The Orchard II

Victor Blackstone is dead.

And Temptwell is already changing.

With one of the city’s most powerful men gone, old alliances are beginning to fracture.

Jacob Blackstone is consolidating power. Mayor Shameka Davis is making moves of her own. And Denise Dumas suddenly finds herself standing in a far more dangerous position than she realizes.

Diana Dumas sees the board shifting.

She has spent decades building an empire, protecting her family, and making certain the Dumas name is never mistaken for weakness. But this time, protecting what she built may require something different.

A gamble.

As threats gather around her family, Diana is forced to navigate old alliances, buried secrets, and a changing Temptwell where power no longer guarantees protection.

But the greatest change may be happening within Diana herself.

For the first time in her life, the woman everyone knows as Méré is beginning to wonder how much longer she wants to carry the weight of an empire—and what might be waiting for her if she finally puts it down.

Because at the Orchard, even the strongest branches eventually have to be pruned.

And sometimes…

what looks like an ending is only the beginning.



The Orchard II continues the Temptwell story—a tale of power, family, legacy, dangerous alliances, and the price of holding on when everything around you is telling you to let go.

Dark Romance Novella

24,000+ words • Approx. 111 pages