At age 13, Major Wiley Gremillion sat with Aubrey Tarver under their dragon tree, sure of her future. She'd share her life with Aubrey and continue her family's tradition of military service. But as a sniper with Special Forces, code name Black Dragon, her enemies cost her a future with Aubrey. Walking away was the only way to keep Aubrey whole. Now retired, Wiley knows she'll be alone, dividing her time between her canvasses and helping others with her unique military skill set.

Brooks Boseman, born into privilege in an old New Orleans plantation home, could have opted for an easy life just like her siblings, but after a broken heart, she escapes to New York where no one knows her name. A call from the family matriarch changes everything. Her brother Curtis is getting married, and Brooks needs to be at the engagement party. Only she can’t possibly go, not with Curtis set to marry the secret love of her youth, Fallon Goodwin.

Six months after Hurricane Katrina has devastated most of New Orleans, detective Sept Savoie is battling the nightmare of everything the storm has taken from her when a brutalized body turns up behind one of New Orleans's most famous restaurants, which is run by Keegan Blanchard. The more Sept works through the clues, the more they point to Keegan, which makes the relationship growing between them anything but love at first sight. The first death is only the beginning, though, as the miles of deserted neighborhoods Katrina left behind provide the perfect stage for murder.

As New Orleans recovers from Hurricane Katrina, Detective Sept Savoie recovers from a gunshot wound with the help of her new love Keegan Blanchard. As the city returns to normal, so does the crime rate. Sept’s first case back on the job is a strangely ritualistic killing, which quickly escalates into serial murder. As the bodies start to pile up, the last thing Sept needs is the city’s newest celebrity crime writer, Nicole Voles, poking into the case looking for information for a new bestseller, especially when Nicole appears just as interested in Keegan as she is in murder.

Harriet “Harry” and Desi Basantes spent 16 years waiting to find each other again, and now they’re weeks away from a wedding and the baby they’ve planned since high school. Desi’s sister Rachel Thompson is happy for them. Rachel might wish for her own grand love affair, but her attraction to Harry’s ex Serena Ladding doesn’t exactly spell happily ever after. Angola State Penitentiary is one of the toughest prisons in the country, but when Desi’s ex-husband Byron Simoneaux sees the chance to run, he does with only one goal in mind:

Author Wyatt Whitlock is one of the biggest names in action thrillers and writes for the largest publisher in the business. She’s extremely private and writes prolifically—well, until recently. Writer’s block may spell the end of her career if she can’t figure a way around it. A drastic change in scenery and a really old house in New Orleans could get her creativity going again, but renovating the house she bought on a whim might just kill her.

Poppy Valente has the world in the palm of her hand until fate steals from her the one thing that matters most—her wife, Carly. When breast cancer ends their life together, Poppy finds herself at a loss as to how to begin to live again. Julia Johnson is running to Carly's Sound with her newborn daughter, Tallulah, in search of the path to her future. On a chance meeting two years after Carly's death, these two women form a bond of friendship that lays the foundation for something more.

As Hurricane Katrina ravages New Orleans, attorney Tully Badeaux's life follows suit when betrayal leads to heartbreak. Tully Gaston Badeaux might be successful in the courtroom but at home her relationships with her partner, Dr. Jessica Badeaux, and their children are falling apart.

Christian "Chili" Alexander is the most sought after campaign consultant at the Pellegrin Morris Firm in New Orleans. Chili's success has given her the freedom to choose her clients carefully, but she hasn't had the same good fortune in love. Recent Tulane graduate Samantha Pellegrin wants the opportunity to work with the star of her father's firm in the off-year election. As his only child, she'll eventually inherit the firm, but she wants to continue their great track record in the world of politics.

Ellis Renois is at the top of the fashion world and has built the Renois Company into a success that dominates the runways of the world. Ellis loves creating clothes, and she loves the beautiful women who wear them. While Ellis deals with design, she leaves the business aspect to others. It's a mistake that could cost her more than just her life's work. Charlotte Hamner has worked her way through school and is ready to make a better life for herself and her daughter Sawyer.

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.

Kelsey Brunel knows exactly what the future holds: She’ll one day inherit the Arizona dude ranch that has been in her family for three generations. She tells herself that the business and her good friends are all she’ll ever want or need. Long-term relationships aren’t in the picture, which, after witnessing the devastation of her parents’ failed marriage, is just fine with her.

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.

When professional soccer player Alex Grey goes on a vacation to the local South Carolina islands, she isn't anticipating any life-changing events. Just a relaxing weekend to prepare for the upcoming season. But that quickly changes when she finds herself the lone witness to a sailing accident and makes the decision to risk her own life to save a drowning woman—unwittingly coming to the rescue of a US senator's wife, Catharine Cleveland.

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.