NEW RELEASE FOR STELLA MAY

September 23, 2024 | Author Friend New Releases

Multi-published romance author Stella May is elated to announce the release of her latest novel New Life, Book Three in the Rostoff Family Saga! Here’s the blurb and an excerpt to pique your interest.

In a kingdom held together by secrets and lies, the truth could heal—or destroy.

The queen is dead. But the damage Elizabeth Rostoff leaves behind to lives, hopes, and relationships lives on.

Seven years ago, Peter Rostoff severed all ties with his family—including his sister, Kat.

But at his father’s insistence, he reluctantly returns for the funeral worn thin by his FBI position and burdened by a secret shame. But mostly by one haunting mystery—why the woman he loved like a mother disappeared…

All those years ago, Natasha Sokolova thought abandoning Dmitry Rostoff and the children she’d come to love as her own was the right thing, the only thing, to do. Resurfacing after Elizabeth’s death isn’t the healing experience she’d prayed for, but a gut-wrenching discovery of yet more secrets, and news that could destroy her for good.

Kat Rostoff lives in a bubble filled with her doting father and a mentor that helped mold her into a world-renowned artist. Yet nothing can fill the empty space, and a vague sense of guilt, left behind by the mother figure she barely remembers, and the brother who fled Paris seven years ago without looking back.

Four lives, set on diverging paths with only a glimmer of hope for reconciliation. But will the queen’s evil reach out from beyond the grave to destroy it for good?

EXCERPT

A candid snap of a teenage girl, beautiful in her budding femininity, smiling shyly in the camera. Hair of true platinum color, a rare Nordic shade, long and silky, and eyes the color of a sky before it rained. Katie… His beautiful princess, his baby sister… No, not a baby anymore. Peter sighed.

Ekaterina Rostoff, a famous artist, sculptor, celebrity.

His salvation. And curse.

Just thinking about her made his heart melt and sigh and stutter.

And burn with shame.

Peter lifted his hand, then dropped it down without touching her beautiful image. With a helpless oath, he turned away, pulled at his hair with both hands. Defeated, he dropped into a chair, and closed his eyes. As if conjured by his unruly imagination, her face swam before him. Peter fisted his hands.

Dammit.

Seeing Katie in Zolotoe Selo took a toll on him. For almost seven years, he deliberately stayed away from her, from California and his grandmother’s estate  where they grew up. If not for Elizabeth’s funeral, he would never have returned to that place.

That estate and the monstrosity of the manor house repelled and attracted him at the same time. Two days ago, as soon as he saw it again after all these years, the memories ambushed him. Bittersweet and poignant and heartbreaking.

It made him feel again like a lost little boy from so long ago.

Or just yesterday? Two decades seemed to shrink to just two days. Or even minutes. His imagination played a nasty trick, as the painfully familiar face of a young woman swam before his eyes. Red curly hair, impossibly green eyes, petite frame. And the voice, deep and velvety, like raw honey drizzled over milk. Natasha. His first adolescent crush, his best friend, his second mother.

With an effort, he banished her image from his mind, shut a lid on his memories. Eighteen years ago, Natasha vanished into a thin air after accepting a hefty check from Elizabeth. She never reappeared again.

Her betrayal still hurt. It always will. He forced himself to stop wondering where she might be, or worrying if she was alright. No point to dwell on it. He wished her well.

But dammed if he was able to forget or forgive.

Even the vivid reminder of Natasha paled in comparison with meeting Katie.

She stole his breath the very first time he saw her. Just a tiny baby, to him she seemed the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. That moment etched into his memory forever. The gazebo in his grandmother’s estate, the small cradle, and the tiny baby with a mop of a silky hair. She slept with her cherubic mouth half-open, covered in a pink blanket. And when she opened her eyes, blinked, and smiled at him, she claimed his young heart. Forever.

Almost two decades later, she still remained the most beautiful thing under the sun. And still every time she aimed her pewter eyes at Peter, his heart broke.

Katie. His princess. His greatest joy.

His worst nightmare.

AMAZON BUY LINK

Stella May is the penname for Marina Sardarova who has a fascinating history you should read on her website.

Stella writes fantasy romance as well as time travel romance. She is the author of ‘Till Time Do Us Part, Book 1 in her Upon a Time series, and the stand-alone book Rhapsody in Dreams. Love and family are two cornerstones of her stories and life. Stella’s books are available in e-book and paperback through all major vendors.