Pierce Atkins was a solitary figure, a magician who'd entranced audiences all over the world. Only one woman, Ryan Swan, had guessed the pain that lay behind his art, the past he'd chosen to conceal behind the flash and the glitter. His unhappy childhood had taught him to rely on nothing. Yet Ryan was determined to offer him the only truth she knew: their love was no illusion.

Liv Carmichael was a glamorous Washington anchorwoman who always wanted to be first in everything: first to get the story; first to tell it to the public; and first in the heart of her man. T.C. Thorpe was her rival in business, but the only man who made her whole in love. It looked as though their professional rivalry would prove stronger than their passion, until the day he became a madman's pawn and her heart was held hostage with him.

He harbored dark suspicions about Serenity and her parents. He was jealous, impossible and demanding. He was enigmatic, charming and aristocratic. He made passionate love to her even while condemning her. So why in heaven's name had Serenity Smith from Georgetown, Washington, D.C., forever lost her heart to her French cousin, Christophe, Count de Kergallen?

When Laine Simmons comes to Hawaii for a reconciliation with her long-estranged father, she does not expect Dillion O'Brian, her father's handsome young business partner, to oppose her. But Dillion is convinced that Laine is responsible for the family misunderstanding. He is sure that Laine is only after her father's money. Now Laine must fight her growing attraction for his stern, loyal man. No matter how much she craves it, she knows that she can never find love with a man who mistrusts her.

The strange assortment of guests Autumn Gallegher found when she arrived at her Aunt's isolated inn seemed to have no connection with each other -- until one of them was found dead. Each of them had had the opportunity, and each had the motive for murder -- they'd all been blackmailed by the victim. One of the suspects was a man from Autumn's past, and it took only one look for her to know that nothing had changed between them. Lucas was as devastating as ever. Three years later he was still a mystery to her, but there was nothing mysterious about the way Autumn felt, or the message she read in Lucas' eyes.

Who was that masked man...? When Mitch Dempsey appeared in Hester Wallace's doorway bearing gifts, she knew she should beware. She'd just moved and didn't need trouble in the form of an all-too-attractive downstairs neighbor. Her Nine-year-old son had no such qualms. When he discovered that Mitch was the creator of his favorite comic book hero, he was sold. Though Mitch was no Superman, Hester made him feel he could leap tall buildings in a single bound. But could he convince her she needed a hero to call her own?

He came to the seaside inn with only the clothes on his back and a loaded .38 revolver. His orders: expose a criminal organization based at the quaint vacation hideaway. It was just another assignment for Roman DeWinter. Routine, simple, uncomplicated. He didn't expect to fall for his key suspect, innkeeper Charity Ford. Charity knew Roman was different. His gaze smoldered with angry passion, arousing a dangerous fascination. His mere presence made her most forbidden desires some alive. Still, Charity knew so little about him, and it put her on edge. Was this stranger a threat to her happiness... or the man she'd been waiting a lifetime to welcome?

The last thing Vance Banning needed was a charitable neighbor -- especially the blond cheerleader type! But he had no idea how persistent Shane Abbott could be when it came to giving a helping hand -- or a loving heart. For a while it looked as though the Civil War would break out all over again. Only this time, it would be a battle of wills -- Shane determined to break down his resistance, Vance equally determined to remain invincible to her charming assault. He'd been burned once, and only a fool fell for the same innocent act twice. And Vance was no fool.

It was worse than winning the lottery -- much worse. This bequest might mean more money, but the strings attached had Pandora McVie tied up in knots. Respecting Uncle Jolley's last wishes meant spending time isolated in the Catskills with Michael Donahue, her least favorite -- though best looking -- distant relative and co-beneficiary. Living with a carrot-topped termagant wasn't Michael's idea of a good time, either, nut he realized they were stuck. Jolley was a matchmaker to the end -- and apparently for some time beyond. What could happen in six months? Michael answered that one himself: almost anything.

No one was going to take her child away from her! Pregnant and alone, Laura Malone had been on the move for months. Finding herself snowbound with an angry, impatient Gabriel Bradley was not part of her plans. Gabe wanted to be alone. He'd come to the isolated cabin to think, to work and to heal. But when a woman crashed into his life -- literally -- he felt obliged to help. Laura was everything a man could ever want and all that he desired. She trusted him, but Gabe was hard put to be an angel when Laura felt like heaven in his arms.

Morgan James... Her old life was a rut, one she was glad to escape. Then she was grabbed by a knife-wielding man on her first night in Greece, and she wondered if she would go on having any life at all. Nicholas Gregoras... He was both more than he seemed to be, and less. Though more than a wealthy importer, he was not the dangerous criminal Morgan had first thought him. But what was he? And, in choosing to love him, what danger was she courting? The answers lay in darkness, at the end of the path.

As "Amanda Jamison," Ariel Kirkwood suffered stoically through the daily traumas of a popular soap opera. She was adored by her loyal fans, as well as the real people in her life. Booth DeWitt had written his greatest script. From the pain of a bitter marriage came a bitingly brilliant story. Ariel knew she wanted to play the scheming wife -- a complete change from her sweet daytime heroine. Ariel the actress awoke the ghosts of Booth's past with her eerily perfect portrayal of his ex-wife. Ariel the woman broke through his hardened cynicism -- and tempted him to love again!