Searching for Balliol

Riley and Sebastien

Riley had hit the jackpot- once she survived the attempt on her life, of course. She had a husband – Sebastien – who loved and adored her,  a family to keep her grounded and help her hold it all together, and a title she had never dreamed of – Queen Riley Balliol of Delphia. The people of this magical land loved and respected her and she vowed to protect them and help them flourish. But five years later, things aren’t always what they seem. Lies and secrets threaten to destroy everything Riley has fought for.
Projecting an air of calm and perfection she didn’t feel, Riley had been forced to rely on others for answers to her greatest questions for too long.  Restless and broken, Riley will finally take matters into her own hands as she refuses to sit on the sidelines any longer. Can she fix what’s broken? Will she want to once the truth is discovered?

Publisher:
Piper Bedwell

Publication Date
August 2022

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Excerpt:

“It’s a completely normal reaction really,” she went on as if he wasn’t staring at her like a crazy person. “It’s a completely normal reaction to seeing someone so…what’s the word?” She tapped her finger on her chin in thought. She didn’t want to say naked so plainly and risk running him off again. “Indisposed.”

“What is a normal reaction, exactly?” he asked slowly, finally regaining control of his face enough to speak. He fought to keep the image of her full breasts out of his mind.

“Embarrassment,” she reminded him simply.

“Embarrassment? You thought I was embarrassed? That’s what you thought that was?” His words dripped with the shock her words conjured.

“Of course,” she replied. “What else could it be? You wouldn’t even speak to me, much less look at me. And don’t think I didn’t notice your little disappearing act once Dew arrived.”

“No! I wasn’t –“ he stopped himself suddenly. Was he really about to admit that the sight of her creamy, bare skin completely exposed was etched into his mind for all eternity? Or that her perfect breasts and trim waist were images that would sustain him through many lonely nights ahead? Was he really going to admit all that to save his pride over the thought that he was embarrassed? She’d send him away and never let him near her again. “Er…you’re right…I was…er…caught off guard and unprepared. I don’t like to admit my… embarrassment.”

He almost choked on his words a couple times and had to really fight to get them out, but it was better than the alternative.

“Well, I assure you, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. It was bound to happen at some point. Close quarters…camping…you know. Now we can move on from it. Besides, what’s a little nudity among friends?”

Pele and Typhron whipped their heads up and stared at her incredulously. Ender wasn’t much better and Riley felt her face heat in embarrassment. She wasn’t sure what they were more shocked about, the comment about nudity or that she had called him a friend.