It takes beauty, grit, and grace to tame a rambling rancher in the New York Times–bestselling author’s contemporary Western romance. A lone wolf like Stony Carlton isn’t easy to tame. Commitment may be fine for other men, but Stony is a born rambler and refuses to be tied down, even to the right woman. Because how could such a person really exist? But then he meets the spirited Tess Lowell, a small-town Wyoming waitress with emotional scars of her own, thanks to an ugly divorce. And, somehow, as the straight-talking redhead slowly earns a place in his heart, he can’t help but think about what it might be like to give up his roaming ways . . .

The lone wolf answers to no alpha or pack. From his first transformation, he knows his destiny: to be both judge and executioner for rogue werewolves. Welcome to the spellbinding first book in New York Times bestselling author N.J. Walters intense new werewolf series. White wolf Devlin Moore has spent nearly the last century following his destiny: hunting rogue werewolves. His fate is to be the only one of his kind—hardened, feared, and brutally ruthless. Only now, Devlin’s not alone. There are two others. And if that wasn’t unsettling enough, Devlin is drawn to New York City for what appears to be a human... As far as Devlin can tell, vibrant artist Zoe Galvani is no threat. But there’s something about her— from her unusual eyes that look similar to the same shocking hue as his own, to his growing need to mark her as his that suggests magical forces may be at play. Now there’s no escaping each other, or the attraction that grows stronger by the second. But no one, especially a human woman, should have this effect on a lone wolf. And just when he’s sure that having her could be his undoing...the truth steps out of the shadows.

NYT and USAT bestselling author and screenwriter, Cindy Dees, brings her formidable skills as a master storyteller and master writing teacher to this encyclopedic series analyzing the major tropes used in modern commercial fiction. In this volume, Cindy explores 33 iconic backstory romance tropes, the stories made up of the lingering problems, scars, and needs from your hero’s and heroine’s pasts that must be overcome before they can achieve happiness and true love. . Written by a working writer for working writers, this is a comprehensive reference guide and brainstorming tool to help you quickly generate ideas, create characters and plot, revise and edit, brand and market your story. You’ll write faster, cleaner, and deliver your audience a story they’ll recognize and love. If you’re writing a novel, script, play, comic, graphic novel, video game script, or any other story format, this book is for you. If you’re writing a love story specifically, or you’re writing any genre of fiction in which you’d like to include a romantic relationship, this book is for you. Each trope entry includes: a detailed definition and analysis descriptions of all obligatory scenes necessary to structure this trope correctly lists of additional key scenes important to this trope an extensive list of questions to think about when writing this trope an extensive list of traps to avoid when writing this trope reasons why audiences love this trope a list of similar tropes a list of examples of each trope in action taken from television, film, and novels …every kind of writer in every genre of fiction is going to want these guides in their go-to reference books… …a tour de force how-to on creating stories audiences adore… …the books every writer has been waiting for—a comprehensive walk-through by an industry pro of everything to think about when building a story of pretty much any kind…

A life hanging in the balance…a family torn apart. The #1 internationally bestselling author Jodi Picoult tells an unforgettable story about family secrets, love, and letting go. On an icy winter night, a terrible accident forces a family divided to come together and make a fateful decision. Cara, once protected by her father, Luke, is tormented by a secret that nobody knows. Her brother, Edward, has secrets of his own. He has kept them hidden, but now they may come to light, and if they do, Cara will be devastated. Their mother, Georgie, was never able to compete with her ex-husband’s obsessions, and now, his fate hangs in the balance and in the hands of her children. With conflicting motivations and emotions, what will this family decide? And will they be able to live with that decision, after the truth has been revealed? What happens when the hope that should sustain a family is the very thing tearing it apart?

When her first husband, a Texas Ranger,was killed on the job, Honey Farrell swore she'd never risk her heart again. She no longer has time for men, anyway—not with a ranch to run, a dwindling bank account and two teenaged boys to raise. So when cowboy Jesse Whitelaw turns up on her doorstep looking for work, he seems like the answer to her prayers. But Honey doesn't know that Jesse's actually a Ranger himself, going undercover to break up a cattle-rustling ring—and as she and Jesse get closer, the secrets he's keeping could destroy them both.

Ivy Peterson is close to finishing off the men responsible for experimenting on her and dozens of other shifter kids when a rogue pack puts her in the Auction. She's resigned to a very short run as someone's unwilling wife, until she sees Edgar Chase in the crowd. The werelion looks as adrift as she feels after losing her mate. Edgar knows he'll never love again after his mate's death, but when he sees the haunted girl at the Auction, he can't help himself and fights to save her. Ivy holds the key to many of the mysteries the Chase family faces -- and she might even hold the key to his broken heart. Ivy just wants to finish off the evil entrepreneur who funded the experiments. If the Chase brothers want to help her with that, she won't object. But as trust grows into something more between her and Edgar, Ivy wonders if vengeance is all there is after what she's suffered. He shows her something more, something better. Will their wounded hearts heal and love again, or are they chasing different dreams?