Trick Me Once
Magical Matchmaker, #3
by Sharon Clare
Date of
Publication: December 28th 2016
Publisher: Apatite Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover Artist: Book
Nook Designs
Magic
pushes them together. Reality pulls them apart.
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . Trick Me Once (Magical Matchmaker, #3) . . .
Amazed at how rich,
enchanting, alluring, and intriguing that I found this one to be. Mischief elf,
modern day heroine, hunky, rugged hero, time-travel, cross-country trek, Scotland,
chaos, magic, and some fun. It takes a bit for Jessica and Aiden to get in to
the swing of things but they work it out. The chaos that ensues upon their
meeting for the first time is just priceless. I found lots of rich characters
in both the elven and human world. The adventure shared by Jessica and Aiden
was just that an adventure in romance, comedy and redemption.
My first book with this
author and believe that I will read more in this series. Just to see what other
mischief Finn had been up to.
Magical Matchmaker series:
Love of Her Lives – Magical Matchmaker, #1
Rhapsody – Magical matchmaker, #2
Trick Me Once – Magical Matchmaker, #3
BLURB
Humiliated radio show host Jessica Stirling
is a survivor, yet nothing prepares her for the stage trick that transports her
across the country to a man suspiciously like the nineteenth-century folk hero
idolized by Hollywood. About to lose her job, her life savings, and the home
that matters to her more than love, she can’t stay stranded in the mountains
with a dangerously appealing man who believes in elves.
Trapped in an Elvin world for a century,
Scottish artist Aiden MacAuley is finally free and back on Earth. But he’s not
home. He’s not safe. And he’s not alone. To prevent the destruction of his
bloodline, he must get back to Scotland immediately. He can’t be distracted by
the exasperating woman sent to him by a match-making elf, even if she does stir
his lust like no woman has.
When she tries to heal the sins of his past,
he can’t open his heart. There’s too much to lose and as the new guardian of
the gate between the human and Elvin worlds, he isn’t free to fall in love.
If she didn’t know better, she’d think
she was in a log cabin in the mountains. This set design was fabulous. The
scene out the window looked so real, she couldn’t help feeling a little respect
for the Alfar family of illusionists.
She felt him come up behind her. Why
was he standing so close? Without turning, she asked, “Please direct me to the
manager’s office. I’d like to speak to someone about Finn’s disappearing lady
trick.”
His soft snort sounded in her ears.
“You’ll not be finding a manager’s office here. Where do you think you are?”
She was about to say she must be under
the stage, but her throat clamped down on the words. Two squirrels skittered
around the trunk of a tree. She’d assumed it was some kind of video screen, but
if that were the case, she’d not be hearing the faint chitter of the grey
squirrel on the defensive.
But it couldn’t be. It was impossible
for her to be anywhere other than the Empire Theatre in Mesa, Arizona. “Where
do you think we are?” she countered, gaze fixed on the squirrels.
“It was my hope to be in the
Highlands, but the air’s not got the smell of peat, nor whiskey, nor sweet
heather honey.”
She spun around then, and would have
bumped into him if he’d not taken a quick step back. “As in Scotland? Very
funny.”
“’Tis no jest.”
“No? Well then, you woke up on the
wrong continent, buddy.” His pupils were slightly dilated, but his gaze was
clear and steady. He obviously had quick reflexes, and he didn’t look
delusional, but what did she know about psychotic episodes? His clothes looked
like he’d been sleeping in them for longer than a quick nap. Perhaps he’d
wandered into the theatre off the street. She took another step backward.
His sharp gaze flicked to that
remarkably real backdrop. “How can you be sure?”
Because I’m sane. But she didn’t say
that, of course. She was unsettled enough to not feel perfectly grounded
herself. “If you can’t direct me to the manager, then I’ll find him myself, but
this show is over.” She marched across the room, threw open the door to the
pseudo living room, and stood dead still in the open doorway as a very alive,
damp outdoor breeze blew in the scent of bug-infested woods, fish-filled lakes,
and decomposing fungus.
Illusion.
She slammed the door shut, moved back
to the bedroom and opened what looked like a closet door. Damn, a closet. She
crossed the hall and whipped open another door—bathroom. Where were the stairs
leading up to the theatre?
Perhaps she’d just thought she’d seen
mountains when she’d opened the door in the living room—a mind warp from the
stress of landing in a stranger’s bed. She headed back across the room, spared
a quick glance at the stagehand who looked vaguely amused, and opened the door
cautiously.
She stumbled across the threshold to
stand on the wooden deck and face an illusion much too large to be contained to
one theatre. Her lungs constricted. Tree-covered mountains stacked atop each
other all the way to the overcast horizon. A liver-colored lake roiled in a
pocket thirty feet below. Dark, dense woods pressed in on her like a surly
crowd.
But they couldn’t be in the mountains.
That was impossible. Arizona was desert. There was no such thing as magic, no
disappearing lady.
She felt the blood drain from her face
as reality struck.
She was losing her mind. This must be
exactly what had happened to her nana. Every day, sitting in the Sunshine Acres
Nursing Home, Nana thought she was living on her childhood farm in
Saskatchewan, talking as though she were on the prairie, seeing the farm house,
her mommy and daddy. Thinking it was all real.
Jessica had sudden early-onset
dementia. Sinking to the deck, she wrapped herself up in her arms. She felt the
vibrations of the stagehand walking around her, heard the smooth gait of his
boots on the wood, and she would have chuckled if her voice worked—she’d
thought he was crazy. If ever there was a kettle calling the pot black, she was
that kettle.
“I’m not sure what Finn told you,” he
said, “but you seem ill-prepared to be here, and that’s not good.”
An insect buzzed by her ear. Bugs! She
swatted at it. “Yes, I’m quite ill-prepared—quite ill, period. I see mountains
and a lake. How’s that for ill?”
“I see. And there were no mountains or
lakes where you came from?”
She peered up at him. “Not mountains
like these. I live in the desert.” She massaged her temple—maybe that would
bring much needed blood to her head. “I’ve been under a lot of stress lately,
and…my brain must have tried to compensate, but now it snapped. I’m seeing
things that can’t possibly be there.”
He crouched down in front of her.
“Your mind is sound, woman. You see mountains because we’re in the mountains.
Finn sent you here because he likes to play games.” He slipped his hand over
hers and pulled. “Come, stand up.”
At least he saw the mountains, too—a
tiny acknowledgment. She tugged her hand away. She may be losing her mind, but
she could still stand on her own two feet. One deep breath sent a good supply
of oxygen to her head as she stood up. “Just so you know, your explanation does
not make me feel better. People can’t go from the desert to the mountains in
the blink of an eye. It’s impossible.”
His grin didn’t hold much humor. “Not
impossible. People can’t. But elves can.”
He’d just re-established he was,
indeed, crazier than she. “You see elves. Oh my, that’s good news. Maybe we can
get adjoining rooms at the funny farm.”
MY INTERVIEW WITH
SHARON CLARE
How would you describe your style of writing
to someone that has never read your work?
First,
I want to thank The Book Junkie Reads for hosting me today.
I write
paranormal romances with a little magic, suspense and humor. The promise of a
romance is to leave the reader in a happy place, and I strive to give the
reader many happy places throughout the story. Although my books do have a
villain or two, the tone is light and sexy, and I close the door on violence.
One
reviewer said Trick Me Once makes you
think. This was thrilling to hear. One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever
received.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need
to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project
or just free writing)?
I do
something a little different. I belong to a virtual world called Second Life
where I have a virtual writing studio on a lake in the woods. It’s become a bit
of a muse for me. The nature sounds and movement of birds and water put me in a
creative place. It feels like my real-life office expands into a much greater
space. Sometimes I teleport over to a fabulous Virtual Writers group for
prompts and 30 minute writing stints. I can be with other writers without
leaving the house.
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do
you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do
you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character
during story creation?
The
biggest part of my story prep is character. Developing characters is what I
love the most and where I can draw on my degree in psychology. I give my characters
limiting beliefs and defensive behaviors that come from their back stories.
Throughout the story, they must learn to overcome these to find love and
happiness.
Yes, I
have watched people for character ideas, especially for things like gestures
and how people hold themselves.
Have you found yourself bonding with any
particular character? If so which one(s)?
In Trick Me Once, the heroine Jessica is a
woman who survived a childhood crisis that shaped her life. The decisions she
makes as an adult still come from that terrified place, but she doesn’t see
this as dysfunctional and detrimental to her love life. She doesn’t recognize
she’s making decisions from that place because she’s still stuck in survival
mode.
Many of
us are affected by our pasts. For many years, I struggled to overcome beliefs I
adopted from my younger self in dysfunctional relationships. I see things in a
healthier light now, and I loved writing Jessica’s character journey.
Do you have a character that you have been
working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
I’d
like to write a character who’s an advocate of endangered species. I used to
teach science workshops in schools and brought a life-sized blue whale into
gymnasiums to educate kids about these incredible mammals.
I think
it would be fun to set the story in virtual reality.
Have you ever felt that there was something
inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to
reach for the unexperienced?
Interesting
question. Yes, sometimes my thoughts race, especially at night. I live a lot in
my head, as I imagine most writers do. I like to reason things out and I have a
tendency to over-analyze. I’ve been told I need to get out of my head and more
into my body—that there are healthy reasons to do this. I’m still working on
it. It’s taking time to understand how this feels, and ‘feels’ is the whole
point.
What a
great line: “spurs you to reach for the unexperienced.” I think authors for the
unexperienced to fill our creative wells. It’s one of my goals in 2017 to get
out every week and experience something new.
Thanks
again to The Book Junkie Reads and thank you kindly for reading!
Author Info
Sharon Clare writes light, paranormal romance
with a little magic, a little suspense and a little humor.
She’s always been fascinated by the idea
there’s more to the world than we perceive. That’s why she created Finn, a
mischievous, match-making elf, from a world just a wee bit off Earth who
believes every time love is experienced, energy empowers our worlds.
Life has enough difficult times, so it’s
important to Sharon to write novels where happiness ultimately triumphs. She
helps her characters overcome their demons, open their hearts, and find the
love everyone deserves. When you reach the end, she strives to leave you in a
happy place.
If you’d like a free book in the Magical
Matcher series, please come visit
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