A powerful debut novel, praised by The New York Times, Bustle, and Hypable, that pulses with humor and empathy as it explores the heart's capacity for forgiveness.... Zadie Anson and Emma Colley have been best friends since their early twenties, when they first began navigating serious romantic relationships amid the intensity of medical school. Now they're happily married wives and mothers with successful careers--Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of a former colleague unearths a secret one of them has been harboring for years. As chief resident, Nick Xenokostas was the center of Zadie's life--both professionally and personally--throughout a tragic chain of events during her third year of medical school that she has long since put behind her. Nick's unexpected reappearance at a time of new professional crisis shocks both women into a deeper look at the difficult choices they made at the beginning of their careers. As it becomes evident that Emma must have known more than she revealed about circumstances that nearly derailed both their lives, Zadie starts to question everything she thought she knew about her closest friend.

The first novel in Colleen Oakes’s epic, imaginative and twisted series, perfect for fans of Dorothy Must Die and Heartless, tackles the origin of one of the most infamous villains—the Queen of Hearts. This is not the story of the Wonderland we know. Alice has not fallen down a rabbit hole. This is a Wonderland where beneath each smile lies a secret, each tart comes with a demand, and only prisoners tell the truth. Dinah is the princess who will one day reign over Wonderland. She has not yet seen the dark depths of her kingdom; she longs only for her father’s approval and a future with the boy she loves. But when a betrayal breaks her heart and threatens her throne, she is launched into Wonderland’s dangerous political game. Dinah must stay one step ahead of her cunning enemies or she’ll lose not just the crown but her head. Don’t miss Blood of Wonderland, the must-read sequel to Dinah’s story!

This sweeping historical novel returns to an age of treachery and political turmoil as a Jacobite beauty fights her attraction to the powerful Scottish nobleman who once broke her heart Taken in by the Braemoor clan as a boy, Neil Forbes fell deeply in love the moment he laid eyes on Janet Leslie. To his delight, Janet, the daughter of a Jacobite, returned his feelings, and they made a solemn pledge to one other. Then Neil discovered the terrible reason he couldn’t marry his beloved . . . and could never wed at all. After Neil’s betrayal, Janet vowed never again to be seduced by the fickle promise of love. She hoped that her marriage to Alasdair Campbell, a widower and father of three young girls, would give her the security she needed. Now the cruel Earl of Lochaene lies dead, and Janet is suspected of her husband’s murder. Worse, Campbell’s daughters—and her infant son—could be taken away from her. And the man she once adored with all her heart has just been appointed guardian of her son, the heir to Lochaene. Can she trust Neil, now the politically connected Marquis of Braemoor—or the dangerous desire that his first caress reignites in her? As they give in to passion, a powerful enemy could destroy their newfound love—and expose the secret Neil has been guarding for far too long. This second book in Patricia Potter’s Scottish Trilogy is the winner of the 2001 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Scottish Historical Romance. The Heart Queen is the 2nd book in the Scottish Trilogy, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

The years haven't eased the sorrow Rhiannan feels after having lost her husband and children to a terrorist's wrath in an airline hijacking, nor has she forgiven the man she holds responsible. Now Congressman Kiel Whellen is here, aboard the luxury liner on which she ekes out a living as a blackjack dealer. She is determined to hate him--until Kiel dares her to let passion make two hurting hearts care again. But also aboard is someone who could shatter Rhiannan's world--unless she fights for her future with the only weapon she has left, the power of a woman's love.

Revolution is rising in Wonderland. Dinah’s battle has begun. Colleen Oakes’s twisted reimagining of the Queen of Hearts origin story continues in this thrilling sequel, Blood of Wonderland. Dinah has been exiled from Wonderland. The vicious father she always feared has framed her for the brutal murder of her brother and turned the kingdom against her. Now hiding in the lush and mysterious Twisted Wood with only her war steed at her side, Dinah is faced with a choice—to leave Wonderland forever, or stay and fight her father for the throne. When a chance encounter with one of her father’s long-lost enemies brings Dinah more allies than she ever could have imagined, war starts to feel inevitable. But before Dinah can lead her people into combat, she must confront certain truths about her heart and her destiny—no matter how dark those truths may be. Don’t miss War of the Cards, the epic conclusion to the Queen of Hearts trilogy.

Bestselling author of The Same Sweet Girls and The Sunday Wife returns with the story of a controversial divorce therapist whose innovative methods have helped heal many shattered lives . . . but not her own.

Colleen Oakes’s twisted reimagining of the Queen of Hearts origin story comes to a thrilling conclusion in War of the Cards. Dinah has lost everyone she ever loved. Her brother was brutally murdered. The wicked man she believed was her father betrayed her. Her loyal subjects have been devastated by war. And the boy she gave her heart to broke it completely. Now a dark queen has risen out of the ashes of her former life. Fury is blooming inside Dinah, poisoning her soul and twisting her mind. All she has left is Wonderland and her crown, and her obsession to fight for both. But the war rages on and Dinah could inherit a blood-stained throne. Can a leader filled with love and rage ever be the ruler her kingdom needs? Or will her all-consuming wrath bring Wonderland to its knees? This is not a story of happily ever after. This is the story of the Queen of Hearts.