81 Book(s) Related to pookie bear side piece

From New York Times and USA Today Bestseller, Vi Keeland, comes a steamy new standalone novel about a rockstar. Or two.Dimpled smile of a boyHard body of a manSings like an angelScrews like the devilI was stuck between a rock(star) and a hard place.At fifteen, his poster hung on my bedroom wall. At twenty-five his body hovered over mine. Every girl’s fantasy became my reality. I was dating a rockstar. Yet I was slowly falling for another man. The problem was—the two men—they shared a tour bus.Flynn Beckham was the opening act.Dylan Ryder was the headliner.What happens when the opening act begins to shine so bright, it seems to dim everything else in its wake?I’ll tell you what happens. Things get ugly.

Kiera has spent years surviving by one rule: run!

Mute and deeply traumatized, she escapes a hidden underground facility on a remote island where human “Hunters” experimented on her mind, turning her into Subject 3—a psychic weapon stripped of choice and voice. When the Hunters begin their relentless pursuit to reclaim her, led by the cold and meticulous Dr. Hale, Kiera flees into the surrounding wilderness, her fear threatening to unleash powers she barely understands.
Her flight brings her into the territory of a bear‑shifter clan, where she encounters Ronan, their Alpha. Fierce, grounded, and fiercely protective, Ronan unexpectedly connects to Kiera through a telepathic bond that cuts through her terror and isolation. Though the connection frightens them both, it becomes Kiera’s only lifeline as the Hunters close in and the island itself begins to fracture under the weight of her uncontrolled abilities.
As attacks escalate into a brutal siege, the truth of Kiera’s past begins to surface. Her silence was not an accident—it was engineered. Her panic responses were designed. And buried within her mind is a weaponized trigger meant to reactivate her conditioning and erase what little sense of self she has reclaimed. Dr. Hale knows her real name, knows how to break her—and believes she will always belong to him.
Hunted through abandoned laboratories and nightmare corridors filled with the remnants of failed experiments, Kiera must confront her past.
Ronan, defying both his enemies and his own clan, vows to protect her not as a weapon, but as a person—no matter the cost.
The Bear's Revenge is a dark, emotionally driven paranormal thriller about survival, trauma, and reclaiming. It explores what it means to be heard after being silenced—and the strength it takes to choose yourself when the past refuses to let go.

"I'm gonna show you that a side character can be the main character too."–Herabella Venturi

"I beg your pardon?"

“You want me to what?!” I asked aloud what a God had said to me. Is he serious right now? “You want me to save… the villainess?”

"Over and over again? Do you want me to repeat? Save Princess Melusine Ondine, try not to let her die. ” I slapped his forehead and held him on his shoulder.

“Look here God… whoever you are. What you are requesting of me is very impossible to happen. ” Where I said to him.

“Well that’s why-

“Do you want to break the flow of the story? We are in a novel, a very famous book. You want to make readers angry? You want the story to be boring? ”

He sighed and sighed. "She's been through a lot, she didn't deserve death."

I just calmed myself first. Why was I here again? Ah yes, some random God reincarnated me as a side character to save a villain.

SLAP
"You think I’ll let Cassian take the fall ?"

"He’s my son. You? You’re just a face I regret making"!!.

Lucien was born with a secret.
One even he didn’t understand.
One his father always knew — and hated him for.
While his twin, Cassian, lived a life of freedom, Lucien lived locked behind doors, punished for simply existing.

He wasn’t allowed outside.
He wasn’t allowed to live.
He was hidden. Forgotten. Broken.

Until one party changed everything.

A mafia princess was hurt.
Cassian was to blame.
But their father made sure Lucien paid the price.

That night, Lucien was handed over to Zayn Kingsley —
A billionaire mafia heir.
One of the Eight who rule the city from the shadows.
He has two wives. A daughter. And a dying father whispering:

“Give me a son. A true heir. Or lose everything.”

Zayn doesn’t believe in weakness.
He doesn’t believe in love.
And he definitely doesn’t believe in men like Lucien.

Zayn is cold. Ruthless. Homophobic.

But what Zayn doesn’t know…
Is that Lucien carries more than pain.
He carries a secret that defies biology, logic, and everything Zayn thought he knew:

🩸 Lucien can bear an heir.

And what started as punishment becomes obsession.
What started as hate begins to burn into something forbidden… and terrifying.

18+

"Did you fuck him?" he asked coldly, running the dull edge of the blade against my erect nipple.

"No," I replied honestly, my pulse hammering in my throat.

"Did you want to?" Blair stared at my chest as I shook my head in reply.

"Use your words, Reena. I'm playing with your nipple, and I'd hate to slip." 

“No, I didn't," I whimpered, gasping as the blade cut into my breast. Blair lowered his heated mouth, trailing his tongue over the small cut he'd made. His saliva healed the wound, but the bite of pain remained as he stood back, studying me with cold eyes, eyes that promised the next cut would go much deeper if I ever lied.

Ryan Derrick is a cute, handsome, innocent-looking guy and also a domineering kinda person. He is not a human who has a brother by the name of Scott and a company he runs too. The two bloodlines are not human. He is a half-human and half-demon werewolf. Scott, who also works in the same company as Ryan is a supernatural being too.
This story went down a cliff when Emily decided to find a job somewhere around the new city they came in, to support her Mom.

One fateful day, she came across Ryan’s company and was set to be interviewed for a job and there she met the handsome and charming Ryan. Everything about Emily changed suddenly the moment she set her eyes on Ryan.
Right there, the inner wolf of Ryan said, “Oh my, She’s my Mate” Ryan felt the sparks between them but quickly shooed it off when Scott came in.
Scott being a supernatural being sensed it and he immediately fumed in anger because he also got to find out that Emily is his mate too.

The two brothers will have to fight for what is rightfully theirs and only an ALPHA can win this fight.

THIS IS WHEN IT ALL BEGAN…

Tired of the dating scene, a cowboy billionaire puts up an Internet ad to find a woman to come out to a deserted island with him to see if they can make a love connection...Mason Martin has sold his cattle ranch in Texas for just over a billion dollars and traded it for Long Bar Island, a remote island a few hours away from Getaway Bay. Frustrated with the dating scene in the more populated areas of Hawaii, he puts up an ad, asking for volunteers to come live with him on his deserted island for three months.The goal? See if they can fall in love.Ivy McLaughlin has seen all three of her sisters fall in love during stressful, tragic times on deserted islands. When she hears about Mason's ad, she's intrigued. Spurred on by her real-life Legally Blonde moment, where her boyfriend breaks up with her instead of proposing, she contacts Mason.And she's the only one who does—at least Mason thinks so.He doesn't know his servers went down, only allowing Ivy's message to get through. They set out for Long Bar Island after an altercation on the dock which leaves a bad taste in Ivy's mouth. Has she just signed up for the worst three months of her life?As she and Mason live on the island, she begins to see the softer side of the tough cowboy billionaire. Maybe the next three months will be the most romantic of her life—and end in that proposal she so desperately wants.But when a storm hits their slim patch of sand in the vast ocean, their shelter is rendered roofless and the yacht they sailed out on is lifeless in the water. Will Ivy and Mason make the love connection they both want? Or will the forces of nature—and a faulty server—pull them apart?

"Do you think I will ever walk hand in hand with a girl three times my size?
I only dated you because I wanted to know what it feels like, being with a plus size".

That statement got her speechless,her heartbreaking so hard it hurts.

"Look ,shit happens sometimes".

"Tim.... it's... my first time".

She sobbed loudly.

"Get over it, not like I forced you to give me your virginity,I had to go, clean up the red stains before leaving".

He snarled.

Beauty's heart pounding, and her tears flow endlessly.

He left and slammed the door after him.


Bullied for being a plus size since her childhood.

Beauty Hills had to deal with insecurity ,trauma and depression, most especially self hate.

Her name( Beauty) was said to be the exact opposite of her appearance.

After many failed toxic relationships, she moved on and got a job in a fashion company.

There she had a one sided crush on her terribly handsome and reserved boss,but

Who wouldn't!

Not every day you get to see a terribly good looking billionaire who isn't arrogant or proud of his looks,a top green flag!

Every single beauty queen in the company is head over heels!

Beauty knows she got no chance to compete with them

It's useless to dream that big!

Maybe not...

Three years ago, I devoted my family's entire fortune to rescue my husband from the mire of impending bankruptcy. I once believed this was a mutual journey of love, until that day revealed the chilling truth — I had merely been nurturing a self-consuming wolf.
The metallic scent of blood still hung in the air of the delivery room when he signed the document relinquishing life support, trading our newly born child for a flicker of hope for his beloved.
As I lay in a pool of blood, dialing his number, I could hear the heavy breaths of him and his mistress on the other end.
The explosion of the yacht cast flames upon the sea, and in that life-or-death moment, he unhesitatingly let go of my hand.
They all believed I had perished beneath the waves.
Very well.
Now, my wedding invitation lies within his reach.

"They say the ice is for warriors. They don't know I'm bleeding just to stand here."
Noah Vance has only a limited period to live. He needs money for his sister's cancer treatment so he has become part of the Sterling University Hockey team's secretive world which consists of only Alpha members. Noah moves through the ice with ghostly speed and soundlessness while he uses black-market suppressants that make his veins feel as they burn. His body requires protection because a single hit can snap his bones while a single slip will show everyone that he is an Omega which will lead to his death.

Damon Sterling is the predator who awaits to break his neck.

The billionaire Captain exists as a physical embodiment of violent perfection. Noah is more than just someone he hates since the Captain finds his existence to be offensive. The rookie emits fear which the Captain interprets as physical frailty. Damon begins a series of severe hazing activities to eliminate the "coward" from his squad by performing body slams into the glass which create dark bruises on Noah's skin.

The locker room failure causes Noah's scent blockers to dissolve which reveals his true scent through the combination of wild honey and distress. The Captain encounters his Mate instead of finding a victim.

The monster who wanted to destroy Noah has transformed into a beast who will destroy everything in existence to protect Noah.

Obsession isn't a choice. It’s biology.

This story is about a young girl trying to find her way out from under her mothers roof and away from her pimp. She is still a high school student who is just trying to survive under the same roof as her mother and her mothers pimp. All she was is to continue to be invisible, but her body and her mothers pimp are determined to break her every step of the way.

Riley
New name, new look, new life. I've been careful to keep my past at bay. The last thing I needed was the stranger with those calm discerning eyes to cross my path. I must avoid him at all costs, even if he haunts my dreams and sends waves of heat across my skin. My focus is survival, not lust. Not even if he ignited a longing I'd never thought possible.

Draven
A mission. Find the missing girls and bring the perpetrator to justice. The retributive kind. I've grown used to the shadows but I am drawn to her light. Moth to a flame, the only way to quell my curiosity is to satiate it. But not too much. Not completely.

TEASER:
You want me, don’t you?” A simple question that warranted a simple answer.
“Should I have had you checked for a head injury?” he scoffed, a swift blow that knocked the wind out of my lungs and I realised I had been holding my breath. My lips parted, and my chest heaved, working overtime to replenish my body’s oxygen from those few moments of starvation.
Steeling my spine, I stepped forward, invading his space, oblivious to the eyes that were thrown our way. Or was I imagining that? Draven didn’t budge, a perfectly shaped brow elevated as he considered my movement with little interest. There wasn’t a single flicker of emotion to cross his features, not even that Godforsaken misleading smile made an appearance.
“Then you’ve no reason to threaten any man I may find interesting.” I breathed the words slowly, erotically.

Fifteen was the year Evangeline learned that love was a death sentence. Betrayed by her family and abandoned by the boy who marked and promised her forever, she was left to wither in the shadows of a ritual she didn’t understand. She never knew she was the tithe—the living sacrifice used to bleed a dark curse from his soul and into her own.
Five years later, she has rebuilt herself from the ashes.
Emerging from exile as a gifted Healer in the Imperial Military, Evangeline hides her scars behind a mask of cold professionalism. She has mastered the art of mending broken bodies, but her own heart remains a jagged ruin. She wants only one thing: to serve, to survive, and to forget the name of the man who destroyed her.
But the battlefield is a cruel reunion.
When she is summoned to the inner sanctum of the High Command, she comes face-to-face with the legendary Commander-in-Chief—the ruthless "Iron Ghost" of the Empire. He is older, harder, and hauntingly familiar.
The man she was sacrificed to save is now the man she must keep alive.
As the curse she carries begins to stir in his presence, Evangeline must decide: will she use her gift to heal the monster of her past, or will she let the darkness she took for him finally consume them both?

Twenty-two-year-old Scarlett "Scar" Justice thought she could hide forever behind fake names and stolen lives. But when killers track her to Chicago's deadliest neighborhood, she runs straight into the arms of the one man who could destroy her completely. Vincent "Viper" Capone is thirty-eight, ruthless, and heir to the most feared crime family in the city. He rules with bullets and blood, and his enemies don't live to see morning. When he saves Scar from assassins, he doesn't know she's the daughter of FBI Director Marcus Justice—the man sworn to bring down everything Viper has built. All Viper knows is that this mysterious girl with fire in her eyes makes him feel things he thought died long ago. As gang wars explode across Chicago and bodies pile up in the streets, their forbidden attraction becomes impossible to ignore. But in a world where love is weakness and trust means death, their secret romance could start a war that burns the entire city to ash. When the truth comes out, Viper must choose between his family's empire and the woman who stole his heart. And Scar must decide if love is worth betraying everything she's ever known—or if some secrets are too deadly to survive.

Being married to Gabriel Bowen for two years, Nicole never faced a problem for being a plus sized woman. He always made her understand he liked his women thick.

Until one evening she decides to surprise him early from work. But as she steps into their apartment, she notices something’s off.

Gabriel is home, but he isn’t alone. She walks up to the bedroom where she finds her husband’s head buried between the legs of a red haired woman who is nothing close to being thick.

Unapologetic about it, he straight up asks for a divorce . After the divorce shatters her, she disappears… only to return a year later with a transformed body, sharpened confidence, and a legal mind ready for war.

“Why do you look at me like that?” Olivia whispered, her hands shaking.
“Like I am something ugly you regret touching.”
Kingsley’s eyes darkened.
“Because I never wanted you.”
Her heart cracked.
“Then why didn’t you let me go?”
He clenched his jaw.
“Because fate is cruel… and now you belong to me.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I don’t want to belong to someone who hates me.”
His voice dropped, rough and low.
“Be careful, little Luna. Hate is not what I feel.”
............

Olivia has never been loved.
Her family hates her.
Her pack mocks her.
She believes she is nothing.
At the mating ceremony, fate plays a cruel game.
Her mate is Alpha Kingsley — the cold, powerful, and feared Alpha King.
But instead of loving her, he rejects her in front of everyone…
then accepts her only because he needs her for power.
To him, Olivia is just a tool.
To his pack, she is an embarrassment.
But Olivia is not weak.
She carries hidden moon magic.
She has a rare wolf.
And she holds a power that can change the world.
As they spend time together Kingsley begins to see the truth.
The girl he once looked down on
is strong, kind, and rare.
Slowly, painfully,
he falls in love with her.
But it might already be too late.
Because Olivia is no longer the unwanted girl.
She is now the most desired woman in the werewolf world.
Alphas fight for her.
Kings bow to her.
And the Alpha King who once rejected her
may have to lose her forever.

This is a reverse harem romance that brings the heat and the happily-ever-after...in one sitting!
She's supposed to be untouchable. Forbidden. The delicious sweetness we're not allowed to crave and a scandal waiting to happen.

Yet, we refuse to go another semester without her in out arms. Another year not knowing the taste of her lips.

Jemma is the beautiful raven-haired temptation from my senior lecture with the captivating green eyes and curves made of sin. She stirs a raw need in us to find out everything about her. To shower her with the beauties of the world just to see her face light up with joy.

We're the kind of men who have nearly everything we want, yet there's one thing missing in our lives. Someone with the softest lips and sweetest heart to warm our souls and bed.

The world would say what we want with my young student is wrong, that men like us can't have a woman like her.

But they're wrong.
Because Jemma promises she wants every inch of what we have to give her.
She's afraid of breaking the rules, but we'll show her how good it feels to finally fall for her filthy professors.

What happens when an all business Alpha planning his choosen's mating ceremony smells the most wonderful fruity scent that belonged to his curvy mating ceremony planner.
Confident plus size Ji'lahni, her two cousins, and friend owns a successful Wedding planning company along with a dance, and self defense workout studio, get hired by their new friend who is like a mother to them plan her sons wedding I mean mating ceremony?
What will happen when the sassy plus size women step into the world of werewolves?
Read to find out.

“Bro, it’s not a big deal. I’m just fucking her.”

My heart stopped.

Kendall’s voice replied, “But man, what would people think if you made her your girl? That’d be crazy work.”

“I’m not stupid,” Jalen said flatly. “I’d never make her mine. It’s only sex, nothing more. And honestly? It’s not that good anymore. I was gonna let her down easy before break.”
......

Aria, a plus-size beauty, thought her scholarship and condo arrangements were a dream until she met her roommate, Talia. Rich, spoiled, and instantly cruel, Talia made Aria's life miserable.

Talia’s new boyfriend, Jalen, was the campus golden boy. When Aria and Jalen were paired for a project, they clicked in ways neither expected from late night talks to shared secrets and undeniable sexual chemistry.

On Halloween night, during an all campus party, Aria sees Talia cheating on Jalen. One emotional night led to an affair that changed everything… until Jalen says some really damaging words to his roommate that were unforgivable and also heard by a once happy but now upset Aria. Disappointed, fed up, and heartbroken, Aria leaves campus and never looks back.

TEN YEARS LATER
Aria returns for the ten year reunion, confident, stunning, and a self-made CEO. Jalen is still gorgeous… but stuck in a miserable marriage with Talia.

She ignores him. Talia tries to humiliate her. Aria wins the room.

As she leaves, Jalen kisses her. She lets herself feel it, then slaps him and walks away.

THE BUSINESS MERGER

Jalen’s cruise line needs Aria’s brand to revamp their image. She agrees, reluctantly.

Now they’re forced to work side by side, trapped between old wounds and new sparks.

Some love stories never die. But some can burn you twice.

Olivia had lived in pain for most of her life. Because of her unusually large body, people spat at her wherever she went, tripped her in front of hallway lockers, humiliated her openly.
The only light in her life was the man she had secretly loved.
He was the golden boy of campus, never short of girls to dance with. They had a one-night stand—but later, at a fraternity gathering, he mocked her, laughing about how she smelled disgusting.
The past has a way of resurfacing when you least expect it.
Olivia Evans thought she had left her painful past behind. Once known as Emma Cooper, the fat girl constantly humiliated by her classmates, she buried those memories along with her old identity. Changing her name and transforming her life, Olivia became someone far from the girl who once carried qthe weight of ridicule. But when she walks into a clinic with her daughter and comes face-to-face with Noah Ezekiel Morgan, the man who once shattered her heart, everything she tried to forget comes rushing back.
Now, with her daughter’s life hanging in the balance and a high school reunion she never planned to attend, Olivia is forced to confront the man who hurt her deeply. Will she keep her true identity a secret, or will the emotions she’s kept buried for so long rise to the surface?
The weight of the past may be harder to carry than she ever imagined.

After being disowned by her father following his remarriage, Lola, along with her sister and brother, had no other choice but to turn to her friend Ella for help since their mother had left the country. However, Ella's assistance came with a condition - Lola had to go on a blind date in her place. Despite her initial reservations about Ella's father's high-ranking position in the army, Lola agreed to the condition to secure a place to stay. Ella provided Lola with some tips to sabotage the date. Meanwhile, Tony, who had been adopted by Mr. Lopez after his mother abandoned him, traveled from Los Angeles to New York to go on a blind date with General Gordon's daughter. Despite Lola's best efforts to repel him, Tony was determined to make the date work as instructed by Mr. Lopez.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)ONCE CRAVED is book #3 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download!When prostitutes turn up dead in Phoenix, not much attention is paid. But when a pattern of disturbing murders is discovered, the local police soon realize a serial killer is on a rampage and they are in way over their heads. Given the unique nature of the crimes, the FBI, called in, knows they will need their most brilliant mind to crack the case: Special Agent Riley Paige.Riley, recovering from her last case and trying to pick up the pieces of her life, is at first reluctant. But when she learns of the grievous nature of the crimes and realizes the killer will soon strike again, she is compelled. She begins her hunt for the elusive killer and her obsessive nature takes her too far—perhaps too far, this time, to pull herself back from the brink. Riley’s search leads her into the unsettling world of prostitutes, of broken homes, and shattered dreams. She learns that, even amongst these women, there are glimpses of hope, hope being robbed by a violent psychopath. When a teenage girl is abducted, Riley, in a frantic race against time, struggles to probe the depths of the killer’s mind. But what she discovers leads her to a twist that is too shocking for even her to imagine.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE CRAVED is book #3 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.Book #4 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

A rainy night. My husband's hands roamed over my body, groping and kneading without mercy. Moans mingled with the sound of clothes being peeled away, filling the car.
One hand still pressed against my chest. The other shoved a filthy photo in my face—bodies tangled, unmistakable.
Before I could even process what I was seeing, he threw me out onto the road.
"You should pay for what you've done!"
I clutched my pregnant belly, standing in the downpour, unable to accept that he'd just abandoned me in the rain-soaked darkness.
I walked through the night. Every step. Every mile.
When I finally made it home at dawn, the woman from that photo was sitting on our couch.
And suddenly, everything that happened last night made perfect sense.

On our wedding anniversary, my husband threw my daughter and me out of the house.
I was clutching the debit card where my paycheck went, but I still couldn’t afford my daughter’s hospital bill.
And the man who did this was my husband—the same husband diagnosed with low sperm count.
Just when I had nowhere left to turn, a man appeared who looked shockingly like my daughter.
He actually suspected my daughter was his!

At the company party, a drunken mistake led me straight into my boss's bedroom...
Rumor had it that Wellington was cold, ruthless, and completely uninterested in women. They said any woman who dared to cross him would face a terrible end.
A month later, when I woke up in his bed again, only one thought screamed through my mind: Run!
But no matter how far she runs, he will hunt her down. **There is nowhere on earth he won't find her.

“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ALMOST LOST is book #2 in a new psychological thriller series by USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. When a divorcee vacationing in the British countryside puts out an ad for an au pair, Cassandra Vale, 23, broke, still reeling from the ruins of her last placement in France, takes the job without hesitation. Wealthy, handsome and generous, with two sweet children, she feels nothing can go wrong.But can it?Treated to the best England has to offer, and with France out of sight, Cassandra dares to believe she finally has a moment to catch her breath—until a startling revelation forces her to question the truths of her tumultuous past, her employer, and her very own sanity.A riveting mystery replete with complex characters, layers of secrets, dramatic twists and turns and heart-pounding suspense, ALMOST LOST is book #2 in a psychological suspense series that will have you turning pages late into the night. Book #3 in the series--ALMOST DEAD—is available for pre-order!

“When you think that life cannot get better, Blake Pierce comes up with another masterpiece of thriller and mystery! This book is full of twists and the end brings a surprising revelation. I strongly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that enjoys a very well written thriller.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Almost Gone) LEFT TO DIE is book #1 in a new FBI thriller series by USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. FBI special agent Adele Sharp is a German-and-French raised American with triple citizenship—and an invaluable asset in bringing criminals to justice as they cross American and European borders.When a serial killer case spanning three U.S. states goes cold, Adele returns to San Francisco and to the man she hopes to marry. But after a shocking twist, a new lead surfaces and Adele is dispatched to Paris, to lead an international manhunt.Adele returns to the Europe of her childhood, where familiar Parisian streets, old friends from the DGSI and her estranged father reignite her dormant obsession with solving her own mother’s murder. All the while she must hunt down the diabolical killer, must enter the dark canals of his psychotic mind to know where he will strike next—and save the next victim before it’s too late.An action-packed mystery series of international intrigue and riveting suspense, LEFT TO DIE will have you turning pages late into the night.Books #2 and #3 in the series – LEFT TO RUN and LEFT TO HIDE – are also available for preorder!

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)ONCE LURED is book #4 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download, with over 500 five star reviews!Women are turning up dead on a lone stretch of highway in Delaware. Some go missing for an inexplicable length of time, while others are turning up dead, their bodies left out for display in bizarre and mysterious ways. When a pattern is discovered, it becomes clear to the FBI that a twisted serial killer is on the hunt—luring girls in devious schemes—and that he won’t stop killing, ever.The FBI, desperate to crack the case, urges Special Agent Riley Paige to take it on. But the brilliant Riley, still reeling from past cases, has finally found peace in her home life, and is determined to help her daughter April get back on her feet. Yet when the murders become too disturbing, too urgent—and when her former partner Bill implores her—Riley finally realizes she can’t say no.Riley’s hunt leads her deep into the unsettling world of hitchhikers, of drifters, of women that no one else cares for. When she discovers that several women are being kept alive and that there is still time to save them, she realizes she will stop at nothing, obsessing over the case and driving herself to the brink. Yet Riley realizes her own life is falling apart, and her own fragile psyche can barely handle the strain. In a frantic race against time, she will have to plunge deep into the killer’s mind to save these women—and to save herself—from collapse.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE LURED is book #4 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.Book #5 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ONCE STALKED is book #9 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 900 five star reviews! When two soldiers are found dead on a huge military base in California, apparently killed by gunshot, military investigators are stumped. Who is killing its soldiers, inside the secure confines of its own base?And why?The FBI is called in, and Riley Paige is summoned to take the lead. As Riley finds herself immersed in the military culture, she is amazed to realize that serial killers can strike even here, in the midst of the most secure location on earth.She finds herself in a frantic cat and mouse chase, racing to decode the killer’s psychology. Yet she soon discovers she is up against a highly-trained killer, one that may, even for her, be too deadly an opponent.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE STALKED is book #9 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #10 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ONCE COLD is book #8 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 900 five star reviews! There is one cold case that has plagued Special Agent Riley Paige for her entire career, dwelling at the corners of her consciousness, forcing her to return to it again and again. The only case she has never solved, she has finally put it out of her mind.Until she gets a call from the murdered victim’s mother.It spurs Riley to face the case once again, and to not give up until she has found answers.Yet Riley barely has time to catch her breath when she receives a lead for another cold case, one which, if possible, strikes an even deeper note within her. It is a lead that promises to solve the case of her own mother’s killer.And it comes from Shane Hatcher.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE COLD is book #8 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #9 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.In A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4 in the Keri Locke mystery series), Keri Locke, Missing Persons Detective in the Homicide division of the LAPD, follows a fresh lead for her abducted daughter. She winds her way through a twisted underworld, and step by step, she gets closer to finding her daughter.Yet she has no time. Keri is assigned a new case: a dad calls from an affluent community and reports that his teen daughter vanished on the way home from school.Shortly after, ransom letters arrive. Twisted, filled with riddles, they make it clear that there is little time to save the girl. They also make it clear that this is the work of a diabolical killer who is toying with them.Keri and the police must scramble to find the kidnapper, to understand his demands, to decode the letters, and most of all, to outwit him. But in this master game of chess, Keri may find herself up against a foe even she cannot understand, and for the missing girl—and her own daughter—she may just be too late.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, A TRACE OF CRIME is book #4 in a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)Book #5 in the Keri Locke series will be available soon.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ONCE PINED is book #6 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 700 five star reviews! Men and women are turning up dead in the outskirts of Seattle, poisoned by a mysterious chemical. When a pattern is discovered and it becomes clear that a twisted serial killer is on the hunt, the FBI calls in their best asset: Special Agent Riley Paige. Riley is urged to return to the line of duty—but Riley, still reeling from the attacks on her family, is loath to return. Yet as bodies mount, and the murders become more inexplicable, Riley knows she has no choice.The case takes Riley deep into the unsettling world of nursing homes, of hospitals, of drifting caretakers and psychotic patients. As Riley delves deeper into the mind of the murderer, she realizes she is hunting the most terrifying killer of all: one whose madness knows no depths—and yet who may just appear shockingly ordinary.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE PINED is book #6 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #7 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) CITY OF PREY (An Ava Gold Mystery—Book 1) is the debut novel in a long-anticipated new series by #1 bestseller and USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose bestseller Once Gone (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man’s world.But when a psychotic serial killer unleashes a rampage, murdering young women across the city, Ava will have to search the dark canals of the twisted killer’s mind if she has any hope of hunting him down. With psychological profiling still in its infancy, and mocked by most, Ava will be even more alone as she follows her instinct, and hunts him down in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.Just when it seems the stakes couldn’t be higher, Ava comes to an awful realization: she herself may be the next target.Amidst the speakeasies, jazz clubs, mafia-run prohibition rings, horrific mental asylums and dangerous back alleys of the city, can Ava achieve what all the men cannot: enter the sick mind of a killer, and stop him before more women die?A heart-pounding suspense thriller filled with shocking twists, the authentic and atmospheric AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES is a riveting page-turner, endearing us to a strong and brilliant character that will capture your heart and keep you reading late into the night.Books #2 and #3 in the series—CITY OF FEAR and CITY OF BONES—are now also available.

Greyson has been through the emotional ringer and needs change.  So, he quits his high-paying CEO position to turn his mansion into a bed and breakfast and transform the yard into a paradise. Never wanting to sit at a desk again, Greyson recruits a manager to oversee the bed and breakfast. Jenna has a need to prove herself to a man she only knows by his reputation. However, when she arrives at the mansion, she doesn't meet the powerful CEO, only the man she assumes is his gardener. Tempers flare as they work to open the business. It’s not until Jenna’s nightmare catches up with her that Greyson begins to understand what she’s really fighting for. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, Greyson will do the one thing he swore he would never do again. He'll put on the suit and become the CEO he'd grown to hate to save her.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ONCE HUNTED is book #5 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 600 five star reviews! A prison break from a maximum security prison. Frantic calls from the FBI. Special Agent Riley Paige’s worst nightmare has come true: a serial killer she put away years ago is loose. And his main target is her.Riley is used to being the one hunting, but for the first time, she finds herself—and her family—to be the ones being hunted. As the killer stalks her, he also begins a new rampage of kills, and Riley must stop him before it is too late—for the other victims, and for herself.But this is no ordinary killer. He is too smart, and their game of cat-and-mouse too twisted, and he somehow manages to elude her and always stay one step ahead. Desperate to stop him, Riley realizes there is only one way: she must delve back into the past, into this killer’s twisted mind, his old cases, and re-learn what drives him. The only way to stop him, she realizes, is to face the darkness she thought she had left behind.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE HUNTED is book #5 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #6 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.” --Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone) From #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense: CAUSE TO FEAR (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 4).When a body turns up floating beneath the frozen Charles River, the Boston Police summons its most brilliant and controversial homicide detective—Avery Black—to close the case. It doesn’t take Avery long, however, to realize that this is no isolated murder: it is the work of a serial killer.Other bodies begin to turn up, all of them sharing one thing in common: all are trapped in ice. Is it all a coincidence—or the signature of a particularly deranged killer?As the media converges and Avery suffers pressure from her bosses, she struggles to crack the inexplicable case, too bizarre even for her brilliant mind. At the same time she tries to keep her own depression at bay, as her personal life spirals to a new low. And she does it all while trying to enter the mind of a psychotic and elusive killer.What she will find will shock even her, and make her realizes that nothing is what it seems—and that the worst darkness may sometimes be closest to us.A psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO FEAR is book #4 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #5 in the Avery Black series will be available soon. “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side, so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.” --Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone) From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.Homicide Detective Avery Black has been through hell. Once a top criminal defense attorney, she fell from grace when she managed to get a brilliant Harvard professor off—only to watch him kill again. She lost her husband and her daughter, and her life fell apart around her.Trying to redeem herself, Avery has turned to the other side of the law. Working her way up the ranks, she has reached Homicide Detective, to the scorn of her fellow officers, who still remember what she did, and who will always hate her.Yet even they cannot deny Avery’s brilliant mind, and when a disturbing serial killer strikes fear into the heart of Boston, killing girls from elite colleges, it is Avery that they turn to. It is Avery’s chance to prove herself, to finally find the redemption she craves. And yet, as she is soon to find out, Avery has come up against a killer as brilliant and daring as she.In this game of psychological cat and mouse, women are dying with mysterious clues, and the stakes could not be higher. A frantic race against time leads Avery through a series of shocking and unexpected twists—culminating in climax that even Avery could not imagine. A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO KILL marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 in the Avery Black series will be available soon.“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side, so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

From #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce comes a heart-pounding new mystery series.In the cornfields of Nebraska a woman is found murdered, strung up on a pole, the victim of a deranged killer. It doesn’t take long for the police to realize a serial killer is on the loose—and that his spree has just begun.Detective Mackenzie White, young, tough, smarter than the aging, chauvinistic men on her local force, finds herself called in grudgingly to help solve it. As much as the other officers hate to admit it, they need her young, brilliant mind, which has already helped crack cold cases that had left them stumped. Yet even for Mackenzie this new case proves an impossible riddle, something the likes of which she—and the local force—have ever seen.With the FBI called in, together, an intense manhunt ensues. Mackenzie, reeling from her own dark past, her failed relationships, and her undeniable attraction to the new FBI agent, finds herself battling her own demons as her hunt for the killer takes her to the darkest places of her mind. As she delves into the killer’s mind, obsessing over his twisted psychology, she finds that evil truly does exist. She only hopes it will not be too late to extricate herself from it, as her entire life collapses around her.As more bodies turn up dead and a frantic race against time ensues, there is no way out but to find him before he kills again.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, BEFORE HE KILLS marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 in the Mackenzie White Mystery series will be available soon. Also available by Blake Pierce is ONCE GONE (A Riley Paige mystery—Book #1), a #1 bestseller!

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) HOMECOMING (A Chloe Fine Mystery) is book #5 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has over 1,000 five-star reviews. When two husbands, best friends, turn up dead in a wealthy suburban town, FBI VICAP Special Agent Chloe Fine, 27, is called in to unmask the lies in this small town and to find the killer. Chloe will have to penetrate this town’s perfect façade, to get past its public appearances to understand the truth of who these men were, and who may have wanted them dead. And in a town that thrives on its exclusivity, that won’t be easy to do.What secrets were these husbands hiding?An emotionally wrought psychological suspense with layered characters, small-town ambiance and heart-pounding suspense, HOMECOMING is book #5 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #6 in the Chloe Fine series will also be available soon.

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.” --Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone) From #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense—the AVERY BLACK SERIES—which continues here with CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6), also a standalone novel. The series begins with CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)—a free download with over 200 five star reviews!A woman turns up dead in her own apartment, locked in her closet, her body crawling with poisonous spiders, and the Boston police are stumped. As all of their leads collapse, they are dreading the killer will strike again. Desperate, the police have no choice but to turn to Boston’s most brilliant and controversial homicide detective—Avery Black. Now retired, Avery, in a low point in her own life, reluctantly agrees to help with the case. But when other bodies start turning up, murdered in grotesque and unusual ways, Avery can’t help but wonder: is there a serial killer on the loose?With the intense media pressure and the stress of having a new, inexperienced partner, Avery is pushed to her limit as she struggles to crack the bizarre cases—and to keep herself from falling into the abyss. Avery finds herself falling deeper and deeper into the twisted mind of the killer, who holds more secrets than Avery could imagine.The most riveting and shocking book of the series, a psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO DREAD will leave you turning pages late into the night. “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side, so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery) is book #1 in a new psychological thriller series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. 55 year old empty nester—and freshly retired FBI agent—Kate Wise finds herself drawn out of her quiet suburban life when her friend’s daughter is murdered in a home invasion—and she is implored to help.Kate thought she left the FBI behind after 30 years as their top agent, respected for her brilliant mind, tough street skills and her uncanny ability to hunt down serial killers. Yet Kate, bored with the quiet town, at a crossroads in life, is summoned by a friend she can’t turn down.As Kate hunts the killer, she soon finds herself at the forefront of a manhunt, as more bodies turn up—all suburban moms in perfect marriages—and it becomes apparent there is a serial killer stalking this quiet town. She unearths secrets from her neighbors she wishes she never knew, discovering that all is not what it seems in this picture of model streets and neighbors. Affairs and lying are rampant, and Kate must sift through the town’s underbelly if she will stop the killer from striking again.But this killer is one step ahead of her, and it may end up being Kate who is in danger.An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, IF SHE KNEW is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 in the KATE WISE MYSTERY series is coming soon!

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.Keri Locke, Missing Persons Detective in the Homicide division of the LAPD, remains haunted by the abduction of her own daughter, years before, never found. Still obsessed with finding her, Keri buries her grief the only way she knows how: by throwing herself into the cases of missing persons in Los Angeles.A routine phone call from a worried mother of a high-schooler, only two hours missing, should be ignored. Yet something about the mother’s voice strikes a chord, and Keri decides to investigate.What she finds shocks her. The missing daughter—of a prominent senator—was hiding secrets no one knew. When all evidence points to a runaway, Keri is ordered off the case. And yet, despite pressure from her superiors, from the media, despite all trails going cold, the brilliant and obsessed Keri refuses to let it go. She knows she has but 48 hours if she has any chance of bringing this girl back alive.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, A TRACE OF DEATH marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)Book #2 in the Keri Locke series will be available soon.

“Be sure. If we do this, it is forever. And you and I WILL live forever. That is what it means to be you. You will live forever, but if you become my mate, I will live forever too, and you and I will be tied for eternity.” Lyle’s eyes were probing. They seemed to be searching for the truth.

For Amaris, the search for truth has always been paramount. But when Lyle enters her life, she must face the ultimate question: will she choose to be with him? As she searches for the truth about their future, Amaris must confront her deepest desires and fears. Will she be brave enough to take the leap and live forever with the man she loves?

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ONCE LOST is book #10 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 900 five star reviews! Still reeling from her former partner Lucy’s death and from her partner Bill’s PTSD, FBI Special Agent Riley Paige does her best to try to keep herself stable and to patch together her family life. She has to decide what to about April’s boyfriend, recovering from his abusive father, and about Blaine, who is ready for their relationship to move ahead.But before she can work it out, Riley is summoned for a new case. In an idyllic suburban town in the Midwest, teenage girls are going missing—and a body has already turned up. The police are stumped, and Riley is called in to catch the killer before another girl goes missing.Making things worse is that Riley is assigned a partner she does not want—her nemesis, Special agent Roston—who had been interrogating her in Shane’s case.Even worse: Shane is on the loose, he wants revenge—and he has Riley’s family in his sights.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE LOST is book #10 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #11 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

Years into my marriage, it wasn't until my IVF succeeded that I finally saw my husband for who he truly was.
He had been after one of my kidneys all along. And the eggs had been swapped...
I had been turned into a surrogate for him and his ex-lover without ever knowing it.
But fate had a twisted sense of humor—it was the sperm that got switched, not the eggs.
Even so, I couldn't stomach a marriage built entirely on lies. I was nothing but a tool to him.
I want a divorce.
And I'm going to find the biological father of the child growing inside me.

After years of desperate IVF attempts, I overheard my husband boast that the baby was his and his ex's.
The child in my womb wasn't mine!
But when I pressed a gun to the complicit doctor's head, he trembled and spilled an even bigger bombshell—the mix-up wasn't my egg, it was the sperm... and the donor was Damien Costello, the most powerful Mafia Don in the city.
I was carrying Costello's baby!

At my ex-fiancé's engagement party to my own sister, a stranger made me come with just his hands and his mouth. I only found out later he was the city's most feared Mafia boss...

Dear readers,
I'm taking a necessary health break and will have to pause updates for a while. Thank you for your understanding and continued support! I appreciate you all.

"To my lovely readers: I’m really sorry to say that I’ve been sick lately and need to take a short break from writing to recover. I’ll be back as soon as I can!"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry... your tenth IVF attempt has failed."
I stumbled out of the hospital in a daze, my mind replaying every devastating rejection I'd heard over the past year.
Until I caught my own reflection in a shop window across the street—my face pale and swollen... and just beyond the glass, my husband clasping a jeweled necklace around his mistress's neck.

“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ALMOST GONE is book #1 in a new psychological thriller series by USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. When 23 year old Cassandra Vale accepts her first job as an au pair, she finds herself placed with a wealthy family in a rural estate outside of Paris, and all seems too good to be true. But she soon discovers that behind the gilded gates lies a dysfunctional family, a twisted marriage, troubled children, and secrets too dark to air. Cassandra is convinced she’s finally found a fresh start when she takes a job as an au pair in the idyllic French countryside. Just beyond the Paris city limits, the Dubois manor is a grand relic of the past, the family its picture-perfect occupants. It’s the escape Cassandra needs—until she uncovers dark secrets that prove things aren’t as glamorous as they seem.Beneath the opulence lies a dark web of malice, one Cassandra finds all too familiar, triggering dreams from her own violent and tortured past, one from which she desperately runs. And when a grisly murder tears the house apart, it threatens to take down her own fragile psyche with it. A riveting mystery replete with complex characters, layers of secrets, dramatic twists and turns and heart-pounding suspense, ALMOST GONE is book #1 in a psychological suspense series that will have you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 and #3--ALMOST LOST and ALMOST DEAD—are also available!