In THE ACCUSED Alaina LeBeau worked for a prestigious law firm and thought she was up for a partnership but was passed over. This is the end of the rope for her, she already feels awful when a criminal case she won turns out terribly wrong. She turns in her resignation.

In the midst of this she receives a letter concerning her stepfather, Trenton Purcell. He has passed away and now all that was her mother's would be going to her and her two sisters with stipulations that each girl must live in the house for two weeks within a year. When Alaina was seven her mother died and Purcell packed them all off to distant relatives and she hasn't seen her sisters since. It seems to be the perfect time to go back to the little bayou village of Calais. She could live there awhile and figure out what to do with her life.

Carter Trahan, sheriff of Calais, has been appointed to baby-sit the heiresses during their two week stay. He isn't happy about it but he only has to make sure that they do not stay outside of the estate for more than 24 hours at a time or the two weeks start over. He has no idea that he was about to be drawn into something he never expects. She is gorgeous, feisty, smart and sexy as all get out.

And when things start happening to scare her and someone gets into the house and causes her to be hurt, he goes on high alert. Is it someone that is furious when they found Purcell didn't leave them an inheritance? Or does it have something to do with her law work?

THE ACCUSED is a nonstop thrill ride in the fantastic world of Mystere Bayou in Louisiana. The characters are realistic and perfect for each other, even though at first they can't see it. The heat of the romance between them is immediate but both are rather resistant for different reasons. The secondary characters are seamlessly added touches to the atmosphere of the plot. I try as I read a mystery to figure out who the bad guys are but with this one every time I thought I had it, author Jana DeLeon tossed in a curve. I can't wait for the next installment of Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance series.