In two centuries of living death, Eric Marquand had never once cried out against the cruel fate that had condemned him to walk forever in shadow. But then, he found the woman he knew was his chosen one--and understood that to possess her was to destroy her. . . Tamara Dey trembled at the aura of dread and despair that enshrouded this creature of the night. And yet, against all reason, she saw clearly that her destiny was eternally entwined with his, and that she must know--even welcome--the terror and the splendor of the vampire's kiss. . . For centuries, loneliness has haunted them from dusk till dawn. Yet now, from out of the darkness, shines the light of eternal life. . . eternal love.

Baby on his Doorstep!Sheriff Garrett Brand has raised five siblings single-handedly, and done his best to to mold them into honorable, responsible people. So when a baby lands on the doorstep of the Texas Brand, his first question is which younger brother is in for a butt-kicking? But the little fellow is named after him–Garrett Ethan Brand–according to the note his mama left behind.Baby on his Doorstep!Sheriff Garrett Brand has raised his entire brood of siblings single-handedly, and he’s done his best to teach them some values, to mold them into honorable, responsible, and trustworthy human beings. So when a baby lands on the doorstep of the Texas Brand, his first question is which younger brother is in for a butt-kicking? But the little fellow isn’t named after Ben, or Wes, or Adam, or Elliot. The little feller is named after him–Garrett Ethan Brand–according to the note his mama left behind.He’s still racking his brain to figure it all out, when a woman shows up at the ranch in the dead of night, spitting, fighting mad, and accusing Garrett of murdering her sister and stealing the baby! Chelsea is confused, heartbroken, and too mad to think straight, and the same trouble that found her poor sister is right on her tail. But of all the places she and the baby could’ve wound up, Garrett thinks this ranch is the best one.Because this is one family that knows how to pull together and trouble doesn’t stand a chance against The Brands of Texas.

Darryl's on a quest for peace after losing his one shot at fatherhood.Sophie's running from her ex who nearly destroyed her life and cost her her career. They both end up in Big Falls, Oklahoma and things immediately take a turn for the better. Love, magic, and miracles ensue.Because this is Big Falls, Oklahoma. Miracles are an everyday occurrence around here. Especially at Christmastime.Darryl is on a quest for peace. His chance at fatherhood was taken from him long ago, and an IED in Iraq ensured he’d never get another. In Big Falls, the McIntyre brothers hire him to keep an eye on their beautiful cousin Sophie in case her criminal ex shows up. He doesn’t expect to fall head over heels.Sophie McIntyre’s life was blown apart by a drug dealing ex who cost her her job and nearly her medical license. She comes to Big Falls because she has nowhere else to go. And the minute she gets there, things start to get better.Is it because of that letter to Santa her Aunt Vidalia convinced her to write? Within days she meets a beautiful man with a deeply wounded soul. And oddly, she finds herself giving him the same advice the town Santa gave to her—try believing again, and if it’s too much to believe, then just try hoping.Love, magic, and miracles ensue.Because this is Big Falls, Oklahoma. Miracles are an everyday occurrence around here. Especially at Christmastime.BELIEVE AGAIN with MAGGIE SHAYNE

Far older than his legend, the immortal Vlad Dracul has wandered the earth for centuries in search of the reincarnation of his wife, Elisabeta. Now he believes he has found the woman possessed by his beloved's soul and is prepared to make her his for all eternity. Tempest "Stormy" Jones is that mortal. She has long sensed the other, someone inside her fighting to take control, a feeling that becomes even stronger when the dark prince is near. But as Stormy denies the passion that burns between them, she also resists allowing Elisabeta to take over her mind and body to prevent her from claiming Vlad as her own. But when Elisabeta discovers Vlad's feelings for Stormy, her wrath knows no bounds. She demands that her destiny be fulfilled, and seeks to destroy her rival, leaving Vlad in anguish, tormented by what was. . . and what could be. Now only he can choose--who will live and who will die.

His name is Edge, and he is the last of a band of Immortals murdered by obsessed vampire-hunter Frank Stiles. Vengeance is Edge's obsession, but to destroy Stiles, he must find the woman called the Golden Child. A legend among the undead, Amber Lily is the only half human, half vampire ever born. She shares Edge's need to find Stiles—but she needs to keep him alive. Edge is exciting, irresistible, and despite herself Amber is drawn into his hunt, led by passion to the lair of an evil she may be unable to defeat—to the edge of twilight, where only the Immortals belong.

The TWO opening novels from New York Times bestseller Maggie Shayne’s TWO most popular series! The Oklahoma All-Girl Brands, Book 1: THE BRANDS WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMASThe Texas Brands, Book 1: THE LITTLEST COWBOYThe Brand Family…A Miracle in Every Story!The TWO opening novels from New York Times bestseller Maggie Shayne’s TWO most popular series! The Oklahoma All-Girl Brands, Book 1: THE BRANDS WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMAS:When good girl Maya Brand, eldest of five and the pillar of the family, has a moment of weakness and a one night stand with a drifter, she finds herself pregnant with a naked ring finger. Most Big Falls, Oklahomans think it must be a case of immaculate conception. But the drifter returns and trouble follows. So do an early labor, a freak storm, and a Christmas you will never forget.The Texas Brands, Book 1: THE LITTLEST COWBOYUpright and Honest Sheriff Garrett Brand is furious with the younger brothers he’s raised when he finds a baby on the doorstep one hot Texas morning…until he sees the note with his own name on it. A motherless baby boy, a soft hearted rancher, an overprotective family, and a woman in deadly trouble spell heartwarming emotion, spine tingling passion, and breathless romance.The Brand Family…A Miracle in Every Story!

I'm not who they say I am.Trust me.But can she?Reclusive novelist Aaron Westhaven, a man she's admired—and more—for years, has accepted Olivia Dupree's invitation to speak at a local fundraiser. But the day he's due to arrive, she gets a call summoning her to the bedside of a John Doe whose sole possession is her business card.Can this undeniably compelling man—survivor of an execution-style gunshot wound—really be the novelist the lonely Olivia has grown to think of as a near soul mate? If not, he can be in Shadow Falls for only one reason: to kill her.Olivia, too, has secrets. And discovering the truth about the man in the hospital bed means dredging up her own past—a past she's been hiding from for sixteen years.About the AuthorMaggie Shayne is the bestselling author of more than forty novels, including the groundbreaking vampire series Wings in the Night, the most recent of which is called Prince of Twilight. Her numerous awards include two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, the National Readers Choice Award, and the coveted Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Maggie lives in a small town in southern central New York. Find her at www.maggieshayne.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Today was the day Olivia Dupree was going to meet the only man on the planet who saw life the way she did—as one long series of disappointments, as a perilous journey best navigated entirely solo—for the very first time, and she didn't have a thing to wear.Not that what she wore really mattered. She wasn't that sort of fan. Not only didn't she think he would care what she looked like, but she would also be extremely disappointed if he did.And yet she'd given in to the inner idiotic teenager that had never been her and stood on her bed, so she could gauge her appearance in the big mirror that was part of her dresser. She didn't own a full-length mirror. She'd never thought she needed one and still held that opinion. Her ordinary style was pretty basic. For work she wore skinny, knee-length pencil skirts with matching blazers when it was cool, and sensible pumps with two-inch heels. She kept her dark hair in a tight bun and applied her makeup in the same minimalist fashion every weekday. College English students didn't really care what their professor looked like, after all. And she wasn't out to capture the attention of anyone who might.On weekends, she traded the suits for jeans, the bun for a ponytail and the makeup for sunscreen.Now she needed something in between. Something relaxed but attractive. Not seductive, just attractive. She was not a doe-eyed, adoring fan. But she'd never met Aaron Westhaven before, and she wanted to make a good impression.Nothing more.Freddy, her very best friend in the entire world—and the only specimen of the male gender, canine or otherwise, she trusted with her heart—tipped his massive head from one side to the other as he watched her standing somewhat unsteadily on the mattress. Standing was not what the bed was for, he seemed to be thinking.She glanced down at him. "It's okay, boy. I'll get down momentarily. And standing on the bed is still verboten when it comes to you, okay?"He heaved a giant sigh and lowered his two-hundred-pound, brindle-patterned bulk to the floor. He was only average size for an adult male English mastiff, but even she had trouble believing how big he was, and she'd had him for three years.She hoped Mr. Westhaven didn't have an aversion to dogs. He hadn't written dogs into any of his novels, so she couldn't be sure, but she suspected he would love Freddy. Because anyone with a heart would love Freddy, and Westhaven certainly had a heart.She felt as if she knew him well. The reclusive author's heartbreakingly tragic novels lined her shelves and spoke to her soul. They were her own guilty little secret. But they so reflected the way she felt about life and love. You really couldn't depend on anyone but yourself. He seemed to understand that. God knew she did.And now she was about to meet him—right here in Shadow Falls, Vermont.She glanced at the combination she now wore, a pair of dressy black trousers and a lavender button-down blouse with a black blazer over it. Too stiff. She unbuttoned the blazer and thought she still looked too formal. Then she took it off and thought she looked too casual.Frustrated, she threw the blazer down by her feet. Big mistake. Freddy saw that as an invitation, sprang upright and bounded onto the bed with a giant "woof" that reverberated through her chest. The mattress sank, the box springs squeaking in protest."I couldn't see anything from the waist down," she explained, as she tried to keep her balance. He bounced in response to her words, and the mattress tidal-waved beneath her. Laughing, she fell onto her butt among the rumpled covers, and Freddy moved over her, trying to lick her face as she laughed too hard to breathe. "You're a lug. Get down!"He obeyed immediately, then stood there waiting for her to join him. She got down, traded the trousers for a skirt, slid her feet into a pair of sandals and looked at the clock on the nightstand, then at her wristwatch. "Gee, Freddy. Mr. Westhaven is late." She frowned as a little knot of worry tightened in her stomach."He's really late."And she was concerned. Because though she admired him, she didn't entirely trust him, simply because he was male. The fact that he'd agreed to be the surprise guest speaker at the English Department's summer fundraiser had been nothing less than a stunner. She'd invited him with every expectation that he would decline, if he replied at all. The man never made public appearances. She'd been shocked—and a little bit suspicious—when he'd accepted the invitation.But she'd chalked that up to her own man issues, and tried to count on him to show up as promised and not pull a no-show.Maybe that had been a mistake.Time would tell, she supposed. She brushed the dog hairs off her lavender blouse and exchanged it for a sleeveless silk shell in jade green. It would just have to do.Samuel Overton wasn't supposed to be driving at all without his mom in the car, much less driving a big Ford Expedition that wasn't even theirs. But he was doing it anyway. He didn't really know how she expected him not to. It was the Funkmaster Flex Edition, not just any SUV.And it was freakin' sweet. Checkered flag design on the dashboard and console, unique black-and-red paint job, sound system to die for. Better yet, it had a 300 horsepower, 5.4-liter iron-block, 24-valve V-8 in it. Hell, this thing was a dream vehicle. Car-show worthy.Besides, he didn't have any reason to think his mom would find out.Kyle Becker, Sam's best friend, cranked up the music, and Sam shoved his hand away from the dial and turned it back down. "It's distracting.""It's Metallica. You don't turn down Metallica.""Then turn it off.""No way. It'll do you good to get used to distractions," Kyle said, with the wisdom that came from being a licensed sixteen-year-old, and a whole six weeks older than Sam. "And while you're at it, you might want to go faster than thirty-five."Sam pressed on the gas pedal, picked up speed and sent a cloud of dust up behind them. They'd taken a back road where there would be little traffic, so he could practice driving a car that had a little more guts than his mother's minivan.He felt a little ping and knew he was throwing up pebbles in addition to the dust cloud. Shaking his head, he hit the brakes and pulled over. "This is stupid. This dirt road's no good for a cherry ride like this.""I told you, we'll wash it before we take it back," Kyle insisted. "No one will ever know.""Right, unless I end up dinging it or something.Professor Mallory will notice that when he comes back from Europe, even if Mom doesn't." Sam sighed, frustrated with himself as he slowly realized there was almost zero chance he was going to get away with this undetected. Mom always found out. "I must have been a moron to have let you talk me in to this.""No, you weren't. You've got to practice on something, right? How are you going to pass your test next week if you don't? And you can't take your mother's minivan when she has it parked outside the damn hospital all day every day.""Yeah, well, I can't keep taking Mallory's dream machine out, either. I mean, I shouldn't. He left it with Mom for safekeeping while he's away. I doubt this is what he had in mind.""Why the hell not? You're not hurting it any. And he did ask your mom to drive it once in a while to keep it loose, right? You're helping him, dude.""You wouldn't be saying that if it was your dream machine I was driving over a cow path," Sam said. "If Mom finds out, she'll have a freakin' breakdown.""She's not gonna find out." Kyle said it as if he were offering his personal guarantee that it was true.The dust was clearing, and Sam sighed. "Let's just go. We still have to gas it up and wash it, and hope to hell nobody sees us driving it back.""Yeah," Kyle said. "We probably better get on that. But we can take it straight back to your mom's garage, bring the gas in a can and wash it right there, so we don't draw notice. You want me to drive it back?"Sam nodded. "Just in case we meet a cop or something," he said. "Mom would be even more pissed if I got a ticket for driving on a learner's permit without a licensed over-eighteen driver along." He opened his door, getting out of the SUV to go around to the passenger side.Kyle got out his own side, but then he just stood there, staring toward the side of the road a dozen or so yards ahead of them.And then he went really tense all of a sudden, and his mouth opened."What?" Sam asked, trying to see what he was looking at.Kyle lifted a finger and pointed. "Holy shit, is that a body?""No way!" Sam turned and spotted the lump that had caught his friend's attention. Something that, he had to admit, looked like a person lay in the deep grass at the bottom of a patch of a slope.The two boys headed for the human-shaped lump of clothing. When they got as close as they could without leaving the road, Kyle said, "Sure as shit, Sam, there's a guy down there. And he isn't moving."Elbowing his friend, Sam said, "Go see if he's alive." Then he tugged his cell phone out of his shirt pocket."Screw you, you go see if he's alive!""Fine." Sam held out the phone. "You can call 911… and my mom at the hospital."Sighing, Kyle shook his head. "I'm not calling your mom. I'll go see if he's alive."When her telephone finally rang, Olivia had all but given up on her special guest. He was known to be rabid about his privacy. She should have trusted the instinct that told her to distrust his promise to appear. But at the time she'd been convinced that the director of special events would never agree to Aaron Westhaven's terms anyway. No press, no announcement, no photogra...

Briar needs just two things: blood and vengeance. The first sustains her immortal life; the second gives it meaning. First on her hit list is Gregor, the renegade vampire who schooled her in brutality, then betrayed and tortured her. To achieve her deadly ends, Briar joins the inscrutable Reaper and his misfit gang of vampires who are also hunting her old mentor. But once she's destroyed Gregor, she'll be gone. The group means nothing to her. Not even Crisa—damaged, defenseless, a liability in every way—the childlike vamp with whom Briar shares a blood bond. Or Reaper. Though they shared one moment of pure passion, it's not as though Briar has feelings for him. Because Briar needs no one. She needs only to satisfy her twin hungers—ones that may ultimately consume her.

Puabi is the darkest of the Dark High Witches, those who extend their lives, their vitality, their youth, by stolen power. She has taken many lives to preserve her own. But to live this way demands a price. A rending of the soul. All that's good moves on. She has loved only once, a man who betrayed, humiliated, and abandoned her. A man who didn't care that she'd given birth to his dead son, while he was crossing deserts in search of his lover. Puabi vowed as she buried her child that she would not die until she'd had her vengenace, no matter what it took. But her chance for vengeance has come and gone. Such a disappointment. Her love had left her to burn in a blazing fire. And she did burn, until she threw herself into the sea. But she didn't die. She rode the currents, drowning, reviving, over and over until she found herself being pulled aboard a boat by the arms of a mortal man. She's angry at being saved. She'd been ready to...

Even by vampire standards, Reaper is a loner, and his current mission to destroy a gang of rogue bloodsuckers is definitely a one-vamp job. Then fate takes a hand, and before he knows it, he's surrounded by a ragtag crew of misfit helpers: the newbie, the princess, the shape-shifter and the human healer. Seth is new to immortality, but he's sharp and strong—and he'll risk anything for the rogues' strange female captive, a secretive creature he doesn't understand but feels compelled to save. Vixen is confused by the emotions that swirl through her at the sight of her impulsive hero. She only hopes the brutal Gregor and his bloodthirsty renegades will leave her alive long enough to explore them. Or will Reaper himself be the one to destroy them all?

True Crime Writer Toni Rio follows a wise guy straight from his brief stint behind bars to his execution in a dirty alley. When his two killers see her witnessing their gruesome work, she runs, but she doesn’t get far.FBI agent Nick Manelli has to keep his cover intact and keep the sexy witness alive, and there’s only one way he can think of to do both. He has to kidnap her.True Crime Writer Toni Rio follows a wise guy straight from his brief stint behind bars to his execution in a dirty alley. When his two killers see her witnessing their gruesome work, she runs, but she doesn’t get far.FBI agent Nick Manelli has to keep his cover intact and keep the sexy witness alive, and there’s only one way he can think of to do both. He has to kidnap her.RECKLESS (formerly Reckless Angel) was the first published novel of romance superstar Maggie Shayne’s stellar career. This romantic thriller, a RITA Award nominee that garnered raves from RT Book Reviews, has been completely revamped for today’s readers. Maggie Shayne writes wonderful romance with page turning thrills that have a permanent spot on my keeper shelf.”~New York Times Bestselling Author Karen Robards

Before she joined Reaper in hunting Gregor's gang of rogue bloodsuckers, privileged princess Topaz was gunning for just one vamp: Jack Heart. The gorgeous con man had charmed his way into her bed, her heart and her bank account, taking her for half a million dollars and vanishing without a word. Now she and Jack--maddeningly attractive as ever-- are supposedly on the same side. As Reaper's ragtag outfit scatters, Topaz sets out to solve a mystery that's plagued her all her lives, mortal and immortal: what really happened to her movie-star mother, who died when Topaz was just a baby? With four men claiming to be her father, why has she always been alone? And what stake does Jack have in discovering the truth about her past? Topaz is sure he's up to something--but her suspicions are at war with her desires. . . .

The Nightcap Strangler, who terrorized the town of Shadow Falls sixteen years ago, has finally been executed. Case closed. Until Bryan Kendall's lover is murdered in the notorious killer's unique style and the rookie cop stands accused. Has someone committed the perfect copycat crime…or was the wrong man put to death?A continent away, Dawn Jones hears that her first love has been accused of murder and knows that only she can help him. But to do so, she'll have to face the very fears that drove them apart.Together they'll work to uncover secrets someone's willing to kill to keep, and renew a love as dangerous as it is inevitable. And their best lead is the girl found dead in Bryan's bed, reeking of the whiskey poured down her throat before her killer squeezed it shut.A killer who thinks that Dawn, too, could use one last drink…From Publishers WeeklyRookie cop Bryan Kendall awakens one morning to find his lover, Bettina Wright, strangled in his bed. The crime is identical to those committed by the so-called Nightcap Strangler, a convicted serial murderer who died in prison just weeks before Bettina's death. Bryan's worry intensifies after Dawn Jones, his ex, returns to his little Vermont town and he recognizes the strong resemblance both women share with Nightcap's former victims. Bryan's mentor, a "hero cop" who brought down the original Nightcap Strangler, is sure that a copycat killer with a grudge is trying to frame Bryan, but further murders convince the local police that Bryan is the perp. Bryan and Dawn go on the lam with Nick's help, struggling to prove Bryan's innocence as their romance rekindles. Romantic suspense fans will find this a pleasant beach read, if not particularly scary or tense. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. About the AuthorMaggie Shayne is the bestselling author of more than forty novels, including the groundbreaking vampire series Wings in the Night, the most recent of which is called Prince of Twilight. Her numerous awards include two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, the National Readers Choice Award, and the coveted Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Maggie lives in a small town in southern central New York. Find her at www.maggieshayne.com.

Caleb didn’t know that one night of bliss with Maya Brand had resulted in a pregnancy, until the blackmail attempt arrived on his desk. All he wants is Maya, and their child. But can a girl whose father abandoned and betrayed her, ever truly believe in the goodness of a man who left town the morning after their one night stand?Caleb didn’t know that one night of bliss last spring with small town beauty Maya Brand had resulted in a pregnancy, until the blackmail attempt arrived on his desk in an unmarked envelope, complete with photos of Maya with a belly out to there.When he learns the truth, Caleb rushes back to Big Falls, determined to make it right despite what the scandal will do to his high profile career–the family legacy he had never truly wanted. All he wants is Maya, and their child. But can a girl whose father abandoned and betrayed her, ever truly believe in the goodness of a man who left town the morning after their one night stand? How can he convince her that he hasn’t stopped thinking about her since then, much less, do so with the whole world watching? He has to prove himself to a woman he’s not even sure he’s worthy of. But he has no idea how.The Oklahoma All-Girl Brands is a six-book, small town, contemporary romance series with shades of HOPE FLOATS and YOU’VE GOT MAIL. Spin off of the bestselling Texas Brand Series.The Oklahoma Brands:The Brands Who Came for ChristmasBrand-New HeartacheSecrets and LiesA Mommy For ChristmasOne Magic Summer

Utanapishtim has paid dearly for the sin of creating the vampire race—imprisoned in a living death for centuries, driven to near madness. With a single white-hot glance, he immolates his descendants…and the vampire Armageddon begins. Beautiful and deadly Brigit Poe, not wholly vampire but fiercely loyal to that shared bloodline, is called into action. She abhors yet cannot deny her destiny: to vanquish the once-great king of the immortals and save the vampire race. Two warriors, equally matched in power and determination, are soon locked in an unwinnable battle, only to discover a passion so shocking it threatens every truth they've ever known—even as they must face one final battle that seems fated to end in death and heartbreak for them both.