Another case has fallen onto the desk of Tootsie Carter; a female detective armed with a snub-nosed Colt .38, unmatchable wit, and a pocketful of Tootsie Rolls. New York City, 1975 When a photo she took ends up splashed across a sleazy tabloid, Tootsie launches into an investigation to figure out who leaked it. Pounding the pavement, she follows the leads to a seedy massage parlor. One step inside and she knows something isn’t right. The women there need help, and Tootsie is determined to set them free. But it won’t be easy. Sinister forces, who will stop at nothing to keep their income of dirty money flowing, are at work. Can Tootsie break the women out of their violent shackles? Or will she find herself trapped alongside them?

A gold-digging home-wrecker isn'tCurt McIntosh's ideal woman. But it seemsthat's exactly what he's got with Peta Grey.For Curt there is only one way to stop her…blackmail! In reality, Peta is a penniless virgin trying tosurvive. She accepts Curt's ultimatum, andagrees to act as his mistress. But the termsof the deal aren't clear. Peta thought theirrelationship was purely business. So why has she just woken up naked inCurt's bed?

Prince Luc D'Urbino needs a wife—urgently. His Mediterranean principality is in turmoil, and only a royal wedding will solve the problem! Years ago Carrie Broadbent shared one night of passion with Luc, so now she's more than a little surprised when he returns and demands they marry…threatening to reveal a family secret that could ruin reputations and lives. Carrie is forced to accept Luc's proposal and all that it entails: staying by his side for better and for worse, as his princess and his lover….

Black Gold and Blackmail seeks to explain why great powers adopt such different strategies to protect their oil access from politically motivated disruptions. In extreme cases, such as Imperial Japan in 1941, great powers fought wars to grab oil territory in anticipation of a potential embargo by the Allies; in other instances, such as Germany in the early Nazi period, states chose relatively subdued measures like oil alliances or domestic policies to conserve oil. What accounts for this variation? Fundamentally, it is puzzling that great powers fear oil coercion at all because the global market makes oil sanctions very difficult to enforce. Rosemary A. Kelanic argues that two variables determine what strategy a great power will adopt: the petroleum deficit, which measures how much oil the state produces domestically compared to what it needs for its strategic objectives; and disruptibility, which estimates the susceptibility of a state's oil imports to military interdiction—that is, blockade. Because global markets undercut the effectiveness of oil sanctions, blockade is in practice the only true threat to great power oil access. That, combined with the devastating consequences of oil deprivation to a state's military power, explains why states fear oil coercion deeply despite the adaptive functions of the market. Together, these two variables predict a state's coercive vulnerability, which determines how willing the state will be to accept the costs and risks attendant on various potential strategies. Only those great powers with large deficits and highly disruptible imports will adopt the most extreme strategy: direct control of oil through territorial conquest.

Once Lorenzo Valente sets his sights on something—or someone—he will not be deterred! His estranged wife, Chloe, might profess to hate him now, yet only weeks earlier she was claiming adoration…proving Lorenzo's belief that love is fickle. But now the stakes have gotten higher…. Chloe has become guardian to her friend's baby and wants a fresh start—plus a marriage annulment. Seeing Chloe as a mother, Lorenzo is more determined than ever to keep her… and claim the wedding night from which she fled!

Millionaire tycoon Byron Rockcliffe storms back into Cara's life, even though their marriage is long finished. Knowing that Cara's design business is on the verge of collapse, Byron offers to save her from financial ruin by giving her the contract of a lifetime. Although he says his proposal comes with no strings, there's a catch: he's not just looking for an interior designer to complete his luxury home—he wants Cara to furnish him with a baby….

Evelynn Faust suffers from horrible insomnia and paranoia. The summer before her senior year of high school should be one of the best summers of her life. But she’s tormented by guilt and an addiction that haunts her every waking moment. Evelynn is a drug dealer who also craves the drug she sells. The money and the popularity that come with it aren’t bad either. But when she’s caught dealing on school property by Eric Wagner, the respected and admired police chief’s son, the game is over. He won’t snitch on her, unless she gives him whatever he wants – her. She’s being blackmailed. Evelynn has no one to turn to for help. Not her parents who don’t understand her rebellious nature or her circle of friends who only care about partying and getting high. When Adam Tristen moves in across the street, and he wants to get to know her better, it all seems too good to be true. She must make a pact with the devil. Evelynn now looks over her shoulder wherever she goes, waiting for Eric to act on his threats. But Adam, the charming college sophomore, sees something special inside Evelynn, and he wants to help her fix mistakes. In order to do that she must confront a dark secret from her past that could destroy her family…her life…and her entire world as she knows it. She’ll need to take a leap of faith.