Nobody knows I’m alive… Ben Bracken is on the run for his life. Keeping a low profile from the agencies seeking to silence him, he finds refuge in the quiet town of Horning. Working in a boat yard and lodging with an older couple, Eric and Dot, Ben uses this time to plan. He needs to escape, and realising his only chance will reveal his whereabouts to some unsavoury characters, he plans every detail. Little does he know, even that won’t be enough… Just before he walks away, murder strikes the quiet town. Ben cannot leave until he is sure that he has not brought any further trouble to the townsfolk. Will he be able to exact revenge? One thing is certain, there is a lot more going on in the town of Horning than meets the eye… The Penny Black is action packed from beginning to end, keeping you guessing right the way through. Praise for The Penny Black: ‘Brave…a home run…like James Bond meets The Godfather…I bloody loved it’ - Dan Stubbings, author of The Dimension Between Worlds blog. ‘Another gripping instalment in the Bracken series…a wonderful thriller’ - James Stuart, screenwriter 'The writing flows beautifully and the story really draws the reader in' - Ann Bloxwich, crime fiction author Rob Parker currently writes full time, while also making time to encourage new young readers and authors through readings and workshops at local schools and bookstores. He holds a law degree and a degree in film and media production.

    Follow Grace, Hazel, and Charlotte as they leave everything behind and embark on adventures to find hope, love, and happiness! FINDING HOPE Miss Grace Thackery never believed that she would marry because she thought she was too plain. When a friend gives her a copy of Matrimonial News, Grace has hope that she might find a husband who is not focused on outward beauty, but instead can appreciate the other qualities she possesses. After corresponding with a man, Grace agrees to move to Montana to get married. However, when her future husband asks for a picture, Grace worries that he will cancel the engagement when he sees her photograph. An acquaintance convinces Grace to paint her face, add some padding, and wear a wig to alter her beauty for the photograph. Reluctantly, Grace agrees, but harbors a great guilt over being deceitful. When she arrives in Montana, the man she is supposed to marry leaves her at the train station when her appearance does not match the picture she sent. Alone and scared, Grace does not know what to do next. Hope is not lost… Grace meets a man that appreciates her looks and her character, but she also knows that allowing herself to have feelings for him will come with many challenges. Will Grace ever have a second chance at happiness? THE BRIDE’S HEART After a traumatic event, Hazel is tired of being pitied by her family and the people who live in her small town. As a way to escape her past, Hazel moves to a new town as a mail order bride to marry Stephen, a ruggedly handsome rancher. Hazel has no interest in falling in love, and neither does Stephen. The agreement is that Hazel will manage the house and Stephen will manage the ranch. Stephen likes things in order, and Hazel is more of a free spirit who takes time to appreciate the small things in life. They don’t understand each other, and they find that their differences lead to arguments. However, every time Stephen looks at Hazel, she feels something build inside her. Will their differences drive them apart, or is there more to this handsome cowboy than meets the eye? Will Hazel ever find true happiness? And will it be at Stephen’s side? LOVE’S CHANCE Charlotte was given every luxury in life growing up. Although she learned how to appreciate the finer things in life, she never learned how to cook or clean. Those skills didn’t matter because Charlotte knew she would only marry a man that could give her the same type of lifestyle her father had given her. A tragedy strikes Charlotte’s family and her father lets her know that the money is all gone. Charlotte is devastated, and makes the decision to become a mail-order bride to relieve her parents from their financial responsibility of taking care of her. *** Paul is looking for a woman who isn’t afraid to work hard. He can’t handle all the responsibilities that come along with owning a farm, so he needs someone to cook, clean, and even help on the farm when needed. When Charlotte arrives, Paul soon realizes that his new wife is hiding a secret. Can this secret drive them apart? Did he just make the biggest mistake of his life? If you love historical western and mail-order bride romance books with twists and turns, you will love this sweet and clean romance collection. Authors Note: These are clean, stand-alone romances, so there are no cliffhangers.

    While Janelle is away living in the lap of luxury, Myria finds herself becoming a byproduct of the streets, ending up in serving a five-year prison sentence for robbery. Deciding that it’s time to turn over a new leaf, Myria reaches out to Janelle, who offers her a warm bed until she manages to get on her feet. While Myria heads to Miami excited to rekindle her relationship with her sister, Janelle has other plans in mind. Tired of being the long suffering and abused wife of the King of Miami, Janelle spends her days poolside plotting Dom’s downfall. With one elaborate plan after another fails, Janelle decides to go back to the basics and figures that she could pull her own version of a “bait and switch.” The bait? Myria. The switch? The life of luxury she once loved. Not one to be worried by guilt, Janelle places a sleeping Myria in her bed and leaves her waking up in a living nightmare. With her identity stolen from her, Myria is forced to navigate the inner circle of Miami’s elite as Janelle. With Janelle’s Ice Queen façade in place, Myria makes friends, enemies, and ultimately finds herself falling in love with an unlikely ally-Julio, Dom’s brother. Just when she thinks she has a handle on the situation, Myria discovers a secret regarding Janelle's marriage that makes her think different about who the real abuser is. Will Myria be able to beat Janelle at her own game or will she end up suffocating in Janelle’s bed of lies?

    Meeting the handsome Jihad was pure coincidence, but she quickly catches feelings for this smooth-talking brother. A whirlwind romance develops between the two and before you know it, Brooklyn was thrown in a love triangle she was not aware of. She realized that common sense and her Ivy League education couldn't prepare her for what was to come in her once quiet life. Alyssa is a money hungry side chick that is on the prowl for her next victim. As faith would have it, she crossed paths with the lying, two-timing Jihad. She uses sex and her good mouthpiece to snatch his soul up. Not caring about his wife and determined to become his main squeeze, she and Jihad concoct a devious plan to get his wife out the way. Jihad is every woman's dream; ambitious, sex game on point and a mouth piece that will have the ladies squirming in their panties. He hit it big when he married the well-off Brooklyn. With no good intentions and his narcissistic behavior, he quickly put a plan into motion that will have deadly consequences. With jealousy, murder and greed mixed together in this web of deceit, there can be no happy ending in this twisted love triangle.

    While Matt is planning his lavish wedding to his model fiancée, James has vowed to have nothing to do with women ever again. So, when Great Aunt Milly dies and leaves her one-million pound share portfolio to whichever of the boys first marries and has a child, it's assumed the fortune will go to Matt. But add to the mix a sex-mad German, a gorgeous photographer, a matchmaking mother, and one very pampered pooch, and things don't run quite as smoothly as Matt would like ...

    After a battle with cancer and all it entails, she is finally ready to start living her life again. She wants to see new places, meet new people and experience new things, but she isn’t ready for the rollercoaster ride she’s about to embark on when she meets Las Vegas personal trainer and raw vegan foods advocate, Marc Stafford.After a four year absence, Marc comes home to Atlanta to attend a family celebration in one of his brother’s honor. He’s not thrilled about seeing his father, but he has promised his mother that he won’t throw off the family balance by being the only one of their six sons absent. All Marc wants to do is make an appearance at the event and spend a little time with his brothers. Little does he know that this is the night he will meet the woman who will forever change his life.BONUS MATERIAL INCLUDED: 1st chapter of Chicki Brown’s next novel, TILL YOU COME BACK TO ME, coming Winter 2013.

    Despite the bad cards life has dealt her, she’s trying to move on and live her best life while tackling college at the same time. Problem is, one of her lovers isn’t ready to let go. The king of Harlem, Carlos Mills aka Loso, is still the street’s finest. Now that everything on the block is running smoothly, he's finally ready to focus on his personal life and commit to his girlfriend, Amaya. He’s got it all figured out. They’re gonna get married, buy a new house and start a family. Everything is perfect until people start to show their true colors. After Remy’s boyfriend found out the truth about her and DC’s affair, she starts to uncover Sur’s secret life too. She wasn’t the only one with skeletons in her closet. But, as the old saying goes… Some lies can get you hurt. DC has now found himself in a love triangle that hits a lot closer to home than he thinks. Promise, his baby mother, isn’t the only woman who has gained a place in his heart. And if that’s not enough, imagine finding out that both of your women know each other almost better than they know you. As these couples embark on a journey of love, heartbreak, betrayal, and pain, they’ll find out that people and things are not always what they appear to be. The minute you think life is what it should be, those slithery snakes come out of hiding. Get ready to unfold all the drama in Diary of The Plug’s Daughter II.

    One big secret. An even bigger love. Sean Morrison has returned to Lovetown, TX, with one purpose in mind: Claim Janiya Thompson as his wife. He has his faith, his military career, his upscale apartment, and with Janiya by his side, his life will finally be complete. But Sean has a secret that could destroy his newfound relationship. Will he have the courage to tell Janiya the truth?Janiya “Niya” Thompson has only known grief and uncertainty in her small town life. She doesn’t see any hope for a brighter future until her childhood friend, Sean, returns to town. Now, Janiya begins to yearn for more and opens her heart to new possibilities. Will Sean be a part of her healing or will he bring more pain?

    But the past year has been one life hurdle after another until she moves back to Atlanta. Now life is looking up, especially when she comes face to face with a past love. A man who makes her heart dance pirouettes and her body pulse with desire. Not a day has gone by that police officer Micah Olsen hasn’t longed for his first love. However, their encounter in Atlanta is not by chance. Yet, against his better judgment, he has to let her believe it is, which isn’t easy. All of the emotions he once felt for her return with a vengeance. Their attraction is more powerful than ever, and when hot kisses turn into heated nights, Micah knows he has to come clean. But will it be too late? **Read the other books in the series! EVERLASTING DESIRE by Stephanie Nicole Norris HEART’S DESIRE by Delaney Diamond

    Three of Arabesque's most popular authors pen tales about three different celebrations during this magical time of year, when dreams of desire really do come true.

    A chance encounter lands NBA star Dallas Avery back in the arms of the woman of his dreams. A woman he hasn't seen in years. A woman he soon discovers just so happens to be his fiancée's aunt! But Dallas' fiancee, Tori, isn't ready to give up all that she's worked for, so she makes him a shocking offer - go through with the wedding and she'll still allow him to be with the one woman he now can't seem to do without. Dallas will get a family, something her much older aunt, Alicia can't give him. Tori will get the lifestyle she clamors. And Alicia will get the love she's longed for all her life. Everyone will get a little of what they want ... and maybe a whole lot of what they don't. Be careful what you ask for... The details of the trio's love life play out in the tabloids and on talk shows, making Dallas the center of an NBA scandal. And eventually, the doors slam shut on this open marriage and Dallas is forced to make a choice to end the chaos. But moving on is easier than it looks and by the time all is said and done, secrets will be revealed, passions will be extinguished, and everyone's lives will be forever changed.

    It is a yarn still told in a hundred bars in tucked away ports where seafarers drink and wait out stormy weather. The story takes the reader on a smuggling voyage from the Atlantic down the Red Sea to Kenya, to Thailand and back across the Indian Ocean to Spain then the Netherlands. No notoriety, no articles in magazines, no calling for help when things get bad. Medical emergencies at sea, sharks, pirates, monsoon storms, and the Guardia Civil, notwithstanding… backing off was not an option. After 12 years of sailing and smuggling in the N. Atlantic and the Caribbean, Ranen, an old school pre electronic navigation sailor who smuggles to pay the bills for a lifestyle of dangerous freedom, heads for the Indian Ocean aboard his sleek deep ocean sailing boat, Sara. He left with a solid plan to sail new oceans, and do business in a new arena with different cultures. What happens when he gets there sends him on a path that was nothing he imagined, but such is the world of sailing and smuggling. Although Ranen has written this story in first person, It is also told from the perspective of the courageous young “Kenya Cowgirl” who became his crew and lover, all told through her journal entries from that voyage. In the days when “5/11” Beverly Johnson and Lynn Hill were winning the respect of the “rock star” climbers in Yosemite, Ranen was throwing a young Arianna Bell into the maelstrom of long distance non-stop sailing/smuggling. This is her story as well. Surprising twists of fate, cat and mouse with the law and other bad guys, as well as up close accounts of at life at sea in challenging conditions. Like living in a Dylan song.

    You'll fall in love, too!Love's Replay: David Henderson is so desperate to stop his father from selling their family's auto dealership, he'll even marry to prove he's serious about the future. Enter ex-lover Sandra Miller, who is back in town to help her successful business career. Too bad those prospects hang on partnering with David, the man who once crushed her heart. Will the mistrust and jealousy that tore them apart before prevent a replay of their rekindled love?Just My Type: Janiyah Henderson enjoys her stress-free post-college life, but when her dad insists she can't handle a "real job," she's determined to prove him wrong. Her high-spirited ways clash with the conservative instincts of her new boss, accountant Fredrick Jenkins, yet attraction brews between them. When Fredrick shows Janiyah the man behind the numbers, she realizes she could be just the type of woman he needs.Making It Real: After five years in prison, Kareem Henderson is on the right track as a barber, with a goal to open a high-end salon. But he needs society connections to make his dream a reality. Patrice "Neecie" Baldwin, needs a shield to return home, so she offers Kareem a deal: Pretend to be her fiance, and she'll introduce him to her well-healed relatives. But as they grow closer, this fake relationship might become something very real.From One Night to Forever: When trucker Aaron Henderson rolls into Reliant, Tennessee, for business, a singing beauty at a bar stirs feelings he's long forgotten. Then his one-night stand turns out to be his new partner's baby sister. When Kacey Randal learns that Aaron's working with her brother and has a list of conquests as high as his big rig's mileage, she's ready to pretend their night together never happened. But the fire burns hot between these two--can Kacey tame Aaron's roaming ways to go from one night to forever?Sensuality Level: Sensual

    His true intent is shown, threatening to ruin what Mayhem and Tiny has built. Will he succeed with his wicked plan? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned is a saying that applies to Macy. Pissed that she is forced out of the Godfrey family her ultimate goal is to bring everyone down one by one. With the help of her new man and Elias she oppose as a deadly threat to the Godfrey empire. A simple walk down the isle to happiness turned into a trip to hell for Joie. When her secrets unfolds In front of her piece by piece she finds herself in a dilemma with Maleek, the craziest Godfrey of them all and the mother of his child, Stacy. With old beef arising and new enemies appearing the Godfrey brothers find themselves doing anything in their power to keep their family safe, even if it may fatally cost them their life.

    He was supposed to protect her and he failed miserably. He's left tormented by thoughts of what Nyeem may be doing to Makynzee or if she's even alive. One thing is for sure, He needs to regain his focus because now he's faced with the unlikely task of getting her back. Nyeem, the psycho stalker turned kidnapper, has finally succeeded in conquering his ultimate goal - making Makynzee his. So what if she was in a perfectly good relationship with Kalil? And does it really matter that he had to kidnap her to get her? It seems as though he's taken full control of everyone's lives and has no intentions of letting that control go. Because of him lives may be lost, Makynzee's fate is unknown, and the chaos he's brought with him has taken up permanent real estate.