Cover for Cards of Passion Book Three - Stumbling Toward Serenity

Cards of Passion Series — Book Three

Stumbling Toward Serenity

A high-powered career. A personal implosion. And a vacation she doesn’t remember booking.

Natalie had it all: prestige, power, and a reputation for getting results. But after HR complaints label her a “bully” and her boss issues an ultimatum—take a sabbatical or resign—Natalie plans to regroup. Unfortunately, Drunk Natalie had other plans.

After a wine-fueled night she can’t recall, Natalie wakes up to a waiting car and a confirmation email for The Haven. Expecting a luxury resort to wait out her suspension, she arrives on Revelry Island only to find she has accidentally signed herself up for a rustic, Wi-Fi-less retreat focused on “healing.”

Trapped by her own impulsive booking and eager to prove she can “relax” enough to get her job back, she is forced to endure meditation, chores, and Marcus—the maddeningly calm grief counselor whose quiet kindness and homemade beignets give her room to fall apart.

Natalie wants control. She wants her life back. But as the island’s rhythm seeps in, she realizes that the version of herself she’s fighting to save might be the very thing she needs to resign from.

Tropes: Forced Proximity • Grumpy x Sunshine • Emotional Redemption • Island Setting • Slow Burn

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Natalie

Natalie is a fiercely driven, career-focused woman who has spent years building her success by being tough, efficient, and uncompromising. On the surface, she’s confident and thrives in high-pressure environments, but her sharp demeanor often alienates those around her. Beneath that, Natalie is deeply insecure, struggling with unresolved emotional wounds and a fear of vulnerability. She avoids facing her personal life, throwing herself into work at the cost of friendships and meaningful connections. Though she portrays herself as being in control, Natalie is grappling with the idea that her ambition may have come at the expense of her happiness and sense of self.

Marcus

Marcus is a kind-hearted and introspective man, still grappling with the devastating loss of his wife. Despite being a grief counselor, he feels lost in his own pain while helping others. Gentle and supportive by nature, Marcus projects calm and warmth, yet beneath his composed exterior lies a deep well of unresolved grief and guilt. Seeking peace at The Haven, he forms an unexpected bond with Natalie, complicating his healing journey. As their bond deepens, Marcus finds himself not only confronting his own grief but also facing the difficult prospect of opening his heart to love once again, all while navigating the vulnerabilities he’s kept buried for so long.

Praise for Stumbling Toward Serenity

While “Stumbling Towards Serenity” celebrates human sexuality in a positive way, Ms. Eliot chose to use sensuality as the steam, and it works. Natalie gets to know her love interest on a spiritual level first.

Couple’s yoga, partners meditation, cooking together – Natalie and Mr. (No Spoilers) take their sweet time and it’s so satisfying. With these two, the journey is far more important than the destination!

I highly recommend this sweet story. “Stumbling Towards Serenity” will leave you feeling like you just spent a few days at the spa – refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to maybe even embark on a journey of your own. – Oleander Plume

I loved this story! It was such a refreshing departure from the usual romance stories. The FMC, Natalie, was so unlikable at the beginning, but I loved how she went through this journey to really work on herself and by the end, I was really rooting for her. And the MMC!

Who doesn’t swoon for a guy who does the dishes :)? I thought it was a lovely story, with spice sprinkled in. I am working my way through the rest of the books in the series, but wish I could get more of Natalie and Marcus! – Magdalena Paczkowski

A raw, emotional, and quietly magical novella, Stumbling Toward Serenity follows Natalie a high-powered, toxic city girl whose life spirals after a career scandal and her best friend’s betrayal. Sent on sabbatical to a remote island, she finds more than peace; she finds herself.

With the help of a mysterious guide and a frustratingly charming man named Marcus, Natalie begins a journey of self-discovery, healing, and unexpected desire.
– Mide Harper

The MC is uniquely unlikable from the beginning, but it’s intentionally done and carried out in a way I’ve never seen before—which really made me appreciate the themes of self-exploration and reformation that much more! Natalie was not a perfect character, so she had so much room to grow.

A lot of authors are not brave enough to give their characters real flaws (especially in romance) so it was just really refreshing for the MC to come off as a real person with flaws and baggage that weren’t surface level.

This portion of the plot is surprisingly what I enjoyed most. A story of a woman finding empowerment, while at the same time, just happens to find love, showing that people can come into your life at just the right time. It was a sweet story, rather than what one would consider spicy, but I quite liked it for that. It was a quick, refreshing and cozy read!
Thematically and tonally, I would compare this book to “One Night On the Island” by Josie Silver! Both great reads!
– Electra

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Author of Romance with a Twist

Mischa Eliot

Mischa Eliot is an author of consensual, sex-positive erotica and erotic romance. You can find her in Chemical [se]X 2: Just One More, Big Book of Submission, Volume 2 (Cleis Press), Cards of Passion Series – Book Three: Stumbling Toward Serenity. Probably spends too much time on Twitter Threads.
🖋Author of Romance with a Twist💘
⚙Jill of Many Skills💻
🦎Dragon Lady 🐉
🌱Plant Momma🌾
🐺Lover of Wolves💝
💋She/Her🧷

  • All Access Pass: Chapter Ten: Due Diligence (Do Me)

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    Benjamin

    Watching Zach walk to his building and disappear behind the door leaves me wanting… him.

    Again.

    I recruited Zach as an inside man five years ago, after he reported a company for shady dealings five years ago. Since then, he’s helped me by being drop-dead gorgeous and able to blend in anywhere. People look at him and see his pretty face and think there’s nothing happening behind those bright blue eyes.

    In actuality, he’s stripping them of all their defenses, getting behind their mental walls, and finding out all their dirty secrets.

  • Stumbling Toward Serenity: Chapter Six point Five

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    Marcus

    As the door slams in his face for the second time, Marcus can feel the last of his energy drain away. He’s suddenly exhausted and his brain wants to shut off. It’s too early for that, though. There are still things he has planned for today. He looks over at his bungalow and decides he doesn’t want to go inside because he might not come back out.

    The one person he never expected to see again is exactly the one who shows up today. The woman from the coffee shop. In some crazy twist of fate, he spilled coffee all over her. Probably hot enough to give a bit of a burn, though he hadn’t seen anything on either of her hands to indicate injury.

    Her energy then had felt spiky to him. Enough so that he had to get out of there fast. When he saw the owner of the coffee shop appear, he quietly slipped away. It was the worst thing he’d ever done in his life.

    Marcus always tries to make amends for his wrongs, but he’s never done anything like that before. Running away from a problem isn’t like him at all.

    He’s also never met or dealt with anyone like Natalie. Sure, the occasional heated person, or emotional client. But Natalie is on a new level for some reason he can’t understand.

    “Oh, Marcus. There you are. I was looking for you.” Bea strides over to him, scarf whipping in the breeze behind her. He finds it very interesting that she and Ophelia wear these fancy diaphanous scarves even in the heat. “Did our new guest get settled in okay?”

    At the look on Marcus’s face, Bea raises her eyebrows. “Oh dear, what happened?”

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