The Troublesome Apprentice

Available at 
Amazon

THE ADVENTURES OF

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.

The Troublesome Apprentice

Blog Tour begins July 24

TWO $25 Gift Cards up for grabs!

Blogs sites will be listed as they go live.

July 24th

Just a Reader's Rambling

Vic is interviewed by Toni Kelly

July 26th

Sundae with Nuts

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!