Synopsis

When Mercy Jackson slips into Calhan Shipping under cover of darkness, she expects to steal a secret and disappear. What she doesn’t expect is Connor Calhan, a man as dangerous as he is relentless. Mercy has one mission: to expose a killer, protect her family, and vanish before anyone uncovers her true identity. But the deeper she digs, the more tangled the lies become, and the more drawn she is to the man who stands in her way. Connor is determined to unmask The Phantom, a traitor hiding in plain sight. But Mercy’s arrival threatens everything. Her secrets run deep, and her presence stirs a past Connor cannot outrun.

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Guest Post

How Mercy’s Peril Came to Be

Mercy’s Peril began with a question that would not leave me alone: What happens to justice after a war ends—but the wounds do not?

I have always been drawn to stories set in moments of upheaval, when the world is being reshaped, and the rules people once trusted no longer apply. The post–Civil War South offered that tension in abundance. It was an era steeped in grief, secrets, and unfinished reckonings. Where loss lingered in every household, and survival often required silence. I knew immediately it was the right place to tell Mercy’s story.

This novel is the fourth book in the Calhan Brides series, comprising standalone romances that welcome new readers while rewarding those already familiar with the Calhan family. At its heart, Mercy’s Peril belongs to Connor Calhan, the oldest brother. A man shaped by responsibility, war, and the burden of being the first to carry his family’s name forward. Connor has always stood slightly apart, steady and watchful, and I knew his story would need a woman strong enough to challenge both his restraint and his past.

Mercy arrived quietly in pre-war Virginia. She was not born a heroine in a blaze of courage, but as a woman shaped by loyalty, intelligence, and loss. What fascinated me most was not her strength alone, but the cost of it. Mercy does not seek danger for glory. She steps into it because doing nothing feels like another kind of death. Her journey became a way to explore how women of that era navigated fear, injustice, and desire in a world that rarely protected them.

Connor’s pursuit of The Phantom is not merely professional; it is deeply personal. Through him, I wanted to examine how violence lingers long after the battlefield is abandoned, and how love becomes both a risk and a redemption. The tension between Mercy and Connor grew naturally from their shared sense of grief and loss. Both believe the other’s family is responsible for a parent’s death.

And then there is The Phantom. I was less interested in writing a killer driven by spectacle than one who thrives on secrecy, manipulation, and the confidence of believing he will never be caught. In many ways, he represents the darkness left behind when accountability disappears.

As the story unfolded, Mercy’s Peril became more than a mystery or a romance. It became a meditation on courage, choice, and the danger of silence. It asks what happens when a woman refuses to look away, even when doing so would be safer—and whether love can survive in a world still learning how to heal.

Excerpt

Richmond, Virginia, 1857

Tonight, I gave birth to a fragile miracle, a daughter. She arrived feet first, and Dr. Perry urged me to surrender to death, but Mammy, through her courage and faith, turned the child. For two long hours, I clung to life while Mammy fought beside me, and when it was over, my daughter’s tiny fingers curled around mine, bringing tears of gratitude.

Percival sent a cruel message condemning me for my failure to produce a son and vowed to take my gilded chest as punishment. He demanded I name her Rue, for regret. But I will not let his darkness define her. I call her Mercy, for she is my salvation, a light in this house of shadows, and a reminder that grace can bloom even in sorrow. She will grow strong and pure, a light undimmed by her father’s shadow. –Grace Bennett

– Excerpted from Mercy’s Peril by Virginia Marlow, Marrow Publishing, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Virginia Barlow has been a dreamer her whole life. She loves reading, traveling, and roses. She will dive headfirst into any romance she can get her hands on in any genre. Although her first love is Regency Romance and always will be.  Something about the era calls to her soul like a siren’s song rising from the depths.

She writes richly layered historical romance infused with intrigue, drawing readers into worlds of aristocratic scandal, hidden bargains, dangerous desire, and women who refuse to remain pawns in other people’s games. Her heroines are intelligent, resilient, and quietly defiant; her heroes carry honor, guilt, and a capacity for devotion that cuts deep. Beneath the silk gowns and rigid rules of society, Virginia’s stories explore freedom, longing, and the cost of choosing one’s own heart.

Known for her sensual yet elegant prose, Virginia favors emotional tension over excess, intimate moments over spectacle, and romance that simmers before it ignites. Her work often weaves together family secrets, shadowed power brokers, and high-stakes love, where a single kiss can be as dangerous as a duel.

The most important thing in Virginia’s life is her family, and spending time with them. When she is not bouncing a grandbaby in her arms or handing out popsicles, she is writing and dreaming up her next story.  Virginia has published sixteen romance novels with another two on the way and has half a dozen more circling inside her head, eager to make their debut.

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