Southern Spirits Series

Ezekiel Matthers and Brendon Shanahan are about to find out that sometimes all it takes is a subtle breeze to shift the winds of fate. Ezekiel Matthers is a reclusive man, forcing himself into the exile of his ranch after a violent assault left him wounded. While the scars on the outside have faded, the damage inside is much harder to conquer. Zeke resigns himself to a solitary existence, aside from his sister Enessa and, of course, his mama's occasional visits. Brendon Shanahan has a very meddling cousin, Gloria, who is best buds with Enessa Matthers. When the two women convince Brendon that he should hook-up with the reclusive Zeke, a plan is hatched that sets a series of events into motion - with potentially deadly consequences. Can Ezekiel conquer his fears and accept what Brendon is offering? Or will Brendon walk away, giving up on the love he has waited for? And will the visits from Zeke's mama - deceased for four years now - help the two men find their way to each other? Only time will tell, and that may be the one thing the lovers don't have, because someone is out to destroy everything Zeke and Brendon hold dear - and this time, the bad guy just might succeed.

The body might be reluctant, but there's more than one spirit willing to step in and keep two stubborn men from walking away from each other forever... Deputy Matt Nixon has had a rough time of it lately. He's put up with the spirit of his boss's dead lover, been stabbed, and had his fledgling interest in another man cruelly flung back in his face. His only close friend is an elderly woman who gets her kicks from calling in false prowler reports then greeting the responding deputies with a lewd proposition and little clothes. When he finds her dead, Matt grieves for the old woman so many people snickered at—and he fumes at the idea of her snooty nephew from New York who never bothered to visit her. Matt is going to give Carlin Douglas a piece of his mind if he does show up. Carlin Douglas hates the small town of McKinton, Texas. The only other time he'd been there was years ago when Zeke Mathers was almost killed in a gay bashing. Now Carlin has obligations that keep him tied to New York, but he doesn't mind. Until he clashes with Deputy Matt Nixon, a man who seems determined to hate him. But McKinton is a different place, and there's always a spirit or two lingering, just waiting for an opportunity...to meddle.

The only way to stay alive is to listen when the dead speak... Sheriff Laine Stenley thinks he might just be losing his mind. Ever since he'd encountered the spirit of his friend's deceased mother, strange things have been happening. His sheriff's tin star keeps popping off, his Stetson tends to fly off his head at the most inconvenient times—and then there are the subtle caresses that remind him of a lover's touch... Something Laine has been without for years—since the violent murder of his partner—and figures to be without well into the future if he wants to retain his position as the sheriff in the small town of McKinton, Texas. Laine doesn't want to risk his career or his heart ever again, but he may not have a choice, not if he wants to stay alive. A man who listens to spirits, Severo has come to McKinton to deliver a message of danger. One look at the sexy sheriff and Severo finds himself in a different sort of danger. He's not ready to find a man who can claim him heart, soul, and body, but ready or not, the attraction that simmers between them is undeniable—and irresistible. Together, they will race against time, because something evil is coming to McKinton. Severo and Laine must learn to trust each other—and themselves— and listen when the dead speak.

Beware of what follows you back from the dead... Detective Rich Montoya was attacked by Sheriff Stenley's stalker in When the Dead Speak. A year later, Rich is having a rough time, haunted by a malevolent spirit that's making his already fragile existence hellacious. Rich, who's kept to himself for the past year, is scarred more than physically. The last thing he thinks he needs is a lover, little does he know...Chris Neeland is a big guy who drives a big rig, and all it takes is one look at the sexy, wounded man driving the cute little Miata and Chris is sunk. His mystical mother always told him love would hit Chris like a bolt of lightning, fast and hard and not without pain, but he kind of hadn't believed her until he meets Rich.

Darren Brown spent two years running from his past, but he could only run so far before he was found. Darren Brown lost the only two people he loved just days apart. His mother first, then his best friend. Guilt over his friend's death drives Darren to wander for over a year before he winds up in the town of McKinton, Texas. Lee Bausch served his tour in the Army then started his quest to find answers only one person could give him—except that one person had moved away. It takes him almost two years to find Darren Brown, and it turns out Darren doesn't have the answers Lee needs—he is what Lee needs. Darren is shy and so sexy Lee can't get enough of him, but he still needs answers because he can't shake the feeling someone he loved was murdered. After a terrifying experience at the motel, Darren knows he has to tell Lee about the spirits in McKinton. And there's one spirit, scared and alone, who has the answers Lee seeks, if only the spirit knew how to tell Lee his suspicions are right.

Severo and Laine thought they had it all. They had great friends, each other—and the spirits of McKinton, TX. Until Sev gets a call from his sister asking to visit. He's been the family pariah for most of his life. This sudden offering is something Sev had never even dared to hope for. Laine is suspicious but supportive. Then their world is altered when all the spirits in McKinton vanish on the same day. Missing spirits, a coven of Wiccans, and a sister and her family all hit McKinton at the same time. Laine doesn't know who has stolen the spirits, but he's going to find out. Was it the well-meaning Wiccans? Or is there something more sinister at work in McKinton?

Conner Sutherland never thought he'd meet the love of his life in the Afterlife... Conner Sutherland has been alone for a long time. He can't remember the last time he even felt the desire to be touched by another man. Sometime before his death, when he'd still been Laine's lover. But Laine had found Severo years ago, and if any two people were meant for each other it was Laine and Sev. Where that leaves Conner, he doesn't know, other than feeling lost and out of sorts. He doesn't want to think about the way he feels when he sees Ro—Rogelio, Sev's nephew. Conner's seen Ro grow from pretty boy into a handsome man, but wanting him is foolish and useless. Ro's got a life to live, and even if he does things that hurt Conner, that's not Ro's fault. He doesn't know he entranced Conner long ago. Ro has only ever wanted one man for keeps. It's a pointless want, though, because Conner Sutherland is dead and too busy pranking Laine and Sev to notice Ro anyway. But life, and death, have a way of surprising you, as Ro and Conner find out.

Dying sucks, but the afterlife is one hot place to be. Stefan wasn't physically perfect in life, and his search for someone to love him resulted in his murder. Now he's been dead for years, and he's lonelier than he ever was when he was alive. His physical problems might have vanished when his body ceased to live, but his spirit has to deal with the memories of the past. Jordan and Gideon are friends who share eager guys when they can find them, but being in a war zone hasn't allowed for that to happen often. One roadside stop puts an end to their lives. Jordan and Gideon are at a loss to understand what happens to them, why they stay behind when others go up into the light. Searching for answers, they head to Jordan's hometown—McKinton, Texas—but a hell of a lot of things have changed in the decade and a half since Jordan left. Namely, the arrival of one wicked, joyful spirit named Stefan.