Marie Force

Who says you can't go home again? For years, Kara Ballard Torrington has kept her distance from the town in Maine where she was raised and the boisterous, often-troubled Ballard family. She's made a whole new life for herself on Gansett Island that is upended by a phone call in which she learns that two of her brothers have been accused of murder. When her parents ask her husband, celebrated attorney Dan Torrington, to come help them, Kara is forced to confront the drama she left behind in Maine as well as a whole new set of issues that have arisen in her absence. As Dan works to free her brothers, Kara confronts some of the unfinished business she left behind in Maine. One of our favorite couples from the Gansett Island Series takes a fraught journey to Kara's hometown, where their bond becomes even stronger as they face these new challenges together-with a goal of returning home to Gansett before their baby is born. For more about Dan & Kara's story, make sure you've read Dan & Kara: A Downeast Prequel.

Who says you can't go home again? For years, Kara Ballard Torrington has kept her distance from the town in Maine where she was raised and the boisterous, often-troubled Ballard family. She's made a whole new life for herself on Gansett Island that is upended by a phone call in which she learns that two of her brothers have been accused of murder. When her parents ask her husband, celebrated attorney Dan Torrington, to come help them, Kara is forced to confront the drama she left behind in Maine as well as a whole new set of issues that have arisen in her absence. As Dan works to free her brothers, Kara confronts some of the unfinished business she left behind in Maine. One of our favorite couples from the Gansett Island Series takes a fraught journey to Kara's hometown, where their bond becomes even stronger as they face these new challenges together-with a goal of returning home to Gansett before their baby is born. For more about Dan & Kara's story, make sure you've read Dan & Kara: A Downeast Prequel.

Lieutenant Sam Holland hat als Leiterin der Mordkommission schon viel erlebt, aber noch nie hat man von ihr verlangt, ihre engsten Kollegen und sogar ihren Ehemann, den US-Pr sidenten Nick Cappuano, anzul gen. Doch da die nationale Sicherheit auf dem Spiel steht, l sst sich Sam darauf ein - eine Entscheidung, die sie allerdings schon bald bereut. Zudem erfordert ein neuer Fall ihre ganze Aufmerksamkeit: Bei ihren aktuellen Ermittlungen stellt sich Sam und ihrem Team die ersch tternde Frage, zu was Teenager wirklich f hig sind. Nick k mpft noch mit den Folgen der j ngsten Regierungskrise, die durch die in letzter Sekunde vereitelte Verschw rung hochrangiger Offiziere ausgel st wurde. Nun ist der junge Mann tot, der ihn vor dem drohenden Putsch gewarnt hatte, und Nick plagen Schuldgef hle und Selbstzweifel - aber wie sich herausstellt, ist nichts so, wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint. W hrend um sie herum neue St rme toben, finden Sam und Nick wie gewohnt Zuspruch und Trost beieinander und in ihrer Familie genau wie in ihrer Liebe, die ihnen immer wieder die Kraft verleiht, die sie brauchen, um weiterzumachen.

The first couple is on full alert, deflecting new threats from near and far... Lieutenant Sam Holland has seen just about everything as a D. C. homicide detective, but she's never been asked to lie to her closest colleagues and her husband-until now. With national security on the line, Sam makes a deal with the devil that quickly comes back to haunt her as she assists in a baffling case that leads right back to the Oval Office, where her husband is mourning the loss of his trusted aide, Navy Lieutenant Juan Rodriguez. For President Nick Cappuano, the betrayal cuts deep. The military advisers he inherited from the Nelson administration plotted to remove him from office, and now, the young man who warned him of their deceit is dead. But nothing is as it appears, and with the NCIS building a case against the disgraced Joint Chiefs, Nick is forced to carry on with the duties of his office while wondering who's coming for him next. Sam no sooner gets one situation under control when another murder victim requires her full attention. A woman tied to an earlier cold case is found dead in her home in a case that'll have Sam and her team digging deep into the past to find a ruthless killer while wondering if they should be looking much closer to home for the person who wanted her dead. As if they didn't have enough to worry about, a new threat to their happy family has them considering drastic measures to protect the ones they love the most. While storms rage all around them, Sam and Nick take refuge in each other and find the strength they need to carry on.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Great characters, awesome storylines, an extremely difficult book to put down after the first pages. Lots of laughs, a few tears on occasion but just the most enjoyable read." Amazon reviewerThe first couple is on full alert, deflecting new threats from near and far... Lieutenant Sam Holland has seen just about everything as a D. C. homicide detective, but she's never been asked to lie to her closest colleagues and her husband-until now. With national security on the line, Sam makes a deal with the devil that quickly comes back to haunt her as she assists in a baffling case that leads right back to the Oval Office, where her husband is mourning the loss of his trusted aide, Navy Lieutenant Juan Rodriguez. For President Nick Cappuano, the betrayal cuts deep. The military advisers he inherited from the Nelson administration plotted to remove him from office, and now, the young man who warned him of their deceit is dead. But nothing is as it appears, and with the NCIS building a case against the disgraced Joint Chiefs, Nick is forced to carry on with the duties of his office while wondering who's coming for him next. Sam no sooner gets one situation under control when another murder victim requires her full attention. A woman tied to an earlier cold case is found dead in her home in a case that'll have Sam and her team digging deep into the past to find a ruthless killer while wondering if they should be looking much closer to home for the person who wanted her dead. As if they didn't have enough to worry about, a new threat to their happy family has them considering drastic measures to protect the ones they love the most. While storms rage all around them, Sam and Nick take refuge in each other and find the strength they need to carry on.

I come home to find him passed out on the floor... LexiAlmost three years after losing my husband Jim to ALS I've started to emerge from the fog of widowhood thanks in large part to my sexy roommate-and former high school crush-Tom Hammett. When he offered me a suite in his spacious home he got me out of my parents' basement where I'd lived with Jim during his illness and since his death. But now Tom is experiencing a health crisis and I'm not sure I have it in me to go down that road again even if I suspect I might be falling in love with him. I have to decide if I can risk losing my fragile heart to another man with a potentially life-threatening health condition. TomMy heart attack is the worst possible thing that could've happened especially since Lexi was the one to find me in distress. She's come so far in the nine months we've lived together and I've felt us inching toward something deeper lately. After losing my dad to a widow-maker heart attack when I was a teenager I hate that I'm inflicting similar trauma on Lexi and my sisters. I'm determined to do everything in my power to return to full health so I can be the partner Lexi needs and deserves. Little does she know that I too had a massive crush on her in high school but she was too young for me then. Now she's perfect for me and I want to be perfect for her too. Come along as Lexi's Wild Widow chapter two story with Tom unfolds along with updates on some of our other favorite characters. We'll also meet two new widows in need of the special love and support only the Wild Widows can provide.

Io c'ero. Ho visto quello che hai fatto. BlaiseQuella sera non avrei dovuto trovarmi l , ma la mia amica Sienna mi aveva convinto ad andare alla festa a Land's End per spiare il suo ragazzo. Nascoste nel bosco, assistemmo a un crimine indicibile e, da quel momento, sbagliammo tutto. I legami contano molto nella cittadina in cui viviamo. Nonostante le proteste di ogni cellula del mio corpo, cedetti alle pressioni per tenere la bocca chiusa. Ero convinta che, in qualsiasi situazione, avrei fatto la cosa giusta. Invece mi sbagliavo, su quello e su molte altre cose. Dopo quello che avevo visto e il modo in cui i ragazzi che conoscevo da tutta la vita avevano trattato la vittima, mi ritrovai a pezzi. Soffro da allora per quella vicenda, nonostante sia andata avanti, lontano dalla cittadina in cui sono cresciuta. Quattordici anni dopo vengo a sapere che il responsabile di quel crimine indicibile candidato al Congresso, ed come se dentro di me si rompesse qualcosa. Non riesco a sopportare il peso di quello che so nemmeno per un secondo di pi . Finalmente denuncio tutto, ma scoppia l'inferno per me e per le persone presenti a quella festa. Alcune di loro sono pronte a tutto per evitare che la verit venga alla luce... anche uccidermi. Nel bel mezzo di uno scontro epico, un nuovo amore mi d la forza per tenere duro, combattere per la mia stessa vita e rimediare a un terribile torto. Attenzione: la trama prevede una violenza sessuale da cui alcuni lettori potrebbero restare turbati.

I was there. I saw what you did. Blaise I wasn’t supposed to be there that night, but my friend Sienna talked me into going to the party in Land’s End so she could spy on her boyfriend. While hiding out in the woods, we witnessed an unspeakable crime. And we did everything wrong afterward. Connections run deep in our small town. I was pressured into keeping my mouth shut, even though every part of me objected. I assumed I’d always do the right thing in any situation. I was wrong about that and a lot of other things. I was wrecked by what I saw and how the victim was treated by kids I’d known all my life. I’ve been sick over it ever since, even as I moved on, far away from the town where I was raised. Fourteen years later, I learn that the guy who committed that unspeakable crime is running for Congress, and something in me snaps. I can’t bear the weight of that knowledge for another second. Finally, I report what I saw, and all hell breaks loose for me and others who were at that long-ago party. Some of them will do whatever it takes to keep the truth from coming to light…even if they have to kill me. In the midst of an epic battle, a new love gives me the strength to stay strong, to fight for my life and to right a terrible wrong. Content warning: A sexual assault storyline may be upsetting to some readers.

Ich war dort. Ich habe gesehen, was du getan hast. Eigentlich h tte ich gar nicht auf der Party sein sollen, aber meine Freundin hat mich berredet, sie zu begleiten, um ihrem Freund nachzuspionieren. Doch dann werden wir in unserem Versteck Zeugen eines schrecklichen Verbrechens ... und begehen einen schlimmen Fehler. Wir leben in einer Kleinstadt. Jeder kennt jeden, und alle halten zusammen. Man dr ngt mich, zu schweigen, obwohl sich alles in mir dagegen auflehnt. Ich hatte immer gedacht, dass ich in jeder Situation das Richtige tun w rde. Doch da hab ich mich geirrt, wie bei so vielem anderen auch. Das alles belastet mich sehr, und daran hat auch der Umzug in die gro e Stadt, weit weg von zu Hause und meinem vertrauten Leben, nichts ge ndert. Als ich vierzehn Jahre sp ter erfahre, dass der Mann, der dieses uns gliche Verbrechen begangen hat, f r den Kongress kandidieren will, kann ich nicht l nger schweigen. Ich kehre nach Hause zur ck, ohne zu ahnen, was ich damit ausl se - und in welche Gefahr ich mich begebe. Inmitten der sich berschlagenden Ereignisse gibt mir eine neue Liebe die Kraft, stark zu bleiben, um mein Leben zu k mpfen und ein schreckliches Unrecht wiedergutzumachen.

Der mysteri se Mord an dem Bundesstaatsanwalt Tom Forrester zwingt Lieutenant Sam Holland, ihren Urlaub abzubrechen. Es gilt, schnell zur Stelle zu sein, denn das FBI w rde den Fall nur zu gerne an sich rei en. Doch dann lenkt eine Entdeckung die Ermittlungen in eine v llig andere Richtung, wodurch Sam mit dem wenig hilfreichen Justizminister ihres Mannes aneinanderger t. Als w re das nicht schon genug, steht auch noch das Staatsbankett mit dem kanadischen Premierminister und seiner Frau bevor, dem Sam voller Bedenken entgegensieht. Noch viel unangenehmer ist allerdings die Aussicht auf das gef rchtete Treffen mit Nicks vermeintlich reum tiger Mutter, die die Vers hnung mit ihrem Sohn sucht. Doch trotz all der Herausforderungen, die ihr Job bei der Mordkommission und ihre Rolle als First Lady und Mutter mit sich bringen, wei Sam, dass es etwas gibt, auf das sie sich bedingungslos verlassen kann: die Unterst tzung und Liebe ihrer Freunde, der Familie und von Nick ...

The storm has passed, but the hard work is just beginning... Gansett Island has withstood the fury of Hurricane Ethel, and now the cleanup is underway for many islanders, including McKenzie Martin, who barely escaped the storm with her life and that of her son, Jax. After Police Chief Blaine Taylor rescued them and brought them to his home, her island neighbor, Duke Sullivan, showed up with belongings he collected from the collapsed cottage she recently inherited from her grandmother. When Duke invites McKenzie to use his empty garage apartment while she figures out her next moves, McKenzie is thankful for his offer-and his friendship-as she navigates the complexities of rebuilding on an island. Duke is smitten by his old friend Rosemary's granddaughter, the loveliest woman he's ever met. But what would she want with a long-haired, tattooed dude like him who's nine years older than her and more than a little rough around the edges? Turns out, she's quite enchanted by the man she refers to as a unicorn. Not only is he sexy, thoughtful and funny, he's also kind, which is the most important quality to her after encountering too many selfish men who disappointed her, especially Jax's father, who's about to hear from McKenzie's new lawyer, Kendall James, sister to Jared, Quinn and Cooper. As the friendship between Duke and McKenzie deepens, other islanders are caught up in the search for two missing men, one of whom has deep ties to several longtime residents. Others are dealing with the emotional fallout from their close calls during the storm. In good times and in bad, island residents come together to support each other and to rebuild their beloved community. Bonus Attend the wedding of two island favorites in a special short story at the end of RENEWAL AFTER DARK

The storm has passed, but the hard work is just beginning... Gansett Island has withstood the fury of Hurricane Ethel, and now the cleanup is underway for many islanders, including McKenzie Martin, who barely escaped the storm with her life and that of her son, Jax. After Police Chief Blaine Taylor rescued them and brought them to his home, her island neighbor, Duke Sullivan, showed up with belongings he collected from the collapsed cottage she recently inherited from her grandmother. When Duke invites McKenzie to use his empty garage apartment while she figures out her next moves, McKenzie is thankful for his offer-and his friendship-as she navigates the complexities of rebuilding on an island. Duke is smitten by his old friend Rosemary's granddaughter, the loveliest woman he's ever met. But what would she want with a long-haired, tattooed dude like him who's nine years older than her and more than a little rough around the edges? Turns out, she's quite enchanted by the man she refers to as a unicorn. Not only is he sexy, thoughtful and funny, he's also kind, which is the most important quality to her after encountering too many selfish men who disappointed her, especially Jax's father, who's about to hear from McKenzie's new lawyer, Kendall James, sister to Jared, Quinn and Cooper. As the friendship between Duke and McKenzie deepens, other islanders are caught up in the search for two missing men, one of whom has deep ties to several longtime residents. Others are dealing with the emotional fallout from their close calls during the storm. In good times and in bad, island residents come together to support each other and to rebuild their beloved community. Bonus Attend the wedding of two island favorites in a special short story at the end of RENEWAL AFTER DARK

Bei Jobs wie ihren gibt es so etwas wie einen ruhigen Urlaub nicht ... Lieutenant Sam Holland und ihr Mann US-Pr sident Nick Cappuano freuen sich darauf, ihren zweiten Hochzeitstag mit einem wohlverdienten Urlaub zu feiern. Eigentlich stand ein Flug nach Bora Bora auf dem Plan, doch aufgrund des anhaltenden politischen Drucks entscheiden sie sich stattdessen f r einen Trip ans Meer nach Dewey Beach in Delaware. Doch selbst dieser Plan ger t in Gefahr, als Sam sich um eine weitere Krise im Rahmen der Untersuchungen gegen den ehemaligen Lieutenant Stahl k mmern muss. Um den neusten Fall, den Mord an einer College-Studentin, k mmern sich derweil Gonzo, Freddie und der Rest der Truppe, w hrend sich Gigi und Cameron mit der Abteilung Interne Ermittlungen auseinandersetzen m ssen. Wie immer l uft f r Sam und Nick nichts nach Plan, aber die Chance, eine Woche weitgehend allein zu verbringen, ist genau das, was sie brauchen, bevor ihre Kinder, Familie und Freunde f r ein Wochenende am Strand zu ihnen sto en ...

A high-profile murder has Sam and her team chasing an elusive killer... Just back from their anniversary trip to Dewey Beach, there's no slow roll back to work for the first couple as Sam is immediately thrust into the baffling murder of her friend and colleague, U. S. Attorney Tom Forrester, which has everyone on edge. The FBI wants in on this one, and she's determined to figure out what happened to Tom before they can take over her investigation, as new and unsettling details arise about the crimes involving disgraced former Lieutenant Stahl. A new development sends the investigation in an entirely unexpected direction as Sam goes toe-to-toe with her husband's uncooperative Attorney General. In the midst of the hot new case, Sam's got to put on her first lady hat for the Canadian Prime Minister and his wife, who are in town for the Cappuano administration's first State Dinner. Once they get through that event, Sam and Nick will finally meet with Nick's mother, who's asked for a chance to make things right with her son. With all of that going on, who has time to breathe let alone plan an operation that'll either snag a killer or end her career?

A high-profile murder has Sam and her team chasing an elusive killer... Just back from their anniversary trip to Dewey Beach there's no slow roll back to work for the first couple as Sam is immediately thrust into the baffling murder of her friend and colleague U. S. Attorney Tom Forrester which has everyone on edge. The FBI wants in on this one and she's determined to figure out what happened to Tom before they can take over her investigation as new and unsettling details arise about the crimes involving disgraced former Lieutenant Stahl. A new development sends the investigation in an entirely unexpected direction as Sam goes toe-to-toe with her husband's uncooperative Attorney General. In the midst of the hot new case Sam's got to put on her first lady hat for the Canadian Prime Minister and his wife who are in town for the Cappuano administration's first State Dinner. Once they get through that event Sam and Nick will finally meet with Nick's mother who's asked for a chance to make things right with her son. With all of that going on who has time to breathe let alone plan an operation that'll either snag a killer or end her career?

They're beloved members of the Gansett Island family... But they've never had their own book until now Dan Torrington and Kara Ballard take center stage for the first time ever in this prequel novel. Revisit their story from when they first appeared in FALLING FOR LOVE through HURRICANE AFTER DARK, with many new scenes, characters and backstories as we prepare to follow Dan and Kara to Bar Harbor, Maine, to deal with the most intense Ballard family drama yet. This is an 87,000-word preview ahead of the upcoming DOWNEAST story, which will pick up right where Dan and Kara's story left off in HURRICANE AFTER DARK.