Book excerpt: Revenge is in her future. But falling for her enemy’s son is one fate this spiritualist could never have envisioned. Playwright Maxwell Millerson would rather spend his days dreaming up stories than cleaning up his father’s messes. But a trendy renovation has the family’s gaming club on the brink of ruin, and not even Max’s imagination can conjure a way out. Desperate, he turns to the multi-talented—and alluringly audacious—Madame Xyla to help him spin gold from straw. Lydia Weaver, professionally known as spiritualist Madame Xyla, has long sought revenge on the man responsible for her cousin’s imprisonment. When her enemy’s son visits her seance room seeking advice, Lydia leaps at the opportunity for vengeance—until Max’s easy charm and poetic words threaten to turn her plans upside-down. As their friendship grows and they give way to their mutual attraction, Lydia and Max must weigh family duty with their hearts’ desires. And only when they confront old wounds and new feelings can a happy ending be in the cards.