Spotlight and Guest Post for Lost Heart in King Manor

Lost Heart in King Manor: Mysteries of a Heart Series
by Celeste Fenton

About Lost Heart in King Manor

Lost Heart in King Manor: Mysteries of a Heart Series
Romantic Suspense/Edgy Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Dost Island (fictional) off the coast of Massachusetts
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently Published
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2025
Hardcover
Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8280471207
Paperback
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8280071773
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F2ZML3M9

LOST HEART IN KING MANOR
Book One in the Mysteries of a Heart Series

At 45, Gabby Heart isn’t looking for drama—just quiet days on Dost Island running her village gift shop, teaching art, and keeping her past tucked safely away. But when her mother suffers a sudden health crisis, Gabby is pulled into a storm of family secrets, betrayal, and a dark legacy buried within the walls of the once-grand King Manor. What was supposed to be a safe place for her mother’s recovery becomes the backdrop for a chilling mystery. Strange incidents begin to unfold, and it becomes clear: someone inside King Manor has a deadly agenda. As a hurricane traps Gabby inside the sprawling estate, she’s forced to work alongside two very different men—her maddeningly attractive officemate and a charming new neighbor, both hiding dark secrets. One man may want her heart. The other may want her dead.

But can she trust her instincts before it’s too late?

★ A slow-burn romantic suspense with an edgy cozy mystery twist peppered with humor, Lost Heart in King Manor is perfect for fans of strong women over 40, amateur sleuths, brooding men with buried secrets, and small seaside towns hiding deadly truths. ★

Because some secrets are worth killing for.
And some hearts don’t break quietly.

Companion Guide to Lost Heart in King Manor: An inside look (Mysteries of a Heart Series)

Companion Guide to Lost Heart in King Manor
Step deeper into the secrets of Dost Island with this richly illustrated companion to Lost Heart in King Manor, the first book in the Mysteries of a Heart series.

Explore the island’s storm-swept cliffs, charming village life, and shadowy past through exclusive character profiles, behind-the-scenes insights, maps, photographs, and bonus content that brings Gabby Heart’s world to life. Meet the unforgettable residents—from the sharp-witted Jay Laird and enigmatic Rick Payne, to the wise and mysterious women of the Heart family—each with their own stories, scars, and secrets.

This companion is your invitation behind the curtain.
But be warned…
On Dost Island, even the quietest corners have something to hide.

GUEST POST

From Gift Shop to Amateur Sleuth: How Gabby Heart Was BornBy Celeste Fenton

My first attempt at writing a novel was, quite frankly, a disaster. It was a chaotic purge of every wrong I’d ever committed, and every slight ever dealt to me. I read it once, winced, and promptly deleted it, hoping it wouldn’t float around cyberspace for eternity like a digital ghost. Then I hung up my writer’s dream, convinced I simply wasn’t one.
Then came a season of deep loss. My husband passed away. Other heartbreaks followed. I found myself untethered. And then, standing in a grocery store line, I overheard two women chatting about an old-shuttered hospital on the West Coast that had been turned into a senior residence. My brain, grief-heavy but still curious, perked up. I shamelessly eavesdropped and even barged into the conversation to ask questions.

Back in my car, I couldn’t stop the what ifs…?
What if the seniors were trapped there? What if there was a storm? What if the residents’ adult children met and things got… complicated?

A few weeks later, on a trip to Maine, I drafted an outline. Was it a Jessica Fletcher-style possession? A creative breakthrough? I’m not sure. But that’s when Gabby Heart walked onto the page—sassy, skeptical, sketchbook in hand, and hiding a guilty secret.

She didn’t tiptoe in politely. She showed up, fully formed and opinionated, bringing her family and friends with her. Somewhere between my own work experiences, the people I’ve known, and the bittersweet transitions of my life, Gabby arrived. And she wasn’t leaving.

Gabby is a widow. A mother. A teacher. An artist. A woman whose life, like so many of ours, veered off script. She’s smart, stubborn, sarcastic, fiercely loyal, and often completely unaware of her own emotional blind spots. She doesn’t carry a badge or a PI license, but she notices things: a strange hesitation in someone’s voice, a glance that means more than it should, something small that just doesn’t belong.

I didn’t want to write a perfect heroine. I wanted to write someone real. Someone good-hearted but complicated. A woman who made me laugh, made me cry, and made terrible decisions even when I begged her not to.

Gabby was never going to be a sweet, cupcake-sleuth. Now don’t get me wrong, I adore those stories too. I’ll take a cozy bookshop, a charming bakery, or a llama farm mystery with my cup of tea any day. But Gabby had sharper edges. She’d survived trauma. She carried invisible scars. And while she had friends (some loyal, some chaotic, all memorable), she didn’t always know how to rely on them. That emotional messiness mattered to me. Because so many of us, especially in midlife and beyond, are navigating complex, beautiful, unfinished lives. Why shouldn’t our heroines reflect that?

The Mysteries of a Heart series blends whodunits with emotional depth: romance and regret, secrets and second chances. It’s sprinkled with humor, layered with grief, and salted with zingers. Gabby isn’t magically “fixed” by solving crimes or falling in love. But each adventure challenges her to see herself more clearly. To confront the guilt she carries. To risk hope. To let herself be loved again even when it terrifies her.

People sometimes ask if Gabby is based on me. Short answer? Not really. She’s braver. I’d run from a villain, whereas she climbs through tunnels to face them. But emotionally? She holds fragments of so many of us: the part that wonders if it’s too late to start over. The part that aches for someone we lost. The part that dares to believe we’re still capable of joy, reinvention, and justice.

Gabby’s journey has taken me places I never expected: into the tunnels beneath a historic manor, across the sea to a Scottish castle, and soon, into a snowbound Canadian chalet with an old map and a new danger. If she makes it out of that, there’s an adventure waiting in Tasmania… and even survival on a deserted island. Each book uncovers new truths. Not just about the mystery at hand, but about who Gabby is becoming. And always, at the core, are the people in her orbit, her friends, family, and unexpected allies, each with their own arcs.

Gabby Heart may not have asked to become an amateur sleuth. But like so many women reinventing themselves in the second and third acts of life, she’s proof that curiosity, courage, a touch of stubbornness, and a spark of imagination can take you farther than you ever dreamed.

About the Author Celeste Fenton is the author of the Mysteries of a Heart series, a romantic suspense saga featuring mature heroines, buried secrets, and just the right amount of edge. A retired educator turned full-time writer, Celeste writes stories filled with heart, humor, and a touch of danger. When she’s not plotting her next twist, you’ll find her remodeling her home, walking her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, spending time with family, planning her next trip to a small town in America, or escaping into a cozy mystery with a hot cup of tea.

Start the series with Lost Heart in King Manor
Where some hearts don’t break quietly.
Available on Amazon Learn more at: celestefenton.com

About Celeste Fenton

I have an M.Ed. and Ph.D. in education and have worked in higher education for over thirty-years. A former educator and lifelong reader, I began writing seriously at age 60. No one is more surprised than me, that in retirement, I found reward and occupation as an author.

My writing is fueled by a lifelong love of mystery and a fascination with the complexities of the human heart. As a widow, mother of adult twin sons, proud grandmother, dog lover, and semi-retired educator, I believe I have enough real-world experience to weave imagination with insight to create stories rich with emotion and suspense. My work blends romance, mystery, and heart—with healthy doses of humor and hope. I feel passionate about helping others realize that creativity doesn’t have an expiration date.

When I’m not writing, reading, or plotting another plot twist, I like to explore small towns across America—setting out solo for month-long adventures much to the awe (and occasional alarm) of family and friends. My latest obsessions include escape rooms, mastering the perfect miter cut for a DIY bathroom remodel, training my cavalier spaniel to do a high five, and making the impossible decision of where to travel next.

• Website: https://celestefenton.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celeste.fenton.9/

Purchase Links
• Amazon
• IngramSpark
Barnes and Noble

Companion Guide Purchase Link
Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

August 11 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

August 11 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

August 12 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

August 12 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

August 13 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

August 14 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 15 – FUONLYKNEW– SPOTLIGHT

August 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST