XAVIER & VIC
BOOK 1
THE TROUBLESOME APPRENTICE
A humorous, Late Victorian, Mystery Sleuth Novel
Mysteries included:
The Key to Aunt Maddy’s Death
The Missing Husband of Mrs. Wimple
The Disappearing Scarlet Nun
The Clever Butcher’s Wife
The Rescue of Lady Anne
While investigating the death of a friend and client, Maddy Hamilton, Xavier Thorn (reputed to be the greatest sleuth in England) is greatly impressed with Maddy’s nephew, Victor, and offers him a job as his secretary. Aware of Xavier’s history of firing secretaries, Victor garners a promise that for three months he cannot be fired. Vic then proceeds, in Xavier’s view, to be cheeky and impertinent at every turn.
Xavier endures the impudent pup because Victor is most skilled in extracting the truth from clients and intuiting facts with little evidence to assist.
As they solve a string of cases, Xavier discovers a few more important details about his troublesome apprentice, such as her true gender, and the realization that she has awakened his long dormant heart.
Fully dressed, Vic laid
down on her bed. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but her sister’s
parting words haunted her. What if Xavier Thorn did uncover her secret?
Aunt Maddy had allowed
her to ‘become a boy’ when she and Claire arrived in England, orphans in need
of a home. Victor’s initial reason to change her gender had been because she
never wished to wear a dress after seeing her mother drowned at sea, pulled to
the bottom of the ocean by her heavy skirts. However, her new life soon became
the only one she could imagine.
As a male, she could
travel about town on her own, attend lectures closed to Maddy and Claire, and
ride astride spirited stallions. As a young man, she could do anything, learn
anything, and be anything. As a gentleman, she had endless opportunities. How
could she ever go back to being a girl? The idea was unthinkable.
When Victor first
attended Oxford, she had been terrified someone would notice differences and
guess her secret, but a great many studious young men at the college had no
interest in young ladies and drink. She fit in perfectly with them.
She no longer worried
about people seeing through her disguise. For all practical purposes, she was a
young man of twenty-two. She had no ‘tells’ to give her away. Her small breasts
were crushed flat by the muslin undergarment that also thickened her waist,
giving her a straighter masculine line. A modestly stuffed muslin roll attached
to the bottom of the garment filled in the crotch of her pants.
No, after ten years of
being a male, she was confident her secret would remain secure, even under the
scrutiny of the renowned Xavier Thorn.
Prior Blog Tour
In case you want to check it out.
July 24th
Vic is interviewed by Toni Kelly
July 26th
CD Brennan interviews Vic & Xavier
July 30th
Layne Macadam interviews Xavier
Aug 1st
Liza sends 7 characters & a corpse to be interviewed
by Melissa Keir
Aug 2nd
James Barry- A Real life story of a woman
who lived her life as a man in Victorian era
Sheri Fredricks
Aug 4th
James Barry - Letters discussing her in Victorian times
Jenna Jaxon
Aug 5th
The Sticky topic of GLUE
Rosanna Leo's Room
Aug 6th
Vicki Locey interviews Jacko the Pirate
Aug 8th
Haley Whitehall interviews Liza O'Connor
God help her!
Aug 11th
Aleah Barley interview Vic
Shares tragic back story
Aug 13th
History of Coco
Collette Cameron, Blue Romance
Aug 14th
ABC: Author Book Chat
Liza is mute
Aug 16th
Bow Street Runners
Tara Quan
Aug 18
Peep Rep asks Kristen Brockmeyers to Liza O'Connor
Aug 19
JC Conway/Flash of Romance
Liza is mute
Aug 20
Writing about Love
Liza discusses the Postal Service in the 19th century
Aug 21
Ella Quinn
Liza discusses the invention of telephones & what love had to do with it at
Aug 22
Melissa Kendall
Reviews
Aug 25
Kimber Vale
Banking in Late Victorian era
Aug 27
Nancy Goodman's Rakes Rogues and Romance
Xavier discusses his love for Vic
Aug 28
Patty Hammond
Typewriters in Victorian Era
Aug 29
KG Stutts
Davy talks about time in prison
Aug 30
Harlie's Books
Review & info on Victorian Guns
Sept 1
Jennifer Lowery
Interviews my characters
Sept 8
Kristen Brockmeyer
Puts really funny pics to my interview
AND THUS CONCLUDES MY BLOG TOUR
Hope you had fun!
July 30th
Layne Macadam interviews Xavier
Aug 1st
Liza sends 7 characters & a corpse to be interviewed
by Melissa Keir
Aug 2nd
James Barry- A Real life story of a woman
who lived her life as a man in Victorian era
Sheri Fredricks
Aug 4th
James Barry - Letters discussing her in Victorian times
Jenna Jaxon
Aug 5th
The Sticky topic of GLUE
Rosanna Leo's Room
Aug 6th
Vicki Locey interviews Jacko the Pirate
Aug 8th
Haley Whitehall interviews Liza O'Connor
God help her!
Aug 11th
Aleah Barley interview Vic
Shares tragic back story
Aug 13th
History of Coco
Collette Cameron, Blue Romance
Aug 14th
ABC: Author Book Chat
Liza is mute
Aug 16th
Bow Street Runners
Tara Quan
Aug 18
Peep Rep asks Kristen Brockmeyers to Liza O'Connor
Aug 19
JC Conway/Flash of Romance
Liza is mute
Aug 20
Writing about Love
Liza discusses the Postal Service in the 19th century
Aug 21
Ella Quinn
Liza discusses the invention of telephones & what love had to do with it at
Aug 22
Melissa Kendall
Reviews
Aug 25
Kimber Vale
Banking in Late Victorian era
Aug 27
Nancy Goodman's Rakes Rogues and Romance
Xavier discusses his love for Vic
Aug 28
Patty Hammond
Typewriters in Victorian Era
Aug 29
KG Stutts
Davy talks about time in prison
Aug 30
Harlie's Books
Review & info on Victorian Guns
Sept 1
Jennifer Lowery
Interviews my characters
Sept 8
Kristen Brockmeyer
Puts really funny pics to my interview
AND THUS CONCLUDES MY BLOG TOUR
Hope you had fun!
I would be very interested in being part of this blog tour. Are you running it yourself or through an agency? Will there be review opportunities? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI would love to get a copy of The Troublesome Apprentice as per your offer on the Dec 4 blog. Thanks very much! Looking forward to reading both the first book and Jacko's new book in the series.
ReplyDeletecldegraaff64@kindle.com