Bøger udgivet af Black Opal Books

Is Aaron a dream or something much more deadly? Livia Hinson has just begun a Seminar at Sea when a storm hits their yacht. Now, she is stranded with the other students on an island off the coast of California. Far away from her foster home and her heartbreak, Livia finds Aaron, the perfect love. But the only way they can be together is in her dreams. The other students are having tempting dreams of their own, and Livia begins to realize that the storm has blown in more than rain. Is Aaron flesh or spirit? Can he come to her world, or will he pull her into his? Together, they explore the blurred territory between love and illusion on a dangerous journey that will force Livia to make the most important decision of her life.

The last thing she needs is another man she can't afford to trust... When Cherry Bender discovers her father's been fatally wounded, she vows to find his killer and stop the constant trouble on her ranch. Very short-handed, but unsure who to believe, she reluctantly hires a tall, gray-eyed stranger who comes to the ranch with the news that her uncle has also been murdered. He only wanted information...until he met her. John Carmona didn't come to the Bender ranch looking for work, but to find out who was illegally mining a rare mineral from the nearby hills. But one look at Cherry and John's plans change drastically. Determined to save her ranch from the forces working against her, he must fight not only Cherry's suspicions of him, but also the evil assassin sent to kill them both. Can John win Cherry's trust in time or will he die trying to save her life?

Being a teenager is hard enough. To be hard of hearing on top of that is like being stuck in the middle of a never ending soap opera. In Compass, the sequel to Sway, Jessie's life begins to change its course, sending her toward a new reality. When her world is suddenly ripped apart by an angry rival, the one person she trusted to stand by her side simply walks away. With her composure shattered, Jessie questions everything she believed about herself, and as her life takes her on a new path, it turns into a perilous journey full of surprising twists and turns.

A sensational murder trial brings a young African American attorney, Kevin Johnson to Briarton, Connecticut to represent a black drug dealer accused of murdering a Caucasian socialite, Charlotte Knowles. Kevin does his best to defend his client, even though he knows the real reason his two white law partners have given him this high-profile case is that he's black and so is the client. Even though he's the "token-minority" partner, Kevin is still determined to do the best job he can. But is his client telling him the truth? And if he didn't kill Charlotte Knowles, who did?

The year is 1958 in Peachland, Okanagan BC. Twelve-year-old Christine meets a man renovating an old house in her neighborhood and immediately feels a bond between them. Even though her mother reacts strangely after hearing the man's name, Christine visits Jim often after school and learns a lot about flowers and gardening. She is heartbroken when he suddenly leaves without a good bye and is determined to find out where he is and why he left. As she unravels the mystery, dark secrets are revealed that make her uncertain if Jim will even want to come back.

The last thing Captain Sirena expected to find on a desolate island was...him! When Carmen Ventura takes up her post as commander of the Strega, she becomes the new Captain Sirena, the legendary pirate most people think is just a myth created to scare children. Her first quest is to search for the "treasured chest" hidden by her predecessor. But before she can even begin the hunt, she runs into Marko Lucin, captain of the Levant and Carmen's most insane adventure yet. How can the most beautiful woman he's ever seen be a bloody pirate? Never one to pass up an adventure, especially where pretty women are concerned, Marko finds his ultimate challenge in Carmen. Not only does he fall for her courage, spunk, and intelligence, but the lady pirate can also help him get what he wants-the famous treasure everyone whispers about. His only problem-how long can he play the charming captain before she discovers his true intentions?

She's guarding a secret...one that, if it's discovered, will destroy everything she's worked so hard to gain. In order to claim her inheritance, Jordan Shaw is forced to return to her hometown. She changes her name and opens a flower shop, praying no one will ever learn the truth about her past. But when she meets Luke Kincaid, her carefully-constructed walls come tumbling down...even though she's convinced he's married. He's in love with two women at the same time...one of whom he's never even seen. When Luke wanders into Jordan's flower shop to buy a gift for his mother's birthday, Jordan falls off a ladder and into his arms. But this encouraging beginning quickly turns to anger and accusations. What could he have possibly done to make Jordan hate him? And how can he have such strong feelings for her when he also finds himself falling for M.J.-a troubled young woman he has met only through her long-lost diary?

Welcome to the quiet town of Harrow, a picturesque community found in New Hampshire's White Mountains. To the outside world, this charming little town was a dreamland vacation spot. UNTIL SORROW FELL UPON IT... Hidden deep within the Harrowing Hills is a secret pathway to the realm of mist and darkness-an unsanctified land where a dark enemy seeks to destroy everything in existence. NOW ALL MAY BE LOST... What can this normally-sleepy village harbor that could not only devour this close-knit community, but the universe itself?

Dysfunction: Identify it. Discover the truth you?ve been hiding from yourself, probably most of your life. Own it. Admit your part in the problems that are holding you back from your goals. Eliminate it. Free yourself from your self-destructive past with innovative techniques that will change your life.

SWAY There was something different about Jessie. She struggled to fit in at school, surrounded by a web of lies and deceit...until she met Ethan. Based on a true story, the novel "Sway" is about a hearing impaired teenager named Jessie who tries her best to blend in at school. Every day proves to be a test of her resolve when she is constantly plagued by the ruthless pranks of her classmates who are determined to make her life miserable. When a handsome stranger arrives in the nick of time, Jessie wonders if he is too good to be true. Is Ethan's attention genuine, or will he betray her trust, too?

ONE...TWO...BUCKLE MY SHOE What if a relentless predator-a parent's worst nightmare come true-dropped out of nowhere? He has, and now cynical Detective Richard Slater and reluctant psychic Kate Macklin are all that stand between death and life for the children targeted by this psycho. But can Richard and Kate piece together the puzzle before the killer comes for them, too?

When you're caught in a traffic jam, you've got nowhere to go... Val Delton's life is spiraling and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Her dad lost his job, her mom works fourteen hour days to pay the bills and yet somehow there are high-end shopping bags and an iPod in her older sister's room. Naturally, Val becomes suspicious but her sister's lips are sealed. Then by accident, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret hidden behind her sister's bright smiles and cool indifference. Val has no idea how far and how deep the repercussions of her sister's secret will reach but she'll do whatever it takes to keep her family safe. Will she succeed before her sister's secret destroys everyone she loves?

Her past was behind her...or so she'd thought. Bethany Acton has come a long way from the day she was an abused child-bride of a dissolute jet setter. Now divorced and single, she writes for a lifestyles magazine, lives out of her motor home, and answers only to her boss-when he can find her. She has overcome her horrendous past and taken control of her own life. But when Jonathan Merritt, a rising star in wildlife photography, enters her world, she learns that control is a tenuous thing. His past was despicable, but it hasn't affected his future...until now. Jonathan knows he has met the woman with whom he wants to spend his future, but first he must admit his role in her past. Afraid the truth will turn her against him, he tries to gain her trust and affection before confessing. But the longer he hesitates, the harder it becomes to tell her. Can Jonathan gain enough of her love and trust for her to forgive what he did-or will his past indiscretions destroy his only chance for happiness?

She is left with an offer she cannot refuse... Upon his death in 1823, English nobleman, Lord Peyton leaves his daughter Lady Aveline with two choices-stay single and inherit only a small farm in Ireland, where she might just be able to eke out a living, or get married and live in luxury, inheriting all his wealth and property. Fiercely independent, Aveline heads for Ireland only to run afoul of her father's farm manager, the devastatingly handsome Ciaran O''Devlin. Alone in a strange country, Aveline yearns for love and friendship, but Ciaran offers only criticism and disdain. Confused and angered by strange visions and her growing attraction to Ciaran, Aveline is determined to make the farm prosper-despite the insufferable Irishman. He has a secret he cannot reveal... Ciaran mistrusts Aveline's intentions and refuses to admit that a willful, English woman now owns the farm that should have been his. Although he insists Aveline should go back to England, he cannot deny their budding passion. Yet, he knows-even if she doesn't-that nothing will come of it. Not only can't a poor Irishman marry an English noblewoman, but when Aveline learns of his past, she'll want nothing more to do with him. Ciaran has always known that each decision carries a consequence, but it's only when he stands to lose Aveline that he realizes what a heavy price his past decisions may have.

CHANCING FAITH He didn't do short term relationships... American ad exec, Thane Aleksander, doesn't date co-workers either-until business takes him to Ghana, West Africa, and he meets Naaki. Now he's at risk of breaking all the rules. Can he stop this headlong fall before it's too late? Until he met her! Naaki Tabika has a burning need to prove, to herself and to others, that she's more than wife and mother material. To do so, she's prepared to give up everything for her job. Meeting Thane, however, makes her want to get personal. But falling for her boss could destroy her career. Will she be willing to risk it all for the one thing that can make her truly happy? Two divergent cultures, two different races, two career-driven professionals, only one chance at true love-will they find the faith to take it, or will their hearts be sacrificed on the altar of financial success?

She wants the truth, but it may cost her more than she thinks... An ex-patriot-American living in England, magazine reporter/editor Casey Rowan wakes to find one best friend murdered and another seriously injured. Casey is determined to find the killer, despite running afoul of the detective in charge of the case-a blue-eyed Scot named Rod Carlisle, who considers her a prime suspect. As Casey gets closer to the truth, losing her heart to the sexy cop isn't the only thing she risks. Now her life is danger, too. He wants her, but he may have to choose between love and duty... Rod has no patience with civilians who interfere in police matters, even hot little numbers like Casey. Though he tries to keep things professional, Casey's beauty and spunk are hard to resist. He warns her that what she's doing is dangerous, but he only succeeds in alienating her. She refuses to listen and goes off on her own with disastrous results. Now Rod's in a race to find the killer before the woman he loves becomes the next victim.

She hadn't expected anyone to read the love messages she tossed away...but he did. Recuperating from an abusive marriage, Casey Nichols flees with her asthmatic, six-year-old son Jake to Colorado, hoping to improve his health. She moves them into an isolated cabin on a remote ranch. It's a lonely life, and Casey resorts to putting notes in the ever-present tumbleweeds, casting them to the winds in an effort to ease some of the pain in her heart. But when the poems she thinks will never be read are found by the one person she doesn't want to see them, her whole world is turned upside down. He hadn't expected anyone to get close enough to hurt him again...but she did. Matthew Tyree is a reclusive rancher who lost his wife and unborn son in a car accident. Devastated, he has vowed never to love again-a vow he keeps until Casey and Jake worm their way into his heart. But his hopes for a second family are dashed when Casey mistakes his marriage proposal as nothing more than a convenient business arrangement. Unable to express his feelings in the words Casey needs to hear, Matt watches his chance for love crumble like the mysterious poems he's been finding inside the tumbleweeds. Can these two wounded souls learn to trust again or will their only chance for happiness fade away like love letters cast to the winds?

BONDED BY CRIMSON Love isn't in the cards for her... After her short, failed marriage, Kate tries to rebuild her life and takes a position as a nanny to three small boys. She quickly grows to love them, but their father terrifies her, while igniting a passion she didn't know she possessed. Disturbed by his distant manner with his sons, Kate struggles to make him more involved in the boys' daily lives. Her efforts are mysteriously supported by an entity that cannot really exist. Or can she? And if she does exist, is she really trying to help Kate, or just take over her body? But when he deals the hand, all bets are off... Six years after his beloved wife passed away, Matthias Zrin is still trying to become the father she wanted him to be. Not an easy task for a three-centuries-old immortal. His search for the ultimate nanny ends when Kate Rokov stumbles to his home and into his arms. The immediate attraction he feels for her seems like a betrayal of his dead wife, a love he's harboured for over three hundred years. But when Kate is stalked by a deadly stranger, the life he clung to in the past begins to crumble and break down. Can Matthias learn to trust and to love again in time to save his family from disaster, or will his stubborn pride destroy everything worth living for?

A VAMPIRE'S DEADLY DELIGHT She's a quiet, unassuming bookstore owner by day, but by night... Kristen has a deadly secret-when she smells a vampire, she turns into Jai, a beauti-licious babe who makes vamps permanently dead. To a vamp, Jai is like ambrosia. They can't resist her. She uses this attraction, plus her super strength and her trusty blade, Mr. Sticky, to end their undead lives. The thrill of wearing miniskirts without worrying about cellulite stifles any qualms Kristen might have about killing the undead. Being Jai is the most fun she has ever had-until they come up against the one vampire Jai can't kill. If he and Jai have a history, as he claims, Jai can't remember it...or him. But when her work catches the attention of some old enemies-who won't hesitate to destroy Kristen if it also means the end of Jai-this vampire may be their only hope. Can Kristen and Jai learn to tell the difference between good and evil in time to defeat Jai's ancient nemesis? Or will being Jai's hostess cost Kristen more than just her beauty sleep?

His life is about to change... A utility player for the San Francisco Giants, Navo LeJeune finds himself in the unlikely position of challenging Joe DiMaggio's hallowed hitting streak. And then he meets Melanie... Her life is about to change. A prominent art dealer has picked her for international fame and Melanie Blake's days as a barefoot bar artist in Oakland are numbered. And then she meets Navo... The history of baseball may be about to change... The world holds its breath as Navo hits his way closer to DiMaggio's record. Will he make it? Or will his dark family secrets destroy his success even as they threaten his life? Go beyond the batter's box into a world of betrayal, strife, family pride, and a love affair as surprising as the streak itself.

AMAZON TREASURE She's in Brazil on a secret mission for her father... A quiet, conservative teacher who's lived in one small Virginian town all her life, Marisa Elliott plunges into a desperate adventure when she meets Scott Dunbar a devilishly handsome pilot, who is apparently down on his luck. Marissa tells him she's searching for her Confederate ancestors who fled to Brazil during the Civil War. She persuades him to take her far into the jungles of the Amazon, but she doesn't tell him her relatives have offered to give back the bank money they absconded with so long ago-money her father wants her to bring home to clear the Elliott name. He has an agenda all his own.... Once burned in a bad marriage, Scott Dunbar hates commitment of any kind. To him, work is a four-letter word. He wants Marissa, though he knows she's not the kind of girl to settle for a one night stand. Or is she? He's hiding something, but then, so is she. He just can't figure out what. Is she really here to find her missing relatives? Or is her mission something much more sinister?

Cody isn't like other little boys...he sees things he shouldn't. Vivian Carmichael has been hiding in the San Bernardino Mountains for more than a year now. Far from cell towers and video cameras, she's finally found a safe place to raise her four-year old son Cody. Until the night he crawls into bed and whispers two words that fill her with terror. "Daddy's home." Now running for her life, she's horrified to learn that her estranged husband Jarod is not quite human anymore. Can she unravel the mystery of her family's dark secret before he can steal her son, claiming her as his next victim?

5 STAGES OF GRIEF Danielle thinks that the worst is behind her, but she couldn't have been more wrong... As a beauty editor of Denver's hot new High Life magazine, Danielle Starkey didn't have becoming a widow on her to-do list. Then nine months after her husband's death, she discovers he booked a vacation with another woman. Suddenly, Danielle sees Adam's death in a whole new light and has to get over it - for the second time. Hit with the truth when she least expects it, Danielle brings a fresh, funny, and honest approach to the grieving process as she struggles through online dating, stalking her dead husband's mistress, and, hopefully, finding the man of her dreams. With her stubborn and sassy best friend April by her side. Danielle refuses to let sleeping dogs lie. Will she finally face the truth about herself and her marriage? Or will she succumb to one of the five stages of grief?

DUTY CALLS She'd saved his life... Rafe Hawk refuses to accept the inheritance, of a large English estate, and the title that goes with it, after his birth father's death because the man chose duty over the woman he loved and their son. And when he finds himself temporarily living at Kinsale Hall, he's not prepared to trust anyone associated with the place, including Trudi Delaney and her daughter. So why, when he looks into their eyes, does he suddenly remember a woman who vanished without a trace after saving his life one stormy night ten years earlier? Now he could destroy hers. Something more than the handsome American's instant dislike of her, disturbs Trudi Delaney. Why, when he'd come to design some chalets for her, does he spend so much of his time in areas of Kinsale Hall off-limits to visitors? Trudi, who is still plagued with nightmares of her entrapment in a brutal five year marriage where she was held a prisoner of her cruel and psychotic husband, has been a single parent for more a decade. Eleven years after the night she and an unidentified man barely escaped with their lives, Trudi is still unable to remember the hours she spent with this stranger-the hours in which her beautiful daughter was conceived. Now, more than a decade later, she is confronted by another stranger. Will this one destroy everything she holds dear?

She came to the woods to heal and found evil lurking among the trees... Upon her grandmother's death, Kendra inherits a cottage deep within a sequoia forest, along with the powers given only to certain women in her family-powers she doesn't know she has. Recovering from a vicious attack in Phoenix, Kendra returns home to the remote cabin determined to heal both her body and her spirit. But the forest is ailing, too. Evil stalks its dark places, turning its quiet glades into a battlefield. When a strangely beautiful man appears at her cabin intent on punishing her for a crime she didn't commit, Kendra needs all her strength to protect her forest, her life... and her heart. Can she learn to use her powers and to trust Mykhael in time to save the ancient forest? He came to the woods to redeem himself and found an innocence that would be his undoing... Throughout his long life, Mykhael has struggled, often in vain, to please the Atrahasis, immortal overlords of the sacred places in the universe. Now they have given him one last chance to redeem himself. He must punish the person they think desecrated an ancient forest in Northern California. But when he meets Kendra, he realizes he's doomed to disappoint them once more. Not only is she innocent of the crime the Atrahasis have accused her of, Kendra is the missing part of the soul Mykhael didn't know he still possessed. Can he defy the Atrahasis yet again and live long enough to save the only thing in his life that matters?

When booksellers Molly O'Donnell and Emma Clarke set up at the Antiquarian Book Fair in St. Petersburg, Florida, the last thing they expect to find is a dead body. When respected book dealer Jasper Ross shows interest in Emma's most valuable books, she is jubilant. But then, Jasper is found dead-and Emma's books he borrowed have disappeared. Then booksellers at the book fair find many of their high-end illustrated volumes missing, then returned-with their color plates cut out. Who would do such a thing? Molly and Emma join forces with Stewart, a transgender print dealer, to get to the bottom of Jasper's murder and the destruction of the books. Their investigation takes them from antique shops in Old Florida coastal towns to the home of Carmen, a flamboyant, small-time drug dealer and former flame of Molly's. Are the book dealers all what they seem? As they investigate, Molly and Emma find their relationship developing into more than friendship. But will they live to enjoy it?

An inconvenient alibi...a priceless treasure...an MI6 mole It's a lethal cocktail Journalist Emmeline Kirby and her jewel thief/insurance investigator husband Gregory Longdon become targets after a desperate stranger asks them to deliver a fortune in rare red diamonds to hotelier Alexander Colefax. Before they can ask any questions, the man is killed. Driven by dark secrets, Colefax is willing to flirt with treason if it means getting what he wants. His coterie included the son of a Kremlin elite and a Russian mafia boss. When a man's only loyalty is to money, his enemies become twice as ruthless. After Colefax is bludgeoned to death, Emmeline and Gregory discover that his dangerous games involved not only diamonds, but a stolen Fabergé egg that has vanished and a spy named Snowdrop. The trail of lies and revenge leads to Switzerland, where a treacherous double-cross could cost Emmeline and Gregory their lives.

She's at it again-just can't seem to stop... Widowed R.N. Martha Chance's futile attempts to rid the world of sexual predators takes her into the realm of terrifying, sadistic criminals, where she uncovers corrupt but powerful city officials who condone sexual crimes against defenseless children and don't appreciate Martha's interference. On behalf of the tiny dark-eyed and dreadfully abused little girl in the hospital where Martha works, the desperately lonely teenage girls who frequent online chat rooms and are prime targets for unscrupulous men, and the friend and fellow R.N. suffering horrific domestic abuse, Martha and her alternate personality Serena seek not only to avenge the abuse but to make sure it will not be repeated. Unfortunately, her thirst for vengeance makes Martha a target of men who will do anything to keep their evil deeds a secret-and unleashes upon her a man who plots her death to satisfy his own fiendish soul.

Motivational speaker Stacy Butler didn't start out changing people's lives. Far from it. Stacy was a high school head cheerleader, homecoming queen, star athlete, and trendsetter. Her friends and family adored her, and she believed she had it all. Then, out of curiosity, she began flirting with alcohol and drugs. The rush of power that came with coke led her into the world of drug dealing and prostitution as a full-fledged, hardcore pimp. But Stacy got caught and sent to prison, where she learned the hard way that you can't give up if you want to survive. Her only option was to move forward. That is the ultimate message of THEY CALLED ME QUEEN B. The only way out is through, and broken dreams are no excuse for giving up. Sometimes humorous, sometimes brash, always inspirational, Stacy Butler is a courageous voice for survival.