Dognapping For Beginners


Book Description

Stumblin' In... My name is Nikki Lawry. I'm not much of a joiner—more of a dog person, but that suits me just fine. I have my reasons. All I dream about these days is my own animal rescue center, and I’m saving every penny I earn to purchase the land I need—one dog walking gig after another. That's why I live in a tiny house in my mom's backyard, hooked up with a garden hose and an extension cord. Fancy. Like I said‚ minding my own business, saving every penny. When my favorite customer, Miss K, told me about the abused black Lab chained up next door, we immediately plan a midnight rescue. Just when it seems we might pull off our clandestine mission, it’s discovered there was a death in the neighborhood. When? Why, exactly when I was skulking around with my trusty bolt cutters, of course. I'm no detective, but even I can guess who the #1 Suspect is.




Larceny for Beginners


Book Description

Helping My Neighbor Charlie Has its Complications... I'm so excited to move my tiny home to my dog rescue build site near Junction Village just outside of Poet. The property is a dream come true. At Kim's insistence, I walk over to introduce myself to one of my new neighbors, Charlie Brandt, right when Charlie's trying to convince the police his friend Collin, the man I bought my new property from— did NOT just commit suicide. To appease ol' Charlie, the cops make a weak attempt to question the locals, including me. Apparently being a local for only 16 hours is not my "Get Out of Jail Free" card. To put Charlie's mind to rest, I agree to do a little sleuthing as I introduce myself to my new-to-me neighbors. Well, isn't this little place just a beehive of intrigue? It isn't long before I'm sure Charlie is right. Someone here at Junction Village is a killer.




Gaslighting for Beginners


Book Description

Ready for My Close-up? You won't believe me when I tell you that I, Nikki Lawry, a mere-mortal dog walker, was hired onto a Jessica Tate movie set as the animal wrangler—to one tiny Yorkie! A big shout out to my best friend Kim for getting me the gig. The job isn't as advertised, of course. Why is it never that easy? Turns out Jessica is kind of a wing-nut, and there's a hired detective here at the mansion to investigate any on-set crime—and he has his own stage name! Hollywood, huh? When a real-life murder comes to light and is quickly covered up, what started out as a lucky break turns dangerous. Since I've already spent the money Jessica paid me, and Kim and I are stuck here, I have no choice but to poke around on the sly. I may not have a stage name, but I know enough to follow the clues, amateur detective-style.




Blackmail for Beginners


Book Description

The Dangers of Glamping... My name is Nikki Lawry and I’m hosting my very first “Who’s the Boss” dog training camp retreat to finance my dream of a dog rescue center. I picked the perfect spot, a private site up on Eagle Mountain. Fresh air, good food, good company, and relaxed dog training demonstrations. I have high hope for my canine getaways. Now I have a campsite full of dog owners who already know one another. And have issues… Did they not get the memo about good company? Yikes! How did I end up in the middle of this? Things settle nicely, until a client turns up dead—with not one single camper heart-broken over it. Is my retreat business finished before it’s even begun? Yup, it’s come to that—me, Nikki Lawry, dog walker extraordinaire—looking for clues...




Dirty Deeds for Beginners


Book Description

Something Stinks in Junction Village My dog Leo's early morning "Conference" with a local skunk has me knocking at the pharmacy door frantic for a remedy—and finding a body instead. Turns out the pharmacist isn't—wasn't—a nice guy. While the cops take their time arriving on scene, upset customers pile up at the door like lemmings. The angry client with a beef about his prescription—again! The fragile wife in need of protection; the nervous partner who shows up late without explanation, and the investigating cop and new widow's exchanged look of understanding. What's that all about? Is it just me, or could one of these people be the murderer? Now add in the dirty deeds happening around my Dog Rescue build site and my very unhappy neighbors, all looking to sell to an eager developer whose plans include purchasing my land! I have no choice. I must solve this thing before all I've worked for here goes up in smoke.




The Contract


Book Description

When four friends decide to share the perfect dress ... magic happens Strapped for cash, artist Hayley Spencer is forced to paint and sell shabby-chic furniture to keep her fledgling B&B afloat. When the opportunity to "unofficially" promote her B&B at an exclusive trade show results in an evening with billionaire Sam Morgan, she can't believe her bad luck. It gets worse. Her embarrassing life choice follows her home, where she contracts to care exclusively for Sam's ailing father at the B&B for one year. Now Sam flies up to Laurel Valley every weekend. This was all about his father's recovery, not the shy B&B hostess who's extremely agreeable to look at, right? Hayley and Sam's tussles are at times heartbreaking, other times laugh-out-loud hilarious, and always lead them back to the undeniable truth, Sam and Hayley together could be magic.




Righteous Pretender


Book Description

Time to Expose the Secrets of Able Island Armed with little more than a hand-drawn map of the mysterious Able Island, Coru quietly slips away from Freeland and everyone he has come to love, to complete his mission. This is his fight; he must face Moses alone. Yes, the Indies won the battle against Zhang's POE army but not the war. Wren is not safe—no one is safe—until Moses Zhang pays the ultimate price for his actions here in this time. Young Aiko, "Little Loved One" wants out of her chambers. She's sick of Papa's rules, the suffocating confinement here in D&D, her only companion the stone-hearted guardian Winston. She wants to be outside, to live a real life, be a normal teenager, and she has a plan... Abandoned by Coru, alone and stripped of her telepathic powers, Wren knows she needs to return to her home in the north to heal her heart—until a powerful message sends her in the opposite direction, racing to reach Coru before it's too late. Coru's, Aiko's, and Wren's burning missions send them on a collision course straight into the watery caves beneath Able Island. Will they expose Zhang's explosive secrets in time to stop him?




The Princess & the B&B


Book Description

When four friends decide to share the perfect dress ~~~ magic happens When Cat Morgan agrees to take over her new sister-in-law's B&B, it's perfect timing. Being a movie production assistant is kind of like running a B&B, right? Problem solving, soothing ruffled feathers, pulling miracles out of a hat, keeping the talent happy... Cat's got this. The cooking part...? The closest Cat's ever gotten to cooking is lining up at the crafts services food truck with the rest of the movie location crew. She's pretty sure she can fake it. That's what bakeries, deli's, and take-out restaurants are for girls like Cat. On arrival, Cat gets the alarming news her humiliating teenage crush, Harlan Kennedy will be staying at the B&B—permanently! Wait a minute! This demands an immediate change of plans. A rash promise she just can't keep has Cat Morgan running for the exit... Too late—she's on her own. And there's the inconvenient fact that Cat's heartbeat still kicks into overdrive whenever the horrible Harlan Kennedy is around...




After the Party


Book Description

When four friends decide to share the perfect dress ~~~ magic happens The whole crazy thing began as a bold stunt at a dull company retirement party... Laura Winthrop had no idea of what was happening behind the scenes at Saunders Industries until reporter Dean D'Angelo sweeps her up in his undercover investigation. Dean just got himself a partner, Laura Winthrop, lady exec at Saunders's Industries, and the absolutely last person he wants by his side. How did this happen? As Laura and Dean squabble their way through their "joint" investigation, Laura is surprised to find she's pretty good at subterfuge: * on-the-fly disguises * secret files * midnight swims * ER visits * Chinese takeout stakeouts. Peek into this sometimes dangerous, always fun tug-of-war between Laura and Dean and see if you don't think these two were made for each other.




Deadly Messenger


Book Description

How Heroes are Made Safely hidden on Able Island, Moses Zhang is ready to unleash thousands of virus-weaponized POE soldiers on the remaining rebels taking shelter in Freeland and in Raven's Park. The POE Army's deadly message—join us or die. A tiny band of Indies and Outlanders—Wren, Coru, Nelson and Dom—have secured the antidote to Zhang's Ebola Venus II virus, at great personal cost, but they're still trapped in New Pacifica. In desperation, they split up, something they swore they'd never do, hoping one, at least, would escape the gang infested New Pacifica and reach Raven's Park and Freeland in time to replicate enough antidote to shield the innocent. Now is the time for every Outlander, every Freelander, every Indie to step up and be counted; for simple, humble people to join together to protect their families, their friends, their homes—to become heroes.