In 1934, life in Brookburn, Indiana, is quiet, simple, and peaceful, but young dreamer Levi Beckerman yearns for more. When the carnival shows up for the Fourth of July, he’s entranced by its many temptations. None is more seductive than the charismatic barker, Sebastian Gustineau.<br><br>Seb’s been a part of the carnival for almost a decade. Once, it provided him the escape he needed from a life he thought he didn’t want, but now, he craves things it can never offer. Flitting from dusty town to dusty town, he loses himself in pretty dalliances. Levi seems like the perfect distraction, until a single conversation convinces him that preserving Levi’s innocence and way of life is more important than his momentary satisfaction.<br><br>However, his plan to discourage Levi goes horribly wrong. When Levi’s family is threatened, Levi fights to protect them, doing what he can to hide the secrets he’s sheltered his entire life. The only person he trusts is Seb. He just isn’t sure if the growing bond between them is enough to save them all.

A Simple Charm

Mildred sighed. “I guess that leaves me to tell Bertie the bad news. Thanks a lot.”


Seb hovered as she gathered up her supplies, wishing Levi would wake up and make all of this moot. He was still unconscious, dark lashes stark against his cheeks, by the time Seb walked Mildred out.


“Please tell me he’s not going to die before I get back,” he said.


She chuckled, a sad little sound that got swallowed up by the sunshine. “His body seems perfectly strong enough, not that you didn’t know that already. How straight his head is after this, though…” With an awkward pat on the arm, she left him behind, heading for the midway and Bertie.


Seb took off at a run for the bridge over the gulley, dodging everyone in his path. He slowed slightly when he hit the edge of town, but soon enough, he stood on the Beckerman front step, pounding on the narrow frame of the screen door.


Chapter 43