Erotica/Romance. 27660 words long. First published in 2009, 2009

Bestselling author JoMarie DeGioia brings heat, heart and humor in her Cypress Corners series of Contemporary Romantic Comedies!The guy who hides behind a cool maskThe girl who feels she can't live up to expectationsAn appearance of perfection...a very real passionAnd a love that can see through to the insideCorporate lawyer Derek Stone is respected and valued at Chapman Financial. Raised in a privileged world as the son of a highly-successful Boston attorney, he's hidden the ugly truth of his father's drunken abuse for years now. When he's offered a new job at Cypress Corners as in-house counsel, he sees it as a chance to keep his mother safe from his father. And maybe start a new life for himself.Bree James ran from her own country club life a year ago when her grandmother passed away and left her financially independent. She's been living and working in Cypress Corners since, but has yet to begin her own life. She longs for something real to hold onto but doubts she'll ever...

Fate rarely obeys the will of men…or women.Learning she is bound on the next tide to marry a Caribbean commissioner, Lorena St. John is devastated. Yet she must obey her iron-handed stepfather, or her beloved sisters will suffer the consequences.She arrives in Bermuda with hope, but finds her betrothed is a slave master who views her as chattel. Defiance gets her locked out of his house, vulnerable to the harsh tropical sun—and a band of desperate men.Captain Warren Rawlins isn’t above using Lorena as a shield to rescue his brothers from the British fortress. Once aboard his ship, though, he finds Lorena is no fragile English bloom. She’s a delectable handful with a sharp sense of honor—and an even sharper tongue.Despite her initial outrage, Lorena finds herself softening toward the rough crew of the Huntress who have more nobility than a thousand “proper” gentlemen. And its captain finds himself fighting a losing battle against the need to take her in his arms, propriety be damned.All too soon Boston Harbor looms, but the danger isn’t past. Warren once again takes to the sea to fight for the woman he loves. Winner takes all…Review"…a well-crafted historical tale of love, danger and the high seas."—RT Book ReviewsBook DescriptionJanessa learns late that her betrothed is a slave master who views her as chattel. Defiance gets her locked out of his house, vulnerable to the harsh Caribbean sun—and a band of desperate men.Warren needs Janessa to rescue his brothers from the British fortress. Once aboard his ship, he finds she is a delectable handful with a sharp sense of honor—and an even sharper tongue.Rocked by the sea, free of society’s rules, they are drawn into each other’s arms. But the danger isn’t past, and Warren must fight for the woman he loves. Winner takes all…

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.Brand-new stories by: Inés Garland, Ernesto Mallo, Verónica Abdala, Elsa Osorio, Claudia Piñeiro, Pablo De Santis, Inés Fernández Moreno, Alejandro Parisi, Alejandro Soifer, Enzo Maqueira, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Leandro Avalos Blacha, María Inés Krimer, and Ariel Magnus.Buenos Aires is a city of contrasts and contradictions, always on the edge of chaos, where multimillionaires and the destitute anxiously coexist in close quarters. Here, Argentina's top writers explore a city influenced as much by criminality and smuggling as Borges and the tango.From the introduction by Ernesto Mallo:Buenos Aires: city of contrasts, contradictions; always on the edge of chaos; in love with its own disorder despite the crude, transitory violence, the lack of law and order,...

The exclusive enclave that is Marbella, playground for the rich and the well connected, holds many secrets and it’d hard to know what real sometimes. Damien Cartright grew up in this rarefied atmosphere, with every delight at his fingertips. But being part of the right crowd doesn’t necessarily assure real success when temptation and entitlement lingers.

1942. The U.S. is at war with Germany. Fourteen-year-old Jill Winter's mother is traveling to Newfoundland and must pass through the treacherous North Atlantic, where German submarines -- U-boats -- stalk like wolves. Jill's father, a famous pop singer, is on tour, so Jill is sent to Winter Haven, Maine, to stay with Nana. Quarry, a local boy, says that "gossip ain't never been so good," and Jill soon discovers he's right -- Winter Haven is full of secrets and rumors. It seems everyone has something to hide -- even Nana! Jill doesn't know whom to trust, and she's worried for her mother's safety. And things get even worse when she finds a wounded carrier pigeon with a coded message attached to its leg. Jill is determined to get to the bottom of all these mysteries, but when she uncovers the biggest secret of all, she finds herself in grave danger -- and must run for her life!

The witches, they are real... A series of bizarre assaults is mystifying Boston police: an unknown attacker is viciously beating random strangers and leaving a note quoting an old warning about witchcraft. History professor Alex Maple was one of the victims, and now he's gone missing. Vickie Preston is certain that someone has taken her friend for malicious purposes. She's having blood-drenched visions that seem to be staining her waking life, and the escalating attacks suggest that a dangerous cult is at work behind the scenes—a cult so powerful that its members would rather die than be apprehended. Vickie is grateful to have Special Agent Griffin Pryce and the FBI's elite Krewe of Hunters on her side. She and Griffin are finding their way in an increasingly passionate relationship, and Griffin is desperately trying to keep her safe and the two of them sane amid the disturbing investigation. The search for Alex will take them deep into the...

I'm marked for death. If I can get this Deathmark removed, I can help save the world from total ruin. Only thing is, Brent Hume, Grim Reaper and love of my life, is hot on my trail, zeroing in on the mark that beckons him. The Reaper's instinct cannot be denied. He would sooner stop breathing than ignore a Deathmark's call. He's a tireless supernatural hunter, and I'm his top prey. If I don't find a way to stop him from doing his job, everything and everyone I love will suffer. The world will suffer. And I'm sick of letting people down, dammit. But even as I run from him, I want to run toward him.The Deathmark series is best enjoyed in order. Series Order: Book #1 The Reaper's Kiss Book #2 The Reaper's SacrificeBook #3 The Reaper's Embrace

Kady Long thought of herself as the luckiest woman alive­about to be wed to Gregory ­until she slipped into a delicate satin wedding dress she found in an antique tin, and was overcome by an odd dizzy spell. When Kady recovers her senses, she finds herself in the dusty western town of Legend, Colorado, where she immediately stops a hanging from taking place. Transported a hundred years in the past, she meets Cole Jordan, a tall, thankful, and very appealing man who reveals a secret that unites her to Legend and to Cole in a way she could never have imagined!

Terran Times     Being a Gunner has been Sebena’s life, until a life sign in an asteroid field changes everything.     Sebena has spent her time in the Alliance using her accuracy to blow large rocks into tiny rocks suitable for refinement. When she picks up a heat signature she has to pursue it, even if it means doing it on her own time. Finding a life pod is not really a surprise, but having it functioning and its occupant alive is quite the shock. Issul is the avatar of the planet Zeering and has been lost in the asteroid field for a century. Opening his eyes in the mining vessel, he sees his rescuer and both he and the world within him have a visceral reaction to her.