A Discreet and Charming Affliction — Grace P. O'Brien

Nate Brogan is a dashing lady's escort in the American spa town of Elysium Springs. When he is smitten by the elusive Miss Vera Jane Seward, his current lover, Lady Foxboro is not pleased and dismisses him as a gigolo. Now penniless and without support or his love, he faces a dim winter ahead. That is, until he is invited to attend a masked ball where mysterious ladies of wealth and social standing choose their special escorts â€" if the escorts can prove themselves worthy! At this party, Nate gets an opportunity to win Vera's love. He is faced with a dangerous quest to discover the source of a rare spring water that is said to have strange medicinal properties. Not willing to pass up an opportunity to show Vera what he is made of, he sets off â€" only to discover that he is not the only one searching for the source of the spring. Along the way, he will meet strange and terrifying creatures with the ability to shape-shift. Nate is threatened and thrilled in ways he never thought possible. Set in the 1880's, this darkly funny and enchanting tale will suck the reader in and keep you awake until the wee hours to find out what happens next.