Tested by Fire and Ice (The Lost Princess, #2)
Description
After the Masquerade Ball, Alana worries about her sisters' safety. After all, returning through the Eastern Gate wiped their memories so they don't even remember the threats exist. Are those on the other side of the gate still looking to kidnap them as they search for the Lost Princess? While Alana tries to find enough information to figure out who is involved and what they are planning next, she is eager for a rest from the holiday rush at the Sugar and Spice Bakery. Closed for a week, Alana will finally get some down time to think, relax and possibly learn how to wield the magic Serena claims she possesses. Unfortunately, the plans of others derail her time of relaxation before it can begin and Alana finds herself in her own twisted version of a fairy tale and questioning everything she believed to be true.
Meanwhile...
Andrew is furious that he is being blamed for the failure of the Masquerade Ball. Treated as an errand boy and not given the respect he believes is his due, the prince of Leriac fumes at the disregard and plots retribution. Soon however he finds his very position is threatened. Is there someone else who can supplant him as the King's heir? And what is he to do about it?
And...
Rinaldo is running out of options as he tests the eligible ladies of Lewiston in an effort to find his niece, the long-lost princess. While the holiday deprives him of the opportunity to do much testing, it does bring him into contact with more of the elite in Lewiston. To his surprise he finds that many of these people in this non-magical place have magic in their blood. In addition, the Lewis Mansion itself holds magical secrets. All is not as he thought, and Rinaldo is faced with the fact that much of what he believed about this city at the edge of the Eastern Gate may be wrong. Can he untangle the truth and find his missing niece?
More details
Person
Valerie Gaumont is an evil genius whose mission is to take over the world. Her latest efforts were thwarted when her flying monkey army discovered beer. Currently they are in Rehab because no one likes a drunk flying monkey. (Thank you for your cards and letters of support.) When she is taking a break from villainy she can often be found with a pen in her hand. Yes, sometimes she is doodling, other times writing fiction and discovering new and interesting ways to combine reality with the outré. She has had short stories in the Violet Ampersand Anthology, Poetry, Prose and Other Voyages to the Edge, and the online Journal, Gothic Fairytales for Melancholy Children. In 2007 she was listed as a finalist in the William Faulkner International Writing Competition in the Novel-In-Progress category.
