"John 'Preacher' Middleton is about to close the bar when a young woman and her three-year-old son come in out of the wet October night. A marine who has seen his share of pain, Preacher knows a crisis when he sees one--the woman is covered in bruises. He wants to protect them, and to punish whoever did this, but he knows immediately that this is more than just instinct. Paige Lassiter has stirred up emotions in this gentle giant of a man--emotions...

An audacious thriller from a major new talent

Life isn't panning out for Maureen Coughlin. At twenty-nine, the tough-skinned Staten Island native's only excitement comes from—well, not much. A fresh pack of American Spirits, maybe, or a discreet dash of coke before work. If something doesn't change soon, she'll end up a "lifer" at the Narrows, the faux-swank bar where she works one long night after another. But just like the island,

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"Zac Randolph is a gambling man. One of seven infamous brothers, he'd kicked the Texas dust off his boots and found his new home in the Little Corner of Heaven Saloon in San Francisco's notorious Barbary Coast. Running a saloon is exactly the kind of work he's best suited for, and he's happiest keeping the rough men who frequent his halls in line. Until a figure from his past comes calling and his whole world is flipped upside-down. Zac has no interest...