Has the man she's fallen for restored her to her birthright—or lured her to her doom?

    The deceased is prominent businessman, Andrew Langan, and suicide is swiftly ruled out after Nick pursues the killers down twenty-seven flights--and loses them.To his superiors' frustrations, Nick doesn't believe Langan's soon-to-be ex-wife, Augusta, is guilty, even though she has motive, opportunity, no alibi and a shady past. The only reasons Nick has for going against logical dictates are the feeling in his gut and the constriction in his chest.Augusta is thrust back into an unwanted spotlight and her quiet life shattered. Then things go downhill. In between dodging the media, she confronts muggers, kidnappers and goons better dressed than she. With Nick Markov, who dredges up a past she'd rather forget and feelings she'd rather not acknowledge, Augusta must race to unravel her late husband's secrets before she finds herself skydiving without a parachute.This book was previously published in an altered form entitled Fall Dead by Cerridwen Press/Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc. in 2005 and is revised.EXCERPT"Damn it, Ethan," Nick Markov muttered, trying to steady his drunken partner and keep him from falling flat on his face and doing permanent damage to it. "Your wife's going to have my ass for this."Ethan Murtagh's scowl bordered on a pout more suited to a two-year-old. "I can walk on my own two feet," he said, his words only slightly slurred. He stumbled, nearly taking them both down.Nick grunted and muttered, "Right."It was several frustrating moments before Nick managed to strap his partner into the passenger seat of the black SUV parked in front of the bar. Ethan had been, once again, trying to drink himself into a stupor. He didn't handle disagreements with his significant other well. The current dispute was over the photographer who had shot his wife's swimsuit spread the previous week in the Bahamas."You'd better hope Torie's asleep when I get you home," Nick said, getting behind the wheel.A disgruntled sound came from the sprawled figure beside him. Nick answered with a grunt of his own as he pulled out. At almost one in the morning on a Wednesday night, it was relatively quiet in the Sixties on the Upper East Side, so it was a few short minutes before he was turning onto Fifth Avenue. Deciding it wouldn't take long to get Ethan upstairs and into his nineteenth-floor condo, Nick stopped the SUV in front of the building, killed the engine and flipped down his visor to display his credentials. He released his seat belt buckle, then reached over for his partner's. Ethan mumbled a protest, swatted at Nick's helping hand and fumbled with the door handle. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Nick grabbed a fistful of his partner's jacket."Stay put," Nick said. "You open that door, you'll land on your pretty face and Torie will never forgive me."Ethan fell back in his seat, head tilted back, eyes closed. Satisfied, Nick opened his door, got out and made his way to the passenger side door. Ethan didn't move when he pulled the door open. Nick silently groaned at the possibility of having to carry his less-than-petite partner upstairs.

     To this day, her brothers, Jason and Brandon, and two cousins, Zach and Tyler have never stopped looking. The Fierce Four, as the town’s residence have come to call them, went so far as to open their own private security firm—Eagle—in the name of figuring out what happened to Annabelle. It’s a good thing, too, because ever since the girl’s disappearance, Mystic Springs has been plagued with cases of kidnapping, missing persons, and stalking—it would seem this town is in high need of protection. JASON When a woman by the name of Rebecca Sauder spills into private security agent, Jason Braun’s office with grave concerns for her life—she’s being stalked but can’t prove it, the threats in the air feel like cold hands tightening around her throat, but the police won’t help—everything Jason thought he knew about Mystic Springs—and falling in love—is quickly turned on its head. Not only is Rebecca being stalked to a life-threatening extent, but her aggressor holds the key that will unlock the first clue as to what happened to Annabelle Braun all those years ago. BRANDON When a brand-new client, a quiet mysterious woman by the name of Molly Jaspers hires Eagle Security—and Brandon specifically—he soon realizes he might not want to be a loner forever. Molly is far too enchanting, and the reason she’s come to his private security firm, too intriguing. Her sister was killed in a car crash that Molly knows was no accident. And the twist that keeps her up at night? It was Molly’s own car that her sister was driving. ZACH Agent Zach Winter spent his senior year of high school in love with the girl next door—stunning, French transfer student, Sophia Rothschild. It was never more than that, admiration from afar, despite their mutual attraction. Sophia chose the captain of the football team instead and got married quickly after graduation, but she never left Zach’s thoughts. When Sophia shows up at his private security firm, having been framed for the murder of her late husband, Zach finds the old flame that used to burn in his heart for her is reignited. TYLER Brittany Masterson comes with a dark past, one she’s working hard to forget. Beautiful and slender, with an edge of sorrow radiating from her alluring blue eyes, she’s built her life around her precious daughter, Ella, and is determined to find happiness in Mystic Springs. The bedrock of her effort is a promise she made to herself to never again become involved with a man. But that promise is quickly shattered when she has no choice but to accept the help of the very sexy bodyguard Tyler after young Ella goes missing. JESSICA Adam Walsh has big dreams. Born and raised in the backwoods of Alaska, he’s held his long-term goal of opening a cabin building company in the forefront of his mind. But money has never been easy to come by. Scrimping and saving, for the past three years he’s been moonlighting as an exotic dancer in Anchorage’s premiere male strip club. He’s got the body and the moves, but does he have what it takes to win the heart of a woman like Jessica when he hires her for protection against a stalker who has been targeting a number of the Beefcake dancers?

    Jace isn’t sure what to make of Kate, but he’s dealing with big changes in his own life since his family ranch was sold. Can a prodigal daughter and a restless cowboy turn the bad hand life has dealt them into a winning combination?Loving You From Afar by RaeAnne Hadley Ariana thought her life was over when she lost her husband. But through a strange twist of events that brought a stranger into her and her children’s lives, she was starting to believe that maybe it was just the beginning.My Forever Cowboy by Diane J. ReedJust when you least expect it, love finds you forever.Photographer Avery Smart refuses to believe in “forever cowboys” after her father died in a tragic rodeo accident, until professional bull rider Grant Hollow decides to shed new light into the darkroom of her heart.Say Nothing by Autumn PiperThe best medicine doesn’t always come in pill form, but who knew it could be a scruffy, cranky cowboy?After escaping from the psycho who held her prisoner for months, Brooke often suffers panic attacks when she tries to speak. When her cousin invites her to recuperate at his friends’ ranch in Colorado and help them care for their twin toddlers, she accepts. She’s got nothing holding her in Nebraska; her boyfriend went dark when she returned from captivity damaged.For years since his engagement went belly-up, lead ranch-hand Rowdy has been non-relationship material. He feels a connection with Brooke, though, and she’s able to confide things in him she doesn’t trust her therapist with. He’s probably too old for her, and he’s sure once she recovers she’ll find someone better than him, but he’s content to take the time they have and help her until then.When her successful ex rides back into the picture, Rowdy will have to decide: fight for Brooke, or give her the financially stable future she deserves.Peyton’s Kiss by Ann AndersNo one ever promised Stella Fairchild that life would be fair. If it was, then her best friend wouldn’t be dying. A little girl wouldn’t be losing her mother. And a lonely cowboy would be ready for love. Under the blue skies of Colorado, however, fate has its own ideas. And maybe, just maybe, silver linings can be found hiding in the storm.Midnight Ride by D’Ann LindunCan they escape peril and fall in love?When Brynn Lockwood and her five-year-old daughter Brooke decide to camp in the Colorado mountains the last thing they expect is to be taken hostage by a gunman. After suffering a devastating shooting, Sawyer Bennet moves to Black Mountain, Colorado, to recover. As a Sheriff’s Posse member, he is called out to find a dangerous criminal, but loses his heart instead.

    But this year, the table won’t be as full.Eve Beaumont is a twin heir to Red Hart Ranch. The heart of the family, she loves the land, loves the people, and will do anything for them. Christmas sees most of the ranch hands return to their own homes to celebrate. Only a few long term cowboys remain with the family.When Eve and her brother Trav go into town to collect supplies, they each bring home a drifter for Christmas. Rhys Archer and Simon Heldon are as different as two cowpokes can be. One a handsome, rough edged carver who can work the land and animals with a firm hand; the other a smooth-talking horseman with a devilish charm. Eve finds herself attracted to both men, but when tragedy hits the ranch, romance is the last thing on her mind.Accidents happen around the ranch, and Eve isn’t sure who she can trust. She knows neither man is who he pretends to be — but when no one listens to her, she needs to prove her suspicions on her own.Snow on the Range is a white Christmas story set in a small town along the Montana border into Canada. It is book one of Red Hart Ranch.

    The type of information that could have saved her mother. And now that a killer seems to be targeting young women in Nashville, that information is more important than ever.Standing in her way is homicide detective Jake Radley, who has been burned by sharing too much case information before. When he meets Sydney, he sees the stereotypical journalist who just wants to make a name for herself. It isn't until the killer targets Sydney and Jake makes it his mission to protect her that he learns there's way more to her than he initially thought.As Sydney and Jake spend more time together, they learn about each others' pasts and how they shaped the people they are now. And as they learn more, an initial physical attraction grows into more than either of them ever expected.

    She thought her biggest issue would be adapting to life in the middle of a National Forest, so very different from her upbringing in the deserts of Arizona.But that was before she met State Trooper Fire Marshall Jamison "Jazz" Maddox at the scene of a mysterious fire. As they both become acquainted with the close-knit Klondike residents, things get complicated as Cherie and Jazz find themselves in the middle of a local crime wave where arson, kidnapping, embezzlement and a decades old murder are just the tip of the iceberg.Be sure get your free copy of the Klondike Kompanion from the author's website and read the "Meet the Characters" interviews

    Failure is unimaginable. The malice unthinkable.Living a nightmare…When EDGE operative Dillon Caldwell follows a direct order to bring down the Sanchez Brothers drug cartel, he never imagines that his wife, Sara, would be next on the cartel’s hit list.Dillon thought nothing could match the pain of losing his wife, but when Sara mysteriously turns up twelve months later, beaten yet alive, he realizes he was wrong. She has secrets she’s unwilling to share, secrets that could cost them their lives.Hunted by a relentless killer...Rafael Sanchez has turned a vendetta into a war with no rules. He has taken retribution to an extreme and wants to shatter more than just Dillon’s life. He wants to destroy every reason Dillon has left for living. One way in, and no way out...Trapped in a hostile jungle, Dillon and Sara have nowhere to turn, nowhere to hide, and they find themselves shifting from the shadows of vengeance into the sunlight of justice. In order to survive, they can trust no one, will betray anyone, and are determined to win at whatever the cost. Even if it means going over the edge.

    They lost. They lived. In the small Yorkshire town of Cottenly - dominated by the steel works and surrounded by beautiful countryside - Isaac Stanford lives with his wife Emily and their three lovely daughters, known locally as the Stanford lasses. Alice, the eldest, lives only for her work as a secretary and chapel on Sunday. Fair and loving Lizzie is content with her job making umbrellas - until she falls in love with George Crossman and all she desires is to be a wife and mother. And headstrong Ruth, the merry one, is intent upon marrying handsome charmer, Walter Wray, despite warnings from friends and family. Already emotionally damaged by a traumatic childhood, Alice struggles to lead a normal life. Poor but happy with her ever increasing family, with the onset of war, Lizzie faces the threat of losing all she holds dear. And Ruth soon realises she has made a terrible mistake in her marriage as she becomes trapped in a life of poverty and violence. As the years pass each sister is forced to confront her greatest challenge ...

    He'd lived by his own rules, playing a high-risk game of danger and intrigue. For a man like Steven Colter, the future held no promises.. . .Until he rescued Karen Walsh from the hands of South American militants. He thought she was lovely, yet his instincts told him to run for cover. He had never known a more caring, more captivating woman. And now the lady was reversing the odds--for the first time in his life, he was in love. Though becoming a hostage to his heart was against his nature, he discovered that surrender could be oh, so sweet.

     The enemy will stop at nothing to get to Zoe and the military secrets that could change everything. What Zoe knows is getting people killed. Is she next? ˃˃˃ Gage is a hardened special forces operative with only one soft spot: Zoe. Her desperate screams echoing from inside her home switch his instincts from lover to guardian. To keep America safe, to protect the love of his life, Gage is coming full throttle. ˃˃˃ Fiona Quinn will take you on a thrill ride. Weaving an intricate plot that puts Zoe’s scientific mind and Gage’s battle-hardened skills to the test. With the safety of the US at stake. Relic Digging For The Truth Can Be Deadly ˃˃˃ Brian Is Ex-Special Forces He’s working for a security group that only hires the best of the best. His job is fueled by danger and adrenaline, and he loves every minute of it. At least he did up until this minute. When Sophia walks into their briefing room, Brian’s heart stops. Sophia is the woman who spun his world and stole his heart then disappeared from his life. ˃˃˃ Now, She Needs Protection Sophia is fighting to safeguard Syrian relics from being stolen and sold into private collections by terrorists. Her colleagues are being kidnapped and killed. But the FBI doesn’t believe all is as it seems with Sophia. The Bureau thinks she's helping to sell conflict relics, funding terror, and putting America and her allies at risk. ˃˃˃ This Case Will Test Brian’s Conviction, Honor, and Courage Deadlock He’ll Risk It All To Keep Her Safe Honey Honig is good at his job, infiltrating the most dangerous places on Earth and pulling the hostages away from their kidnappers. When the bad guys slips through Honey’s fingers, he hunts a lead to Tanzania. ˃˃˃ Honey Finds His Way Onto A Safari With Dr. Meg Finley, And Into Her Bed For him, this isn’t just a passing romance, though. Meg sparks something deep and binding in Honey’s heart. ˃˃˃ Out In The Bush, Terrorists Have Plotted Against Them Honey and Meg find themselves swept up in a deadly game of politics and international crime. From the inside, can Honey and Meg save themselves? The others? It's one thing to be part of a rescue team, it's a whole other deal, to be on the wrong side of the metal bars. Whatever else happens, Honey swears he’ll find a way to protect Meg, and get her home safe. Or he’ll die trying. Thorn Thorn has met his match Retired Navy Seal turned Iniquus special operative Thorn Iverson is heading home from Brussels when the call comes in. A military scientist, David DuBois, needs protection. >>> Thorn’s mission? Get him safely home. DuBois’s daughter has just been kidnapped, and he’s in immediate danger.In an international game of cat and mouse, Thorn and his teammates are put to the test, both mentally and physically, as they unravel the mystery of why Juliette DuBois was snatched from the street

    There has to be a connection between the three men...but what? And how does the handsome but mysterious Chase Jennings fit into the mystery? He says he wants to help her but she's not sure she can trust him. When secrets have been buried this long, they're not going to be revealed easily. Bailey is going to have to risk everything - including her life - to find the truth.

    Finding the courage to sort through their possessions, she's astonished to find an old love letter from friend Chris Walker, and determines to make amends for the past. That we all mustChris, now a college professor, is trying to deal with the tragic death of a graduate student. Seeing Emma again brings back a flood of memories, re-kindling a long-lost passion. But with police investigating the student's death, Chris cannot act on his desires. FearBut is it too late? Because now someone's watching Emma and Chris. Someone who's nursing revenge. And they are about to be plunged into a nightmare where no one can be trusted and every dirty little secret is sealed with a kiss.Dirty Secrets previously appeared in the anthology Hot PursuitFrom Sunday Times bestseller Karen Rose comes an intense, pulse-pounding novella, with extracts from Karen's last four full-length books.

    But before Aiden, Ian, Brayden, Gavin, and Quinlan there was Jock Kinncaid, the charismatic patriarch to the Kinncaid family, and Kaitlyn O’Reilly, the woman who captured his heart forever. Kaitlyn O’Reilly, an RN, believed she’d found love with the charming and well-liked surgeon she’d met at work. Landon Goldburg was kind, attentive, and she thought they had so much in common. Now engaged, the good doctor has quickly become the man of her nightmares. As he grows more controlling and violent, Kaitlyn wants her freedom. Jock Kinncaid can’t stop thinking about the quietly beautiful—and engaged—redhead he met at a fund-raising gala months ago. He knows a spitfire lurks beneath the surface of this woman who’s invaded his dreams, and he knows she’s exactly what’s been missing from his otherwise ideal life. When a chance meeting throws the two of them together again, Jock swears he won’t let her get away this time. But even as Jock vows to protect the woman he loves and Kaitlyn struggles to trust Jock and the passion between them, the deranged doctor is bent on destroying them both, even if it means killing the only thing he loves.

    He’s about to receive a piece of stolen film used to make US passports, film that could open the door to terrorists around the world. Although Channing Stuart is the fourth generation in a family of acclaimed magicians, she’s the first of them not to turn pro. Eye-to-eye with a killer, will she have the nerve and nimbleness to pull off a switch that finally proves her worthy of her bloodline? Special agent Bill Ellery is irritated to find himself suddenly teamed with this amateur whose passion to succeed is as great as his own, and whose penchant for the unpredictable unsettles him as much as the woman herself. In an upscale resort where every enticement hides a trap, they play cat and mouse with enemies known and unknown as a time bomb ticks. Hundreds of lives depend on the deftness of one woman’s fingers and ... A TOUCH OF MAGIC.First ebook edition of a thriller by an author known for strong women and swiftly-moving plots.