Discover the World of Vivian Blake

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A rising jazz singer with a haunting past, Vivian longs to escape the shadow of the Seamstress Society and the legacy of secrets passed down to her. Gifted the Book of Sweets after her mother’s mysterious death, she is torn between exposing the truth and protecting those she loves. Her final act — a coded song — may be her liberation or her undoing. 

The seductive and sharp-witted founder of the Seamstress Society, Ada rose from nothing to wield power in a man’s world — through secrets, charm, and blackmail. Her mysterious death left behind a trail of suspicion and a legacy encoded in the Book of Sweets — a weapon and a burden passed to the next generation.

Beautiful, calculating, and dangerous, Evelyn is a former Seamstress who plays men like cards. She wants control of the Society and sees the Book as her key. Aligned romantically with Red and manipulative toward Jack, she might kill for power — or already has. 

A powerful East Coast aristocrat turned Western kingmaker. A politician’s charm and a predator’s instincts. Behind his refined demeanor lies a man who buys silence. His name appears throughout The Book of Sweets, tied to bribes, affairs, and the murder of a dockworker that nearly exposed his dealings.  He’ll do anything — even burn a city — to keep his secrets.

 A powerful banker with everything to lose, Charles is a master of silent transactions — even when they involve people. Though not Vivian’s true father, he raised her like his own, all while hiding a scandalous affair with Evelyn and possibly arranging Vivian’s escape… or her engagement to Roland to save himself. 

A ruthless bootlegger and gambling kingpin, Red thrives on control. He has dozens of entries in the Book of Sweets — each one a reason to silence it forever. His ambition? Marry Vivian, bury the book, and erase the past — no matter the cost. No secret stays hidden when Red is involved. 

Once a Seamstress herself, Isabella tried to leave the Society behind when she married Charles. But secrets clung to her like perfume. Entrusted with the Book of Sweets, she may have died for keeping it — or for passing it to her daughter. Some whisper she was the Society’s last angel… others, its final traitor.

Miss Belle is officially the Seamstress Society's housekeeper, but her specialty is far more deadly. Her loyalty is to the Seamstress Society first — not to Evelyn, and certainly not to Vivian. She is the silent protector of the Society’s legacy and power. If that means “cleaning up” a loose end now and then, she does so without hesitation. 

A soulful musician with a dangerous addiction to gambling, Jack lives on the edge of ruin. Torn between love for Vivian and lust for Evelyn, he’s the most likely traitor… and the most tragic figure. Red owns his debts, and Evelyn owns his heart — or maybe just his secrets. something for everyone.

 Vivian's birth father. A man carved from salt and shadow, a seasoned mariner whose love for Isabella Blake-Clarke was as fierce as it was fleeting. Their affair, hidden from the world, ended too soon - His ship, owned by Pembroke & Dominion Trading Co., was lost at sea. His loss shattered Isabella, left Vivian fatherless.

 A salty dockworker employed by Pembroke & Dominion Trading Co., Elias uncovered Montgomery Pembroke opium pipeline. He was found dead after a verbal confrontation with Ada Blake — throat slit. Some think, Pembroke had him killed, some believe he was made an example of by Ada and The Seamstresses. 

Skulking like a ghost of Pioneer Square, Merrick Doyle holds a secret. Once First Officer to Captain Silas Lorne, he promised to protect Isabella and her daughter, Vivian. Now a drunk and a shadow of his former self, he drinks to forget a promise he could not keep.