip most unique for us. It was that this was our first ever road trip with a dog. And Dolly did great!
What an adventure! So glad your road trip buddy was such a good traveler. That makes the journey such a joy. 🙂
Congrats on your new release, Karen!!
Thank you, Becky! It’s fun to see another story launch into the book-o-sphere. 🙂
Looking forward to this book.
Last summer we drove from home (Colorado) to Indiana for a time of celebration for my husbands retirement. We have a cottage there and enjoyed the lake before we drove home.
That sounds like a lovely drive, Jen. 🙂
Went to NC, SC (Myrtle Beach) and VA this summer. Lots of driving but had a nice time.
What a pretty part of the country. I’ve spent very little time in that area but would love to visit!