Blackhearted Betrayal
Read Blackhearted Betrayal Online
Authors: Kasey Mackenzie
PRAISE FOR
GREEN-EYED ENVY
“Engrossing …Mackenzie’s writing is clean and clever, the plot is twisty and intriguing, and Riss’s charm and sass elevate her above many other fantasy heroines.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“Complex and intriguing …[a] wonderful mystery, and enough intrigue to keep me on my toes wondering exactly who done it.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“Love this series, and Riss! She is such a kick-ass heroine that you can’t help but root for her. She has spunk and an attitude and knows how to use it, which is why I like her so much. It’s just great writing and keeps the reader interested. I cannot wait to see what happens next!”
—
Night Owl Reviews
“No one knows how to write a fantasy, mystery, and suspense quite like Kasey Mackenzie.
Green-Eyed Envy
is action-packed with new twists around every corner. Readers will …be left guessing until the very end. Ms. Mackenzie truly knows how to keep fans on their toes! The story is engaging, fast-paced, and loads of fun.”
—
Romance Reviews Today
“Mackenzie proves that her thrilling debut was just the start of great things to come …a nonstop ride packed with mystery, betrayal, and murder …well worth reading.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“Superb …This is a great tour of Boston’s paranormal underground.”
—
Alternative Worlds
RED HOT FURY
“Urban fantasy readers looking for something new will thrill to this exhilarating debut, populated with creatures from Greek myth …Riss is the perfect urban fantasy heroine—fresh, sassy, smart, and determined—and a cavalcade of fully developed side characters keep this twisty tale moving quickly.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“I loved it. Kasey Mackenzie is a brilliant new talent, and
Red Hot Fury
is fun, inventive, and has an awesome heroine. Easily the best book I’ve read this year.”
—Karen Chance,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Cassie Palmer series
“Pulls you in from page one, and the action doesn’t stop there. Marissa is a Fury with sass, skills, and leather …not to mention a sexy Irish Warhound by her side. If you’re ready for a unique spin on all things paranormal—and you’re ready to stay up a little too late reading—grab
Red Hot Fury
and prepare to dive in. Kasey Mackenzie’s first Shades of Fury novel sets a new standard for urban fantasy.”
—Chloe Neill, author of the Chicagoland Vampires series
“Warning to readers: You may become hooked and gain little sleep while reading
Red Hot Fury
. Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, and Karen Chance will keep on the lookout for Ms. Mackenzie and the Shades of Fury novels!”
—
Romance Reviews Today
“A superfast-paced story. The plot just swoons by, and it was incredibly fun to read …
Red Hot Fury
is fabulous! There [are] plenty of kick-ass action scenes, the world-building is really interesting, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this new urban fantasy series.”
—
Night Owl Reviews
Ace Books by Kasey Mackenzie
RED HOT FURY
GREEN-EYED ENVY
BLACKHEARTED BETRAYAL
LACKHEARTED
B
ETRAYAL
KASEY MACKENZIE
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over
and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
BLACKHEARTED BETRAYAL
An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Ace mass-market edition / July 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Heather Faucher.
Cover art by Judy York.
Cover design by Judith Lagerman.
Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-58878-9
ACE
Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
Dedicated to the memory of my mother, Debbie. You left us way too soon, but I know you’re finally at peace, and
you
know I’ll help our family carry on through the grief. We’ll love and miss you always.
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,
Love leaves a memory no one can steal.
—
FROM AN IRISH HEADSTONE
This section is going to be long again because this book has been, without a doubt, the absolutely hardest to write of my life. Many personal challenges kicked me around this year, culminating with the heartbreaking death of my mother, Debbie, on Thanksgiving night. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who, in whatever way, helped my family deal with this tragedy, from those who gave their support and love to those who made sure my baby boy had a wonderful Christmas. Both old and new friends helped ease my heart during the toughest crisis of my life. Sorry there’s not room to list you all by name, but just know that you are all appreciated so much more than I can express. Thank you!
Thanks again to my ever-patient editor, Jessica Wade, and everyone at Ace who was so understanding as I dealt with all the trauma this year; to my awesome rock star of an agent, Ginger Clark, who never doubted I could get this book done; to my amazing cover artist, Judy York, and Ace’s fantastic art department, who all amaze me more with each book; and to the enthusiastic readers, librarians,
and booksellers who have connected with this series and make what I do possible.
Last but not least, thanks to my beloved family: my loving husband, Shawn, who has more faith in me than I could ever have in myself; my adorable son, Zack, who is the sweetest and best baby boy a mother could ever have; my stepfather, Larry, who loved my mother so much and whom we love for that and many other reasons; my baby sister, Kelsey, who has become such an amazing mother and dealt with so much the past few months with grace and love; my brothers, Dustin and Chris, whom I may not always see eye to eye with but love tremendously; my future brother-in-law, Scott, who is an amazing man; my new nephews and niece, who gave us all reasons to smile even in the darkest of days; my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and in-laws, who pulled together to help us deal with Mom’s passing; and my best friend, Julie, who is just as much of a sister to me as my biological sister. Much thanks and love also to my fabulous friends in the writing community, including (but not limited to) Jill Myles, Gretchen McNeil, Cindy Pon, Chris Marie Green, Wen Spencer, Jackie Kessler, Heather Brewer, Cole Gibsen, Shawntelle Madison, Chloe Neill, Team Purgatory at Absolute Write, my chat buddies at Forward Motion for Writers, and the St. Louis Writers Guild.
Remember to hold your loved ones tight and tell them how you feel about them: You never know when it will be for the last time.
NOTHING KILLED A POSTPARTY BUZZ LIKE
waiting all night to jump your lover’s bones only to have a Harpy bust into your home while you’re getting frisky on the sofa. Even worse, a
pregnant
Harpy, whose enormous belly, swollen ankles, and raging mood swings served as a walking billboard for conscientious birth-control use. I let out a choked scream and covered my nakedness with an afghan when the Harpy Queen waltzed through my front door
entirely
too early in the morning. Scott Murphy, the love of my life, became alert—er, the
other
kind of alert—and lunged to his feet, fortunately still wearing his tuxedo pants.