The Dark and Damaged Hearts Series

For too long I've let my past haunt my present and hobble my future. I've been running from love, intimacy and commitment for so long, I have no idea how to stop and let it catch up. Until I meet Justin. With a practiced swagger and a cocky smile, he's got more money than I've ever imagined and I'm pretty sure he's never heard the word no in his life. He's so not my type. And yet, in just one day—and one night—he's burrowed himself so deep under my skin, I'm suddenly desperate to trust again. But that's easier said than done. I've never felt such a connection, never felt such pleasure or passion before—never felt so loved. But my hang-ups keep getting in the way of my happiness. I need to trust before I can fall completely, and as incredible as Justin is, I'm not sure I can trust him. I might just sabotage our future before it's even begun. ***Trigger warning: self-harm talk, talk of past r*pe, f/f/m scenes

At twenty-six I've had my fair share of drama. Well, drama is putting it mildly. My past is more checkered than a chessboard. I'm tired of being treated like I'm less than I'm worth. Like I'm dispensable. I want a man who knows what he wants—and that's me. From that very first handshake in the bar, I knew James was going to become an addiction. And like a true addict, the more of him I get, the more of him I need. His proposal of a no-strings, no future, no love arrangement sounds perfect. If he's as good between the sheets as he is at kissing, then sign me up. But before I know it, I'm in too deep and have fallen hard for this older man. However, James has secrets. Demons. His heart is surrounded by a ten-foot wall with barbed wire on top, and a crocodile-filled moat at the bottom. And Prince Charming won't put down his drawbridge to let me in. Fear digs its claws deep, telling me that my own tumultuous history and whatever haunts James are what keeps our happily ever after forever out of reach.

Here comes the bride … We're getting married! Yes, you heard that correctly. I am marrying the James Shaw; sexy, brilliant, successful millionaire who loves me more than I ever thought I could be loved. What could be more perfect? How about a romantic honeymoon on a live-aboard yacht in French Polynesia? Yes, please. James has already turned my world upside down, introducing me to his dark and dirty side in the bedroom. I can only imagine what he has planned for our honeymoon. Our age difference has never been a problem before, but suddenly with James, it seems to be an issue, and once the honeymoon is in full swing I see a side of him that tests our relationship like never before. I need to find a way to come to terms with his demands and expectations while not backing down or letting go of my own convictions, otherwise, we risk ruining our first (possibly last) vacation as husband and wife.

Eight years ago, Garret Banks swept me clear off my feet, catching me before I fell on my ass. Our love was instantaneous, all-consuming and intense. We never thought the flame would die down, let alone extinguish. We have everything we've ever wanted. Successful careers, a beautiful son and a rock-solid marriage. We're living the dream. Right? But how quickly dreams can turn into nightmares. Garret's job is taking its toll on him, my whole world seems to be in shambles, and now I've got to deal with a blast from my past I thought I'd long buried. And that past wants answers—answers I'm not willing to give. We grab quick and dirty sex when we can, but that just doesn't seem to be enough and our marriage feels more tested and strained than ever before. I was sure that I'd found my knight in shining armor, my happily ever after, my forever, but my marriage is being forced to bend more than it should—more than it can. So much so that I'm afraid it might just snap.

The seven-year itch. Where the passion fizzles, the arguments take over and the kids are everywhere—always. But not us. We're over seven years into a love so raw, so real, so incredible we'll still be this crazy about each other when we hit the seventy-year itch. Until the unimaginable happens. Until our family is threatened. Secrets and lies, exes and bitter rejection plow through our lives, wreaking havoc on our fragile happiness, leaving us vulnerable to a threat that we never saw coming. We're drowning. Treading water with weights on. Garret and I need to find our way back to each other before it's too late. Back to the surface, to the sizzling passion we once shared before our marriage takes its final breath and sinks to the bottom never to see the light of another day.

Secrets, they always come back to bite … everybody. And the secrets my husband kept from me bit me hard enough to leave scars. In fact, they took a huge chunk right out of me. I thought I'd lost everything the day Ted died, until I discovered the mess he left behind—the people he left behind. He wasn't the man I thought he was, and now I'm left to deal with his enemies—as if my life wasn't chaotic enough. And then there's Jake. He's younger than me, and our first couple of interactions have us butting heads, but boy oh boy does he make me feel things I never thought possible again. And as much as he annoys me, I crave him even more. Jake wants to help me. He also wants me. But I don't want anybody else to get hurt. Too many people already have. So as much as it's agony on my heart to push him away, I must—for his own safety. Until he gives me no other choice but to fall hard, fast and madly for him, then we're in this disaster together, up to our eyeballs and hoping that Ted's demons don't destroy the last shreds of happiness I'm fiercely holding on to.