Lessons in Disguise, a novel, follows the journey of a handcrafted book from its printing in Virginia, 1820, to its eventual destination in California, 1975. As the book is passed from woman, to man, to child, the book owners find within its pages parables, fables, and practical lessons that help shape their lives. Stories from the eras of slavery, Civil War, women's suffrage, Jim Crow, and the Vietnam War are told by the eight caretakers of the old book, making this novel read as though it were an intimate memoir.
Chase Nightly is a born and bred Georgia boy from Savannah, who loves his job as a Social Studies teacher, his bachelorhood and his widowed mother. Rae Chandler is a contemporary woman from New York City with no desire to change that fact; as different from Chase as night and day with only one exception: They are both leaders of elite teams of vampire slayers called Uccisore, but with very different territories. When Chase and Rae meet for the first time, thanks to an introduction by one of Chase's students who happens to be Rae's niece, sparks fly and past life memories surface. Memories that keep Rae off balance and terrified that destiny will claim her heart once more and Rae goes on the offensive.After a particularly nasty fight with Rae, Chase heads out into the night in a rage where he's nearly killed by Gordon Charles, Vampire King. A vampire with a vendetta against all uccisori, and especially Chase's late father.Gordon Charles was uccisore in life . . . in death, he's the most powerful vampire ever created and is now creating his own army to destroy all uccisori. Starting with Chase and Rae's future child . . . a child not yet conceived.
The devastating betrayal by the only man she'd ever loved has taken its toll on Rose Bradigan. For the last two years, she has slowly rebuilt her shattered life amid accusations of duplicity and disloyalty by her own child. The constant skirmishes between Rose and her precocious sixteen-year-old daughter, Lily, have nearly severed their mother-daughter bond. With Lily's father serving a life sentence in prison, Rose is at a loss as to what to do with the angry, hurting teen. Finding that Lily has slipped out of her bedroom window in the middle of the night only to be escorted home by two police officers, is the straw that nearly breaks Rose.Hoping to help them both heal and regain some semblance of normalcy, Rose and Lily set out on an impromptu road trip to Florida. It seems to be working, too...Until Rose awakens in a hospital bed in a small town in South Carolina with no memory of the past five days and Lily is missing.With the aid of Lucas Manning, sheriff of Cherokee County, a man who is battling his own demons, they race to find the key that will unlock the terrifying memories hidden in Rose's traumatized subconscious. With a mounting list of missing young women and someone who is willing to kill them to hide the truth, Rose and Lucas must find Lily before she becomes the next victim.
Armed with family legends and a blessed sword dating back to the first crusades, Hunter Blackfox leaves the reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina to replace a fallen member of Team Nightly and help protect the city of Savannah. When he first lays eyes on Sheila Maxson, he likens her to Aphrodite, Helen of Troy, and Jackie Onassis-sex, beauty, and class-all rolled into one, long, luscious package just for him. Sheila Maxson is a seasoned member of Team Nightly and a bloodline uccisore gifted with exceptional speed and agility on the battlefield. But she's battling more than the rising number of vampires. The horrific memories of an event that took place only days after 9/11 are slowly chipping away at Sheila's emotional armor. With the added guilt of losing a friend and uccisore brother in battle, the short fuse of her control is burning fast. Each time she and Hunter are in the same vicinity, Sheila goes on the attack and Hunter has no option but to fight back.But when word comes to them that Hunter's Sword is coveted by Gordon Charles, Vampire King, the entire team must find a way to keep it out of vampire clutches. King Gordon will do whatever he must to corrupt the powers of the sword and sway its magic to benefit his cause. To do that he must spill uccisore blood and he has chosen Sheila as the uccisore sacrifice that could very well sway the battle to the vampire's favor.
Lost in time and considered a myth, it is said that The Mermaid's Heart, a massive sapphire, holds mystical powers and was created by Zeus himself. The powers that legend has attached to the Mermaid's Heart, are said to be boundless, granting the one who holds it their fondest wishes and eternal life. When Carly Harden was a little girl, her grandmother told her a story about a mermaid named Sapphire. Adding to the mystique, Granny Harden gave her a small gold key that Carly still wears on a chain. It's her good luck charm. Carly has worked at The Blue Mermaid for three years . . . and has been in love with her boss, Tony Sargento, the entire time. She's also known who and what Team Nightly really is and that Tony is uccisore.Now that she has revealed to the elite team of vampire slayers that she knows their secret Tony is furious with her. Adding that Carly's best friend, Scarlett James and her twin brother, Rhett, are the newest additions to the team, Tony can't help but wonder if Carly and Rhett are more than just friends, adding more fuel to their tumultuous relationship. As the tension between them stretches the boundaries of their friendship, neither of them realize the danger that Carly is really in Until Gordon Charles, Vampire King, sends his minions after her and Carly is nearly killed. Tony and Rhett set aside their animosity to protect her. As they dig deeper into the family legend around Carly's key, they realize that the three keys that unlock the chest holding The Mermaid's Heart is what Gordon Charles is really after. Gordon has already obtained one of the lost keys. Carly's key is the second. If he finds the remaining key and takes possession of The Mermaid's Heart before Team Nightly can get to it, the Vampire King will be the one to obtain his heart's desires: To walk in the sunlight once more, kill all uccisori and create his own vampire utopia where humans are nothing more than a food source.
The only thing keeping the beast at bay is THE REDEMPTION STONE.Chuck Logan fled Ireland fourteen years ago, letting his family believe him dead, like his brother, Mattie. When he landed on America's shores he was a feral werewolf, but everything changed when a special boy and his father found him and gave him the gift of redemption. Now, fourteen years later, Chuck has found his true mate in Scarlett James, and he is terrified that he has now put her life in danger. Walking away after only one night with Scarlett is the only way to keep her safe. Ashley Connor, a she-wolf with an agenda, has set her sights on mating with Chuck and building an invincible pack that will rule the entire region. She will do whatever it takes to have her way, including partnering with Gordon Charles, the Vampire King. After Chuck and Scarlett are attacked by a vampire who miraculously morphs into a wolf, the reality of this new and seemingly indestructible threat must be eradicated before Ashely Connor and Gordon Charles have the chance to build their army...It may already be too late
There are laws banning human cloning for a reason.Travis Brody is an arrogant, antagonistic, fry cook with a chip on his shoulder the size of Arkansas. He's been fighting his own demons for over a decade and wonders why he even bothers any more. Jesse Daniel Messenger is only five years old, an orphan and quite unique. He's also alone in a strange country where his guardian is trying to hide him. Janey Carmichael is a woman who passionately believes there's a definite line between right and wrong. Not to mention she's been crushing on Travis from the moment he walked into Stella's Diner, two years ago, and asked for a job.Duke Monroe is a man on a mission. One that will either get them all killed or save the world from itself. He can be your best friend, a man you'd want to have your back in a fight. But don't cross him, they'll never find your body.Jack Patterson is a hired assassin who, rumor has it, is the only living heart donor. He's also been hired by the chairman of The Committee to find Jesse and terminate anyone who gets in his way. What few people know about Jack is that he has only one redeeming quality. So, don't try to push him past it.When Travis comes across a scared little boy and a dying man on a bitter, February night while on his way to fulfill an obligation he should never have made, his first reaction is to turn around and ignore them. He doesn't need to get involved, he has issues of his own to deal with. However, his heart refuses to turn from a crying child; a character flaw, he can't seem to shed. Just before the bullets start flying, the mortally wounded man shoves a package into Travis' hands and begs him to protect the boy. Now, Travis and the kid are on the run from people who are trying to kill them. His only option is to seek out the only person he trusts, Janey.When Travis and Janey learn the truth behind Jesse and a mysterious organization, that has been in power for over two centuries, they find themselves in a situation they have no idea how to get out of. An innocent child is at the center of a secret that, if found out, could bring down some of the world's most powerful men. The Committee has eyes on every corner and there is nowhere left for them to hide.
