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Vienna Masquerade, February 2015 by Lorna McKenzie Samhain Publishing Featuring: Rodolfo Wolfgang Gustav von Steinberg; Kristal Hastings 122 pages ISBN: 1619227797 EAN: 9781619227798 Kindle: B00PDJV30E e-Book (reprint) Add to Wish List Purchase Kindle Barnes & Noble

"In search of family, Kristal Hastings finds a lot more than she bargains for, in this short tale."

Vienna Masquerade
Lorna McKenzie

Reviewed by Linda Green
Posted February 8, 2015

Romance Contemporary

Kristal Hastings has just arrived in Vienna in search of Austrian relatives. Having lost her parents at a young age, Kristal grew up with her Austrian grandmother, Analiese, whom she loved dearly. Although Kristal has a successful career and many friends, now that her grandmother has died, she longs to find a family connection. Knowing Analiese's tragic love story, where she was abandoned by the love of her life Gustav and fled to England, Kristal has tracked down his family, and hopes to find some roots of her own. Rodolfo Von Steinberg is handling this new discovery for the family but is very dismissive of Kristal's claims. He grudgingly allows her to stay at the house, in order to find out the truth. As Kristal becomes part of the family, with his distant cousin Gabi adopting her like a sister, there is an old enemy that will stop at nothing to rid the family of Kristal, much the same way Analiese was disposed of, all those years ago. But the more time Kristal and Rodolfo spend together, the more attraction flares to life. She tries to fight her feelings as he is promised to another. Will Kristal get her happily ever after, or is she destined to lose the man she loves to another? Or will a bitter family member succeed in removing Kristal altogether? VIENNA MASQUERADE by Lorna McKenzie is a very short romantic tale, about trying to find your place in the world, and unexpectedly falling in love. I enjoyed the story but felt it was a little rushed - there is enough detail and characters to make this a longer story, and deepen the history of the family and events that occur. If you want a quick read for lunchtime, that has love and a little action, then VIENNA MASQUERADE by Lorna McKenzie, fits the bill.

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SUMMARY

Love is fluent in every language… Upon the death of her beloved grandmother, public relations executive Kristal Hastings is alone in the world—or, at least, in England. When she gets off the plane in Austria, she doesn’t expect an overly warm welcome from the relatives she’s never met. Distant half-cousins, their connection a youthful affair Kristal’s grandmother had with the von Steinberg patriarch. The chauffeur and sleek, black limo that greets her is quite a surprise. So is the intense, hazel-eyed stare of the man waiting for her in the back. If Rodolfo Wolfgang Gustav von Steinberg thinks six-feet-four of designer-suited muscle will intimidate her, he has another think coming. Despite Rodolfo’s suspicion regarding her motives, instant attraction flares between them. But the heat of new love is tempered by a very old-world custom, for Rodolfo is promised to another… This Retro Romance reprint was originally published in 1994 by My Weekly Story Library.

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