Showing results by author "H. C. Cardona" in All Categories

When Peyton Hart takes over Steeped in Mysteary, her late mother’s cherished tea shop in the picturesque town of Wallshire, she hopes to honor a legacy she never truly felt part of—and maybe even find a place to belong. Instead, she’s steeped in a mystery when a well-known literary critic is found dead at the town’s beloved Manuscript Festival after a heated confrontation between the two. Determined to protect the shop and the town, Peyton plunges into the eccentric world of authors, rival booksellers, and festival-goers—where everyone has a story to tell, and some would kill to ...

The last person private investigator Mika Chalmers expects to walk in her office is ex-boyfriend and NHL player, Eric Foresburg. He looks just like he did three years ago, tall, blond, and every inch a Viking. This isn't a social call. Eric has gotten himself into some hot water. A woman is going to publicly accuse Eric of rape and he needs Mika to prove his innocence. With pressure from her father - who happens to be the head coach of Eric's NHL team - and smarmy defense attorney, Ryan King, Mika has her work cut out for her. When feelings for Eric - feelings she buried a long time ago - ...

At Dominion Point Academy, legacies are forged, secrets simmer under spandex suits—and murder is a required course. Paige Calloway has zero powers, a stubborn streak a mile wide, and a legendary superhero family name she’s tired of tripping over. When she’s unexpectedly accepted into the elite Strategist Track, she hopes to finally carve her own path… right up until a suspicious death rocks the academy. Armed with little more than a sharp mind, a chip on her shoulder, and a sarcastic ex-vigilante grandmother who thinks burnt toast is a food group, Paige is drawn into a mystery that ...

When Peyton Hart returns to the quaint town of Wallshire, she hopes to reconnect with her estranged mother and maybe even find her place in the world. Instead, she’s thrust into a nightmare when Katarina, the enigmatic owner of the tea shop Steeped in Mysteary, is found dead—poisoned by her own brew. To make matters worse, Peyton becomes the prime suspect in the investigation. With the sharp-eyed Detective Levi Kessler questioning her every move and the town buzzing with gossip, Peyton finds herself caught in a web of secrets she never knew her mother was hiding. Determined to clear her...

In the serene coastal haven of Cherry Blossom Bay, the whispers are deadly, and the truth is as elusive as the shifting sands. With one mystery under her belt, Piper Rose is ready for more. Despite her boss and affable PI Kenji Kitsune firing her every other day during their banter, she loves what she’s doing…and who she’s doing it with. But the discovery of local artist Victoria Scheffeld’s body at the scenic shore casts a dark cloud over the town's blooming cherry blossoms. Victoria, an emerging talent from the arts community, was entangled in a web of suspicion and secrets. Was ...

Mika Chalmers is experiencing a dry spell. With no clients and Detective Beech on a last-minute, undercover assignment, Mika decides to help her father prepare for the upcoming AllStar game. This special annual event has never taken place at the Seven Seas Ice Arena before, and everyone in Irvine is bubbling with excitement. Until a shooting breaks out the day before the weekend festivities begin. Now, Mika is forced to go undercover with Irvine Buccaneers player - and her ex - Eric Foresburg as his wife in order to figure out who is targeting the AllStar game and why. And, most importantly...

Returning to Wallshire was never part of Peyton Hart’s plan—especially not to inherit a tea shop she barely knows how to run and uncover secrets tied to the mother who kept her at arm’s length. But just as she’s beginning to settle into small-town rhythms at Steeped in Mysteary, an elegant invitation pulls her into the heart of Wallshire’s most exclusive event: a tea-themed art showcase by the enigmatic Margot Drake. What should have been an evening of art and awkward mingling turns eerie when Margot never arrives—and whispers of scandal, betrayal, and a past no one wants to ...

Peyton Hart didn’t expect a gala invite from Wallshire’s police captain—let alone one hosted at a crumbling mansion steeped in history, politics, and way too much wine. But when she arrives at Hallowthorne House in her favorite velvet dress, she quickly realizes this isn’t just a fundraiser—it’s a powder keg. Tensions simmer between rivals, secrets linger in every gilded corner, and a perfectly polite evening turns perilous when a body turns up the morning after. With her tea shop on the brink, a stormy detective at her side, and a growing suspicion that someone is brewing more ...

The last person Mika Chalmers expects at her door is ex-girlfriend to Detective Alex Beech asking for Mika's help. Jeffrey Beech, the detective's father, is gone, and no one knows where he is. Since Beech is next in line to take over his father's motorcycle club, the club expects him to step up and lead them into a territory war - something Beech has been trying to get out of. At the same time, Mika's father is getting blackmailed by an unknown source who wants the Buccaneer's to miss the playoffs this season. What her father has in his closet, he refuses to tell Mika. In fact, he doesn't ...

Piper Hart is ready to settle into her quiet new life in Cherry Blossom Bay—until she stumbles across a mysterious ring linked to a decades-old unsolved heist. When whispers of secrets long buried begin to swirl, Piper finds herself drawn into a web of danger, deception, and small-town rivalries. As she dives deeper into the mystery, Piper uncovers connections to a tragic death on the infamous Cherry Blossom Bluffs, reigniting suspicions and unearthing clues that some would rather stay hidden. With the help of a charming yet infuriating detective and her own growing courage, Piper must ...

Cherry Blossom Bay is all cider and smiles—until someone turns up dead with too many enemies and not enough answers. When a beloved local is found dead just days before Cherry Blossom Bay’s Fall Festival, amateur sleuth Piper Rose is thrust into her most personal case yet. With the victim tied to a decades-old land dispute—and whispers of foul play stirring up small-town tensions—Piper must navigate feuding families, festival chaos, and a murder that may not be as straightforward as it seems. Juggling her new anatomy class (and the brooding professor who might secretly enjoy ...

Cherry Blossom Bay's serene shores hide dark secrets, and Piper Rose is about to uncover them all. Tasked with helping her enigmatic boss, Kenji Kitsune, Piper navigates the picturesque town's mysteries while dealing with her own troubled past. After the front runner to the Miss Cherry Blossom Bay Beauty Pageant goes missing, Piper is tasked with going undercover to find her. No one expects her to succeed. The pageant director dismisses her as not "pageant material," her own mother doubts her capabilities, and Kenji Kitsune wants her nowhere near the case. But Piper refuses to cower. Thrust...

The pumpkins are glowing, the cider is hot… and this year’s Halloween festival comes with a side of murder. When the Shadow King—an eerie figure from Cherry Blossom Bay’s favorite October legend—seems to step out of folklore and into real life, Piper laughs it off as seasonal fun… until a body is found at the haunted walk-through. Now, between juggling medical exams, an overprotective partner-in-crime-solving, and a suspect list tangled with old grudges, Piper must unravel the truth before the killer disappears into the mist. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more the ...

When photographer Jack Bell's death at Cherry Blossom Bay is ruled accidental, Piper Rose teams up with her grumpy boss to unravel a mystery where everyone has a motive. The last thing Piper Rose expects is a text message from her ex-boyfriend's older brother, cashing in a favor she thought he forgot about. Somehow, she winds up showing renowned photographer Jack Bell around Cherry Blossom Bay, posing for pictures and taking him to idyllic places perfect for his new photospread. When his body is found at the bottom of Sakura Cliffs, she thinks something suspicious is going on. Unfortunately...

Thanksgiving in Cherry Blossom Bay usually comes with stuffing, small-town drama, and an unhealthy amount of butter—but murder? That’s new. Piper was just looking for a distraction. With her parents off on a surprise cruise and a breakup she’s pretending not to care about, saying yes to the town’s annual Buttered Turkey Cook-Off felt like something to do. But when a beloved contestant drops dead mid-competition, and the crime scene smells more like thyme than foul play, she and Kitsune are pulled into a mystery that’s as messy as a potluck gone wrong. Now, Piper’s juggling ...

Before private investigator Mika Chalmers can go on a holiday vacation with her boyfriend and NHL player, Eric Foresburg, a client comes into her office, desperate for help. His son is missing, and only she can help. It looks like Eric will have to wait, especially when she discovers that the son in question is none other than Alexander Beech. His father wants him to reclaim his position as Alpha of the Viper Motorcycle Club before Beech is challenged by a rival gang for territory. Beech wants absolutely nothing to do with his father and his past, but his past doesn’t seem to care. The ...

🎃 Murder wears a mask… and it’s stalking Dominion Point. 🕯️ The Masquerade Ball is the highlight of the season—enchanted costumes, glittering lights, and a chance to be someone else for a night. But when a series of eerily staged murders shakes the academy, Paige Calloway finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer known only as the Harvest Reaper. Partnered with a new Vigilante cadet and locked in a silent standoff with her broody mentor Ashford, Paige is determined to prove she belongs on the front lines. The only problem? The killer might be closer than anyone thinks… and...

At Dominion Point Academy, fall means more than pumpkin spice and midterm stress—it means hayrides, haunted mazes, and homicide. When a festive hayride becomes the scene of a shocking discovery, Paige Calloway—strategist, reluctant heroine, and emotional disaster magnet—is thrust into another tangled mystery. Teaming up once more with the enigmatic Professor Rhys Ashford, whose brooding glances and black wardrobe are as lethal as his logic, Paige must unravel a trail of secrets hidden beneath golden leaves and cozy lies. But autumn isn’t just for murder—it’s for moonlit ...

Thanksgiving at the Fontaine estate was supposed to be a glittering holiday gathering. Instead, it turns into a locked-room nightmare. When a disgraced journalist is found dead in the study—doors locked from the inside—Paige Calloway and her friends are thrust into their most perilous investigation yet. With the Fontaine family’s reputation on the line and old enemies circling, every guest is a suspect…and every alibi hides a crack. As secrets unravel and long-buried grudges come to light, Paige must navigate a house full of lies, power plays, and dangerous legacies. But the closer ...

At Dominion Point Academy, power comes in many forms—and not all of it wears a cape. After cracking her first real case, Paige Calloway is finally finding her footing among powered peers and strategic chaos. But when a star hero’s showcase ends in a fiery disaster and a mysterious figure starts shadowing her every move, Paige finds herself pulled into a new mystery—one with higher stakes, shifting alliances, and secrets that could upend everything she thought she knew. With the help of her sarcastic friends, her ex-vigilante grandma, and her brooding mentor Ashford—who still knows ...