Kate Stanislaski Kimball had turned her back on glamour and fame, and she'd come home to begin a new life. The only thing more perfect than the beautiful - dilapidated - building she'd bought for her new dance school was Brody O'Connell, the frustrating and surprisingly fascinating contractor she'd hired for the renovation.

When Alex Stanislaski mistakenly arrested daringly bold soap-opera writer Bess McNee for soliciting, she decided the sexy detective was absolutely perfect - for her research and for herself. Now all she had to do was convince him she was right.…

Landlocked in Manhattan, rugged seaman Zack Muldoon needed a tough, no-nonsense lawyer to save his kid brother's delinquent hide. Public defender Rachel Stanislaski was not what he had in mind - until he discovered there was a lot more to the beautiful, coolheaded attorney than met the eye...and found himself falling for her, hook, line, and sinker.

Nothing in Sydney Hayward's background of wealth and privilege prepared her to take the helm of her family's corporation, and her new responsibilities left no room for complications. Mikhail Stanislaski was definitely a complication. Earthy and entirely masculine, Mikhail came from a world utterly different from her own. But the way she felt when he put his strong, work-hardened hands on her was wreaking havoc with Sydney's resolve.

The first time single father Spence Kimball set eyes on Natasha Stanislaski, he was floored by her exotic beauty. But the former ballet dancer turned toy shop owner had a fiery temperament that kept men safely at bay. Sensing a hidden wound, Spence and his little girl joined forces to find a way into her closely guarded heart. For Spence realized he'd do anything to tame Natasha's fears...and show her how to love.

Erin McKinnon had followed her cousin Adelia to America and was immediately captivated by Royal Meadows's charm. But she was not nearly as impressed with Burke Logan, owner of the neighboring property. A womanizing, cigar-smoking gambler, he was exactly the type of man her mind told her to stay away from. The heart has never been very practical, though....

From the moment she met him, Keeley Grant knew there was something wild about Brian Donnelly. He dared to ignore everything that said a poor Irish rogue shouldn't touch her, and battered down every wall she threw at him. But a wild thing by nature cannot be contained, not by convention or fences or even by love. Could she give him everything if he was just going to walk away?

Arson investigator Ryan Piasecki was a man who got the job done no matter what the obstacle...or how beautiful she was. Ambitious executive Natalie Fletcher's new business was going up in smoke, literally, and she needed Ryan's help to catch the arsonist. But if he wasn't careful, the sparks flying between him and this hothouse rose would erupt into a five-alarm blaze - and they'd both be engulfed by the Night Smoke.

They called him Nemesis. He walked the dark alleyways alone, a shadow among shadows - and that's the way he liked it. Until the night he saved Deborah O'Roarke from an attacker and rediscovered the quiet ache of yearning lodged in his heart. It had been a long time since he had wanted to reach out to someone….

The moment her eyes locked on Colt Nightshade, she knew he was trouble. But Lieutenant Althea Grayson prided herself on being in control, and she wouldn't let her new partner ruin that. The man was a renegade, no respect for rules - and the worst part was he got to her. The way he challenged Althea's thinking, stared right into her eyes...and held her in his arms. What defense could her heart have when Nightshade didn't play fair?

Of three brothers, it was Ethan who shared his father's passion for the Maryland shore. And now with his father gone, Ethan is determined to make the family boatbuilding business a success. But amidst his achievements lie the most important challenges of his life.

Phillip's brothers, Cameron and Ethan, are now happily married. The family boat-building business is starting to thrive. And the Quinns are closer than ever to keeping Seth permanently protected from his errant mother who would sell her own son rather than loving him the way the Quinns do.

Reena Hale’s destiny was shaped in the destructive - yet fascinatingly beautiful - fire that leveled her family’s pizzeria when she was young. Now an arson investigator, she finds her strength and wits constantly tested, although sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. But she can’t always blame the men. After all, a soot-caked woman barking orders and smelling of smoke isn’t the biggest turn-on in the world. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different. 

Wedding photographer Mackensie "Mac" Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be's brother...an encounter that has them both seeing stars. A stable, safe English teacher, Carter Maguire is definitely not Mac's type. But a casual fling might be just what she needs to take her mind off bridezillas. Of course, casual flings can turn into something more when you least expect it.

Seth Quinn is finally home. It's been a long journey. But a lot has changed in St. Christopher since he's been gone - and the most intriguing change of all is the presence of Dru Whitcomb Banks.