Jade has spent her entire life within the confines of the eye-color- obsessed Nirvana commune. She dreams of experiencing freedom but travel to the Outside is forbidden. Besides, she's a dutiful daughter who never breaks the rules. As her seventeenth birthday approaches, however, she realizes just how little she wants to follow the commune rules. She doesn't want to undergo another eye color surgery, or immediately choose a life partner, or follow her parents' life paths of teaching or wine making. In fact, her green eyes suit her just fine, she's never even been on a date, and she's passionate about photography. And yet she's resigned to do as she's told because it's easier for her to close her eyes and follow orders. Her Grandmother Ruby's murder is the catalyst that causes Jade to open her eyes wide for the first time in her life. She's devastated yet determined to find the killer and their motive. With help from her mysterious friend Tyrian, and Peaches, the commune leader's sweet daughter, Jade unearths dark secrets which include her mother's illicit affair, her maternal grandparents' escape from Nirvana, and a plethora of murders. To make matters worse, someone is hell bent on ending Jade's mission for the truth, and that someone is most likely the killer. Jade can't continue conforming to an evil society and yet she fears the Outside is just as corrupt. If she resolves to flee and is caught, the punishment is banishment to the slave cabins...and blinding. Although Jaded is considered a young adult dystopian novel, adults will be able to relate to Jade's plight.

If the only way to stay alive was to convince your new husband not to murder you and make it look like an accident, could you do it?

At eighteen, Jade shouldn’t have to be forced to marry the son of her father’s enemy as part of a revenge plot for a failed rebellion. When she’s thrown into the life of being the wife of the Commander’s son and heir, her only hope for survival is convincing Roan Diamond to actually fall in love with her so that he doesn’t kill her on his father’s wishes.

While a dutiful son, Roan shouldn’t have to trick his new wife into believing his family accepts her, but as the only one in a position to make the country believe Jade is part of their family, he will do what he has to before his family murders his young bride and makes it look like an accident to get back at Jade’s father.

With half the country trying to protect Jade and the other half oblivious to the atrocities committed at the Commander’s hand, it’s a race to see who will win at a deadly game of cat and mouse.

One chooses life. One chooses death. In the midst of chaos, only one will succeed.

The first book in the Jaded Duology has been called the “YA Dystopian Mr. and Mrs. Smith” by authors and is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Selection.

Warning: The emotional roller coaster in this book has caused fans to create actual emotional support groups after reading this dangerously exciting book.

The world we live in is a world of dualityan outer world composed of relationships and an inner world of what those relationships mean. For this reason, there are two threads that run throughout the book. The main thread is a deeper soul-searching journey about what happens when we experience the loss of a loved one. Do we have the power within to change what has happened? Is the past set in stone, or is it malleable? Are our loved ones lost to us forever, or are they waiting to be rediscovered? These are some of the questions that I have addressed on my search to reunite with my daughter. What I have discovered will shock some and surprise many but has the potential to empower all. The second thread is a more lighthearted, superficial coming-of-age story that runs parallel to the deeper journey, showing how, when life gets you down, inspiration can come from a most unexpected and unlikely source.

Friends to lovers… Detective Roland Wright lives a lonely and solitary life, filling his waking hours with work and volunteering. It’s been ten years since he lost the love of his life to a drunk driver, but he's still plagued by nightmares. When a young man shows up at the soup kitchen where he volunteers, Roland tries to convince himself the attraction he feels is purely platonic. At least the handsome stranger is older than he looks, but can Roland risk getting close when his new friend isn’t even gay? Tyler Foster has lived on the streets since he aged out of the system. When a helpful police officer from the soup kitchen gets him a job, and a real place to live, Tyler feels like life is finally giving him the break he’s prayed for. Still a virgin, Tyler is confused when he feels an attraction to the larger man. Roland is unlike anyone he’s ever met and he makes Tyler feel things he doesn’t understand. When he confides in Roland about his past, the truth hits closer to home than either man could have imagined. With Roland beside him, Tyler is willing to do anything to help build the case. Together, they are determined not to let any more children suffer the same fate. Will Roland and Tyler escape the past and find a future together?

Jaded embodies the voices of people whose souls have been exhausted by cynical individuals in their lives. Love, like hate, is often irrational and can lead individuals to heroic and evil deeds. The characters all experience feelings of satiety, which manifest into an unconscious state of disillusionment. They all begin to accept the warped world that surrounds them, expressing a surfeit of apathy. These characters have become uncomfortably full with self-hate and are all in search of a release from this overindulgence. The voices echo those of people you may have encountered closely or from a distance in your own life. Through an analytical eye, the characters have become human and struggle to find self-love in the midst of all their chaos. Do not judge them. Simply listen to their stories, hear their cries, and walk with them down the path of healing and self-discovery. Separate stories that are all connected. Each individual voice filters into the other, creating one loud cacophonous roar.

Latonya writes her poetry with more than just a need to sell copies of her work. She writes with a passion that cannot be matched. She writes with a passion that leaves the readers wanting more and this latest installment will do just that. It's gritty, honest and in your face. It isn't the poetry your great grandmother wrote so brace yourself. She's taken her energy and put it one hundred percent into her work. Latonya's inspiration stems from several different areas. Her own personal love life and personal connections throughout her lifetime as well as her travels while in the military and from the heartbreaks of her close friends and family. Inspiration comes from everywhere when you have a passion for expressing your feelings through words. And Latonya proves that in this installment. Read, laugh and cry as you read but above all else enjoy every piece of poetry, and song within the book.

They can’t hide from desire… After life as a cop in Denver leaves him burned-out, Lucas Ridgeway returns to Walkers Ford, South Dakota, to serve as their chief of police. He’s hoping to start over with a clean slate and avoid any emotional entanglements—even after his next-door neighbor kisses him senseless. Alana is passionate, dedicated, and most importantly leaving town soon. So why not have some fun? Alana Wentworth comes from a larger-than-life political family, yet all she wanted was to be a librarian. Then after an embarrassing marriage proposal from Mr. Not-For-Her, she jumps at the chance to live her dream for a few months. She wasn't supposed to get involved with the community—or sexy, troubled Lucas. But when the time comes for Alana to put Walkers Ford behind her, she’s not ready. And Lucas may not be ready for her to go…