Trouble no. 2 RavenCroft Collection

Don’t skip this!

Seriously

You’ll miss the best part.

Vortigern Black here.

To start you should know that the author and I have been arguing feverishly for months. She seems to think that at the beginning of this book I should be updating you on what has transpired so far since this is the second book of the RavenCroft Series. But I disagree.

Why should I repeat myself? Why should I tell you that Kahner RavenCroft returned home with a woman and three children in tow after having been gone for fifteen years working undercover with the CIA? I would argue that telling you all this would be like giving away the fact that the woman in question, Sable Kryder, aka Kalysta Radford, wound up pregnant by Kahner. Or that he convinced her to marry him. Seriously, what would be the point in convincing you to go back and pick up book one, if you hadn’t already, if I tell you all this now? Sort of ruins it, don’t you think?

And what do you think her response was? She said, and I quote, “It’s a romance, Vortigern. Everybody knows it wouldn’t be a love story if they didn’t come together in the end, and besides, there is pertinent information in book one that won’t get re-iterated here otherwise.”

I’ll tell you what, that woman is so tightly wound, that it would take a dozen valium, a sling shot, and a rubber ball to bring her down from the ladder she’s perched on. But that’s just my opinion.

I suppose there may well be some merit to getting you back up to speed on what’s been happening with the RavenCrofts. And as the author of this story argued, not everyone may have read the first one yet. To which I asked her, why the heck not? For I am Vortigern Black, an attractive individual with a vast intellect and a worldly view who works deep, deep under cover, and happens to be the teller of this tale. Who wouldn’t want to read about me?

Or, wait, that is… what I’m narrating. That’s what I meant to say. Who wouldn’t want to read about the RavenCrofts?

Hahaha.

Oops.

Anyway, being the considerate individual that I am I continued to argue with Ms. Christine on your behalf, asking her why she couldn’t have just put it all in one book. To which she was kind enough to point out that if she were to do that rather than splitting it up, then this story would make an encyclopedia look like a short novel.

Have you noticed so far that the author also happens to be a pain in my butt? Unfortunately, she may well have trumped my point. So, while rolling my eyes with disgust, I shall continue with this beginning disclaimer.

If you are discovering this novella first, then you might want to consider backing up and starting with book one. You can read, Trouble, and enjoy it a great deal even without it, but you will miss a bit of the larger picture.

If you’re coming straight from having read the first in the RavenCroft series, then you already know I am deep, deep undercover as I’ve said previously, and I won’t be telling you which character I am within this story. I will, however, leave you with another clue, or two, which is the only reason I even mention it. This way you can attempt to ferret out which one of the characters I, Vortigern Black, really am.

That’s right. This is a mystery, within a mystery. A suspenseful thriller with a bit of fantasy. A chaotic depiction of a family drama and a universal love story all rolled into one. The tale revolves around the RavenCroft family of six gifted adults and their father, Bastion RavenCroft, who use their abilities to help others where and how they can. No, they are not by any means like superhero’s who run around wearing tights and underwear outside of their clothes or X-men in costumes. In fact, they are anything but. They are, however, human so they do tend to make poor choices, just like you or me...

Or, that is, you anyway.

I don’t make bad choices for I am perfect. Moving on…

This story you have in your hands today is filled with all kinds of trouble, hence the title. It could also be considered a dark romance for it tells the story of Kalabernus RavenCroft. He is the second born of a set of triplets and has an ability that is more like a curse. See now, his father, Bastion RavenCroft would argue otherwise but I say…

Not!

Hello! The man has been seeing shadowy demon-like creatures of whom have been tormenting him since he was a child. You sure as heck aren’t going to convince me that’s a blessing.

Kalabernus’s story starts in Loveland, Colorado and, like in the tale of his brother, Kahner, it began in the year two-thousand only a month later in November. Yes, the year two-thousand does seem to be ending with some upsetting events for the RavenCrofts. Just last month Kalabernus’s brother, Kahner, divorced his first wife and was taking the breakup hard. And now this month…

Well, just read, you’ll see.

Don’t think this one needs a lead in. This story of trouble and woe, sort of tells it all. But I should warn you, that you may well be gaining more than just Kalabernus’s perspective on the events that transpire.