For most of human history, the notion that paternity was uncertain appeared to be an immutable law of nature. The unknown father provided entertaining plotlines from Shakespeare to the Victorian novelists and lay at the heart of inheritance and child support disputes. But in the 1920s new scientific advances promised to solve the mystery of paternity once and for all. The stakes were high: fatherhood has always been a public relationship as well as...

"Arden Moore enjoyed an affluent life thanks to her husband’s high-paying job. But a year after his death, the 36-year-old is a grieving single mother deeply in debt and living paycheck to paycheck with her three children. Then an unexpected call from a well-known estate lawyer in New York offers a glimmer of hope. It is the beginning of a complex legal journey that could mean the difference between a life of abject poverty and unthinkable wealth...

"Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store. Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations...

"Jessica Fischer wants nothing more than to build her law practice in small-town Ashton, Georgia. She’s well on her way when the local town hero, football coach Frank 'Tripp' Wishingham III, hires her to represent him in a paternity suit. Coach is everything Jessica despises—arrogant, sexist, entitled—but it’s her job to make him look good in public. This is made doubly difficult when her burgeoning relationship with a local reporter gets...

"It's Christmastime in Caerphilly and Meg, full of holiday spirit, is helping out with the town's festivities. While directing a nativity pageant and herding the children participating in it, she finds a surprise in the manger: a live baby. A note from the mother, attached to the baby girl's clothes, says that it's time for her father to take care of her--and implicates Meg's brother, Rob, as the father. And while a DNA test can reveal whether there's...

"Attending Valentino Bonaparte’s convenient wedding is torture for Princess Carliz. Years ago, she shared an incandescent kiss with the brooding Italian—she’s craved more ever since. When the ceremony is called off, they finally get the chance to surrender to their wildest temptations. But in the morning, Valentino still walks away… Three months after their passionate night wrecked her forever, Carliz must tell Valentino he left her with...

"His high school sweetheart returns with a baby and a devastating secret. Reese Markowski can't believe he's hiring his ex-girlfriend--but to save his program for dogs and at-risk kids, the veteran needs Gabby Hanks. Single mom Gabby's fierce love for her infant daughter is undeniable, as is the child's effect on Reese's wounded heart. Their holiday reunion is a joyful surprise, but nothing prepares Reese for the truth about Gabby's baby." --back...

Tiffany comes to live with her wealthy biological father, whom she has never met, and his family after her mother's death, but her position in her very strict new home is threatened when another man claims to be her father.

"This K-9 has a sanctuary to protect and its owner to rescue. Someone wants Paige Bristow's wolf sanctuary gone ... and Paige dead. Officer Reece Campbell and his K-9 partner, Maverick, are the only ones she can turn to, but she never told him he was the father of her daughter. As the attacks escalate, Reece must uncover the perp and keep himself from falling for Paige all over again. But will the truth between them cost everything?" --back cover

"It's December in Cornwall, and Mousehole harbour is illuminated with its famous Christmas lights. Ally Bright is among the crowd listening to the carol singers--and then to the piercing screams that rip through the darkness. A body has been found, brutally murdered and dumped in a fisherman's boat. The victim is chef JP Sharpe and there is no shortage of people who might have wanted him dead. Eager for a new case for The Shell House Detectives, Ally...