Nearly Beloved

Nearly Sinful #2

by Shari Hearn

Hell has finally frozen over. Gertie's getting married!

Or… is she?

When a charming gold-digger by the name of Cliff Dow comes to Sinful and steals from their friend, Marie, the Swamp Team 3 decides to get even by publicly shaming him at the "When Hell Freezes Over" wedding of the century.

And everything's going according to plan until… Well, this is Sinful after all.

Meanwhile, a mystery woman also arrives. She says she's a FEMA representative. But Fortune thinks otherwise. She's met her before. But where? More importantly, is she friend or foe?

Nearly Beloved (Sinful Stories Book 3) takes place after the events of Hurricane Force, Book 7 of Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series.

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: Nearly Beloved was first published on April 26, 2016 as part of the Miss Fortune Kindle Worlds program (which ended in July of 2018). It is now part of the Miss Fortune World published by J&R Fan Fiction. I wish to thank Ms. DeLeon for graciously allowing other writers to explore their own writing in a most Sinful way.

Sinful Stories is a series of stories written by Shari Hearn within the Miss Fortune World featuring Fortune, Gertie and Ida Belle. They may be read in any order; however, they do follow the timeline of Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series with regard to Fortune's relationship with Carter. With the earlier books in the series, Carter doesn't know Fortune's true identity. As Jana DeLeon's series changes with regard to Fortune's continued threat from Ahmad, future stories within Sinful Stories will reflect those changes.

Currently, the stories within Sinful Stories include:

Nearly Departed

Mutiny on the Bayou

Overdue

Nearly Beloved

Rematch

Leaving Sinful

Murder on the Sinful Express

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

116 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2018

About the author

I have written 14 books in the Miss Fortune World, licensed fan fiction of Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune Mysteries. Currently, I'm writing an original paranormal cozy mystery series featuring two enemies-in-life who team with a living medium to solve crimes.

Reviews

[Eden]

2023 bk 27. When a scam artist hits Mudbug and Sinful, Louisiana he meets his match in Gertie. Angered because of the local women he has robbed of money, jewels, and peace of mind, Gertie and the group set up a sting operation of their own. A faked wedding, fake Russian spies, and a surprise about family for Fortune make this the best of her books - so far.

[Garnet Hughes]

Marie gets scammed by a new man in town and Gertie, Ida Belle and Fortune are determined to make him pay. They sneak into his rental house and find all kinds of fake IDs and files showing he has scammed many women. Now they have a mission to set this guy up. They plot a plan for Gertie to pretend to marry the guy after they make her look like she is really rich and they want as many of the ladies that were scammed to come to the wedding. When the minister asked if anyone objects, they stand up one by one and tell their stories. Then someone shoots Cliff with a dart and he passes out. An ambulance arrives to take him to the hospital and disappears. Now they have to figure out who took him and still get all the things he stole back. The plot thickens and you need to figure out who the bad guys are besides Cliff. Agent McKenna from the FBI gets involved in the case and she and Fortune seem to know each other but Fortune doesn't know how. And Fortune needs to keep her identity secret since Ahmad has a contract to kill her in effect. The story of Fortune and Agent McKenna comes out at the end of the story and it s a perfect fit. Hopefully more great stories to come.

[Patti]

If you love Fortune, read this novella!

If you are a fan of Jana DeLeon and her Miss Fortune series, you will love this wonderful companion series of novellas "Miss Fortune World: Sinful Stories." "Nearly Beloved" is book 4 of the series, written by the talented Shari Hearn; who perfectly captures the setting and the characters.

When Marie is burglarized and the pendant and letter left to her by Marge are stolen, the Geritol Mafia springs into action to catch the thief, get back Marie's things, and teach him a lesson he won't ever forget.

There's also a birthday party for a cat, drag queens, and plenty of awkwardness between Fortune and Carter. And who is the mysterious woman with Carter, and why can't she stop staring at Fortune like she knows her? But Fortune doesn't. Oh yeah. Almost forgot! Gertie is getting married!

I laughed out loud while reading this, but the last chapter had me bawling.

[Mary Lou Webb]

Good story, characters a little off

Having read all of the original Miss Fortune series by Ms. DeLeon, I have a pretty clear picture of the characters. The ones in this series are very similar to the original characters, but in this series, they are edgier, I'd even go so far as to say meaner, than the original characters. That's not to say that this isn't a good story, because the story,itself, is good. I like the premise very much, but, sadly, it lacks the humor and camaraderie of the original. I'm not giving up on the series, though. I'll keep reading the series to see if the characters improve.

[Liz]

Keeps up with the original

I chose this book based on reviews that said the voice was in spontaneity the series (despite being written by another author). I found this to be true. I really enjoyed this novella and the other two I read by Shari Hearn. She does a great job; the stories are compelling and characters true to form. If you are hankering for some Sinful while waiting for Ms. DeLeon's next in series, these will satisfy.

[Mary Sanford]

Nearly Beloved

This book really held my attention. All of the excitement of getting a hold of Cliff after all the ladies told the stories of what he sold from them. Gertie setting him up to get married so they could get all the items back but he gets kidnapped by 2 Russians. Hope you enjoy reading how it turns out.

[Pam Collins]

Oh my!

Hilarity and some of the most poignant moments I've ever read are just two reasons I love this book. The characters are so captivating and endearing, and the plots are highly entertaining. I'm looking forward to more Miss Fortune books set in Sinful.

[Kimberly Davis]

The fake wedding

Maria is targeted by a conman who stole from her. She calls Ida Belle and Gertie to get her stuff back. They enlist Fortune and they decide to con the conman. I loved this book by Shari Hearn

[Elaine M. Krill]

The Best Yet!

A. So well written that it held my interest all the way through!
B. This was fun, touching, and exciting!
C. I guessed part of the ending but not all which is unusual. The total ending blew me away! I love that!!

[Penny J Marie]

Sinful full of fun

I love this series. I enjoy reading new authors as they spin new tales about sinful and its people this is a don't pass up series

[Linda Younger]

Great read.

Shari is as good a story teller as the original author. So glad I decided to take these story's on.

[Dianne]

So fun!

When you just can’t get enough of Fortune and the gang this author provides some really fun backstories! Keep on reading!

[stephanie huntington]

Very enjoyable

[Maureen]

One of my favorite series....I’ve always said this could be a funny sitcom....

[John Jambo]

O

One of my favorites enjoyed immensely looking forward to next book . We're fortunate to have two writers with so much talent.

[Mary Kay Lucas]

As with all the Fotune books this was a fun read. The story line moved quickly and your attention never faltered. Great fun book.

[Sondra Wayman]

love this story

Shari has Fortune’s heart and writes about Fortune and friends so well! Jana, thank you for letting her write this story! A great addition!

[Linda Susan Buerkett]

Wonderful series

I loved every word of book #3 and 4 . can't wait to read book #5 and alk the rest. Authors who write about Fortune have done a great job.

[Noreen]

OMG best story ever

I am in tears here at the end. Never expected it and hope another book completes the story...would Love to hear more...if I can stop crying....

[Sandra Smith]

Nearly Beloved the best Kindle Novella for the Miss Fortune!!!!! but read Nearly Departed first!!!

Not a spoiler review read away. Why, I gave this 5 stars because it was well written. What did I love about it, It gave LAUGHS, tears, joy and a future to Fortune. Who would I recommend this to, All the Miss Fortune fans. It is wonderful.

[ERIKA GUZMAN]

It made me laugh & cry. Luv The Ladies of Sinful

It made me laugh & cry. Luv The Ladies of Sinful. Great short story just hope that the next book has "The New Agent."

[pat jarreau]

Love following the ladies

Chose this book because of Fortune and the gang. I love being able to follow them through all their shenanigans!

[Shirley]

A Must Read

If you are following Fortune, Carter and Sinful you will love this book! Hurry and get to the ending. Don't peak. It's fantastic!

[Beth Sekinger]

Very good!

I really enjoyed this book! Always love to see what Fortune and the ladies are up to!! They are hilarious!

[Kim Stathakos]

I loved it!!!