Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives - but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to "Jane Doe" for another day, the woman renames herself "Water" for the tiny, hidden marking on her body - the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge....

Mary Monroe is the author of Essence best-sellers including The Upper Room. Here, she examines the emotional webs that are woven between friends, lovers, and families. Carmen Taylor is absolutely dependable; she feels responsible for everyone she knows. It will take one reckless night to make Carmen realize that she might be able to lay her burdens down and take a chance on real happiness.

Mackenzie "Mac" Harris fled her hometown of Bluff Point, Maine after being left at the altar and seeking solace in the arms of her best friend's off-limits brother, Gavin. Seven years later, she's back to attend her best friend's wedding, and she figures she's safe now from the mistakes of her youth. But Gavin, the town's veterinarian, has never forgotten the woman who has always held his heart. And when Mac rescues a stray puppy named Tulip, only Gavin can help.

I wanted to lose myself in the small town of Pelion, Maine. To forget everything I had left behind. The sound of rain. The blood. The coldness of a gun against my skin. For six months, each breath has been a reminder that I survived—and my dad didn't. I'm almost safe again. But the moment I meet Archer Hale, my entire world tilts on its axis . . . and never rights itself again. Until I trespass into his strange, silent, and isolated world, Archer communicates with no one. Yet in his whiskey-colored eyes, something intangible happens between us.

Voted Most Likely to Succeed, Melanie Bartlett ended up anything but. The down-on-her-luck single mom wants a complete do-over - is that too much to ask? With her family long gone from River Bend, strong, independent Mel is as surprised as anyone to end up in the quaint small town she once called home. But with her friends, Jo and Zoe, by her side, and a comfortable room at Miss Gina's quirky bed-and-breakfast, she just might have turned the corner on a new life.

After two years of brutal captivity, Portia Lamont has escaped and returned to her family's Vermont horse farm - only to find her parents gone to New York to try an experimental treatment for her mother's cancer, and her childhood friend Boone Hawke running the farm. The man Boone has become frightens her to near paralysis, but she's too traumatized and physically devastated to put up a fight.

Veterinarian Aislin O'Shea runs a busy clinic. She wasn't looking for a relationship. She’d already had the perfect one. She certainly wasn't attracted to fancy pants executive, Ms. Zane Whitman -- she wasn't her type. Zane Whitman had it all. Stellar career, wealth, exclusive social circle, and models vying for her attention. Impulsive, emotionally charged Aislin was not her type. Two women from the opposite side of the tracks. Neither one expects meddling from an unexpected source on the Other side. Neither one knows the train is coming.

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels. Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns 16 and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test.

When Emily begins hearing noises and suspects someone has been in her house, Seth urges her to get a roommate. But after a search, she realizes a certain attractive cop would be the perfect choice, and Seth moves in. Seth loves Emily, but fears his feelings might make it difficult to protect her. In all areas of his life, Seth sees himself as a protector. He's determined to keep Emily safe, but he pushes the captivating blonde away in an attempt to stay objective. However, after her stalker makes a failed attempt to capture her, Seth can no longer deny his feelings.

It's rule breaker Emily Foster's birthday, and like everyone at The Jungle Room, she just wants to get some action. Unfortunately she stumbles on the wrong kind, witnessing a mob hit. To protect her, she's entered into the Witness Protection Program with by-the-book Special Agent Jake Ward as her chaperone.

This isn’t the first time I’ve known tragedy. My self-imposed exile ends when a terrible twist of fate makes me the guardian of my four-month-old brother. Suddenly I’ve got a kid to raise and a family business to save and there’s no time for anything else. That’s why Kathleen Doyle and I made this arrangement. Once a skinny little girl who used to follow me around everywhere, she’s now a single mom with flaming hair, a killer body and too many responsibilities. We told each other it was just physical. We told each other there were no strings attached, no expectations. We lied.

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa, instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Addie Andrews is living a life interrupted. Tragedy sent her fleeing from Chicago to the shelter of an unexpected inheritance - her beloved aunt's somewhat dilapidated home in Eunice, Arkansas, population very tiny. There she reconnects with some of her most cherished childhood memories. If only they didn't make her feel so much!

Blake Taylor isn't the queen of horror, but she's certainly a member of the royal court. Blake has made a career out of writing novels that make her readers want to leave the lights on at night. What Blake's fans and very few people realize is that Blake Taylor is scared of her own shadow and just about everything else. After a family intervention, a case of writer's block, and the desire to be free of the confines of fear, she leaves New York and rents a house in Cypress Glade, Louisiana.

Second grade teacher Mia Delaney isn't looking for love. In fact, she isn't looking for anything at all because life hasn't been fair. Everything - the idea of love, her hopes and dreams - was ripped away in a single night. Arrogant yet sexy Adam Lawson makes the move to a small town in an attempt to escape life in the city. Here he hopes to provide a fresh start for those he loves and protects with a vow to never let anyone get close enough to hurt them again.