. . where bad is, oh, so good. Six men return to the boys' ranch they spent one summer at as troubled teens. They're all searching for different things: peace, family, forgiveness, redemption, hope, and faith. It will take the love of strong Texas women to heal these wounded hearts and make these bad, bad boys realize they're good, good men. He’s a wild Texas whirlwind, trying to outrun his painful past. She’s a sweet Lone Star cowgirl, with deep down-home roots. Life in the fast lane is how bad boy Cru Cassidy escapes the aching memories of his childhood. Fast cars and fast women—not necessarily in that order—keep the sexy cowboy from caring or thinking too much. When a road trip has him passing through Simple, Texas, where he spent one summer on a boys’ ranch for troubled teens, he can’t help stopping in to see the two old cowboys who run it. When he sees the bad shape the cowboys and the Double Diamond Ranch are in, Cru knows he has to stay and help . . . and his job is made more enjoyable by the beautiful daughter of a neighboring rancher. He hopes to score a ride with the feisty redhead, but Penny is harder to catch than an unbroken filly. And when he discovers the soft heart under the womanly body, he soon starts to worry that he’ll be the one getting broken and tamed. Penny Gardener has loved Cru almost as long as she’s loved the Texas ranch she calls home. Unfortunately, when they first met, she was an awkward thirteen-year-old—which explains why Cru fell for her pretty older sister instead of her. Since her family’s happiness has always been Penny’s priority, she tries to push her feelings aside. But when Cru returns and sets his devilish green eyes on her, she struggles to remember that he was her sister’s first love. Discovering his heartbreaking past will finally have her giving into her feelings and putting her own happiness first for a change. But will her love be enough to rope and heart-tie her bad boy? Or will he slip through her fingers like the elusive Texas wind?

    He just didn’t think it would actually come to that … Sofia Russo thinks the cute guy in the life vest is just another tourist taking one of her Central Coast kayak outings. When an accident nearly turns him into shark bait, she learns that her client—an English professor from the local university—is an admirer who only signed up to get close to her. Sofia has had a rough time since her parents’ deaths, and her budding relationship with Patrick Connelly comes as a welcome relief. As they grow closer, she begins to think he might not be the only one in need of rescue. Saving Sofia is the first book in Linda Seed’s Russo Sisters series.

    He doesn’t have a plan B, so during his last season, he’s all in, determined to win as much prize money as possible--even if it means riding injured and taking more risks than he should. Ella Etxeberri has always played it safe, so when her life still takes a bad turn despite her caution, she wonders if it isn’t time to see what she’s been missing. While researching risk behaviors in rodeo riders, she meets Shane Marvell, a cowboy who merits additional study of the personal variety. Just as Ella is hitting the point to embrace risk, Shane is pulling back. He knows Ella’s all-in approach is born of curiosity and whim. He’s not what she wants forever, and perhaps Ella is one risk he can't allow himself to take.

    Neither is love …Frankie’s not interested in romance. Her goal of becoming a champion barrel racer requires her full attention. So when the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself, she’s willing to chase it halfway across the globe. Now, with her dream so close she can almost taste it, staying focused is more important than ever. Nothing will stand in her way—especially not the annoyingly handsome Brazilian bull rider who seems so determined to rope her heart.Everything Luciano’s ever wanted is finally within reach. Fame, fortune, validation that he’s the best in the world…it will be his. But when he meets a feisty Aussie who sets his soul on fire, he's forced to realize there’s one more thing he’ll need in order to truly be happy—and that’s Frankie. Now all he has to do is convince the cowgirl of his dreams to give him a chance…When the road to happily ever after gets rough, will Frankie find the courage to trust in love and ride off into the sunset with Luciano? Or will they always be destined to go their separate ways?A Cowgirl’s Dream, book 1 in the Barrels and Hearts series, is a clean and wholesome contemporary romance featuring a commanding cowboy with a heart of gold, and a tough, smart, cowgirl heroine who isn’t afraid to go after exactly what she wants. HEAs are always guaranteed. Download your copy today and let the wild ride begin…

    The residents of Rocky Ridge, Colorado aren’t the forgive-and-forget type, so all he wants now is to be left alone. As a young child, Olivia Harding learned the hard way that approval only came from doing for others. Now, since she has no family of her own to love and care for, she spends her days at the town orphanage help to look after the children there. When Landry rescues Olivia from a dangerous situation, she sees a man who is lonely, a man who is hurt, a man who needs her whether he realizes it or not. As their feelings for each other grow, he starts to believe they might have a future together. Until trouble comes back to town …

    But when a medical emergency calls him home and a legal matter affects his business, suddenly his family isn't the only thing in need of a re-build. Unfortunately his new project involves building a house for a woman who not only awakens his desires, but also his fears. But if he wants to claim her as his own, he'll have to tear down the walls he's built around his heart.Single mom Ashley Anderson knows all about juggling. Between an assortment of part-time jobs and raising her sixteen-year old daughter, she doesn't need a hunky construction worker with an attitude as a distraction. Even one who steps in to help her when she needs it most. But life has taught Ashley that when the going gets tough, she's on her own. It's going to take a man with a Texas-sized heart to show her that this cowboy isn't going anywhere.

    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!

    His sister's kids shouldn't pay for her error in judgment in naming him guardian. Problem is, he doesn't have a clue what he's doing. And the woman who attempts to help with his every fumble is the one woman he wants to steer clear of... Lacey Anderson loves a challenge, but Jake's already broken her heart once. When his tall shadow darkens the doorway of her classroom, she's ready to shut him out - until she meets her new students, and sees the desperation in Jake's eyes. Emotional intelligence is so not his forte. But she's done banging her head against that wall. Jake, however, is finally ready to learn how to love and Lacey’s the teacher he wants. Is she willing to risk her own heart again to teach him?

    But now that Fritz Martin has asked him a favor, he’s back in Last Stand facing the one temptation he can’t ever give into: his mentor’s middle daughter. Sadie Martin doesn’t like Colt Vance, or so she’s told herself for years. He’s far too charming and has her father wrapped around his finger. But Sadie doesn’t have a choice except to work with Colt to save her beloved goat farm. Working together tests Colt’s resolve when it comes to his attraction to Sadie, and Sadie comes to realize she doesn’t just enjoy Colt’s company, she craves it. But Colt can’t break the promise he made to Fritz years ago. Can one tenacious farm girl convince this stubborn cowboy love is always the answer to any problem?

    . . Mark Jaroka is content with his life on the ranch, his brothers by his side. Until he becomes the cowboy king. Hauled halfway across the world after a royal family tragedy, Mark resolves to be worthy of the title. He’ll learn the ways of a monarch, but between him and his untamed brothers, the marble floors better get used to worn leather boots. Then he falters at an unexpected duty—forming a strategic alliance with the whip-tongued and supercilious Princess Ava Veisi. Ava’s only chance at happiness is to escape royal life and leave her poisonous secrets behind. The problem? Her parents have demanded she marry the new King Markus. She stoops treacherously low to try to make him refuse her, but as her escape plans start to take form, she finds herself falling for the sexy, kind-natured cowboy. On the brink of fleeing, Ava is torn between claiming her freedom and the love of a king. No matter her choice, it’s going to break her heart. Her Cowboy King is the first book in the Cowboy Princes contemporary romance series. If you enjoy heartfelt emotion, real and compelling characters, and sweeping settings, then you’ll love this trope-blending romance by award-winning author Madeline Ash.

    CJ knows she’s going to have to work harder and smarter than everyone else to prove herself in the traditionally all-male saddle bronc competition. That means she shouldn’t look twice at handsome, charming cowboy, Jesse Carmody. She needs to focus on the competition, not one of her competitors. If only he wasn’t so damn hot… Jesse Carmody thinks he’s seen it all–until CJ’s arrival throws him for a loop. She’s tough, sexy, and challenging. Jesse quickly realizes he wants to know a whole lot more about this intriguing woman. When CJ faces ugly opposition from others on the circuit, Jesse is there to offer a friendly hand–and more, if she wants it. Between her trials in the arena and fighting to get the other riders to respect her, CJ knows getting involved with Jesse is the last thing she should do. But she can’t seem to keep away. Which leaves her with a choice–the man of her heart, or the career of her dreams? Or can she have them both?

    Romance seems possible until they are rescued, and she learns he's a billionaire. She hates the idea of being a charity case and slips away, but desperate for a place to live, she accepts his sister's offer--a job as a live-in cook--on one condition: Tanner must not know.Tanner can't understand why Livvy disappeared without a goodbye, especially since she needs help. When he discovers that she's living at his sister's house next door, he asks for only one thing--a chance to win her heart. This is a sweet billionaire romance set in Texas.

    But Nina’s vision of her future was shattered after a bitter breakup, followed by Garner’s quick marriage to another woman and fatherhood.Then tragedy strikes. And Garner returns to her a chastened, lonely man.As she wrestles with her feelings for her former suitor, Nina also is handling the biggest case of her career. A prosecution in which one of Garner’s oldest, most powerful, and craftiest family friends is her opposing counsel, representing a well-known state senator.Personal and professional worlds collide. Will the sharpest or most sympathetic survive? Sharp Practice is the first book in the Bourbonland series.

    Jesse Cochran wants a new start, far from the crippling effects of a childhood stained by growing up as the whore’s kid. They both enter the Oklahoma Land Run and end up neighbors. Sparks fly between them, which turns into a fire they can’t avoid. A Prescription for Love: 1903. Betrayed by his fiancée’s infidelity eight years ago, pharmacist Michael Henderson vowed he'd never risk his heart again. But he doesn't anticipate the tug of attraction he shares with his new employee. Heidi Lester flees her home, determined to prove to her overprotective parents she can conquer her debilitating asthma, to make a life of her own. However, her unscrupulous fiancé has no intention of letting her go. He has his own plans for Heidi and her inheritance. Will a scheme to ruin Michael's family force Heidi to marry her fiancé, or will assistance arrive from a surprising source to allow her to be with the man she truly loves? A Chance to Love Again: In 1906 Oklahoma, the last thing ranch cook and widowed mother Rachel Stevens wants is to get involved with a man again. She’s not happy with the attention she’s getting from the new ranch foreman, Rusty McIntrye, and how her son follows the man around like he’s a hero. What’s more troubling is the way she’s reacting to those attentions.

    If only she didn’t have to work closely with the town player, Tate Prentice. After being burned once by a serial cheater, her inconvenient attraction toward Tate needs to be nipped in the bud. Tate Prentice’s focus is on ensuring his father recovers fully from his stroke and making sure the family’s peach farm continues to thrive. When his brother nominates the farm to be the satellite site for the festival, he’s less than impressed. The only good thing is he'll be working with Kelly – even though he knows she’ll never give him a second glance, not with his reputation. The more time Kelly spends with Tate, the more she sees the man behind the reputation. Can she trust her instincts, or will her heart be broken once again?