This left him unconscious on the floor of my home. Amazingly, this bullet did not kill him. Ten years ago I adopted Blue as a present to myself after I broke up with my boyfriend one hot, early summer night with the windows open and the neighborhood listening. The next morning I went straight to the pound in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Articles on buying your first dog tell you never to buy a dog on impulse. They want you to be prepared for this new member of your family, to understand the responsibilities and challenges of owning a dog. Going to the pound because you need something in your life that's worth holding onto is rarely, if ever, mentioned. I asked the man at the pound to show me the biggest dogs they had. He showed me some seven-week-old Rottweiler-German shepherd puppies that he said would grow to be quite large. Then he showed me a six-month-old shepherd that would get pretty big. Then he showed me Blue, the largest dog they had. The man called him a Collie mix and he was stuffed into the biggest cage they had, but he didn't fit. He was as tall as a Great Dane but much skinnier, with the snout of a collie, the markings of a Siberian husky, the ears and tail of a shepherd and the body of a wolf, with one blue eye and one brown. Crouched in a sitting position, unable to lie down, unable to sit all the way up, he looked at me from between the bars, and I fell in love. "He's still underweight," the man in the blue scrubs told me as we looked at Blue. "I'll tell you, lady, he's pretty but he's skittish. He sheds, and I mean sheds. I don't think you want this dog." But I knew I wanted him. I knew I had to have him. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Blue cost me $108. I brought him home, and we lived together for years. He was, for most of our relationship, my only companion. But when I first met Blue, a lifetime ago now, I had family and friends. I worked at a crappy coffeehouse. I was young and lost; I was normal. Back then, at the beginning of this story, before I'd ever seen a corpse, before Blue saved my life, before I felt what it was like to kill someone in cold blood, I was still Joy Humbolt.I'd never even heard the name Sydney Rye.P.S. The dog does not die.**Beware: If you can’t handle a few f-bombs, you can’t handle this series.**

    Arianna (Ari) Lynn Harlow has led a charmed life until tragedy strikes her family. He’s looking for a no-emotions attached mistress, she’s looking for redemption.They are not a pair that should ever work, but undeniable attraction and devastating tragedies bring them together in the city by the bay where he fights to keep their relationship nothing more than an enjoyable way to meet his needs, and she battles to not lose herself in him. Spending time with Ari starts cracking the hard shell that Rafe has built around his heart, but he denies the affect she has on him until it’s too late to stop the inevitable conclusion that their relationship is headed for.Rafe once believed in happily ever after, coming from a large Italian family. He’s got the Midas touch, since every endeavor he tries turns to gold. That all ends when his wife walks out the door and leaves him blindsided. His devastation quickly turns to steel when he decides no woman will fool him again. From that point on he treats relationships as nothing more than business transactions where both party’s come out mutually benefited.Just when Ari has sunk to the lowest she’s ever been she finds an ad in the paper announcing a job that’s too good to be true. It turns out she’s right. She makes it through the intense rounds of interviews only to find out the job is for a mistress to the powerful Rafe Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Enterprises. Rafe gives her a day to think about whether she wants the position or not, and she’s sent on her way, only to find out her mother’s near-terminal position has taken a turn for the worse. Her mom’s only in the hospital because Ari messed up, and her mother’s the one who paid the price. Is Rafe her savior, or will he take her with him straight to the depths of hell?

    On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers—one of whom she’d recently busted. With its echoes of her own past, the murdered girl’s harsh life and tragic death affect Lei deeply. She becomes obsessed—even as the killer is drawn to Lei's intensity, feeding off her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity.Despite her obsession with the case and fear that she's being stalked, Lei finds herself falling in love for the first time. Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei's quest for answers—and the stalker is closer than she can imagine, as threads of the past tangle in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer—but he knows where to find her first.

    What he doesn't know is that interfering in her life will put his own life in danger.When billionaire Steven Ashton couldn't stand his high society social life anymore, he left the stress of New York on a vacation for his soul. The need to meet real down to earth people led him to a small Nebraska town. He didn't want to lie about who he was, but he couldn't exactly tell them the truth.Emily could have easily fallen in love with Steven, under different circumstances, but her past was catching up with her and she needed a new life. If the authorities found out about her, she could lose the one thing that meant everything, her four year old son.Not What She Seems is approximately 67,000 words long.This book is a "sweet" romantic suspense, appropriate for all ages.Like clean romance? Check out cleanromancebooks.com!

    All that's about to change in Barefoot Bay, a beloved tropical setting for heartbreak and happiness from New York Times bestselling author Roxanne St. Claire. Willow Ambrose has fought a battle with the scale for much of her life, but she has finally won the war. She hasn’t just cut calories -- she’s cut all ties to her past, too, and successfully carved out a new body and a new life. But when she comes face to face with someone who left an indelible mark on her heart years before, all that threatens to crumble. Navy SEAL Nick Hershey is on medical leave, doing a friend a favor as a stand in “man of honor” at a beach wedding. He might not be that interested in the nuptials, but the wedding planner catches his eye the minute they meet. When he realizes Willow is a girl he knew in college -- and a girl he unintentionally hurt to the core -- he knows he has some making up to do. Willow has learned how to beat every temptation...but Nick’s sweet as candy kisses just might be the one thing she can’t resist. However, the closer they get, the more the past threatens to tear them apart. Nick and Willow learn the hard way that they can’t change history, but does that mean they won’t have a future? “Lively, light, pure entertainment!” Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author “Fun and engaging -- a celebration of family and forgiveness!” Publishers Weekly “Plenty of heat, humor, and heart!” USA Today “Barefoot in White was emotional, exciting, engaging, sexy, and sweet all rolled into one!” Literal Addiction “Just when I think Roxanne St. Claire’s books can’t get any better, she proves me wrong. This book has so much going on with every character and is so chock full of emotions, it’s impossible to put it down.” ReaderLaurie BOOKS SET IN BAREFOOT BAY Barefoot Bay Billionaires 1. Secrets on the Sand (FREE!) 2. Seduction on the Sand 3. Scandal on the Sand Barefoot Bay Brides 1. Barefoot in White 2. Barefoot in Lace 3. Barefoot in Pearls Roxanne St. Claire is New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty romance, suspense, and young adult novels. A six-time nominee and one-time winner of the Romance Writer’s of America prestigious RITA Award, Roxanne’s novels have also been recognized with dozens of other industry awards, including the three National Reader’s Choice Awards, the Booksellers Best Award, and the Borders “Top Pick” of the Year.

    If she doesn't find work soon, she'll need to return to her native Maine, where the job situation is even more bleak. And where her abusive parents lie in wait.But when an unorthodox arrangement is proposed, Jennifer decides to take it. She agrees to be the "girlfriend" of Alexander Wenn, the reluctant, billionaire CEO of Wenn Enterprises, who is so devastatingly good looking, he needs a beautiful woman like Jennifer on his arm to "keep the wolves at bay." In this case, the wolves are other women, all of whom vie for his attention so aggressively, they keep him from focusing on business at the exclusive events he must attend. It's there that deals are cut. What they want is his money and his power. Damaged by a past event, the only thing Alex wants to do is focus on work. And to forget the past.But can Jennifer deny their white-hot chemistry? As she's swept into this glittering otherworld of society and big business, she finds herself struggling to keep from falling for Alex, an almost impossible feat she nevertheless must meet.Armed with her MBA, Jennifer Kent knows about business. But what she doesn't know is what could destroy her--the business of protecting her own heart. And maybe her own life.This story unfolds over multiple volumes approximately 50,000 words each.

    Now, she’s just burned out—and burned by love. She’s ready to retire from competitive judo and pursue a new dream in a new town, with her biggest supporter, her recently divorced little sister, Blythe. But on their first day in town, Blythe falls for local sleaze-bag reporter, Ellison Baxter, and their small-town welcome is stained by Baxter’s murder. The weapon—Blythe Battle’s hair brush. In this fast-paced, fun cozy mystery, Brenna, the proud new owner of the building that formerly housed Bonney Bay’s lone recreational opportunity for kids, Little Swans Ballet, is ready to turn tutu-clad powder-puffs into little warriors by opening a judo school for kids in its place. But now she must clear her sister’s name and save her new dream from ending even more disastrously than her Olympic hopes. Brenna must deal with one crazy member of the local police force, who’s determined to see the sisters pay—and another cop, whose deep brown eyes just might drive Brenna crazy—in a way her battered heart just can’t take.

    But when Brookside turns out to be a setting for art theft, dodgy dealings, and naked poker it becomes vastly more interesting. Josephine investigates the unusual goings on with friend and handwriting expert, Lill Fitzel. And the two befriend a young woman Josephine tries to prevent from making the same mistakes she has made.

    My friend needed a date, and my brother's best friend was single. Problem solved.Until I saw Jaeger for the first time in years, and sparks flew in the wrong direction.Jaeger has grown up and bulked up. But that shouldn't matter, because I have the perfect life. Really.Only my plans are beginning to unravel and now visions of Jaeger's hard abs, broad shoulders, and intense green eyes fill my head.I should hold back in case my friend is interested. Or in case of a million other reasons. But if Jaeger isn't willing to play by the rules, I don't think I can either.

    Now he could be the man who wants her dead. Leah Fisher returns to her childhood home of Singapore after her father dies in mysterious circumstances and finds that the boy she once loved has become a dangerous, attractive stranger. Who is Toran James and what exactly is he hiding? Suddenly, she discovers that the past holds more secrets than she realised. Was her father's death really an accident? Someone is out to silence Leah - and that someone might be the man she is rapidly falling in love with...again. "a classic romantic suspense mystery in the style of Mary Stewart..." Fast-paced, action-packed romantic suspense filled with intrigue and sizzling tension. The exotic locale and tropical atmosphere of cosmopolitan Singapore adds up to a perfect escapist read.* This is the first part of Leah & Toran's story, which continues in TENDER TREACHERY (Book 2)Books in this Series:TENDER DECEIT (Book 1)TENDER TREACHERY (Book 2)TENDER BETRAYAL (Book 3)Alternate cover edition for 9780992315368

    He was her boss. When that turbulent relationship ended, she swore she’d never again date someone she worked with. That was before she literally fell into her new boss’s lap.Zachary Benson is the head of a successful empire and used to getting what he wants in the boardroom and outside of it – and what he wants is Regan Keller. He’s determined to convince Regan that even though he’s her boss, they can share a life together.However, when Regan’s past threatens to destroy the architectural firm Zach has invested his entire career in, he has to make an executive decision whether to choose his business or fight for the woman he loves.

    After meeting sexy Ryan McBride, she suspects he might just be the one to change her mind. With her family in danger of losing their restaurant and their home, a sudden illness has everything Megan thought was sure in her life crashing down around her. Finding out Ryan is the one responsible for threatening foreclosure shakes her very foundation.Can Ryan and Megan succeed in overcoming their obstacles and fight for a love that was meant to be?

    After losing her parents so young and later suffering a disastrous marriage, she believes that love only ever leads to pain and loss. When she meets Jack Benson, the business partner of her childhood friend Pete, she sees everything she used to long for in a man; tall, dark, and drop dead gorgeous! Despite their undeniable attraction, Emma is too scared to risk her heart, especially on a man so much like her ex - sexy, smart, funny, successful and no doubt the same kind of cheat! When events lead them both to Summer Lake for the summer, will Jack be able to persuade her that he's nothing like her ex in all the ways that really matter? That the love she used to dream of isn't a little girl's fantasy, but a reality they can share if she can get past her fear and learn to trust? This book is intended for adult readers 18+

    Two years later, she moves to Murray, Virginia to get a new lease on life. On her first day of substitute teaching, her new life is nearly cut short when she finds herself in the middle of a shooting that leaves a married couple dead. Luckily, she is saved by Sam Meadows, a cardiologist, but the shooter has disappeared by the time the police come around. When the shooter tries to kill Grace again, Sam and Grace realize that the killer won’t stop until she is dead. With a killer who has nothing to lose, the question isn’t if the killer will attack again, but when and who will be in the crosshairs. A romance/murder-mystery wrapped in the aspects of life: love, family, forgiveness, danger, and death.

    Eighteen-year-old aspiring songwriter Casey Bradley is four weeks away from marrying her childhood sweetheart when Danny blows into her life and turns it upside down.Three days after they meet, Casey leaves behind everything and everyone she’s ever known to marry this charismatic man and follow his dreams. Together with laid-back guitarist Rob MacKenzie, Casey writes the songs that catapult her husband to a fame beyond their wildest imaginings. But it's not all glitz and glamour. The road to success is loaded with land mines, and every time Danny breaks her heart, it’s Rob who picks her up, dusts her off, and sets her back on her feet.It's not until an unimaginable tragedy occurs that Casey begins to question who she is and what she really wants from life. In the process, she discovers that the choices you make at thirty may differ vastly from those you made at eighteen.Fall into the book that readers have called "heartfelt," "poignant," and "brilliant."