A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love - Softcover

Rose, Ann

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593815971 ISBN 13: 9780593815977

Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2025

Inhaltsangabe

In this slightly spooky paranormal romance, will two women finally break their curse and get the happily ever after they’ve fought for?

Each year, when no one is paying attention, The Dead of Night Halloween store appears in a new location with its giant sign and great low prices. No one sees them setting up or tearing down—one day it’s just there and then, two days after Halloween, it’s gone.

Pepper White knows exactly how this works. For five years, ever since the last Keeper of the Store tricked her, she has been cursed—appearing when the store does, and disappearing when it goes away. People will remember The Dead of Night, but they’ll completely forget Pepper. That is, until Christina Loring walks in the door. Their chemistry is instantaneous and, for the first time in five years, Pepper finds herself wishing for more time.

But how do you tell the girl you’re falling for that you’re cursed and that you only have ten weeks together before Christina forgets . . . everything? To have a chance at happily ever after, Pepper has to do the one thing she swore she wouldn’t—find the right treat to trick someone else into taking on the curse. But all’s fair in love and spells, and this spooky season, Pepper and Christina are ready to stir up trouble in the name of love.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Ann Rose

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

70 Days
Until the Store Closes

Pepper

One of the best things about having my soul eternally tethered to a seasonal holiday store was that I could eat anything I wanted. The bag of Skittles crinkled as I reached deep into my pocket and grabbed a couple before popping an orange one in my mouth as I stood in the center aisle.

The Dead of Night wasn't your typical Halloween store. Aside from the fact that it needed a human soul to operate, it wasn't just a place to buy costumes but an experience. People were always in awe as they walked through the doors-even the employees gaped at the decor the first time they entered-but they never asked any questions about how it got there. Plus, it was nice that I didn't have to put in all the manual labor to make it happen, unlike the weeks and weeks of work when I'd been in charge of the town's annual haunted house-magic was cool like that. Too bad I didn't really have any of my own.

In the moments before the first employee arrived, I took it all in. Holiday-appropriate music played quietly overhead. The scents of plastic and cinnamon swirled in the air. Most of the shelves were already filled, and all types of costumes, from seasonal favorites like zombies and witches to more elaborate things like kings and queens, hung in every aisle. Halloween was by far the superior holiday, and now I celebrated it full-time. Some people would likely argue that Christmas mornings were the best-but no way. On Christmas once the morning was over, everything kind of settled down. Whereas with Halloween, the anticipation rose from the moment you opened your eyes-waiting for the first glimmer of darkness that lasted well into the night. On Halloween, you could be anything you wanted-no matter how old you were, costumes were always appropriate and candy was handed out freely. What wasn't fun about a fun-size Milky Way? Nothing. That was what. And today was the first day to get ready for the holiday, which meant it was the first day in a long many I got to exist at all.

As far as curses were concerned, I considered myself pretty lucky.

Questions about all the adventures that awaited me spun through my head faster than an electric mixer. Which of our regular staff would come back this year? How long would it take for them to warm up to me? How much had Clover Creek changed since last year? I could hardly wait to find out the answers.

Being Keeper of the Store was never a dull moment.

A door in the back creaked open.

It was showtime.

Twenty minutes later, everyone had arrived, and the energy of opening day was palpable.

"Pepper! Why does Molly get to work the prosthetic and mask counter today and I'm on general cleanup?" Caleb, one of the other Dead of Night employees, whined, his tawny skin taking on a much more pinkish tone.

Even with all the pros of this job, listening to employee complaints was definitely on the list of cons, but it was better than the complaining I had to endure before I got stuck here-at least these complaints weren't directed toward me-so it also wasn't terrible.

"Well, what did Dewy say?" I popped a few more Skittles into my mouth-breakfast of champions. The chaos had already begun as staff rushed this way and that, trying to prepare the store for this season's grand opening.

"They said I have to do general cleanup."

"So then-"

"Can't you do something about it?"

This was the common misconception that came with being the Keeper of the Store. All the staff instinctively recognized me as upper management, but I really didn't have any say in scheduling-I didn't have much say in anything at all. "Look, I know it seems like you got the short end of the stick, but what if I told you we're getting a huge shipment today and someone is going to have to count and tag every scab, scar, and wart that comes into the place?" Being Keeper, however, did mean I knew everything about the

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2025
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593815971
• ISBN 13: 9780593815977
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 401
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Penguin Random House LLC; penguinrandomhouse@penguinrandomhouse.com; ; 1745 Broadway; New York; NY 10019; USA
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland