Gabrielle Cody has accepted her destiny as God’s warrior, charged to destroy all evil, but she wasn’t prepared to see Detective Luther Cross ever again. He’s the beacon of reality in her life, the one thing that makes her feel human, like a real woman. But Gaby must resist involvement with Luther now, for she is protecting streetwalkers. Her life of retribution is far too dangerous, and this time, it’s not just their hearts that won’t come out unscathed.

Ulaan Bataar bakes in the heat of an unseasonably hot summer as it prepares to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Mongol Empire. But the city is facing a series of unexpected crises—an apparent suicide bomber shot down by police in Suuk Bataar Square, a dead body in the City Museum gruesomely arranged to recreate a macabre scene from ancient Mongolian history, an explosion at a political rally, and yet another body found murdered nearby. For Doripalam, now boss of the Serious Crime Team, the crises are growing increasingly personal. As he struggles to keep control of his own personal and professional life, one of his own team is arrested. Solongo, Doripalam’s wife is facing her own challenges and finds herself entangled with murder and with the fugitive officer. Worst of all, Nergui, now an influential figure in the Ministry of Security, appears to be pursuing an agenda all of his own.The roots of all this trouble lie in the past—in the history of the Mongol nation, as well as in the more recent legacies of the communist state. As the sun beats down, a chilling figure emerges—a figure from Nergui’s past, an outcast, who has returned to exact revenge, both on Nergui himself and on the nation that rejected him.

<P>As one reviewer said, In Her Name is “a grand story of love, power, sacrifice and good versus evil” that seamlessly blends together epic fantasy, science fiction, and romance as it chronicles the coming-of-age of a young warrior hero torn between love and honor.</P> <P>The galaxy is at war. The Confederation of Humanity is a democracy fracturing under the strain of nearly a century of war with alien invaders, the warriors of the Kreelan Empire. Humanoids with blue skin, fangs and fingers that end in razor sharp talons, they have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. For the Confederation, there is no negotiation, there is no surrender. There is only the fierce struggle to survive.</P> <P>On an embattled world, young Reza Gard finds himself face to face with Tesh-Dar, the greatest of the Empire’s warriors. Born to a race whose recorded history spans half a million years, Tesh-Dar - a warrior priestess - is endowed with powers that are supernatural to human eyes. In Reza’s eyes, the eyes of a boy whose parents she has just slain, she is a monster. Holding him off the ground, face to face, she is slowly strangling him when he lashes out with his dead father’s knife, cutting her face across the left eye. Surprised and impressed with this young human animal, she bestows upon him a matching wound, a trophy of sorts, and inexplicably lets him live.</P> <P>Orphaned and alone, Reza is sent to the planet Hallmark. Supposedly a safe haven for war orphans, in reality it is little more than a slave labor planet. Toiling in grain fields under a burning sun, Reza leads a ragtag band of orphans doing the best they can to survive.</P> <P>But again, Tesh-Dar intervenes in his life. Leading an attack against Hallmark, she has been sent by her Empress on a special mission: to gather human children and return them to the Empire as part of an experiment to see if they have souls. Reza, along with thousands of others, is captured, with Hallmark left behind in flaming ruin.</P> <P>He awakens to the silver-flecked cat’s eyes of Esah-Zhurah, a young warrior tasked with teaching him the language and customs of her people. At first beaten and caged, Reza gradually earns her grudging respect. Over the years that follow he not only survives, but thrives as he learns the warrior ways of the Empire, becoming both more and less than human. As the relationship between the two young warriors deepens, Tesh-Dar and the Empress wonder if Reza may be the One foretold in an ancient prophecy, who will redeem the Kreelan race from an ancient blood curse.</P> <P>As Reza’s final challenge looms, Esah-Zhurah performs an ancient blood ritual that binds them together in body and spirit. For the first time the Bloodsong, the tie that binds every Kreelan soul to the Empress, echoes in his veins, at last making him one with the Children of the Empress.</P> <P>But his acceptance of the Kreelan Way leaves him with a dreadful choice: he must either make war against the humans, or - if he refuses - leave the Empire and Esah-Zhurah behind forever. </P> <P>The path he takes leads him toward a destiny set in motion millennia before, with the fate of both races hanging in the balance...</P>

Billionaire bachelor Wyatt McCall left some unfinished business behind when he skipped town fifteen years ago. Like Toni Casale, his former love. Now Brody's Crossing's take-charge mayor, Toni is already putting Wyatt to work for the holidays. But does the bossy blonde know she still takes his breath away?Wyatt is still sexy, still gorgeous--and still pulling those outrageous stunts that made him famous in high school. If she doesn't watch out, Toni will fall for Wyatt all over again. But it may already be too late. Because this time around, the Texas troublemaker is planning something that could reunite him with the woman he loves--and give their hometown a Christmas they'll never forget!

The Empress wants to locate the descendants of her exiled sister. No magically-bonded Pair is more ill-suited for the job than long-suffering Shield Lee Mallorough and her all-too-charming Source Shintaro Karish. Yet it's a mission they can't refuse.