Brenda Barr

Home. It's the one thing I want more than anything. A husband I can love. Children I can give the world to. A house I can call my own. To many, it's a stupid wish, but to me, it's everything. When my adoptive father demands that I marry one of his business partners, Karlin Makarova, my dream becomes nothing more than that—a dream. Karlin is a vile monster, a nightmare for any woman he crosses paths with. I dread the time I have to spend alone with Karlin and hide the bruises that fill me with deep shame. But then my beloved brother steps in and arranges a marriage with one of his best friends.

Everyone assumes I have a perfect life. And why not? I'm Ava Edwards—daughter of billionaire mogul Lex Edwards. I had everyone fooled until New Year's Eve, when my life fell apart. Then he walked into the same bar looking just as devastatingly handsome as I remembered him. A long-lost friend who I considered family—once upon a time. Comfort led to more, and we made a mistake that changed both our lives forever.

Jud Lawson found me stranded in the rain. Broken down on the side of the road in a deserted neighborhood with my piece-of-crap car. I wasn’t looking for a hero, and definitely not one who looks like him. An obscenely hot mountain of a man who screams danger. But I have little choice other than climbing onto the back of his bike.

From the moment Danny Black met Rose Cassidy, he knew she’d be the death of him. But their electric connection and twisted love gave him a purpose beyond ruling Miami with his iron fist. Faking his own death and disappearing to St. Lucia was the only way he could escape the deadly underworld that brought them together. But his seclusion was sabotaged when a notorious assassin lured him out and made him an offer he couldn’t ignore.

After leaving her fiancé at the altar and quitting her job as a Miami cop, Beau Hayley stumbles through life, feeling only resentment. Injustice. Loss. Her mom’s death was called an accident. She’s not convinced. Grieving, she becomes numb to everything except the constant, biting pain of heartbreak and hate. She can see no light. Until she meets James Kelly, a man who seems as damaged as she is, inside and out. And yet despite his twisted, cold façade, he stimulates feelings. Pleasure. He is a respite from her own flaws. A complete mystery. And impossible to resist.

Rose Cassidy doesn’t truly live; she just exists. Numbing herself to fear and pain is the only way she can survive in this cruel world. So when she’s taken as collateral by the notorious Danny Black in a deadly game of power, she’s thrown by the deep fear she feels rising within her. And, worse than fear, a profound desire. She’s heard tales of The Brit. He’s callous. Coldblooded. But no one ever said he was wickedly beautiful and darkly captivating.

Kennedy Cross had her heart broken early in life. It wasn't someone or something who betrayed her - it was her own body. Despite it being all she's ever wanted, Kennedy will never feel her baby's feet kick from the inside out. Having been pronounced infertile at only 18, she redirected her life the best way she could. Eight years and a degree later, Kennedy is one of the most-loved first grade teachers at Rock Falls Elementary School. She has 22 of the most gorgeous six-year-olds, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace. He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had. Fast forward a decade. We were all in our 20s now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died. It was just the three of us - an odd family dynamic. Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever. But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.

Therese Wolley is a mother who has made a promise. She works as a secretary, shops for groceries on Saturdays, and takes care of her two girls. She doesn’t dwell on the fact that her girls are fatherless, mostly because her own father abandoned her before she was born and she has done just fine without him. Even though her older daughter regularly wakes with nightmares and her younger one whispers letters under her breath, she doesn't shift from her resolve that everything will be fine.

On the day I was married, I promised to love, honor, and obey my husband, Stefan. Little did I know how literally I would mean obeying. Stefan tells me what to do, and I do it. There are questions asked, but I always submit in the end. It would hurt less if I hadn't started falling for him. It was supposed to be pretend. But the secrets we now share are too real, and they're crumbling every piece of who I thought I was. If only Stefan was the man I thought he was. If only I weren't so powerless. But there's one thing I have that he wants. My body.