Samira, a budding psychologist, is on her way to becoming the next Dr. Phil-or at least equally famous. Except that when confronted with the reality of choosing a career path, her ripe hunger for greatness conflicts with the spirit of the helping profession.

Balancing a long-distance relationship with her high school sweetheart in Nigeria and pressure to excel in her new home, she faces a life-changing dilemma. Should she stay in America, chasing the immigrant dream, or return home to be with her love interest, who might be drawn to her best friend?

Running Between Trees follows the identity crisis of an immigrant daughter while exploring the nuances of leaving one's home in pursuit of American opportunities.

Everyone has a secret. Some are worth killing for...some are worth dying for...

The son of an art thief, FBI agent Flynn MacKenzie is no stranger to deception, but when the brutal murder of a federal judge unravels an intricate and shocking web of lies, he finds himself tangled up in personal life-changing secrets and in the arms of a woman he isn't sure he can trust.

Callie Harper not only wants justice for her stepfather, she also wants to protect her family. Staying close to Flynn seems like the smart option, until she starts to fall for the man who could hurt everyone she loves.

The lines between good and bad, guilty and innocent, are blurred. Callie and Flynn quickly realize their search for the truth could take them somewhere they don't want to go...if they can stay alive long enough to get there.

Don't miss this thrilling romantic suspense from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy

Also Available in the FBI Series:

Perilous Trust #1

Reckless Whisper #2

Desperate Play #3

Elusive Promise #4

Dangerous Choice #5

Ruthless Cross #6

Critical Doubt #7

What the readers are saying...

"Count on Freethy to thrill your socks off, while running away with your heart. RUTHLESS CROSS had me holding my breath and biting my nails as I sat on the edge of my seat. Caught in an epic battle of good versus evil, two strangers risk everything to get to the truth." Isha C

"RUTHLESS CROSS is another adrenaline-filled story, with well written and developed characters, Barbara Freethy is a master of her craft " Booklovers Anonymous

"Barbara Freethy writes a beautiful, edge of the seat story, full of intrigue, mystery and romance. This is my favorite FBI series Can't wait to read the next book " Christine

Return to a world of secrets, love, and spies this historical novel of epic romance, dangerous deceit, and gripping adventure in the Middle Eastern front of the Great War, the second book of The Windswept WWI Saga by author Annabelle McCormack.

Egypt, 1917: British nurse Ginger Whitman thought she escaped the intrigue that devastated her family and threatened her life on the desert sands of WWI Palestine. But when she's drafted into an investigation for the Cairo Intelligence Department, she uncovers forces at work to destroy the man she loves: intelligence officer Noah Benson.

As an old enemy resurfaces, Ginger and Noah are pulled into a minefield of lies, greed, and political deception that threatens the stability of the British alliance. With an enemy that knows their secrets, no one they love is safe. But nothing is what it seems-and a far more nefarious foe may be toying with them both.
Sands in Sirocco is the second novel in the Windswept WW1 Saga, a historical fiction series featuring a strong female protagonist. A story of spies, family drama, romance, and epic adventure, it is set in the British Middle Eastern front of the First World War. This novel contains violence, mild language, and romantic, steamy scenes.

Author Bio: 

Annabelle McCormack spins you tales of epic historical adventure, heartfelt romance, and complex family dynamics with strong female protagonists to make things interesting. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins University's M.A. in Writing Program. She's a sucker for pizza (cheese, bread, and tomatoes are the perfect foods) and mangoes, loves baking and photography, and never wants to do laundry again. She lives in Maryland with her, husband, five children, and two boxers. She's half-Costa Rican and speaks fluent Spanish, so you can always drop her a line in either English or Spanish. Pura vida!

Gripping the test in my hand, I can't stop staring at the blue cross in the window.

Tears roll, hot and slow, down my cheeks. I huddle in a low ball, emotion bowing me. My dog, Blue, whines and presses against my side, his warm tongue laving my cheek, his musky scent enveloping me. A familiar comfort.

Will my child love Blue as I do?

My phone vibrates on the bathroom counter, and I hiccup a sob. Squeezing my eyes shut, pressing more tears free, I hold my breath. Blood rushes in my ears, and my heart throbs in my chest...a tidal wave is washing me away. I can't do this.

The soft ping of a voicemail brings my eyes open. I'm staring at the cross again.

Blue shifts closer, leaning his warm weight against me. As tall as a Great Dane, with the elegant snout of a collie, the markings of a wolf, and mismatched eyes-one blue the other brown-Blue means the world to me.

My heart will have to make room for more.

Fear slices through me, adrenaline flooding my veins and bringing another soft whine from Blue. Standing quickly, the adrenaline demanding action, I glance at my phone.

Robert Maxim.

He can't know. My eyes trace to the trash can of the hotel bathroom. Wrap up the test and put it in there.

But my hand won't follow the advice. My fingers grip tighter, refusing to release the small wand of plastic. The proof. The truth.

Grabbing my phone off the counter, I step back into the hotel room. Blue stays close to my hip, his nose tapping my waist once, a gentle reminder he is there.

I shove the plastic wand into my bag, pushing it into a zipper interior pocket and closing it up. Locking it away.

Just throw it out.

I can't.

My hand strays to my stomach, and Blue's nose swipes against my fingers. Vision blurred with tears, I stand in the center of the hotel room, my mind reeling. Lightning sizzles across my vision, and thunder ricochets inside my mind.

P.S. The dog does not die.
**Beware: If you can't handle a few f-bombs, you can't handle this series.**

About the Author
Dr. Lucinda Berry is a trauma psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. She uses her clinical experience to create disturbing psychological thrillers, blurring the lines between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche. If she's not chasing her eight-year-old son around, you can find her running the streets of Los Angeles prepping for her next marathon. To be notified of upcoming releases, please visit: https: //about.me/Lucindaberry

"[A] brilliant recreation of the lives of inspiring heroines from seventh-century Northumbria." —Readers' Favorite

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory's The White Queen and Sandra Gulland's The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.

Seventh century England is a hodgepodge of warring Anglo-Saxon states filled with shifting alliances and treacherous grabs for royal power. Kings rise and fall, depending on Woden's Luck. Northumbria, the damp kingdom north of the River Humber, is a state riven with rivalries and kings determined to expand at any cost.

Women have no obvious role in a warrior society, but by using their wits, four women—two queens and two abbesses—make monumental changes. One woman marries a pagan king and successfully converts him to Christianity before he dies in battle. One becomes the most powerful abbess in Northumbria and holds the Great Synod at Whitby Abbey, which brings the kingdom back to the Roman Church. Another becomes queen and keeps political alliances strong despite different religious denominations. The fourth woman ushers in a new age by negotiating with kings and churchmen to establish one united church in the Northumbrian kingdom.

Based on true events and people, this is the story of Northumbria through the eyes of the most important women of their time.

More Reviews:

"Old gods fall as Christianity rises across Northern Europe with a fair amount of help from the women behind the scenes, the wielders of true power." —Chanticleer Reviews

"...dramatically gripping novel... A captivating account of the lives of extraordinary women in perilous times." —Kirkus

"[A] fascinating story of upheaval in early Britain...Historical fiction readers will be absorbed by this intricate tale of memorable Northumbrian women fighting for change." —BookLife

"Men have had the first and last word for too long. In Sandra Wagner-Wright's Saxon Heroines, we get to hear from the powerful women of the early medieval world. Well researched, well detailed, and a compelling story make it an enjoyable fresh take on medieval historical fiction." —San Francisco Book Review

Author Bio:

Sandra Wagner-Wright holds the doctoral degree in history and taught women’s and global history at the University of Hawai`i. When she’s not researching or writing, Sandra enjoys travel, including a recent visit to Antarctica. She lives in Hilo, Hawai`i with her family and writes a blog relating to history, travel, and the idiosyncrasies of life. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride is Sandra's most recent novel. 

Former FBI-profiler Eva Rae Thomas is back and embedded in a true nightmare reaching deep into her own family.

Life is not done throwing Eva Rae Thomas curveballs.

A phone call turns her life upside down - once again. The call is from her father, the man she hasn't seen in thirty-six years, not since he kidnapped her sister in a supermarket.

Now, he is back in Florida, and he needs her help. Her younger brother - who she didn't know existed - has been arrested after committing a school shooting. The boy is in a coma after being shot by an officer during the incident, but his father doesn't believe the police. And he needs Eva Rae's help to prove it.

Will Eva Rae find it in her heart to help her father after what he did to her? Will facing him again set her free or pull her under?

SAY YOU LOVE ME is the fourth book in the Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Series and can be read as a standalone.

In 1790 the United States has a new Constitution. George Washington presides as the first elected president. Abroad, France and Britain are at war. And by 1795 seafaring Americans are accosted on the high seas by French privateers and British naval ships.

Tensions rise as American merchants continue to trade. Among them, Hasket Derby and Captain George Crowninshield busily build maritime empires while their sons seek a new way forward.

• Captain Elias Derby - Grew the Derby family business in Isle de France and India. Back in Salem, he's ready to enter his father's business. But Hasket Derby isn't a man to relinquish control.
• Edward Crowninshield - Seeks obscurity in Marblehead until his father forces him to return to the sea.
• Captain Geordie Crowninshield - Sails Crowninshield family ships to ports from the West Indies to East Asia until his father calls him back to shore.
• Captain Jacob Crowninshield - Brings the first elephant to America and makes his fortune.
• Captain Nathaniel Silsbee - Defies every obstacle to rise from obscurity to captain his own ship.

Meanwhile, women shape their roles in new ways.

• Eliza Derby - Builds the largest mansion in New England.
• Lizzie Rowell - Arrives in Salem with desperation, determination, and dreams.
• Sarah Gardner - Bakes a bride cake before she's a bride.

Inspired by real people and true events, this is a story about early America.

A season of joy. The spirit of family.

When sisters Ivy and Shelly Bay discover crates of vintage Christmas decorations at the Seabreeze Inn, they decide to open their historic beach house to the village of Summer Beach. From a Gingerbread Bake-off and a Santa Sprint on the beach to a mysterious guest who has an unusual effect on those around him, the Seabreeze Inn is the place to be this holiday season. Families and friends come together, and love is in the air-until a priceless discovery at the beachside inn complicates matters.

While Ivy creates a holiday special for single guests with nowhere else to go, Bennett Dylan, the mayor of Summer Beach, helps organize Christmas celebrations. However, the holidays will test Ivy and Bennett's relationship, especially when Ivy's grown children voice their opinions. As hidden secrets surface, Ivy faces a decision that could change her life.

This season, everyone is family at the Seabreeze Inn. Join residents and guests in this small beach village for the warmest of holiday gatherings. Seabreeze Christmas may be read as a standalone, or start with the USA Today bestseller, Seabreeze Inn, to get to know all the Summer Beach characters. This year, let the sleigh bells ring across the beach in a delightful holiday novel.

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California, not far from where she lives.

Shop the Summer Beach series

“Seabreeze Inn is truly an enjoyable, lovely read that will lift your spirits.” —Silver’s Reviews

A widowed artist. An old crush. One summer to get her life back.

Ivy Marin's life implodes after discovering that her late husband had spent their life savings on a beach house. Strapped for cash as an art teacher and with nowhere to go, Ivy and her recently jilted sister head to Summer Beach to recreate their lives. If only renovating a historical home didn't unveil a host of hidden secrets in the beachside community—and the mayor wasn't her former high school crush.

Bennett Dylan led a campaign against Ivy's late husband to block the rezoning of the beach house land for a high-rise resort. Although it's been ten years since his wife's death, Bennett is avoiding the pain of loving—and possibly losing—another woman. And then the FBI shows up... Ivy's demands for a zoning variance for a bed-and-breakfast couldn't come at a worse time for him.

Despite distractions, Ivy has one summer to sway the town to salvage her livelihood and the new life in Summer Beach she's come to love.

With intrigue and poignant self-discovery, the Seabreeze Inn is a sweet summer beach read. If you like sun-soaked beach sagas you can lose yourself in, the Seabreeze Inn and Summer Beach's fascinating characters are for you. Start your vacation in Summer Beach now.

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California, not far from where she lives.

Shop the Summer Beach series

What could possibly go wrong at a family reunion? At the Seabreeze Inn, you just never know...

Sisters Ivy and Shelly Bay are looking forward to hosting a joyful, long-awaited family reunion at the Seabreeze Inn to introduce their new husbands to distant kin. Beach barbecues, games, and other festivities are planned, but everyone is shocked when hidden family secrets emerge.

This season, gather on the shores of Summer Beach for sunny shenanigans and warm ocean breezes, as well as unexpected events that will change lives and family dynamics.

Discover the latest chapter in the Summer Beach series set on sunny California shores, and find out why readers say, "Life is better in Summer Beach."

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California, not far from where she lives. 

Shop the Summer Beach series

Join the fun of the first Spa Week at the Seabreeze Inn!

As Ivy is adjusting to a new marriage, she must also welcome spa guests and deal with more secrets her old beach house reveals-this time, from the Roaring Twenties.

Added to that, her sister Shelly is nervous about having her first baby. Will Ivy manage to pull off the first spa week and juggle her new life in Summer Beach

Along the shores, more surprising discoveries fill the gossipy local residents with fresh speculation. In the charming town of Summer Beach, news travels fast.

Can Ivy come to terms with that and the nagging presence of Amelia Erickson, the former owner of the Seabreeze Inn?

Discover the latest chapter in the Summer Beach series set on sunny California shores, and find out why readers say, "Life is better in Summer Beach." If you love clean romance and women's fiction with fun characters you'll want as friends, this series is for you!

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California, not far from where she lives. 

Shop the Summer Beach series

Two sisters. One unforgettable summer.

While renovating an old beach house, Ivy and her sister, Shelly, suddenly have full occupancy after fire forces Summer Beach residents from their homes. Even the mayor, Bennett Dylan, who was Ivy's high school crush, moves in. As the summer heats up, attractions simmer and feuds erupt.

Living in the house Bennett had hoped could be a community center, he finds himself at odds with Ivy's campaign for a bed-and-breakfast zoning change. And when valuable items disappear from the inn, Bennett's friend Mitch, who owns the popular Java Beach coffee shop, is the prime suspect.

Shelly's romance with Mitch cools when his old criminal record emerges, which leads her to question if Summer Beach is the right place for her.

Despite the chaos, Ivy has just one summer to save the house from an impending tax sale. And when a documentary filmmaker arrives to reconstruct the history of the old house and its secretive former owner, yet another secret emerges from an unlikely place.

Seabreeze Summer is a sweet summer beach read and the second novel in the Summer Beach series after the Seabreeze Inn. Book your reservation in this small beachside town of intriguing characters now.

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California, not far from where she lives.

Shop the Summer Beach series

Untangling secrets at a historic beach inn has unimagined surprises.

With the high summer season underway at the Seabreeze Inn, Ivy Bay faces new challenges. She has just one season to make the inn a success to pay the tax bill her late husband left behind. And her neighbor's lawsuit could mean an end to the Seabreeze Inn. Yet her daughter Sunny's arrival in Summer Beach is also a chance to renew their strained relationship.

While the mayor, Bennett Dylan, develops deeper feelings for Ivy, new trials weigh on their romantic relationship. Sensing Ivy's sadness over her sister Shelly's departure, Bennett encourages Mitch, the Java Beach owner, to contact Shelly. And Sunny fears Bennett might be a replacement for her father.

Amid the turmoil, Ivy discovers another clue from the old house's original owner. The woman's story makes Ivy reflect on what the house means to her and all of Summer Beach.

Seabreeze Sunset is a sweet summer beach read. Book your reservation in this small beachside town of intriguing characters now.

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California, not far from where she lives.

Shop the Summer Beach series

The high summer season. A long-awaited wedding. Surprises at a historic beach inn.

At the historic Seabreeze Inn, sisters Ivy and Shelly Bay are busier than ever with wedding plans of their own, although challenges threaten to derail the special events. New guests are also throwing a wedding at the inn, bringing a host of trials and chaos. As Ivy prepares the old beach house for a season of weddings, surprising discoveries from decades past arise that could change even the best of plans. RSVP now and join the party on the beach.

Seabreeze Wedding is a favorite in the beloved Summer Beach series that may also be read as a stand-alone novel. The heartwarming story is set on the sunny Southern California coastline. Visit the small town of Summer Beach now, where the bonds of friendship and love prove unbreakable. Available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, large print, and audiobook.

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California, not far from where she lives.

Shop the Summer Beach series

The heartwarming conclusion for the Emerald Cove duet from a USA Today Bestselling Author.The Seaside Manor Bed & Breakfast has been an institution in Emerald Cove for as long as anyone can remember. But things are changing and Diana is nervous about what the future might hold for her and her husband, not to mention the historic business.With no experience to back him up, Ethan Flannigan moves back home to the Cove and takes on the bed and breakfast as a part-owner. Diana's niece, Emily, agrees to help her aunt and uncle, but the charming man they sold half of the business to does nothing but get under her skin, even if the spark between them is hard to ignore.Rebecca Mair is the new cop in town but she's got a secret she hasn't shared with anyone else, including her boss, and that secret is about to catch up with her.Sarah Flannigan finally has the man of her dreams, but her career is spiraling out of control. With a difficult choice set before her, will she stay in the Cove with Mick and her family, or head back to the city to save her job?Please note: This book is the second and final installment in the Emerald Cove duet.

Anything worth having is worth fighting for, especially second chances.

Teacher Ben Stewart is enjoying his second chance at a happy life. His ex-wife, Vanessa Landry, is thriving in rehab, his relationship with his former father-in-law is strong, and his daughter is flourishing. Plus, he's head over heels in love. The cherry on top? An invitation to return to Sprucedale Community School. All he needs is Vanessa's signature. But just as his plan is taking shape, tragedy strikes, pulling Ben and Vanessa into a temporary partnership.

With Sprucedale's new campus location at stake, Vanessa faces a tough decision: make amends for her past by supporting the school, or keep her father's company safe in Landry hands. She needs Ben's support, even if it comes at Sprucedale's expense.

Meanwhile, Ben's girlfriend is tired of living in the shadows. She demands Ben come clean to Vanessa about their relationship, or risk losing her for good.

Can Ben be everything to everyone without sacrificing his second chance at happiness?

Just when Sheriff Serenity Adams thinks life is getting back to normal, the death of a young, pregnant Amish woman rocks the community. Is it circumstance...or murder? It's up to Serenity and her ex-Amish boyfriend, Daniel Bachman, to discover the truth about the new shaman-type medicine man who's brought his dark secrets to Blood Rock.

But Serenity has secrets of her own, and if she and Daniel don't work it out, the reappearance of a woman from his past could threaten to ruin their relationship.

The deeper Serenity delves into the magical world of Amish herbal medicine, the phenomenon of laying of the hands and other cultural healing oddities, the more she wonders if miracles are real. What she witnesses with her own eyes may be too fantastical for her to believe.

In this riveting third installment of Serenity's Plain Secrets, beliefs are challenged, a way of life is questioned, and family skeletons are unearthed, leaving no one untouched.

Author Bio:

Karen Ann Hopkins writes Amish fiction, mysteries, YA literature, paranormal, dystopian and romance for readers of all ages. She resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. Karen rescues and fosters a variety of pets and farm animals, but she also finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lives in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Shop the Serenity’s Plain Secrets series

Shop all Karen Ann Hopkins books

An invisible message from a dead man resurrects a decades-old mystery.

With her sharpened magical senses, Sylvia recognizes invisible writing while cataloging an obscure book for the library. She's shocked to discover the message, written many years earlier, pleaded for help. She's even more shocked to discover the author of the message was married to a paper magician. Could there be a connection to Sylvia's father?

With a magical mystery on her hands, Sylvia engages the help of Gabe Glass, and together they follow the clues to the location of two hidden ledgers that implicate a very dangerous individual in an illegal bookmaking scheme. Although not named, Gabe is convinced he knows who the bookmaker is, and sets out to prove it.

The investigation draws them into the shady underbelly of the horseracing industry and uncovers a link to Gabe's parents that takes everyone by surprise. As they unravel the mystery's tangled threads, unexpected twists and turns lead them to the truth.

But the greatest twist of all is the danger no one saw coming.

“Seeds of Intention is a captivating, intricate love story with relatable, layered characters, well-drawn settings, and a satisfying ending. Andrea Thome is an excellent, graceful writer. Her characters are so real you'll feel as though you've known them for years. Thome deftly builds the romantic tension and chemistry between Garrett and Willow, keeping readers engrossed until the end. A tasty treat for romance fans!" —NY Literary Magazine

Is it more important to have roots, or wings?

Garrett Oliver has just settled into his job as heir apparent to one of the most renowned master gardeners in the country. After a difficult few years, he's found a home and a renewed purpose at a famed resort in the secluded Smoky Mountains. The stars seem to be aligning for Garrett as he plans a future with his college sweetheart and envisions a simple life with her in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Willow Armstrong, fresh off a painful breakup, is coming home to Knoxville to care for her ailing father. She finds herself in the right place at the right time, landing a dream job alongside Garrett—as his boss. As they are thrown together by their work, an undeniable magnetism grows between them, despite the fact that Garrett is ready to start a future with someone else. Circumstances persist in drawing them closer, and an unexpected opportunity in Colorado prompts Willow and Garrett to wonder if a life together out west might be beyond anything either of them had dared to imagine.

More Reviews:

2018 Silver Winner, IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award

"Thome's followup to her well-received Walland takes readers on a gentle ride through a rustic Tennessee setting, perfect for cultivating romance as well as lush fields. The second book in the Hesse Creek series treats fans to new developments with old favorites, while also welcoming newcomers." —RT Book Reviews

"Seeds of Intention [is a] beautiful romance in a gorgeous setting. Thome knows how to paint a picture that makes readers feel like they are in the same room as her characters…From Tennessee's Blackberry Farm to Aspen, this love story will keep you turning the pages quickly." —Kristina Hickey, Librarian, Columbus Metropolitan Library

"The relationships throughout the book were inspiring. I loved the way everyone was there and supported each other. It was such a delight to read...I am really hoping there are more books to come!" —The Book Bag Blog

"Sweet romance lovers, this one is for YOU! Andrea Thome's Seeds of Intention has just enough spice to create passion, just enough turmoil to add depth and reality and just enough true friendship to go around and leave you smiling!” —Tender Book Blog

Author Bio:

Andrea Thome is a former broadcast journalist and longtime wife of retired major league baseball player, Jim Thome. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two children and spends her spare time traveling and pursuing her other passion, photography. Walland is her first novel. She is currently working on the second book in the Hesse Creek series.

“…readers whose hearts aren’t made of stone will likely be moved by [Mahkovec’s] thoughtful explorations.” —Kirkus

Juliet, Offering, Peonies, The Asking, Romantic Love, Caramelized Onions, Solomon Grundy

Seven brief tales depict various expressions of love—unwanted, unrequited, passionate, enduring—in the bright beginnings of youth, the doubts and changes of middle age, and the comfort and familiarity of old age.

In these tales, a chance encounter with an old friend sheds light on a man’s failed love life; a young woman celebrates her day off in search of delight and pleasures, but encounters the unexpected; a young couple realizes that their relationship isn’t working, despite their affection; a middle-aged woman’s belief in her rock-solid marriage is shaken while on vacation; two friends disagree about the type of love that matters most; a woman chooses the memory of love over the possibility of new love; and an old man discovers that his love transcends the boundaries of life and death.

Lyrical and intimate, these stories portray love as sometimes thrilling, sometimes disappointing, but always what we yearn for.

SCROLL FOR SAMPLE!

Author Bio:

Linda Mahkovec is the author of World War II historical fiction, short stories, and contemporary novels.

Themes of love, family, and home dominate her stories, and though they may be set against the backdrop of war or deal with the disappointments in life, the overarching feel is uplifting and hopeful. Threads that run through her work are the search for beauty and meaning, and the artistic female character—whether she is a painter, a gardener, or simply someone who lives creatively and seeks connection.

Mahkovec was born and raised in a small town in Illinois. She then spent several years in the San Francisco Bay area and Seattle, and for the past thirty years has lived in New York City. She has a PhD in English, specializing in Victorian literature. She has previously published as Agnes Irene.

Book Excerpt:

Howard Ashbury strolled along Columbus Avenue, enjoying the fine weather—autumn in New York—a welcome break from the gray of Seattle. Something about the pulse of the city, the charm of the Upper West Side, brought back his younger self, and he felt happy, hopeful. He stopped in front of a little café, and, though it was too early for dinner, he decided to go in. He would read the new script over a glass of wine.

As he entered, he took in the exposed brick walls, the long windows, the candles just being lit in the softening light. Then his heart gave a little lurch when he saw her sitting there—Anna Avilov, his old Juliet. Suddenly, the twenty years since the production of Romeo and Juliet in San Francisco vanished.

My God, he thought. She’s as beautiful as ever. There she sat, with a dreamy look in her eyes, pen poised in her hand as she searched for some word or phrase. She wore her hair loosely swept up, and the shimmering aquamarine blouse caught the color of her eyes. What was she searching for—some hidden world of beauty? What did she see?

Howard felt the old chivalrous urge to help her.

But Anna had never needed anyone. He remembered how they were all in love with her, in love with the beauty and charm she possessed. Men and women alike took to her, as did the audience. They all wanted some of whatever it was she exuded—to possess it, to be in its presence, however briefly. He remembered how she had felt pulled down by that hungry need from everyone, and had shied away from the very attention the other actors sought.

Perhaps feeling his gaze, Anna looked over at him. Their eyes met, and her brow furrowed as she tried to place him.

Howard gave a small, wry smile. Have I changed so much? he wondered.

He walked over to her. “Hello, Juliet,” he said, hoping the name would bring back the memory of him. He waited a beat. “Don’t you remember your old stage manager?”

Anna’s eye widened as she gasped. “Howard!” She jumped up and hugged him. “I can’t believe it! Oh, how wonderful! Can you sit with me? I just can’t believe it!” In between each exclamation she searched his face, stepping back a bit to take in the changes.

He had forgotten how petite she was. She had to stand on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Howard pulled out the chair across from her, and waited for her to take her seat. He then sat down.

They ordered a bottle of wine. As Howard crossed his legs and turned the saltshaker around in his fingers, Anna clapped her hands in delight.

“Oh! You still wear red socks. You haven’t changed. Not a bit. Still so handsome and dapper!”

Howard smiled, realizing that it was ridiculous for her words to mean so much to him. But his recent failed affair had left him wounded and unsure of himself.

They talked and laughed and caught up on the last twenty years. Howard told her that he was still working as a stage manager, the last twelve years in Seattle. He described some of the more memorable productions.

Anna filled him in on the rather haphazard path she had taken. When she moved to New York eighteen years ago, she had found work as an off-off-Broadway actress, filling in the gaps between shows with waitressing and temping. The years since had been marked by a variety of unrelated jobs, a bit of travel, and, ten years ago, the meeting of her husband.

Howard was disappointed to hear that she had given up acting after she married. But Anna said it was writing that she had always felt more at home with.

“Yes, I remember that. You were always writing during rehearsals. What was it you used to say? That you were trying to create the world you were forever in search of. Have you found it? Or have you created it?”

Anna laughed. “Neither, I’m afraid. It still eludes me.”

“And are you still interested in theater?”

“Yes, of course.” She glanced at her watch.

“As a matter of fact, my husband has tickets for tonight. Dinner, and then Chekhov. He’s picking me up here. I’m so happy you’ll be able to meet him.”

She went on to say that she had written some one-act plays and was working on a screenplay. As he listened, he observed the old air of wistfulness about her.

After two hours of talking, Howard noticed that evening had crept closer to their window. The candles on the tables and the lights outside shone brighter now, against the dark. That artful thrill of early evening filled the air, and shone from the faces of the couples filling the tables next to them, and from people hurrying by outside—the thrill that the night might hold something wonderful.

Howard knew that her husband would be there soon to take her to dinner, yet there was so much more he wanted to know. He gave a small ironic smile; she still had the power to stir up a hunger in her audience. He poured the last of the wine into their glasses, and asked if she remembered William Chase.

“Of course, I do! Benvolio. Or was it Balthasar? You’d think I’d remember.” She looked above his head, scanning the stage of so long ago, squinting ever so slightly, as if the stage lights were still in her eyes.

Howard also wondered how she could forget. “Benvolio,” he said. “And so terribly in love with you.”

Anna nodded. “Benvolio. Of course.” She took a sip of wine. “What ever became of him? Do you know?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I ran into him last year in Portland. He became a lawyer, of all things.”

“A lawyer?” Anna asked, surprised. “Good for him.”

Howard had always wondered if Anna was aware of the effect she had on people. He thought it unfair that beauty could so effortlessly cause pain to others. He recognized his buried resentment, mixed with admiration, for all the things she represented to him. He had never wanted to sweep her into his arms, or make love to her. Rather, he had wanted to be like her, to move through the world with such power and beauty and ease.

Howard would later blame the wine for making him press on as he did. His words came out almost accusingly. “William told me that he never really got over you.”

Anna leaned slightly back, as if in defense. Her full lips shaped her words as she spoke.

“Well, there was never anything between us. I certainly never encouraged him. I guessed he had feelings for me, but you know how that is—how often that happens in an emotionally charged cast.”

Howard nodded and looked down. The image of the beautiful Roberto filled his mind: how their eyes had met across the stage, how their love had developed, those first perfect months. With bitterness, he remembered the torch he had carried for Roberto, long years after being rejected.

“You know,” said Howard, allowing some of his resentment to creep into his tone, “William always thought it was because of his height. He thought you never took him seriously.”

This was actually Howard’s belief, but he assumed this must be the case since William had been strikingly handsome. “That was one of the reasons he went into law, he said. More weight—or height, in his case.”

Howard waited for her answer. He wanted to know whether he had been correct all these years in attributing to Anna a certain small-mindedness; or whether he had ungenerously projected onto her the reasons for his own unrequited loves.

Again, Anna squinted into the past. “Yes. I remember him saying something about that once. He invited me to dinner, but I just wasn’t interested. He asked if it was because of his height. I think I laughed out loud at such a ridiculous notion. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was his whininess that made him unattractive. It was so off-putting. Do you remember? He complained about everything and everyone.”

Anna swirled the wine around in her glass, and smiled. “Besides, I’ve always preferred short men. A better fit, you know.”

Howard snapped upright in surprise—both by her candor, and by his mistaken assumption. He had always believed that height was one of those universally desired attributes—attributes that he, for the most part, did not possess.

He responded with a simple, “Oh?” and began turning the saltshaker around again. His thoughts tripped over themselves as he attempted to reorganize them, realizing that he had indeed misjudged Anna—and perhaps his own beloved—all these years.

Anna spoke as if merely stating a fact, but a sly seductiveness played about her lips.

“Yes, whether kissing when standing, or cuddling at night, or...” Her aquamarine blouse shimmered in the candlelight as she gave a light shrug.

Howard quickly replayed the arguments with Roberto. He had always assumed that Roberto had rejected him because of his age, ethnicity, or some other quality over which he had no control. For the first time, the thought gripped him: What if Roberto had simply found him boring? Or, God forbid, whiny?

Then, as if on cue and choreographed to maximize the insight into his own failed affairs, in walked Anna’s husband—short, if not shorter, than William Chase. He was equally as handsome, though, Howard had to admit, in a more genial manner.

Anna’s whole being surged with pleasure at the sight of her husband’s flashing smile and warm eyes. She stood to embrace him—in a comfortable fit, Howard noticed—and introduced them.

As she slipped on her wrap, the three of them spoke briefly and exchanged business cards. Howard declined the invitation to join them for dinner, but promised to stay in touch.

Anna and her husband waved good-bye and left the café.

Howard sat back down at the table and tried to put his ruffled thoughts back in order, tapping the saltshaker up and down. As he shook his head at life’s vanities and wretched misunderstandings, the beautiful Anna Avilov tapped on the window and blew him a kiss, her arm linked with that of her Romeo.

Shop all Linda Mahkovec books

For six months, Carly Moore has been trying to bring down the town patriarch, Bart Drummond. Everyone knows he’s behind a “favor” system that has often ended in murder, but no one has ever been able to prove it.

Until now.

Carly has a lead that might crack the case wide open but her investigation comes to a screeching halt when someone close to her is killed. Now her only goal is to bring the killer to justice.

But the more she digs, the more she can’t help but wonder if the murder is the handiwork of Bart Drummond after all…

Author Bio:

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became nomadic, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

We circled the runway, a strip of black in a field of green...Dan was down there. There was a time, I thought I was in love with him. A founding member of Joyful Justice and a computer genius with broad shoulders and a tapered waist, I imagine I could've been happy with him if I wasn't so screwed up.

But I doubted all that now. I suspected he'd betrayed me. That he'd been telling my secrets for years to the one person I'd tried to hide them from, Robert Maxim. Bobby to his friends. And now, weirdly enough, I could count myself as his friend. After years of hating him, of blaming him for taking my revenge from me. After knowing, for sure, for absolute sure, that Robert Maxim was the worst kind of man, I had now let him join Joyful Justice. I'd decided to trust him.

So Dan had betrayed me to Robert Maxim, but I'd found out after I'd decided to trust Robert Maxim. So how angry should I be? I laughed out loud. Blue, my dog, raised his head and checked my face, letting his tail tap against the floor. I smiled down at him and scratched under his chin. He tapped louder. "What do you think?" I asked him. "What should I do about this betrayal?"

As usual Blue did not have a response.

Wind battered the plane, whistling around the small vessel. The pilot's forearms strained to hold the plane steady. As we neared the ground one wing dipped for a moment before touching down with a jolt that knocked all anxiety out of my mind, sharpening my vision and pumping me full of adrenaline. The wind continued to push against the plane but we were down. We were safe.

When the plane came to a stop, I stood, grabbed my small bag from the seat next to me, and waited as the co-pilot opened the door. The stairs unfolded and met the tarmac as an open-topped Jeep Wrangler pulled alongside the plane. Dan was at the wheel. His hair was longer than the last time I'd seen him. It covered his ears and brushed the neckline of his worn cotton green T-shirt. His beard was shaggy, bleached from the sun and wild-looking. Dan smiled as he looked up at me. I couldn't help but return the grin.

Blue and I made our way down the steps. Dan embraced me; he smelled like sunscreen, salty sea, and a whiff of coconut. Blue tapped his feet next to us, waiting impatiently for his own greeting. I wrapped my arms around Dan's neck and pushed my face into his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scents.

P.S. The dog does not die.
**Beware: If you can't handle a few f-bombs, you can't handle this series.**

About the Author
Emily Kimelman not only writes adventure, she lives it every day. Embodying the true meaning of wanderlust, she's written her Sydney Rye mysteries from all over the world. From the jungles of Costa Rica to the mountains of Spain, she finds inspiration for her stories in her own life. While living under communist rule in the former Soviet Union, the KGB sprinkled her with "spy dust", a radioactive concoction that made her glow and left a trail they could follow. She was two. She was destined for amazing things after that, and she continues to find adventure to inspire characters like the badass Sydney Rye.

A Mysterious Past. A Forbidden Love. A Shadow Legacy.

Rowan escapes certain death, as punishment for a crime she didn't commit, with the help of Casimir-a vampire knight seeking redemption. As they embark on a perilous journey to uncover her mysterious past, they must navigate the harsh northern terrain and the electrifying passion building between them.

During an attack by rogue assailants, Rowan uncovers her shocking power to control vampires against their will, threatening the hierarchy of both the supernatural and human worlds. When the chilling truth about Rowan's family's dark history comes to light and a master vampire targets her in his ruthless plot to overthrow the kingdom, Rowan and Casimir's forbidden love is put to the ultimate test.

With danger closing in, they face insurmountable odds as they battle not only for survival but for the very essence of who they are. Will Rowan sacrifice everything to save a corrupt kingdom that never gave a damn about her or become the catalyst to tear it apart piece by bloody piece?

SHADOW LEGACY is an award-winning fantasy romance novel that will captivate fans of From Blood and Ash, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night, with its forbidden love, dark magic, and sizzling romantic tension.