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After the events of CHRISTINE, it's up to Mina, Esme, and Elizabeth to pull off the Fall Festival on their own. As the unofficial leader of the Mapleton Maidens, Mina tries to hold it all together, but finds her world spinning -- Miss Thorpe has a breakdown, Lucy is suddenly engaged to a man she doesn't love, Esme is determined to move out of the church and take a job at the tavern, and what in the world has happened to Mina's beloved fiancee Jonathan Harker?
And then on a dark and stormy night, a mysterious Count arrives in Mapleton....
In this take on DRACULA, will Mina and the Maidens come any closer to unraveling the mystery of the Mapleton Massacre, or will their lives and friendship be splintered forever?
And then on a dark and stormy night, a mysterious Count arrives in Mapleton....
In this take on DRACULA, will Mina and the Maidens come any closer to unraveling the mystery of the Mapleton Massacre, or will their lives and friendship be splintered forever?
151 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2016
9 people want to read
About the author
Marie Piper
30 books101 followersMARIE PIPER is a graduate of Michigan State University, a former actor/director, and a lover of stories. She’s especially interested in writing stories set in the weird and wild history of America.
The steamy western trilogy, FIRES OF CRICKET BEND, is available from Limitless Publishing. The five-part dime store serial, MAIDENS & MONSTERS, can be found on Amazon. Marie's short stories, ranging from erotica to sci-fi fairy tales, can be found in a variety of collections.
Marie lives in Chicago with her husband, kiddo, and three cats. In non-pandemic times, she goes on adventures with her zany family, reads everything she can get her hands on, loves visiting all the museums Chicago has to offer, and tweets too much. (Tweets have increased because, you know, pandemic.)
Currently, she is wearing a mask like a responsible citizen while working on a romance set during the Salem Witch Trials, as well as the third and final book in THE GILDED BRIDES.
Find her on Twitter/Instagram at @mariepiperbooks and say hi!
The steamy western trilogy, FIRES OF CRICKET BEND, is available from Limitless Publishing. The five-part dime store serial, MAIDENS & MONSTERS, can be found on Amazon. Marie's short stories, ranging from erotica to sci-fi fairy tales, can be found in a variety of collections.
Marie lives in Chicago with her husband, kiddo, and three cats. In non-pandemic times, she goes on adventures with her zany family, reads everything she can get her hands on, loves visiting all the museums Chicago has to offer, and tweets too much. (Tweets have increased because, you know, pandemic.)
Currently, she is wearing a mask like a responsible citizen while working on a romance set during the Salem Witch Trials, as well as the third and final book in THE GILDED BRIDES.
Find her on Twitter/Instagram at @mariepiperbooks and say hi!
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 10, 2017
The first in this series, Christine, drew me in as a Phantom of the Opera variant. It led me to want to continue reading more about this group of brave, unconventional Maidens in Old West times merged with classic Gothic fiction.
This is a quick read, about an hour, and the pacing is sound - nothing feels drawn out or boring. Mina recounts her tale in a mix of diary entries and memories, revealing secrets of the mysterious Count as well as others in town.
I appreciate that thus far in the series, the Monsters in the title often are better people than others in town; it's a nice flip to the horror movies of yesteryear that paints them as ghastly beings.
This is a quick read, about an hour, and the pacing is sound - nothing feels drawn out or boring. Mina recounts her tale in a mix of diary entries and memories, revealing secrets of the mysterious Count as well as others in town.
I appreciate that thus far in the series, the Monsters in the title often are better people than others in town; it's a nice flip to the horror movies of yesteryear that paints them as ghastly beings.
January 31, 2017
There’s been a lot that happened in between Christine and Mina, because we find out that Lucy is on the outs with the Maidens, and Mina is actually engaged to Jonathan Harker. I’m a bit bummed we didn’t get to see that relationship blossom. (Though you do get to see his devotion to her in this book, so that helps ease that pain.)
The story opens on the schoolteacher losing her marbles (or did she?) and Mina’s mother and the mayor decided to have her admitted to the asylum.
After that, the story is a little bit boring for a bit as you get to know Mina’s character a bit more, as you watch her go through a typical day reporting for The Gazette, which her mom runs.
Once Jonathan and Count Dalca show up, things start to pick up.
Lucy is traded around to all the eligible bachelors in the town like a prize cow, and it’s enough to really make you want to shake Lucy and ask her why she’s not standing up for herself. (Then again, this is the 1880s, women weren’t allowed to do that.)
Mina’s trying to unravel the mystery of the count and his eccentric ways, why her fiancé is ignoring her, just what’s going on with Lucy, and the schoolteacher’s insanity.
It’s a roller coaster ride, for sure. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, there’s a new twist that comes. Some I saw coming, some I didn’t.
This one doesn’t give you all the answers either, which is the nature of a series. There are still three more books to come after this one, so of course the answers won't be here. But you do definitely get a few more answers than there were at the end of Christine… then again, there are now a lot more questions now than at the end of Christine.
Just like with Christine, once I finally had the time to sit down and read it I finished it in a day, which is usually the best form of praise I can give a book. Because I wasn’t putting it down till I had answers. In fact, once I finished, I immediately opened my copy of Lucy and stayed in Mapleton a little while longer before I finally had to give in and go to bed. (Alas, I had work in the morning!)
The story opens on the schoolteacher losing her marbles (or did she?) and Mina’s mother and the mayor decided to have her admitted to the asylum.
After that, the story is a little bit boring for a bit as you get to know Mina’s character a bit more, as you watch her go through a typical day reporting for The Gazette, which her mom runs.
Once Jonathan and Count Dalca show up, things start to pick up.
Lucy is traded around to all the eligible bachelors in the town like a prize cow, and it’s enough to really make you want to shake Lucy and ask her why she’s not standing up for herself. (Then again, this is the 1880s, women weren’t allowed to do that.)
Mina’s trying to unravel the mystery of the count and his eccentric ways, why her fiancé is ignoring her, just what’s going on with Lucy, and the schoolteacher’s insanity.
It’s a roller coaster ride, for sure. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, there’s a new twist that comes. Some I saw coming, some I didn’t.
This one doesn’t give you all the answers either, which is the nature of a series. There are still three more books to come after this one, so of course the answers won't be here. But you do definitely get a few more answers than there were at the end of Christine… then again, there are now a lot more questions now than at the end of Christine.
Just like with Christine, once I finally had the time to sit down and read it I finished it in a day, which is usually the best form of praise I can give a book. Because I wasn’t putting it down till I had answers. In fact, once I finished, I immediately opened my copy of Lucy and stayed in Mapleton a little while longer before I finally had to give in and go to bed. (Alas, I had work in the morning!)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews