Masquerade — Alexa Smart

I've known this author and this book for a long time. In fact, you might say I was there for the birth of Masquerade. For several years beginning in 1986, eight aspiring writers met in the living room of my Dallas home. One night, Alexa brought in a scene where a man awakens in a house of ill repute with a hangover that could kill him...if the woman
at his side doesn't first.

That was the seed of Masquerade, a novel as sultry as its setting--New Orleans after the Civil War. From the moment the book opens, I was lost in the love story of handsome Carpetbagger Tark Parrish and impoverished orphan Isabeau Lavoisier. From glittering ballrooms to the dangerous Mississippi dockside, from the seductive currents of black magic to the radiant magic of new love, this book transports you to a time and place so real you'll feel you've lived it. Masquerade is something special--and a pleasure to share with you!