The Civil War is igniting, and the young wife is suddenly left to manage his rice plantation and "his" slaves. The War's growing turbulence brings danger close to home - - rapes, hangings, and harrowing escapes through the Underground Railroad. Sara's abolitionist mother pleads with her daughter to return to the safety of the North.But Sara will remain on the plantation, as she, herself, becomes a mother. The plantation welcomes a daughter. As Lilly Grace grows, so does a friendship with a young slave, Little Bubba. He introduces her to the lively Gullah culture, rich with chants, trickster lore, and spiritualism. His mother, a medicine woman and conjurer, chillingly foretells the hardships to come. As the war approaches, Lilly Grace and Little Bubba form a bond of blended insights well beyond their years. How they come to use this knowledge will affect many lives.This is a frenzied era as time honored traditions crumble. The women of the plantation push on and on to save their homes from perils in many forms. Their brave decisions and courageous actions change the course of history.It's time their voices are heard.

     The day her kitchen ceiling collapses on top of her, Patty’s life unravels. Whether a sign from above or plain bad luck, she has no idea. But her brush with death shakes her to her core. With no boyfriend, no plans, and no where to stay, she leaves her condemned home and heads to California wine country to be near Cece, her best friend, confidant, and quintessential voice of reason. A few days in the quiet small town of Clearwater will give her the comfort she needs to contemplate one of life’s most enduring questions: "What now?” But instead of quiet and comfort, Patty is met with even more troubles—Cece suffers a crisis of her own, a new friend ropes her into a demanding situation, and an enticing yet complicated man has her spinning toward romantic disaster. However, it’s the mysterious arrival of her younger sister that pushes Patty to the brink and forces her to question everything she thought she knew about her siblings and about the family that rejected her. Now, faced with a monumental decision, Patty has no choice but to gamble on the one person she trusts the least —herself.

    

    To his surprise, the beautiful Bianca Goldsmith is still there, and still single. Freddie knows he’s a fraction of the man he used to be and is sure Bianca wouldn’t be interested in rekindling their romance. But Bianca’s feelings for him run deeper than he knows… Book 5: Bride for Hire A second chance at a first love… Noelle Goldsmith is convinced that at age 52 she’ll never love a man again, and then she meets her old flame, Cameron Taylor. When Cam asks her to pretend to be his wife for the weekend for business, she jumps at the chance of escaping with him for a few days. Just for old times’ sake. But when it’s time for Cam to return to England, he discovers he doesn’t want to let her go… Book 6: Bride by Christmas Old friends, new lovers… When Elliot reminds Libby Carter of the promise they made to each other when they were kids—that they’d marry each other if they were still single when they turned thirty—Libby sees a future for herself for the first time since the plane crash. But a secret she’s hiding makes it impossible for her to move forward. There’s no chance she could be a bride by her birthday on Christmas Eve. Is there?

    Winton Chevalier has lightning wits and surprising tenacity. He’s not a cop, but comes from a family of lawmen, and possesses a mind that’s as limber with evidence analysis as it is with a cutting joke. In many ways he’d be the perfect man for the job — but he has physical limitations and no experience investigating a kidnapping. Nevertheless, his dying father’s last wish propels him headlong into a sinister world where men kill for nothing. If he and his brother are to survive, Winton must harness old wounds and his indomitable will. In a world of shadows, he must cast the longest shadow of them all.

    Julie works at one of two major hospitals in Chattanooga, TN. Terrorists Released a weaponized virus the week before, flooding hospitals with the sick and dying. While at work she gets a text from her husband that nuclear tipped missiles have been found on two freighter in the Gulf of Mexico. Then the power goes out for good. Julie has three days to make it some 40 miles home through thee most dangerous, drug-infested part of the city before her husband bugs out to their safe haven or she'll be on her own. Then the virus starts affecting many of the infected, causing them to act absolutely insane.

    

    And as if murder wasn’t enough, the case quickly becomes intertwined with a spate of burglaries targeting single women. As Sarah struggles to balance the demands of a complex murder investigation with her troubled family life, the revelation that the killer could be closer to home than she’d ever imagined possible makes her wonder if coming back to work was just a huge mistake.

    But when she’s hired by a distractingly handsome single dad, who just so happens to be royal, she can’t believe her good fortune.On the surface, Bakr Al-Shalabi is a man who has everything – looks, money, a royal title, and an adorable baby daughter to boot. But it doesn’t take long for Liza to realize that life in the sheikh’s palace isn’t the fairy-tale she first thought it to be.There’s a divide between the sheikh and his daughter, and the mystery of what happened to Amia’s mother looms large.Even as they grow closer than no boss and employee ever should, Bakr continues to shut Liza out. Until one night in London, when everything changes…Soon, the nanny who never dreamed of having a family of her own realizes she’s in over her head. Because she’s pregnant, with the sheikh’s baby. And he’s perhaps the most reluctant father she ever met!

    Okay, so what he actually bought was an afternoon of pet pampering—he doesn’t own a pet.Maybe he could pamper her instead? Or she could pamper his bear.One problem. He’s the bad guy, who came to town to destroy the animal local shelter, so he could build luxury houses on the land.Yes, he is the Christmas villain. But he intends to change. For Sian.Sian is done with men. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Peter, was a bully who never appreciated the wonderful family he was part of but won’t sign the divorce papers and hand over the money he owes her. To make things worse, he arrived in town to embarrass her at the charity auction she’d helped arrange.But then a Christmas miracle happened. Matthew Lewis, a billionaire property tycoon, paid a small fortune for an afternoon with her. Okay, so what he actually bought was an afternoon of pet pampering—but she knows he doesn’t have a pet.So maybe she could pamper him instead?Wait! Matthew is the bad guy in town. Sian has sworn off men for life. And she has two daughters who must come first.But he’s a bear shifter and they mate for life. Can she risk her heart on a man again?The Wolf Wants a WifeSimon always wanted a wife—and child.He just never expected them to arrive as one perfect package.Wolf shifter, Simon, thought his chances of finding his mate and raising a child were gone. But then he finds his pregnant mate and it seems as if fate has stepped in to fulfill his wish. All he needs to do is protect her from the father of her unborn baby, who is determined to rip the child away from its mother to raise as his own. Alone.Gemma’s life has fallen apart. No, that’s not quite accurate. Gemma’s life has been destroyed by the father of her child. She’s lost her job, had her bank accounts frozen, and been chased across the country by a man who wants her unborn child for himself.Not happening. Gemma will do whatever it takes to keep her child.When she winds up alone and broke in Bear Creek, she can’t believe her luck when a silver-haired wolf shifter tells her he is her mate. He promises to protect her and her child. But can she allow him to risk everything for her?Can they prevent Gemma’s baby being taken and get a Second Chance Christmas in Bear Creek?The Lion Loves a LadyCharlie has just met his mate. But will Lady Penelope Granger ever fall in love with a lion shifter who has made personal sacrifices for the sake of his best friend and her young child?He has nothing to offer Penny other than a small cabin in the mountains. And his eternal love.When Charlie’s best friend from high school arrives on his doorstep pregnant and alone, he takes her in without hesitation. Nearly eight years later, they still share his home and the welfare of her daughter. But things are about to change when Charlie meets his mate.The only problem is...she’s Mrs. Granger. That’s right, Charlie’s mate is married.Penny Granger is desperate to avoid a Christmas at home. Not because she doesn’t want to share the holiday season with her parents. No, she’s come to stay at The Catherine Hotel so she can lick her emotional wounds, and try to forget her husband, who married Penny for her money.She believes she’s done with men—Until she meets Charlie. There’s an instant spark between them. But when she discovers he’s at the hotel to pick up the mother of his child. Penny quickly realizes he’s just like her ex-husband, and she is not about to get her heart broken again.Can these two people overcome their misconceptions and find true love?

    Her mother tries to hold the family together, but her father buries himself in his work while her older brother and sister deal with the loss in their own self-destructive ways.Meanwhile, Pantera, whose last kidnapping case ended with a dead girl and no suspect, does everything possible to find Samantha before her case becomes just another cold case—or worse. “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” Shakespeare, The Tempest

    San Francisco criminal defense attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez have been called two of the most beloved characters in contemporary crime fiction. HIGHER LAW 2 continues with the fifth, sixth and seventh novels in the series: THE CONFESSION, JUDGMENT DAY and PERFECT ALIBI.The ConfessionMike Daley doesn't go to confession much since he left the priesthood twenty years ago and became a lawyer, but that doesn't stop his old friend, Father Ramon Aguirre, from trying to get him there. "It wouldn't kill you to go to church once in a while," he tells Mike. But it does kill someone. For several months, a ruinous sexual harassment suit has been building against the San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese, and when the plaintiff's lawyer is found dead, an apparent suicide, an almost audible sigh of relief is heard in certain quarters. But that is before the police find evidence of murder. Even worse-the evidence points to Father Aguirre. Mike and his ex-wife law partner, Rosie, jump in to take the priest's case, but what started out as difficult soon appears impossible as forensics, witnesses, and secrets from Father Aguirre's past all incriminate their client. Soon, their wits are the only things keeping the priest from a life sentence or worse, and wits simply may not be enough-unless they can conjure up a miracle of their own.Judgement DayAs husband and wife, Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez couldn't make it work. Luckily for Bay Area criminals, they didn't let that stop them from joining forces to open San Francisco's most tenacious law firm. As defense attorneys willing to take on the biggest and trickiest cases, Daley and Fernandez make one hell of team. Judgment Day finds the ex-spouses tackling their most compelling case yet. Called in at the last minute to try to stop the execution of Nathan Fineman, a former mob lawyer convicted of murdering three people in the backroom of the notorious Golden Dragon Restaurant, Mike and Rosie must race the clock in a desperate attempt to prove their client's innocence?An impossible task, given the wealth of forensic evidence pointing to his guilt. At the same time, Mike must battle his own personal demons when the reputation of his father?a San Francisco cop who was one of the first officers at the Golden Dragon on the night of the murders?is called into question. As the plot hurtles toward its stunning denouement, Judgment Day is fast approaching not only for Nate Fineman, but for Mike's father and for the law firm of Daley and Fernandez as well.Perfect AlibiFor Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez—former spouses and current law partners—the stakes have never been higher. In the seventh installment of this bestselling, critically acclaimed series, the duo learn that their sixteen-year-old daughter’s boyfriend has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his father, a Superior Court judge. Bobby Fairchild, however, claims to have found his father’s body upon returning home from a date with Grace. The police, who found Bobby at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon, contend that his parents’ acrimonious divorce sent the boy over the edge. With their daughter as Bobby’s only (Perfect) Alibi, Mike and Rosie take the case that takes them down San Francisco’s darkest alleys and into the homes of some of the city’s most prominent citizens.

    

    Her father, determined to improve the family’s lot, relocates to Georgia.Ezekiel Salter scrimps to buy a ticket in Georgia’s 1807 Land Lottery, wins, and he and his impoverished family head west to newly-created Murcheson County.Prominent since colonial times, the Underwoods foresee the growing demand for cotton and acquire extensive acreage in newly-opened lands in central Georgia. Dispatched by his father, Jacob Underwood begins construction of Poplar Grove plantation.And, the slave known as Gant, his wife and daughter, Lucey, have no say as to their destination…the highest bidder will decide for them…and if the family remains intact.Spanning over fifty years, Murcheson County chronicles the four families’ fortunes against the backdrop of the most turbulent time in American history.An epic saga of slavery, emancipation, war and hardship, Murcheson County will remain in your heart long after the winds of war have stopped blowing.

     Meet the silver foxes on the shores of Barefoot Bay, and each book in the collection celebrates that timeless love that happens later in life. Don’t miss these three full-length contemporary novels tell timeless stories of second chances and redemption. BAREFOOT AT SUNSET *Voted one of "The Most Romantic Books of All Time" by thousands of BookBub readers! Forty-eight year old widower Mark Solomon believes every person has only one soul mate…and he’s met, married, and buried his. Jaded, jilted, and jobless, advertising copywriter Emma DeWitt thinks that eves that love is a marketing concept created to sell fairy tales and expensive weddings. But when the sexy silver fox surprises Emma with an irresistible offer to pose as his fake fiancée, they discover that it’s possible they are both wrong…and completely right for each other. BAREFOOT AT MOONRISE As a firefighter, Captain Ken Cavanaugh wants to use his 25th high school reunion to finally put things right with Beth Endicott, the girl he loved and let go two and a half decades ago. But when an old incendiary passion changes their lives in the course of one single night, Ken and Beth learn they both have to walk through fire for a second chance at love. BAREFOOT AT MIDNIGHT *Nominated for a RITA Award for Best Contemporary Romance* Lawson Monroe’s life is about to change when his friend and mentor makes a deathbed promise to leave Law a beloved bar in Barefoot Bay. But Law’s big plans hit a gorgeous brick wall when yoga instructor Libby Chesterfield proves her claims to the place are stronger. Battling an attraction that sizzles hotter than one of Law's cast-iron skillets and uncovering long-buried secrets with more twists than one of Libby's yoga poses, they'll have find a way to both get what they want...especially if what they really want is each other. Praise for Barefoot Bay books: “Lively, light, pure entertainment! This Cinderella story is “Pretty Woman” on the beach!” - Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author “Fun and engaging...a celebration of family and forgiveness!” -Publishers Weekly “Plenty of heat, humor, and heart!” - USA Today Happy Ever After “A love story with genuinely flawed yet sympathetic characters filled with raw, real emotion, this will warm your heart as you turn the pages.” - RT Book Reviews “Fun, light-hearted, super sexy...fans of Jill Shalvis, Carly Phillips, and Susan Mallery will definitely want to check out this series.” - TheBookPushers.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR Published since 2003, Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty romance and suspense novels. She has written several popular series, including The Dogfather, Barefoot Bay, the Guardian Angelinos, and the Bullet Catchers. In addition to being an ten-time nominee and one-time winner of the prestigious RITA™ Award for the best in romance writing, Roxanne has won the National Reader’s Choice Award for best romantic suspense four times, as well as the Maggie, the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, Booksellers Best, Book Buyers Best, the Award of Excellence, and many others. A mother of two but recent empty-nester, Roxanne lives in Florida with her husband.