CONSIDER CAREFULLY BEFORE THAT FIRST CALL TO THE LOCAL CONTRACTOR:Can your marriage take it?Stacey Sommers certainly hoped so…but it was looking a little questionable. After the stunning news that her uncle had passed away and left her his dog (aptly named Dog) and a quarter of a million dollars, her penny-pinching, fiscally responsible husband was practically gloating at how their already amply funded golden years would be further enhanced.They'd saved for that rainy day, and now it was here–literally with their 1950s-style house falling down around their ears. Was it better to live for now or be a gazillionaire at your funeral? Stacey wanted to remodel; Brad wanted to save. What was a woman to do?Make the call. After all, it was her money. Then watch, as the walls came tumbling down, how things started to rearrange themselves….
A little danger couldn't keep hotshot reporter Tory Patton from the story of a lifetime. Plus, an exclusive with the navy SEAL Tom King held hostage in war-torn Central America would put her in the big leagues.But an assassination attempt on the wounded soldier suddenly turned Tory's interview into a rescue mission. With the help of a mysterious operative who seemed to shadow her every move, Tory summoned her well-trained survival skills to get them to safety. But would she live long enough to discover more about her sexy guardian angel, and expose a shocking scandal that could implicate everyone from the top levels of the White House to the very people she trusted most?ATHENA FORCE: They were the best, the brightest, the strongest–women who shared a bond like no other….
Rookie agent Miranda Cutler had looked up to superspy Ray Ortega.Her thanks? He'd seduced her, then left her holding the bag for an ill-fated op that nearly ruined her career while he went into selfimposed exile. One year later, the CIA wanted Miranda to lure Ortega back for a mission so risky, they said only he could handle it.Miranda had a better idea. She would infiltrate the militant group suspected of creating a dangerous new weapon, salvaging her career and ridding herself of Ortega's ghost in one burst of glory. Her assignment to approach Ortega gave her a way in. But nothing could prepare Miranda for what would happen when it was time to get out….
This is your battle, Isabella. Kill him first. Or he will tear down your house.In her old life, Isabella DeMarco lived in New York with her father and had just started to fall for a handsome police lieutenant. Then she learned the truth–she is Gifted, a powerful magic user. In her new world, Jean-Marc des Ombres is the one person Izzy can trust as she claims her birthright–keeping New Orleans and the House of the Flames safe from supernatural enemies. But those enemies will do anything to destroy her. When Jean-Marc is injured, Izzy is caught between fighting off a powerful vampire and opening her House to a potentially treacherous ally. And now the lives of the people she cares about most may be sacrificed for her own….
For twenty-nine-year-old Hannah O'Dowd, finding a decent man in Portland, Oregon, is like pulling teeth!Luckily, the self-employed clothing designer has a job she loves and friends to help ease the pain: oversexed Cassie (always good to have the opposite perspective, Hannah notes), analytical Louise (too much perspective not always good) and an in-the-flesh tooth puller, dentist Scott (could prove useful). But as she nears the big 3-0, she begins to realize that dating frantically may truly be the only solution to finding Mr. Maybe.So, pumped up on nothing but drive and determination, Hannah cuts loose on her romantic quest. In fact, she kisses so many frogs she fears she'll turn green. (Note: While paling in comparison to her paralyzing fear of anything dental related, acquiring froglike qualities from hanging around losers–still not good.)And she's only just begun!
10…9…8…Hotshot NSA code breaker Kim Valenti had cracked a code revealing a terrorist plot to take over a major TV network…a takeover that Kim learned too late was only a diversion for a far more dangerous threat.7…6…5…She had just minutes to thwart the real plot–a bomb at a major airport. Kidnapping a member of the FBI bomb squad to help her was a start….4…3…2… Now it was up to Kim–and one angry FBI agent–to find the bomb, defuse it and live to fight another day. Except…was this explosive just the tip of the iceberg?1…
ATHENA ALUM SELENA SHAW JONES'S MOTTO: NEVER LET THEM SEE YOUR FEARHer intervention in a hostage crisis had made her an instant hero. But Selena Shaw Jones still had nightmares. Now the CIA had approached her for another do-or-die mission–to locate a terrorist informant and his case officer, who were missing in the same Middle Eastern hot spot. Selena had to put aside her self-doubts–because the missing ex-terrorist had crucial intel about a strike against America…and the case officer in question was her husband, Cole. With the clock ticking and her know-it-all new partner questioning her competence, could Selena track her wily husband and control this runaway mission while facing her deadliest enemy–herself?
"GET CLOSE TO HIM BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY."Seduction was a weapon CIA Special Agent Nova Blair had never resorted to before. After a tragic childhood, she'd dedicated herself to ridding the world of criminals, not entertaining their wildest fantasies. It didn't matter that her target was extraordinarily handsome and charming. What did matter was that he was a suspected terrorist, and millions of innocent lives were at stake. Failure wasn't an option–but was sleeping with the enemy?
One look at the shirtless cowboy sauntering toward her, and Rebecca Wallingford knew she was in trouble. Now Jackson Rand was telling her in a husky drawl that sent shivers up her spine that she'd be living with a houseful of men!Jackson had expected the company to send a man–not this beautiful, big-city female who played poker with the boys and was making herself right at home on his ranch. But it was more than chance that had brought Rebecca out west. Now it would take all the love this cattleman had to give, once he uncovered her shocking family secret….
Nova Blair–code name, Dove–is known as the ultimate, tough-as-nails agent who always gets her man. So when ten prominent American tourists are kidnapped in Brazil, Nova launches into a race against time to rescue the innocents and uncover the identity of their sociopathic captor–one whose true motive may be to instigate global warfare.But Nova's mission hits a snag when the CIA assigns a fellow agent to the case–Joseph Cardone. The man Nova loved but walked away from. Nova and Joe must put their fiery standoff aside if they are to save the tourists and possibly the world. And this time the cost of Nova's success may be Joe's life.