Homicide detective Tori Hunter was used to doing things her way. But even after six different partners in seven years, she was not prepared for the hot-tempered Samantha Kennedy. Samantha, on the other hand, was trying to juggle a new job and a demanding boyfriend and now finds herself with an even greater challenge - being partnered with the most difficult detective in the entire squad.

A koala ruined her life. Well, that's how elite athlete Shan Metz sees it. When an idiot charity runner in a koala suit trips Shan during a community fun run, her knee blows out, destroying her dream of making the Australian Commonwealth Games team. Recovering from knee surgery will be bad enough, but living on her building's fourth floor will make it a nightmare.

Jodi Grant had plans—a job interview that held promise and a date with a real woman who didn't only exist in her mind. What she had not planned on was a trip . . . at gunpoint when her father dropped a bombshell in her lap . . . at his own funeral. Dr. Blair Whittington went to Peru in search of ancient artifacts. What she discovered was the illegal antiquities trade in which she had unwittingly become embroiled. Betrayed by Nicolas Grant, Blair must rely on his estranged daughter, the key to her freedom.

The small town of White Oak Lake, Louisiana, is home to a group of colorful characters, three of whom take their Cupid duties seriously. Their pet project is Jaclyn Wyatt, a single mother who, in their opinion, needs a little help in the romance department. Jaclyn doesn't agree, but the trio secretly springs into action when a newcomer arrives.

It’s an ordinary workday when intelligence analyst Lexie Martin learns about a horrific chemical weapon attack abroad. Just an ordinary day...until a stranger breaks into her house and warns her to forget what she saw and heard, setting off a chain of events Lexie thought only happened in movies. Falsely accused of stealing intelligence and unsure of who to trust, Lexie quickly realizes the significance of the intel and that she must do everything she can to keep it safe. And as she runs—maybe for her life—Lexie knows she needs something, or someone, to help her.

Newly minted high school teacher Lily Cross is young, bubbly, and can’t wait to put her fresh ideas into practice in the classroom. Her excitement is derailed after a disastrous run-in with a colleague. Lily didn’t realize she’d have to win over her fellow teachers as well as her students, but that’s okay. Lily’s up to the challenge.

Born and raised in St. Claire, Lindsay Juneau's life was seemingly full raising a six-year-old daughter and caring for her widowed mother. Of course, things aren't always what they seem, and the newest resident of St. Claire isn't buying the ruse. Veterinarian Nicole Allen is looking for something different. She finds it in St. Claire with its hypochondriac rabbits, shotgun-toting shut-ins, and eclectic mix of people. The most alluring, though, is a woman who's also looking for something different.

Ellie Beckett's life is simple and uncomplicated; she's on track to become a leading expert in biomedical engineering, she has a pub where she feels comfortable enough to hang out multiple times a week, and so what if she doesn't have time for . . . people? She doesn't need or want them. Until she meets Mia Sharpe. As it turns out, maybe Ellie does want at least one person.

Taryn Louden has inherited her father's family home and more money than she ever thought she'd see in a lifetime. There are just a few problems with it all. The house is expensive to maintain, local kids entertain themselves by pulling pranks on her, and there might be a few departed Loudens still hanging around. The only real bonus is the sexy contractor Taryn's aunt hired to restore the Louden family home back to its former glory.

Hannah Dalton had a lot of expectations in her life. Growing up watching her mother struggle for everything they had, she resolved to make sure she did everything she could to make those hardships worthwhile. She would pursue the career she dreamed of, she would marry someone trustworthy and kind, and she would try to give her own daughter everything her mother gave her, only without the struggle. She just never anticipated the order in which it could all happen or the hardships that would inevitably come to pass. But, somehow, maybe it can all work out better than expected.

Emilia Drakon was once the youngest and kindest of the dragon sorcerers, but she's now the last of her kind. Betrayed and angry, she trades her meekness for a sword and embarks on a quest for vengeance that will lead her straight into the arms of the legendary Captain Maria Welles. Captain of the famed pirate ship, the Wicked Fate, Maria is every bit as treacherous and bloodthirsty as they say. She has her own vendetta and practically jumps at the chance to trick Emilia into joining her crew.

Beloved famous British actress Tamsyn Harris is in her early fifties and works hard to prove she's still got "it", despite her age. That means never revealing she's a lesbian, for fear it would threaten her acclaimed career. After an on-set incident blows up, she disappears to a retreat to lay low for a while.

Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.

Jules Moretti is newly single, an aspiring writer, and the hyper-competent assistant to the most powerful woman in fashion. It's a tough job, but her ice queen boss won't settle for less than perfection. Vivian Carlisle helms the internationally revered fashion publication Du Jour. She might be smack in the middle of a messy divorce, but you have to make sacrifices to be the best. That's what she tells herself, anyway. When the unthinkable happens, Vivian's regimented world is turned upside-down. Her life is about power, success, and dominance—not a baby!

Lena has just moved to a new city with her cat, Scully, so when she finds little gifts on her doorstep every day, she thinks they're from her neighbors. Caroline, who lives next door, can't figure out how her stuff keeps disappearing until she catches a cat in the act of stealing from her. She follows the feline felon home—and meets its cute owner.

When four women from different walks of life are brought together by fate to witness the end of the world as they know it, each must find a way to survive against the odds as well as learn to rely on each other.

Mira is a mermaid on a mission. It’s time to leave the ocean. Mira Belshaw has been at sea for...well, she doesn’t know how many years. It’s hard to keep track of time when you live in the ocean. But after enough time, the salt water triggers the desire to procreate, and her time is up. Finding a mate is the most important thing to her right now, and to do that, she has to return to the place where she was last human - the coastal city of Saltford.

A koala ruined her life. Well, that's how elite athlete Shan Metz sees it. When an idiot charity runner in a koala suit trips Shan during a community fun run, her knee blows out, destroying her dream of making the Australian Commonwealth Games team. Recovering from knee surgery will be bad enough, but living on her building's fourth floor will make it a nightmare.

Literary editor Antonia Harper had it all - the career, the man, the future. That was then. Now Antonia is jobless, alone, and at a crossroads. What better time to travel the world? A solo honeymoon on the Emerald Isle will be like hitting the reset button. No distractions, no drama. Aiden Byrnes may be a literature professor, but words fail him when he meets the woman staying in the cottage next door. Tully Cross is meant to be a sleepy little village, and he's meant to be on a working holiday - not a vacation, and most definitely not with his beautiful neighbor.

Piper Evans: elementary school teacher by day - avid romance reader and anonymous podcaster by night. She has a quiet, reclusive life, taking care of her mother, who lives with mental illness, avoiding her regrettable ex, who bartends in town, and trying to make inroads in the tight-knit island community that still sees her, five years in, as an outsider. And she's happy with how things are - really - until British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding bodyguard decides she's a security threat.

Beloved famous British actress Tamsyn Harris is in her early fifties and works hard to prove she's still got "it", despite her age. That means never revealing she's a lesbian, for fear it would threaten her acclaimed career. After an on-set incident blows up, she disappears to a retreat to lay low for a while.

Sasha Adams has it all. Fulfilling career, loving family, great friends, and . . . Who's she kidding? She lives at home with her aging mother, Fleur. She works as a massage therapist, and spends all her time with her best friend, Bobbi. But damn it, she's happy. Well, okay, maybe not happy, but she's content. It's enough. Until the well-meaning but meddlesome women in her life, Fleur and Bobbi, team up and enter Sasha into a writing competition with the potential to change her life.

After watching the man she loves walk down the aisle with her sister, Cathy Thompson needs to get away. Alaska - beautiful, remote, and far from bitter memories - sounds like the perfect place to start over. But a brand-new life comes with brand-new challenges...namely Grady Jones, a pilot and single dad who has a solution to both their problems: a marriage of convenience.

Five years ago, Abi was in culinary school and dreaming of working at Adley’s, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and for its equally delectable owner. Instead, she’s alone, broke, and out of friendly couches to sleep on. Her only direction…rock bottom.

Amy Ryan strictly defined herself in three ways: successful businesswoman, devoted mother, and grieving widow. Wild certainly never entered into the description. That is, until she met powerful Australian businessman Harry Griffith. Suddenly, Amy was doing all kinds of wild things - enjoying romantic dinners, taking spontaneous luxury vacations, falling in love. And yet, a part of her was still devoted to her husband, still wanted to touch him, hold him, talk to him. But Harry demanded nothing less than all of Amy.

Accountant Allie Lane would do anything for her injured twin sister, including pretend to be her to save Sophie's fledgling event-planning business. All Allie has to do is fake being a lesbian for a few weeks and coordinate a rural gay wedding festival. Simple. Except she's nothing like her outgoing sister and, last Allie checked, she was straight. Tarryn Harris cannot stand weddings. Now her small Australian town of Quandong is being overrun by matrimonial madness for its first gay wedding festival. The other hitch is she's been roped into being the assistant to the cute lesbian event planner

Andi Barrons has no time for kids or the chaos they bring—certainly not when she runs a high-end decorating business. Mischief and little fingers around expensive materials? No thanks! But then her gorgeous friend, Sarah Santoro, winds up in a custody battle with Sarah's former in-laws and now . . . Well, somehow Andi's agreed to pretend she's Sarah's live-in partner. She's still not quite sure how she got stuck playing a role she's so utterly clueless about and that's everything she doesn't want in life.

Cash Fraser is planning revenge, and to get it he needs the perfect woman. So he hires her. Abigail Butler has lost nearly everything in her life and she's about to lose the home she loves. Cash meets Abby, who is posing as a paid escort, and the minute he does he knows he's willing to pay for more than Abby being his pretend girlfriend. A lot more. Abby needs the money or the last thing that links her to her dead family and husband will be gone. The deal is struck, but both Cash and Abby get more than they bargained for.

Renovation takes a sexy turn when a cute country girl rocks up with a tool belt and plans that throw the whole gay neighborhood into disarray in this light-hearted lesbian romance. When handywoman Jorgie's uncle leaves her an old house in Melbourne, it's a dream come true. Sure, 94 Gaylord Street is falling apart, and she has to deal with her uncle Bruce's eccentric friends thanks to his unusual will.

Baldwin's personal reflections on movies gathered here in a book-length essay are also a probing appraisal of American racial politics. Offering an incisive look at racism in American movies and a vision of America's self-delusions and deceptions, Baldwin challenges the underlying assumptions in such films as In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and The Exorcist.