Showing results by author "Adrian J. Smith" in All Categories

Living in New Zealand, Jack Gee thought he was safe. The isolated country had always provided a sense of security. When a virus begins to spread across the globe, he is on a hiking trip in the mountains, blissfully unaware. A message from his wife Dee alerts him to the viral threat that turns humans into apex predators with one purpose - to kill. The country collapses as Jack races to get home, and when he finally does make it out of the mountains he finds his peaceful life has been shattered. Banding with other survivors, they must quickly learn how to survive in this new world.

When Laura Finch’s business partner hires Skylar to bring their company to the next generation, Laura sees red. An obnoxious millennial isn’t someone she wants to work with—they’re known for failing their side hustles. Since Laura gave up everything for Solace Inc to succeed, including her dreams of marriage and family, she’s not willing to risk it on just anyone.

Zoe's boss is a force to be reckoned with. And Zoe has had a crush on Gwen Fudala for the last three years. In a twist of events, Zoe drunkenly ends up on the phone with Gwen while in a compromising position. But it sparks a wildfire that neither can put out. Still, something isn't right. Gwen is being stalked. Vowing to let nothing happen to her boss, Zoe winds up tangled in the stalker's game. Unable to see which way is out and loyal to a fault, Zoe sticks by Gwen's side through thick and thin. Can they navigate a relationship under the watchful eye of a perpetrator?

Monti Schroeder is on a quest for peace. She has been since the moment she was born. But peace has remained elusive. Living as a nomad, she takes work where she can get it. When her sister calls with a favor for her neurotic boss, Monti agrees to it for a few extra bucks. What Monti finds when she arrives is a woman just as broken as she is. And no matter what, she can't leave Athena to flounder on her own.

After a lifetime of hunting down criminals, Ryan just wants to live out his days in peace and in the shadows of Tokyo to grieve the loss of his wife and son. But his old team - the Nameless, experts in extraction and recon - comes with an urgent request for help. The young daughter of one of his closest friends, a girl he once treated as his own, has been kidnapped.

Isla Walsh is a prankster, and her favorite person to pull one over on has to be her principal, Andry Murphey. But Isla isn't all fun and games, and her sixth-grade students will attest to that. Behind every prank Isla plays hides a secret she hasn't shared since she moved to Cheyenne. She's not the happy person she seems to be. In fact, she's pretty certain everyone will leave her.

Chris Murphey is a drunk and not proud of it. Sobering up changed her life, and she's ready to make amends. But she won't fall in love again. One night is all she's willing to give, and the cute young woman who is new to town seems like she might just fit the bill. Until Chris screws that up too. Because no principal should sleep with their former student. No principal should sleep with a current parent. Will Chris ever make a right decision?

Wil thought she had the world ahead of her—eight years of experience in her job, her temper under control and working for her, and a manager who understood her. All Wil's fears tumble out when her best friend's stepmom becomes her new manager. No longer able to hide who she is, Wil fights to control her temper and crush on the one person she's never been able to hold back on.

The last thing on Esther Dunja's mind is falling in love. Her goal is to keep her head down and slide through the next twelve years until her son graduates. After being run out of the last school she taught at by her ex, Esther needs to make this new teaching job work. It's her last chance to retain custody. The problem is she never anticipated falling for her son's kindergarten teacher.

Taking her best friend's advice, Sarah travels to Indigo B&B to distract herself from her upcoming tour. Instead, she comes face-to-face with Indigo's ruggedly alluring owner, Eli. The vision of strength and confidence, Eli evokes Sarah's envy as well as an undeniable attraction. Sarah wonders if there is more beneath Eli's façade and how deep both their demons go.

In a city of thirty million, Ryan Connors thought he could vanish into the shadows and escape his old life to grieve the loss of his wife and son. But when the young daughter of one of his closest friends is kidnapped, he must reunite with his former extraction and recon team—The Nameless— and find those responsible. As Ryan and his team begin to unravel a deep macabre plot that goes far beyond a missing girl, they quickly realize that it threatens the entire world.

Bellamy has worked with and loved her wife of 10 years, but it’s never enough. When Bellamy finds her limit of abuse and a young, cute waitress offers an opportunity, she seizes the moment, knowing she’ll never see Payton again. But months later, Bellamy comes face-to-face with the one-night stand she can’t forget and the failed marriage she has yet to escape. Payton knows she can’t be the normal 20-something when she ends up with custody of her nephew. Leaping at the opportunity for a full-time job, she has instant regrets when in walks the woman of her dreams. Bellamy.

For years Bridget has hidden who she is from her small hometown. A democratic lesbian wouldn't very easily be elected Sheriff in the Bible Belt, and she doesn't want to give up her dream of working in law enforcement.

Violet's passion is storm chasing, but she spends most of her year teaching students at the local college all about the science behind the weather. As another storm season begins, her star student, Lando, is invited along by Violet's team member Diane. Violet, however, is determined that this is the year she will finally let Diane know how she feels.

Coming out in a rural Kansas town was never something Jewel thought she'd do, especially as the newly-minted music teacher. She finds adversity everywhere she looks, except one. Her best friend, Lea, has always been the supportive backbone she's needed. When her boyfriend breaks up with her, Jewel needs Lea more than ever.

Jack Gee, hiking the New Zealand mountains, is blissfully unaware of the Hemorrhage virus sweeping the world. A desperate message from his wife, Dee, alerts him, and he must return to Hamilton. On the way, he is captured by flesh-eating Variants and taken to their meat locker. To escape, he will need to draw on all his experience as an outdoorsman, but first, he must find the will to survive. Surrounded by Variants, Dee is trapped in her Hamilton basement with a group of survivors. With Jack missing, and dwindling food supplies, she must leave the basement, her only defense a katana.

In the aftermath of a global catastrophe that has killed billions, old enemies become allies in order to survive. When Ryan Connors and his former recon team, the Nameless, form an alliance with the Yakuza, they learn of a new plot that could lead to countless more deaths. Armed with this knowledge, and driven by revenge, Ryan and his team launch a desperate bid to stop OPIS from executing their plans to destroy the world.

The Hemorrhage Virus tore through America and swept the globe, leaving no country untouched. New Zealand was no exception. Those infected mutated into monsters, monsters that became known as Variants. Seven weeks have passed since Jack and Dee's quiet world shattered. Along with a small band of survivors, they fled to Mayor Island. Determined to help stem the Variant scourge, they volunteer for what remains of the army. Led by Captain Ben Johns, a grizzly retired NZ SAS soldier, they are sent on a dangerous mission to rescue a scientist.

Heidi and Ann have been together nearly sixteen years, and yet, something hasn't been right in their relationship from the start. Struggling with deep trauma, Heidi pulls away and doesn't know how to function in a normal loving relationship. Ann is overwhelmed by shame when it comes to her needs. Eighteen months ago, they took a leap and opened their relationship in hopes of finding a better balance. Insert Lila. Lila is young, vicarious, and a strength for both Ann and Heidi. With trauma of her own, she was graced with the tools to cope and thrive.

Welcome to New Zealand: golden beaches, forest-covered mountains, pristine water and exotic bird life. A safe, friendly place to raise your family. Not anymore. All that was before the Hemorrhage Virus decimated the population. Before the survivors fled to the islands to escape the new and terrifying apex predators—the Variants. That was before Operation Utu launched to reclaim their land.