Dani and the Outcast
R. E. Hargrave
Release Date:
January 15, 2022
Louisiana Mafia – Olivier Crime Famiglia
A princess.
A tramp.
A hunger for revenge.
Danielle Olivier has never wanted for anything material—some labeled her spoiled, a princess—and yet, she has a heart of gold. Unlike her father. Of course, as the head of the Olivier Crime Famiglia in Louisiana, he can’t afford to be soft. Or kind. Her station in life also means Dani has grown up under an ever-watchful eye. From private tutors to a driver, not to mention two nutty nannies with a penchant for 70s classic rock, she’s rarely had a moment to herself. When her father’s watch dogs aren’t hovering, her mother is—fretting and nitpicking Dani’s appearance, posture, fashion… anything and everything are fair game to her mother, including choosing her friends.
It should be a fairytale existence, but if Dani can’t chase butterflies and fall down her own rabbit holes, dire consequences and all, the next best thing is to lose herself in simmering sauces and aromatic spices. And getting all the doggy cuddles from her best friend, Dame.
Antoine Desjardins—Juan to his friends—was raised by his maman and auntie in the 15th Ward of New Orleans. With no father figure urging him “to be a man,” he spent a lot of time in their small kitchen, watching, learning, and dreaming of bigger things. Brighter kitchens. Fusion flavors bringing not only palates, but people of all walks, together. Maybe even finding love one day.
Young and full of life, working the French Quarter lets Juan set his own hours and decide how he wants to bring home the pay. How much of it gets added to his CINO savings fund, however, depends on how hard he hits the pavement, and how many trades he’s Jack of. Not every day in the Quarter is peachy keen, though. Not when seen as a panhandler, and prejudice steers customers away from dark skin and unusual accents. In Juan’s case, an amalgamation of French, Cajun, and Haitian, with a twist of deep south.
A family vacation to NOLA, a cover excuse for Scott Olivier to check on business dealings he’s had questionable reporting on, may prove to be the excitement Dani has been looking for. Or it may bring the hardest lesson she’s ever had to learn.
Love hurts, and knowing who to trust when feelings and judgement run deep, is almost impossible to do.
Bleeding Souls Saved by Love! A Fabled Retelling of LADY AND THE TRAMP
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R.E. Hargrave is a domestic engineer, an author, a burgeoning editor, and quite possibly certifiable. Believing every story can shine bright with a bit of tough love, she takes her manuscript polishing seriously, working with her authors to help their stories, and hers, come to life and crawl from the pages into the reader’s souls. She is fond of setting her stories—which range from the sweet to the paranormal, to the erotic and horrific—on location in South Carolina and Texas, two of the many states she’s lived in over the years.