The local police were confounded by the almost total absence of forensic evidence. However, there was a growing unease that this would not be an isolated event. Without specifics it became difficult to visualise any motive for what had happened. Nobody, not just the police, could have predicted what would develop from this sea of confusion.

    With a father who thought the world of them, life was good. Until one day everything changed. While Grayce got love and attention, Merci got all the hell, forcing her to leave home. She never looks back, putting the past behind her until … her sister shows up over a decade later begging for help, bringing all of the forgotten past with her. Merci wasn't the least bit prepared for what was about to happen next. Merci realizes, she’s been a part of something much bigger than she'd ever imagined. Yea, every family has their secrets, hidden truths and ties but Merci had no idea she’d been born into the family that lies.

    Her family inhabits the upper echelon of Black society and when she falls for no-name Renard, she is forced to choose between her life of privilege and the man she loves. In 1982, Evelyn’s daughter, Jackie, is a frazzled single mother grappling with her absent husband’s drug addiction. Just as she comes to terms with his abandoning the family, he returns, ready to resume their old life. Jackie must decide if the promise of her husband is worth the near certainty he’ll leave again. Jackie’s son, T.C., loves the creative process of growing marijuana more than the weed itself. He finds something hypnotic about training the seedlings, testing the levels, trimming the leaves, drying the buds. He was a square before Hurricane Katrina, but the New Orleans he knew didn’t survive the storm, and in its wake he was changed too. Now, fresh out of a four-month stint for possession with the intent to distribute, he decides to start over—until an old friend convinces him to stake his new beginning on one last deal. For Evelyn, Jim Crow is an ongoing reality, and in its wake new threats spring up to haunt her descendants. A Kind of Freedom is an urgent novel that explores the legacy of racial disparity in the South through a poignant and redemptive family history.

    Aided by her grandmother who returns to the farm, Sydney must rely on her instincts to uncover the mystery.But do they have enough clues to unravel the truth about her mother’s disappearance?Praise: ★★★★★ - "Hooked me right from the start and kept me guessing throughout." ★★★★★ - "Filled with characters that you can relate to. A great mystery."

    I’d think you would be happy to see me here, establishing a business, putting down roots.” “When your roots pull mine out, we have a problem.” Leslie Baker, owner of Potter Lake’s original hometown beauty shop, the Curl & Dye, has a problem. Her problem isn’t her dwindling customer base. And it’s not the shifty, shady Mayor of the idyllic lakeside town. Her problem is a muscular, handsome, 6’4” former basketball superstar with a solid physique and colorful sleeve tattoos. Kade “KC” Cavanaugh is back in Potter Lake following his NBA retirement and the business he’s opened, a slick and shiny co-ed salon, directly competes with Curl & Dye. KC is all too eager to to pick things up where they left off fifteen years ago, but Leslie can’t forget how he pushed her away after an intimate encounter, then dropped out of college and left her behind for the bright lights of professional ball. Though she won’t admit it, time and maturity have eaten away at Leslie's anger and her long-buried attraction to Kade Cavanaugh has resurfaced. With a vengeance. Now there is a larger problem: Leslie and KC find themselves in the center of a city wide drama, and with both sides of Potter Lake at war and their livelihoods at stake, the two have to stop sniping at each other and start working together. And maybe, in the process, forget the past and revive a budding romance that was very special...a very long time ago.

    Guinea pig. Serial human test subject. For Audie and her friends, “volunteering” for pharmaceutical drug trials means a quick fix and easy cash.Sure, there’s the occasional nasty side effect, but Audie’s got things under control. If Monday’s pill causes a rash, Tuesday’s ointment usually clears it right up. Wednesday’s injection soothes the sting from Tuesday’s “cure,” and Thursday’s procedure makes her forget all about Wednesday’s headache. By the time Friday rolls around, there’s plenty of cash in hand and perhaps even a slot in a government-funded psilocybin study, because WEEKEND!But the best fix of all is her boyfriend, Dylan, whose terminal illness just makes them even more compatible. He’s turning eighteen soon, so Audie is saving up to make it an unforgettable birthday. That means more drug trials than ever before, but Dylan is worth it.No pain, no gain, Audie tells herself as the pills wear away at her body and mind. No pain, no gain, she repeats as her grip on reality starts to slide….Raw and irreverent, Placebo Junkies will captivate readers until the very end, when author J. C. Carleson leans in for a final twist of the knife.

    He’s a career-focused charmer whose greatest appeal is his nerdy sense of humor. Ellie Stone’s only goal this summer is to get the Southport Music Festival off the ground without a hitch. But when she randomly meets Mason Matthews at a concert in Wilmington, they instantly connect on an honest, soul-stirring level.As they head their separate ways after sharing an almost-night of pure lust, Ellie is ready to focus all of her attention back on festival prep. When plans nosedive and the feature band pulls out of the lineup, she decides to get scrappy and take action, no matter who it involves.After an ego-shattering scuffle with Mason in the middle of town, Ellie has to swallow her pride in exchange for his help promoting the event. But Mason, Editor of the Southport Anchor, swears his hands are tied.While his feelings for Ellie continue to grow, are they strong enough that he’ll risk breaking company policy just to help promote her dream? Or will he leave her hanging on the very last note?

    She needed a ride. A simple lift turned into the adventure of a lifetime. When Meg was stranded in the Bahamas, her life was dramatically changed through an encounter with an old friend that turned into adventure, danger, and discovery. Meg Freeman and Jon Davenport began a surprising adventure, connected to a 17th century, shipwrecked Spanish galleon. Both Freeman and Davenport had experienced the sorrow of losing a spouse, but they found a renewed friendship as they had an amazing undersea discovery and encountered challenges along the way. Join this couple’s adventure of romance and suspense where the long way home became a ride that would change their lives forever. The Long Way Home is book one in The Davenport Series.

     Nick Claussen knows he’s a workaholic but what’s a guy to do when murder doesn’t take a holiday? Hopefully they’ll be able to get through the holidays alive. THE 12 MYSTERIES OF CHRISTMAS series: • IN THE NICK OF TIME by Susette Williams • GABRIEL’S SECRET by Alexa Verde • GUARDING CANDY KANE by V.B. Tenery • MURDER: UP ON THE ROOFTOP by Tina Dee • JOY IN JEOPARDY by Lynette Sowell • HOLLY IN HIDING by P. Creeden • STARR WITNESS by Susette Williams • NOELLE ON THE RUN by Alexa Verde • GOLDEN BELLES ARE WRINGING by Gina Conroy • DEATH BY FIGGY PUDDING by Tina Dee • DANGER FOR GLORIA by Lynette Sowell • MERRY WITHOUT MALICE by P. Creeden

    She spends most of her days in a pot-smoke haze, sipping iced coffee, and working on the mural that has been her singular focus for years. Her grip on reality is shaky at best, but her work provides a comfort.Ava's arrival unsettles Lane. The girl bears an uncanny resemblance to her daughter, whom she was estranged from before her death. Now her presence is dredging up painful and disturbing memories, which forces Lane to retreat even further into her own mind. Ava, meanwhile, is entranced and frightened by her grandmother. She wants to be included in her eccentric life, but can't quite navigate Lane's tempestuous moods.Attempting to keep the peace is Oliver, Lane's assistant and confidant. As this unlikely trio attempts to find their way and form a bond, the oppressive heat and history of New Orleans bears down on them, forcing them to a reckoning none of them is ready for.

    She exudes confidence and control over the land much as a reigning queen rules her court. Her main focus-Grace, her daughter. Although grown, Grace depends on her mother’s razor sharp decision-making ability for everything. All is well in the land of dysfunctional mother-daughterhood until the unthinkable happens. Kathryn dies. With her mother now gone, Grace is forced to manage her own life for the first time. And Kathryn must find a way to maintain control of her daughter, even though unusual circumstances from the “Other Side” present a fair share of obstacles to overcome.A mother’s love, however dysfunctional, is a force to be reckoned with.

    

     Cooper Burke left love behind for a career in major league baseball. This is the prequel to Daniela's Crazy Love: The Novel - a steamy romance about a second chance at love. The devastating breakup with the high school baseball star hurt Daniela deeply. Even now, she may be unable to resist his charms. When Cooper shows up unexpectedly, he seems to be hiding something. Daniela suspects that he is frightening her for reasons she doesn’t understand.Cooper was the last person she expected to be following her. But there he was, as annoyingly handsome as before. His short brown hair and pale green eyes had not failed to make her want to fall into his arms.And right then, it was no different. For some reason, her mind couldn’t conceive that he had been gone nearly four years. Quite the opposite, it felt as though time stood still, like he had not left at all. He had been waiting for her, patiently anticipating her next words.“Cooper! You scared me to death!"Could Cooper be the one who is terrorizing Daniela, or is she imagining it?And if he isn’t, then who is the man in the shadows? ˃˃˃ Do you like romantic suspense thrillers? Daniela Rinaldi is the baby sister in an Italian family with 4 older brothers. You will enjoy her exciting baseball romance in this Rinaldi Romance, a second chances novel, complete in two heart-pounding books:Daniela’s Crazy Love: The Prequel and Daniela’s Crazy Love: The NovelGenre: erotic romantic suspense thriller, baseball romance, sports romance novelType: Standalone novel with a separate prequel (a steamy new adult romance)

    we stop being seen Set against the backdrop of California’s beautiful Venice Canals The Theory of Invisibility is a modern day fable that uses magical realism as an expression of one’s loss of faith. Emme Taylor, haunted by the death of her husband and son, and unable to interact with the world as she’s known it, slips into a state of invisibility. When Emme seemingly disappears, Morgan, Emme’s sister, immediately fears the worse and shines a spotlight of suspicion on Phil, Emme’s co-worker. As Emme struggles through her haze of grief she must decide if she should sacrifice her cloak of invisibility in order to save the ones she loves.

    Desperate to prove she is still relevant, the fiftysomething accepts a shady job offer from Pierre Barton, secretive billionaire owner of Barton Pharmaceuticals. Isolated in a facility outside London, she agrees to test a new top-secret product guaranteed to make her look thirty years younger. Anna is starting to look on the outside the way she feels on the inside: ageless. But she soon discovers that her predecessor died under mysterious circumstances, leading her to research just who stands to gain—and lose—with this miraculous product. When Pierre drops dead in front of her, she takes off on a dangerous journey across Europe hoping to stay alive long enough to uncover the truth.With the hard-won knowledge that younger isn’t always better, Anna is determined to escape and reclaim her life before it’s too late.