Hail Raisers

Evander Lennox doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. At least, that is, until he's sent to prison. The four years he's incarcerated, he's had no choice but to do the things he's asked to do, when he's asked to do them. And now, if he doesn't, it will mean a one-way ticket straight back to hell. Once he's free, it takes him twenty-four hours to get his old job back, his dog at home where he belongs, and an understanding that people aren't as forgiving as he once thought them to be. He's just about given up hope of ever integrating back into society when a woman slams into his heart, literally and figuratively. Kennedy Swallow just wants to belong somewhere. When she was younger, her parents divorced, and chose to separate her from her twin. Fast forward fifteen years, and she's finally getting to meet the family she's always wanted to be a part of. To make that happen, she uproots her life and moves to the tiny town of Hostel, Texas-giving her almost everything she's ever wanted. Just when she thinks she's making progress in winning her family over, she finds out that her twin is ill, and the only reason her family tolerates her is due to the convenience of having a free caretaker whenever they might be in need of one. After a few eye-opening experiences, she quickly realizes that she's being used. Vowing to herself that she'll make the best of the situation, she begins to steel her heart. What she doesn't prepare for is a man named Evander who sees that barrier as a challenge. Contains mature themes.

Everybody has problems. But Travis? Yeah, he has so many problems that he finds it hard to breathe sometimes. He spends five years catering to his ex-wife's every want and need-all to make it possible to continue to see his child. He isn't supposed to fall in love with a woman, but he does. He isn't supposed to find someone that is willing to put up with his ex-wife's crazy antics, but he has. He isn't supposed to be happy, but he is. And all it takes is his ex-wife finding out about his new-found peace for things to change. Hannah saw him and knew he was the one. All it took was one look into that haunted man's eyes, and she was lost, never to be found again. She thinks she has it all. His love, a new baby made with that love, and a house to raise their blended family. She's wrong, and Travis' ex-wife is out to prove it. Travis doesn't deserve Hannah. All he's done is hurt her. She's done everything in her power to keep everyone happy, but the more she tries, the harder his ex-wife pushes. Until one day, there's nothing left to push. Hannah leaves, and Allegra wins. But Travis isn't willing to let her have her way any longer. He fights back, and only gets a bullet to the chest to show for it. Contains mature themes.

One look at the sixteen-year-old, prim and proper town goody-two-shoes, Hennessy Hanes, and Tate Casey knows he's in trouble. He knows he should stay away from the preacher's daughter, but there's something about her he's drawn to, and he can't resist the pull. The more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that something isn't right. He may not be able put his finger on what it is, but he's determined to find out what's going on with the girl with the haunted eyes. Tate didn't anticipate that someone else would be just as determined to keep Hennessy's nightmare a secret, and he never realizes just how far that person is willing go to keep those skeletons in the closet until it's too late. With the very real threat of jail time hanging over his head, Tate leaves without a backwards glance at the town or the girl. The problem is that out-of-sight doesn't necessarily mean out of mind, and it's Tate who's now haunted by his decision and memories of Hennessy. Hennessy Hanes knows better than anyone not everything is always as it appears to be. After years of being on the receiving end of her squeaky-clean preacher father's abuse, she seizes an opportunity to leave it all behind and runs. Her only regret is that in walking away she loses any chance with the one person who tried to save her. Fast forward ten years, and they're both back where they started. Tate was never a good boy, and it turns out that the man he's now grown into isn't all that much better. Anger is a living, breathing part of him, and there's a court order forcing him to seek help from the one person he's never forgotten. Hennessy never thought she'd see Tate Casey again, and certainly not on her couch. But now it's her turn to save him, and there are rules she must follow as his psychologist, not to mention a court order instructing her to help him manage his anger. If she doesn't follow those rules, he'll end up back in jail. Tate Casey has never been a man who followed the rules, and Hennessy is no longer the straight-laced, timid preacher's daughter she once was. His hands may be tied, so it looks like for the first time in Hennessy's life, she'll be the one breaking the rules for the chance to finally get what she's always wanted. Him. Contains mature themes.

He's wanted her since he repossessed her car and made her cry. Baylor Hail knew two things. One, he hated crying females. Two, it was even worse when he was the one to make that female cry. He never meant to do anything but his job, but when one thing leads to another, suddenly all he can think about is the broken woman whose car he towed. She's wanted him since he patted her back and told her it was okay to cry even though she knew he was lying. Nothing ever goes right for Lark. Not when she got married. Not when she tried to leave her abusive husband, and not when she arrived in a new town with a fresh, clean slate. That clean slate came courtesy of a secret organization that specializes in helping abused women find a way out. They set her up with a whole new life. It just turns out that it happened to be right smack dab in the middle of another woman's old one. That woman also happens to be down on her luck, something that Lark learns the hard way when on her first day there, her car is towed by a handsome stranger. It's been two years since she's felt any kind of sexual attraction toward a man, and she reacts badly. We're talking full-on, hysterical breakdown as he loads her car onto his tow truck while looking at her like she's lost it. Maybe being crazy isn't all that bad. The next thing she knows, she's spending time with the sexy stranger and life couldn't be better-even though she still doesn't have a car. She thinks she's in the clear, that she's got it all figured out . . . well, that is until her ex-husband finds her again. Now the ball is in her sexy stranger's court as he decides whether or not her kind of crazy is worth getting killed over. Turns out, for Baylor Hail, maybe it is. Contains mature themes.

Get out! He yelled those words at the love of his life twelve years ago, and to this day, Reed Hail regrets them. He's always been the type of person to speak before he thinks, and apologies have never come easy. It's been over a decade since she was his, and he stubbornly thinks that he can keep on living without her. He couldn't be more wrong. The last thing he needs is her vagina anywhere near his exam table. But nobody ever asks him what he wants. Maybe he should've gone into the auto-recovery business after all. I hate you. Krisney Shaw would take those words back in a heartbeat if she could. In fact, she would take back everything. Never meeting him would be the perfect place to start. The memory of Reed Hail haunts her-morning, noon, and night. Then, to add insult to injury, she has to see him being happy while she's breaking a little more inside every single day. Reed Hail is her worst nightmare because she's constantly reminded of exactly what she's missing-the other half of her soul. Just when she thinks things can't get worse, she's sees his sexy, bearded face over the top of her paper gown, and she's lost all over again. Don't ever let me go. Both Reed and Krisney are determined to avoid each other. They do a great job of it, too . . . not. One ill-timed gynecological exam changes everything. One single second in time shows Reed what he's missing-literally and figuratively-and suddenly he's back at square one. The only problem with being back at square one? He won't be able to leave her a second time. Especially since the first time around he didn't have a child with her to consider. Contains mature themes.

Mary Persephone Hail Mary-well-wished-for child. Persephone-destruction. Hail-well that speaks for itself. Her name is painful to think about. Mary, his newfound daughter, isn't a wished-for child. Persephone, though? Yeah, destruction is a fitting description. And Hail? Yeah, that's just the final f-you. The moment that her mother drops her off on his doorstep, Dante's hell becomes complete. Or so he thinks. What can make life worse after losing one's wife and kids, you ask? Here's what: being given a baby that depends on him for her survival. Finding out that the baby's mother is dying of brain cancer, and has a husband that he never knew about. A husband that Dante knows in the marrow of his bones is trying to kill her just as surely as the cancer eating her brain. Dante's a bad person. He's done some not so nice things, and now he's being punished for his misdeeds. Karma is finally catching up to him. This child that he's been stuck with is of his flesh and bone. This child is his salvation. This child is the final nail in the coffin of his wife and daughters' too short lives. He doesn't want this child. But this child will save him whether he wants her to or not. With the help of a friend-yes, a woman friend-Dante finds his way back to life. But what he finds when he gets back isn't the same life that he left behind. Turns out, he has to start living a new one. One where he's suddenly having feelings for a friend that helped him get through some tough times, and loving a daughter that won't let him quit. Contains mature themes.