See author's note, below Pulling Home (That Second Chance #1) It's taken nine years and a cross-country move, but Audra Valentine Wheyton has kept her secrets safe. She's created the perfect life: a husband who loves her, a daughter she adores, and a position as head writer for an award-winning daytime soap. When her husband dies suddenly, Audra returns to her hometown for the funeral and faces a community that has not forgotten her meager beginnings and the man who has never forgiven her for marrying his brother. Jack Wheyton is a successful pediatric neurosurgeon who is about to become engaged when Audra walks back into his life with her daughter. He forgave his brother long ago for taking something that had been his, something he hadn't even realized he wanted until it was gone. But forgiving Audra is another story...and forgetting her? Near impossible. When a shattering illness strikes Audra's daughter, she turns to Jack to save her child and risks exposing a secret that will change their lives forever. A Family Affair: The Promise (Truth in Lies #7) Grant Richot sprinted through life, a boy wonder with talent, intelligence, confidence, and charm. He never doubted the world awaited him, just as he never doubted the right woman would come into his life—but only when he was ready for her. Anyone before that was simply preparation for the one. How wrong he was. Years and a tragedy later, Grant arrives in Maggie Finnegan’s hometown of Magdalena, New York—broken, uncertain, and searching for that second chance with the woman he cast aside. But Maggie’s no longer naïve and impressionable; she’s a confident, competent widow with a child, who has more at risk than another broken heart… Note from Mary: I love secondary characters: writing them, reading about them, even watching them on the big screen. Secondary characters support the “stars”; make them more vibrant and compelling. But when the story ends, I’m often left wondering what they’d do if they were in the “spotlight”. That’s why I’ve created special boxed sets that were part of That Second Chance series and the Truth in Lies series. These boxed sets let the reader follow the before and after of select characters as they first appear in That Second Chance series and later in the fictional town of my bestselling Truth in Lies series. Boxed Set One contains Pulling Home and A Family Affair: The Promise. I invite you to follow their journey!

    I wrote this series so one story picks up where the previous story left off, which makes it fun to binge read all together. Book 1: The Opposite of Wild Ex-cop Ryan O'Hare takes one look at buttoned-up control freak Liz Garner and just itches to loosen the woman up. Not that he’s into her. Because a woman like that comes with way too many expectations. Not to mention, she practically works for him, and he didn’t hire Liz to watch after his beloved Harley-stealing Gran so he could turn Liz loose in his bed. Still, there’s something about her, a hidden wild side, that makes him wonder what it would take. Book 2: Daisy Does It All Exhausted single mom Daisy Garner is shocked when her blog about her perfect life with husband and baby brings a national talk show to her door. Amazing! Except she made the whole thing up. Enter Travis O'Hare, her fake husband, who's intent on becoming the real deal. Book 3: Bad Taste in Men Rachel Miller knows opening a café will make her struggling bookstore the place to hang out. But when the bank turns her down and her best friend Shane O’Hare steps in, the café suddenly has too much riding on it—her career, her best friend, and her heart.

    Bullied as a child, she hides behind an unremarkable wardrobe and relegates herself to the shadows. But when her best friend convinces her to attend a charity benefit in Chicago wearing a stunning red dress that catches the eye of every man in the room, she discovers a surprising side to her personality. One that adores the spotlight but has no idea how to handle the attention.Mark Strong, a wealthy Chicago businessman, is brimming with confidence. He’s in total control. Nothing—and no one—escapes his notice. However, Mark carries a heavy, painful burden. After finding his fiancée with another man six years ago, he’s erected a fortress around his heart, unwilling to let himself fall in love again. But when enchanting Karma snares his gaze from across the room, he has no idea she will shatter his carefully ordered life.What starts out as a casual flirtation takes a series of surprising turns as Mark and Karma embark on a sensual journey destined by fate. Mark is driven to know Karma, understand her…educate her, and Karma is his willing student, eager to experience the pleasure he promises. But when the student becomes the teacher, Mark has to make a choice between taking another chance on love or a future alone.

    He’s a man with determination.And after one evening with Jessica, he’s determined to claim her as his. Jessica is perfectly content keeping relationships casual. She’d rather fall in lust than love. And one glance at Royce- she’s definitely in lust. But Royce doesn’t kiss and bail. Jessica may try to hide behind a thick wall, but he senses the fires burning hot. If he has to break through kiss by kiss, he will.

    Running the inner workings of a rock band is the only thing I know to do. My only saving grace is a long vacation soaking up the sun in some exotic locations around the world between tours. One steamy night on an island with Taylor Vaughn, the guitarist for the rock band Fatal Cross, and my world is turned upside down. When he doesn’t return my calls, I end up going through hell alone. Little do I know, he’s fighting his own personal demons. When he fills in on my cousin’s tour for a few weeks, I am forced to work with the man who stole my heart months before on a private island. It isn’t easy being around him, but I am determined to keep my head low and pray this tour ends soon, but does anything ever go as planned?

    I come from nothing. I have no one but myself. Sometimes I do things I don't want to -- I do them because I have to. Stripping. That's my life in Vegas. And my boss keeps pressuring me to do more than just take my clothes off...Then John Carter Quinn crashes into my life. He's an older, gorgeous billionaire in a thousand dollar suit. He keeps coming to see me, night after night. I'm not sure what he wants -- but I know what I want. One night he pulls out his gun at my club to take down a bad guy, and I find out what type of business he's actually in. Hint: he doesn't sit at a desk, he employs a bunch of ex-Navy Seals, and it's lethal to be on his bad side. Like me, John has his share of secrets. Dark secrets, dark pain. One of his secrets involves my past. These secrets will bring us together. And then tear us apart.18+ due to mature content. Contains a cliffhanger, but the finale, Liberty At Last, is available now!

    When his plane was shot down months later, right before the birth of their daughter, Liv’s world shattered. She returned to her parents’ isolated ranch in Colorado to raise her daughter alone. One year led into the next, and before she knew it, her daughter was grown and gone—leaving Liv bored and cranky. She finds herself spending too much time on social media feeds, cyber-stalking the hot guitar player she met at a concert over the summer.Ben Rice recognized her as soon as he saw her sitting at the bar. Liv, that was her name, and fate kept bringing them together. The first time he saw her, after his band CB Rice opened at Red Rocks, he watched her. She loved music—and she felt it. Not everyone did. She danced, she laughed, she smiled, she lived. That was why he remembered her name when he introduced himself at the end of the show. “I’m Liv,” she’d said. And he was ready to. He’d endured too many struggles in the last few years. He’d worked hard to keep the band going, and he wasn’t going to give up. With a new record about to be released, this was their year—he could feel it. Used to getting what he wants, Ben pursued the reluctant Liv. But knowing he wanted more from her than she was willing to give, she told him following a man around the globe wasn’t in the stars for her. Been there, done that, retired the t-shirt. She had her own stars to chase this time.When those stars fall around her feet, and Ben refuses to let her sweep them up alone, how could a girl not love him? And when she does, how can she let him go? A better question is how can she ask him to stay when she sees how bright his future could be without her?This is book can be read as a standalone with no cliffhanger.

    San Francisco is a brand new city. I have an amazing apartment, a new job, family, and friends to keep me occupied. Life in the city will be easy.Keep my head down, don’t break any of the ridiculous rules in my lease agreement, get my best friend through her nasty relationship drama, and stick to my five year plan. I’ve got this. Or at least I would if I could figure out why my heart skips a beat every time I see my hot neighbor. Handsome, funny, and always around right when I need him, Finnegan McRyan is my own personal knight in shining armor. The tousled hair and sexy glasses don’t hurt his appeal either. Finn acts like the perfect man, but there’s something about him that has me questioning if it’s too good to be true. Can I count on him when it really matters or is Finn using his good guy image to hide the truth?

    He’s hotheaded, demanding, and sexy as sin. A recipe for trouble when your current relationship is on the rocks.Determined to ignore my growing attraction to him, I keep my head down and attempt to focus on my work. Until one steamy moment in the elevator makes me reconsider everything I believe in.When long days start turning into late nights, rumors begin to spread about our sudden romantic relationship. Everyone loves to hear the latest office gossip but no one cares if the rumors are true. Until they’re at the center of them.

    But when her boss is murdered, she can't believe who the lead detective on the case is.One idiotic mistake.One more chance to make it right.Detective Zeke Chance vows to make it up to Zoe for the way he treated her. Nothing will stop him—except maybe the killer.Warning: This novel contains a sexy detective. There is insta-lust turned into insta-love. If you don't want to read that kind of book, turn back now! But you know you wanna.The entire One Taste series: (Each book can be read as a standalone.)One Taste of You (Book 1): Zeke & ZoeOne Taste of Love (Book 2): Ben & RinaOne Taste of Crazy (Book 3): Sauer & DeeOne Taste of Sin (Book 4): Stitch & SusanOne Taste of Redemption (Book 5): Newman & AmeliaOne Taste of Hope (Book 6): Rory & Brooke

    Scott and Anina Collins! Persephone Gilmore comes from a life of privilege. The oldest daughter of media mogul Marshall Gilmore, she grew up wanting for nothing. But her father taught her more than just how to make billions, and even though she could sit by the pool and eat bon bons every day for the rest of her life, she chooses to work as an ER nurse and live on her own away from the family estate and her father's security. Then one night, those choices come back to haunt her. Nick Hanson hasn't been truly happy since he left the FBI. Life as a hired gun for wealthy clients has paid well and made him very much in demand, but it isn't the same as the life he used to have. When Marshall Gilmore wants to hire him to rescue his daughter after she's taken hostage by a terrorist group, he agrees, but to save her, he'll have to go undercover and become one of them. It's dangerous work, but he knows what to expect and he's never been one to turn down a challenge. What starts out as just another case turns into something much more, and Nick finds out just how much he's willing to do to save Persephone.

    As much of a gentleman as one can be having an undisputed record with every win by a knock out. People LOVE him.Overworked barista Tegan Holland doesn't know he exists. Not until ten minutes before her friend Fiona drags her to the biggest cage fight Sydney has ever seen. By the time he heads back to his training camp in the States, she'll never forget him. But should she let him forget her? He's chasing his dream. He doesn't have time for her. Does he?For Owen, the hits just keep coming. Trash talking opponents, sensationalist media, and someone's out to ruin him for good. He can't put Tegan in the middle of it. Can he?Soon, will any of it matter? Cause life has other plans, and NOTHING hits harder than life.

    Soon, she's face-to-face with a man from her past. The one man she never stopped longing for.Renowned archaeologist, Noah Nolan, swore he’d never return to the small, remote island in Lake Michigan. After agreeing to complete a short-term excavation project, he realizes the site belongs to the woman who inexplicably rejected him years before. A woman he’s never forgotten – or forgiven.When Noah’s affinity for uncovering all things lost, forgotten, and buried stirs Mina’s repressed memories of a terrifying secret, she must find the courage to unearth the past, or risk losing the treasure of her heart forever.

    He grew up breaking colts and parachutes into wildfires as a smokejumper for a living, but Layla Rafferty, the elusive woman he loves but can't have, might be the one to finally break him.

    At least that’s what Callie’s neighbor promises when Callie moves into The Holiday apartment building. Devastated by her fiancé’s confession that he’s in love with another woman, Callie can’t imagine anything could heal her broken heart. Tragic love has brought Theo to his knees before, so he knows just how to repair Callie’s shattered confidence. After five nights in his arms, she’ll leave her heartache behind, give voice to her deepest desires, and be ready to forge a real, lasting love with someone new…it just won’t be him. Theo can give Callie back her voice and teach her to ask for what she wants from her new lover, but what if she asks for more than he can give? Will he break his only rule—no falling in love—for her?