Maybe a teacher—working with kids, and then enjoying a summer break. However, I didn’t think I would end up a housekeeper scrubbing floors. It doesn’t matter if the floors are in a million-plus dollar condo, in one of Chicago’s most exclusive addresses. I’m still on my hands and knees for one of the most obnoxious a$$holes I’ve ever met. While even his sister thinks he’s best taken in small doses, she offers me a job I can’t refuse. I need this job, and it’s not like it’s forever, just until I’m not on the edge of poverty. Let him be the unrepentant manwhore who didn’t do repeats. It’s better for him not to be at home, so close that my stupid body goes nuts when I even think of him. It’s better this way, because he could never want me. I’m a plus size not a size two model he’s used to having. I’m safe, it doesn’t matter how badly I want him, he doesn’t want me. Does he? Ethan In my world, the stakes are high, million dollar high, so no, I’m not nice. I don’t say please or thank you and I never apologize. If you have a problem with that, it’s your problem not mine. I didn’t make partner at one of the biggest law firms in Chicago at only thirty-two with my winning personality. I’m on top because I make money for my clients, whether it’s a high stakes takeover, or a player getting paid every dime he’s worth. My clients come out on top. I have worked hard for the life I have, the million-dollar condo, the Ferrari in the garage, and the hottest woman on my arm and in my bed. So, if my b!tch of a new housekeeper wants to look down on me, like I give a fu*k. My one weakness, my little sister parked me with a housekeeper who is far from perfect. Okay, she has the cooking and the cleaning down. But damn, does she have an attitude and a mouth on her that smiles even when she’s insulting me. It’s a good thing she isn’t my type, or I would make her pay the best way possible. At least, I’m trying to tell my c@ck she’s not my type, only the a$$ole has had his own idea since he saw her. It won’t last long though, it never wants any woman for long. When she offers herself to me, it’s with a contract where I hold all the control, all I have to do is sign.

    It’s not long before the U.S military instigates a cordon sanitaire to contain the contagious, and a small band of survivors find themselves at the center of a terrifying government experiment. At the onset of the devastation, Chief Brody Jackson is not only juggling a six month separation from his wife, dealing with an unruly son, and hunting down a homicidal maniac, but now he’s torn between protecting the town or saving his dysfunctional family. As the lights and communication go down, and the epidemic decimates the small population, only three things are certain — no one is safe, everyone is a threat, and family is everything.

    The problem is Hunter James is not just any man. He’s tall, dark, and as hot as sin. I need to go to church and pray that he’ll keep away from me. His irresponsible, one-night stand has left him with a little girl, and for some reason, he thinks that it’s my problem. I should laugh at him. He deserves it. But he charms the group into letting him join and now I’m stuck looking into his blue eyes. He turns my parenting group into a dating one as he invites all his single friends to join. The last thing they need is another man in their lives. It’s a shame that I’m the only one who sees that. They turn up to the meeting and leave one-by-one. Leaving me alone with Hunter James and he’s not trying to get some single parenting advice. No. Hunter James has something much dirtier in mind! Author's Note: It's short and steamy with enough sexiness for you to enjoy this novella. It is standalone, and there's no cheating!

    When Abigail Riley's body is found in an underground shelter, DS Fraser Harvey finds himself hunting her killers--whose depravity is matched only by their naivety.Eleven years later, when the young murderers are released to faraway countries with new identities, Harvey remains haunted by the case, convinced that one--or both--will kill again.Concerned that he is the only thing standing in the way of more deaths of innocents, he must decide how far will he go to stop them--and at what cost to himself and all the others whose lives were changed forever by Abigail's terrible fate.Praise for the crime thrillers of Luke Delaney: "The feeling of being at the heart of a police investigation seeps from every page." --Daily Mail"Scary authenticity." --The SunAddictive . . . captivates and chills." --Richmond Times-Dispatch

    

    Within hours, he dies, and Abby is charged with his murder.Heather Baxter, her defense attorney, knows the case is not as clear cut as the Assistant District Attorney claims, and with enormous media attention on the trial, the stakes couldn't be higher.When Heather digs deeper, the shadows of her own past, and her mother's unsolved murder 25 years earlier, in the same small town, begin to unravel with deadly consequences, placing both Heather, and her young client in danger.Will Heather find the link between Abby and what happened to her mother all those years before? And will Abby walk free?

    Innocent.I touch everything I destroy.I can't keep my hands off of her.I'm going to ruin her if she's not careful.Eva is everything good in this city.But loving her is more dangerous than I could imagine.When she sees something she shouldn't, I don't have a choice.There's nothing I won't do to to protect my family.She's in my heart and in my bed.Now that I've had a taste, I don't think I can let her go.

    Ben is the only man who's ever asked her to marry him. And now still single, and closing in on her thirty-fifth birthday, Kate suspects her shelf life is nearing its expiration date. Though Ben once broke her heart she's convinced fate has brought them together for a second chance at love. Asks the right question... The problem is Declan O'Connor, a sexy Irishman. Kate considers him a friend - except she's been having some very un-friend like thoughts about him. They shared a scorching kiss one night, before Ben reentered her life, and now she can't stop thinking about it. Despite the attraction with Ben, Kate is remembering her old resentments all too well. But then Ben asks her to marry him again, and her second chance has finally arrived. What do you do? From Seattle to Dublin, from the old to the new, Kate is caught between playing it safe or playing with fire.

    When she discovers that her beloved godfather has left her the grand (and crumbling) Ravenscourt House in the heart of Sussex, she soon has a project on her hands.Nathan sells delicious goodies at Mulberry Farm. When he meets Lorna at a Christmas market, neither of them can ignore the chemistry. But as they get to know one another, Lorna wants to know one thing – is he after her or the house?Together with Gloria – whose marriage to alcoholic Adrian has hit rock bottom, and Rosalind – struggling to deal with her womanising husband Ivan, the three friends hatch a plan. They’ll ditch their difficult husbands at Ravenscourt House and enjoy stress-free Christmases with their families. But nothing is ever that simple…Mary de Laszlo has had four novels published by Headline and has since had many others published by Hale. She lives in London and is an active member of the RNA. She was a fashion journalist with Vogue and now works as an occasional film extra when not writing.

    . .Cherry, Maggie and Rose are mother, daughter and granddaughter, each with their own hopes, dreams and even sorrows. They have always been close, so when, in a moment of impulse, Cherry buys a gorgeous but rundown pub in the village she grew up in, it soon becomes a family affair.All three women uproot themselves and move to Rushbrook, deep in the heart of Somerset, to take over The Swan and restore it to its former glory. Cherry is at the helm, Maggie is in charge of the kitchen, and Rose tends the picturesque garden that leads down to the river.Before long, the locals are delighted to find the beating heart of the village is back, bringing all kinds of surprises through the door.Could Cherry's impulse purchase change all their lives - and bring everyone the happiness they're searching for?Escape to the glorious Somerset countryside with this joyful and uplifting story of family, love and hope.

    I had to stop thinking about fu*king him... Nakia's hard work just paid off. The gifted fashion student just landed an internship at Kingsley Designs as personal assistant to Zachary Kingsley himself. He's an asshole and a workaholic, and the sexiest man she has ever laid eyes on... How long can she stand being so close to him? Can she learn to capture his dangerous heart?

    And he’s more than a decade older than me. But I want him anyway. My plans for Halloween this year are pretty laid-back: drive up to see my parents, hand out candy at their house, and watch some cheesy horror movies. But then my mom tells me that we’re invited to a Halloween party hosted by my dad’s new business partner. And my dad’s new business partner, Dante, is freakin’ hot. Hooking up with Dante proves to be inevitable. What catches us both off guard is our mutual desire to actually be together. But I don’t see how we can make it work. And I’m scared out of my mind to tell my parents about us. How can this possibly end well? JUST ONCE is a fun, short, Halloween romance with steam, sweetness, and a happily-ever-after!

    . .Med student Kenzie Anderson, tired of letting others chart her future, accepts a job as second steward aboard Almost Paradise. But when she finds the captain dead before the charter even begins, her plans seem to capsize.Jimmy James Gamble senses something vulnerable and slightly naive about Kenzie when he finds her on the docks. Realizing danger may still be lingering close, he uses his hidden skills to earn a place on the charter. But being there causes him to risk everything—especially as more suspicious incidents occur.As they set out to sea, Kenzie and Jimmy James both wonder if they’re in over their heads. They must figure out how to stop a killer before anyone onboard is hurt . . . otherwise, both their futures might just run aground.Lantern Beach Mayday is a three book series. Other books in this series are:Dead ReckoningTipping Point

    Theirs was an unshakeable bond with nature, family, and friends, renewed every summer on their island of granite and pines.But that bond was threatened and then torn apart, first as rights to their island were questioned and then by nature itself, and the family was forced to leave. Fourteen years later, Beth has created a new life in urban Chicago. There, she’s erected a solid barrier between the past and present, no matter how much it costs―until her grandfather asks her to return to the island to determine its fate. Will she choose to preserve who she has become, or risk everything to discover if what was lost still remains?The Best Part of Us will immerse readers in a breathtaking natural world, a fresh perspective on loyalty, and an exquisite ode to the essential roles that family, nature, and place hold in all of our lives.