Her adored father often travelled by sea to the Netherlands, leaving her with an unaffectionate mother and only her imagination of a little Dutch girl, Annelise, to keep her company. When devastation ravages her tiny family. Annelise becomes the comforting friend Margriet needs for a long time to come.A few years later, Margriet is blossoming into a kind young lady. Keen to escape her mother and strike out on her own, she forms an unlikely friendship with some of the street children who roam the town. As Margriet acts upon her inspiration to help them, will the troubles of her past break her spirit, or will she be able to overcome them?If you've liked books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heart-rending stories of triumph over adversity.

    Only, when she meets the upper-class Jack on the grounds of his father's estate, she is tempted by the thought of an affair. Is she destined to follow in her mother's scandalous footsteps after all...? (Note: previously published as The Pitman's Brat by Una Horne)

    Now, his mission is personal.After returning home from a combat mission in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Special Forces sniper Rob Walker is in a race for time to rescue his kidnapped sister from the clutches of a Mexican drug cartel.Having seen too much during a botched drug deal, she is snatched up off the New York City streets and handed over to members of a Mexican cartel who are after their payday. Suspecting her of being sold into sex slavery to satisfy the unpaid debt, Rob must act before it’s too late. But, taken deep into the Mexican criminal underworld, Marianne completely drops off the radar. Heading south on a quest to find her, Rob teams up with his best friend and spotter. He decides to do the only thing he can do: commit violence and punish everyone involved in his sister’s disappearance. Rob’s mission: save Marianne and send a clear message of brutality to her captors.But once a cartel hitman picks up their trail, it becomes a dangerous game of cat and mouse.Will they get to Marianne in time? Or will she vanish forever into the global sex trade?

    Usually, it would be fun to have a new girl arrive. But not this time!When Casey realizes that Ali looks exactly like her, she is not at all impressed. To make matters even worse, Casey's crush, a boy named Jake Hanley and the coolest boy in the grade, takes a sudden interest in Ali, and Casey becomes more annoyed than ever. "Who is she and why does she have my face?" This is one of the many questions that Casey asks and she is determined to find out the answer. However, she is not at all prepared for the outcome. Within a matter of days, her world as she once knew it is turned upside down and the decisions she makes lead to consequences beyond her control. This is a fabulous series for girls aged 9-12 and is certain to become a new favorite. School friendships, boy crushes, drama, and excitement combine together to create a suspenseful and enjoyable story that you will not be able to put down.

     COLD CASE When her past comes back to haunt her… Former FBI cyber security agent Eryn Calloway worked many cyber investigations during her career as an FBI agent and while serving as Blackwell Tactical’s cyber expert. But when her computer is locked with ransomware, she suddenly finds herself facing the biggest investigation of all, one that could result in the loss of her very life. Can she let the one man who can protect her get close enough to do so? Enter former Green Beret, deputy Trey Sawyer who offers to serve as her bodyguard. Trey has been in love with Eryn for a year, but after losing her husband, she isn’t ready to open herself to the potential for pain again. She’s kept Trey at arm’s length and wants to do so now—after all, she can take care of herself. But she has a four-year-old daughter to protect, so Eryn reluctantly agrees to let Trey into her world. Is he trustworthy enough to let him into every area of her life, or is the risk too great? COLD FEAR A shared past… Riley Glen’s former girlfriend, recording artist Leah Kent calls to tell him she’s in danger and needs his help. After the concert, he discovers her bending over a woman’s dead body, and the woman has Leah’s name freshly tattooed on her wrist. When two other bodies are found, both boasting Leah’s name in bright ink on their wrists, she comes under suspicion for the murders. Riley jumps in to defend her from both an imminent arrest and a killer’s deadly rage. A new beginning? Riley and Leah had once been a music team and deeply in love. But Riley’s lifelong dream was to be a sniper, not a musician. He chose to follow his dream and still has feelings for Leah, but their lives are on vastly different courses. But when she begs for his help to clear her name and protect her, he agrees to protect her from this highly trained and vicious killer. COLD PURSUIT She’s on the run… When Whitney Rochester’s brother-in-law kills her sister, Whitney fears for the life of her niece and nephew. She goes on the run with the children to be sure they’re out of her brother-in-law’s reach. Or so she thinks until a killer shows up—weapon in hand—at the ski resort where she works and targets her. But he’s in pursuit. Former Recon Marine Alex Hamilton is working an undercover investigation at the resort when a crazed man wielding a gun takes out a guy in close proximity to Whitney. Despite not having the support of the Blackwell Tactical team, other than their forensic expert, Samantha Willis, Alex isn’t about to let the shooter harm Whitney or anyone else. When a blinding snowstorm triggers avalanches in the area, it’s too dangerous for the police to reach the secluded resort to stop the killer and Alex and Sam must protect everyone at the resort while they feverishly work to determine if Whitney is the victim or the intended target. COLD DAWN An inferno meant to destroy… Blackwell Tactical operator and former criminalist Samantha Willis discovers forensic evidence to prove her friend has been murdered. But before she can gather the evidence, an explosion erupts and a fiery inferno traps her in a building. She helplessly watches the evidence go up in flames and prays that she can escape before the encroaching flames take her life. Or an act of revenge… Firefighter and former Navy SEAL Matt Griffin knew his friend’s death was no accident, and he arrives at the building to gather his own evidence.

    Containing a collection of poems by the author that, not only investigates the lighter side of love, but also dares to delve deeper, taking the reader on a journey into the darker aspects of love, such as indecision, rejection, fear, betrayal, loss and finally death. Inspired by his own love story, and subsequent bereavement, the author writes emotionally, and from the heart, often resulting in poems that bring a tear to the eye. For information on more chapbooks in Dark Love Poetry series, please visit the authors website located at www.darrenheart.com

    As he and his crew split their treasure, the promise of one final prize lures the ship back into action. Little do they know that the purported riches are nothing but a trap set by the fledgling U.S. Navy! With the crew decimated and the treasure scattered, a new leader must rise from the defeat. They'll go on one last adventure through unexplored Florida to the Keys. Can they stay one step ahead of enemies hell-bent on their destruction? Tides of Fortune: Pirate is a box set of the first four serialized episodes of a thrilling high-seas adventure series from renowned storyteller Steven Becker. Fans say the brilliantly written and fast-paced collection has plenty of action, three-dimensional characters, and plot twists galore. Keys natives and land lovers alike will dive headfirst into this daring escape saga.

    

    She sinned.' Aunt Maud's cruel words shock Rosie Quest, but they also explain the hostility that surrounds her on the run-down Wirral farm: no wonder her aunt resents having had to take in an illegitimate child. It's quite a relief to escape to her job at Shearing's garment factory, even though Beatrice Shearing is a tough employer. But when Rosie catches the eye of Ben Shearing, Beatrice is having none of it: her son is too good for a factory girl. When she fails to halt the romance by conventional methods, Beatrice resolves to try more drastic tactics, even if that means uncovering secrets best left buried...

    Following the accidental death of her daughter, Kara, she has transferred from the Met up to Yorkshire. The slower pace of life and change of scene proves beneficial, up until three young women are brutally murdered. Laura has to face the fact that a serial killer is operating on her patch, and the case file has landed on her desk. With no forensic evidence or apparent motive, Laura soon – and unofficially – contacts an old friend who had also been her lover; Jim Elliott, an ex-FBI profiler now living in the UK and running a successful PR company in London. Jim reluctantly agrees to consult on the case, to bring his ‘mind hunting’ skills to the aid of Laura and her team, to hopefully identify and apprehend the homicidal maniac known as the Tacker.

    

    Widowed Sid Rawlins, the rag-and-bone man, says she can come and live with him and he will give her child a name in return for her running his home and looking after his children. Despite the gossip a desperate Brenda has little choice but to accept. Life isn't easy for Brenda and little Ruby but they try make the best of things. Until Brenda falls in love with Sid's eldest son, Danny, and their affair causes trouble within the family. And when Sid dies and leaves the business to his cousin, Charlie, life becomes even harder for Brenda as she faces the threat of losing everything she holds dear...

    With mounting disbelief, Regan Trent realises that the death of her beloved mother has left her totally at her stepfather's mercy. But mercy is a foreign concept to Sherwyn Huntley. To this ruthless man, Regan is simply an obstacle between him and the Trent fortune. Denied a place at her mother's funeral, cruelly separated from her younger brother, promised in marriage to a sadistic pervert, Regan prefers to take her chance in the wide world. But Huntley will stop at nothing to achieve his cruel ambitions . . .

    When Rita Taylor is foisted upon her reluctant aunt, Margaret Sinclair, neither are happy. Rita didn’t even know she had an aunt, while Margaret is convinced her wayward niece will be nothing but trouble. Despite their differences the pair become unlikely allies in life and love, especially when Rita reintroduces Margaret to her long lost childhood sweetheart, William Brodie.As Liverpool slips into the Great Depression, Rita’s relationship with the Brodie family flourishes and secrets from Margaret’s past emerge. But will hardship and heartbreak get in the way of this blossoming friendship? Originally published as ‘The Pawnbroker’s Niece’, The Heart Will Lead is a captivating saga perfect for fans of Pam Howes, Dilly Court and Lyn Andrews.

    Amir's deception has made him an outsider to the man he respects the most. Will Father and Son ever see eye to eye again? Supreme, Nico, T-Roc and Lorenzo all team up for the greater good, to put an end to Arnez's reign of terror but is it too little too late? Caleb admires Genesis and wants nothing more to be accepted into his inner circle but will his ties to Genesis's arch enemy make that impossible? Precious has always been a woman who played by her own rules. But is she ready to change how she plays the game, to save her daughter Aaliyah? With the stakes so high, the only choice you have, is to Stay Schemin' in Part 5 of the Stackin' Paper Series.