Chain Reactions

Half a million dollars will be Celeste Thorne’s reward for spending four years of her life in total isolation. No faces. No voices. No way to leave. Since Celeste has never really worried about being alone, the generous paycheck she’ll receive for her participation in the solitary psychological experiment seems like easy money. When she finds an injured hiker in the woods bordering her living compound, her strictly governed world is thrown into disarray.

Fifteen years is a long time. Long enough to forget the past, forge ahead, and create a terrific life. Bella Hunt has done exactly that, complete with a successful career, a gaggle of close friends, and a home she loves. Life is good. Or it was, until her teenage nightmare and the bane of her high school existence shows up for Bella’s class on conflict resolution. 

Jemima Pardon, a paramedic with a daft name and chronic asthma, has never had much in the way of good luck. The only things she attracts are traumatic jobs, and no one wants to work with her for long. But when Jem bumps into devil-may-care police officer Rosie Jones, her fortunes seem to be changing. Rosie is bright and funny, and she doesn’t mind that Jem can’t go far without her inhaler.

Who says you can’t go home again? Philadelphia real estate broker Devyn Winters is at the peak of her career, closing multi-million dollar deals and relishing it. She’s pretty much blocked out her formative years in Dreamer’s Bay, where the most exciting thing to happen was the twice a year bake sale. Unfortunately, a distress call hauls her back home and away from the life she’s constructed. Now the question is just how long until she can leave again? And when did boring Elizabeth Draper get so beautiful?

Finley Knight, ex-cop turned private investigator, lives a lonely, solitary life. She uses her downtime to reflect on the past and wonders what could have been. Detective Dee Woodard transferred to Corpus Christi nine years ago to put distance between herself and her ex...an ex she was still in love with. A murder investigation leads her to Moonlight Avenue and Finley Knight. 

The last time Brody Clark left the Rivers, she walked away from her life. For 10 years she'd told herself there was nothing in her past she cared about - not the family who'd given her a home or the one girl she never stopped thinking about. But now she’s back...Brody figures cutting her ties to the past would be a hell of a lot easier if she could only avoid the woman she’s never been able to forget. When their lives collide, both women discover what might have been is closer than they think.

Hannah Shephard likes her life, her job, and her perfectly cozy apartment around the corner from her shop. She’s never been one to take big risks and would much rather stay in on a Friday night with a warm cup of decaf and her favorite mystery novel. So, why do her friends insist she needs more? Plus, Hannah has bigger problems to focus on. She’s in trouble. Well, her bookstore is, and if she doesn’t find a way to bring in some more cash, she’ll be closing the doors of A Likely Story for good.

Veronica Welch has made it. She’s about to be named a partner at one of the most prestigious law firms in New York City. She’s on top of the world, except for one tiny ridiculous thing: She promised herself she’d be married by 35. After a drink too many, she accidentally lets her “life plan” slip to Bea, her steadfast, ever-meddling assistant, and now Bea won’t let the idea go. 

Nothing’s ever been handed to Olivia Santini, and she’s proud of her work ethic. After seven years as the assistant manager of the Evergreen Resort and Spa, she has ideas to improve the bottom line and increase reservations. When her manager resigns, Olivia puts in her résumé and waits for the interview. The job is practically hers - all she needs is the paperwork. Hayley Boyd Markham is the youngest Markham, the only girl, and the most spoiled. An artistic soul in a family of business-minded type, as she’s always felt like a bit of a screwup.

Thursdays aren't simply another day of the week for Amy Spencer and Ellis Hall. Thursday afternoons sizzle with no-strings sex for the two women, who meet each week in a hotel room to forget their past - and their present. The arrangement works perfectly for Amy, a busy surgeon who's still smarting from a failed relationship. For Ellis, Thursday afternoons act as a pressure valve from her cutthroat job and mistakes in her personal life she's trying to rectify. Soon they discover that their outside worlds are on a collision course with the carefully constructed world they've created.

Jana Fleischer loves her life - wonderful family, best sister in the world, awesome soon to be sister-in-law, fabulous job, and a never-ending stream of men to chew through and spit out. So what if everyone says she’s too picky and she’s never had a real relationship? When a chance meeting with Brooke Donnelly leaves Jana literally and figuratively off-balance, it doesn’t take long for her initial annoyance to turn into the first sparks of friendship.

Since she was 14, singer Sophie James has been an international superstar. With her career (and life) directed by her manager, Ray, she hasn’t had to worry about a thing for more than a decade...not where she goes, not what she sings, not who she is. But when Ray has a heart attack, Sophie is left without the only real father figure she’s ever known and questioning everything she believes about what’s important to her. Enter Dana Landon, the new manager sent by Sophie’s record company.

Army veteran Catherine Daye long ago accepted her passable looks, mediocre talent, and average intelligence. In fact, she bought a rundown farm on 70 acres to retreat from the world and live out her simple, ordinary life. Atlanta marketing superstar Autumn Swan’s world is anything but simple. Constantly plugged in to what’s trending on social media, it’s her job to keep her clients ahead of the competition.

Hannah Little doesn’t have much use for fancy chefs or fancy restaurants, but that’s exactly what Three Willows Farm needs to survive. When a local restaurant wants to feature her produce, she’s thrilled. But the contract means working with an egotistical and (let’s face it) drop-dead-gorgeous head chef from New York City.

Commander Berkley Levine and Captain Aidan Sullivan might have a life together if they survive the next mission. They’re undercover hunting down a treasonous ex-vice president and the militia he’s assembled to topple the US government, and the twisting trail grows deadlier at every turn. After an assassination and numerous attacks that could only have happened with inside help, they don’t know whom they can trust, and the future looks darker than ever.