Bøger udgivet af Black Rose Writing

"Uncontrollable is UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE. It's 'The Good Fight' meets epilepsy... in the form of a really juicy weekend read." -Alisa Kennedy Jones bestselling author of Gotham Girl Interrupted: My Misadventures in Motherhood, Love, and EpilepsyAt 36-years-old, Casey Scott appears to have it all: a booming career as a civil rights litigator, a loving husband, and two sweet young children. But she also has epilepsy, and her worsening seizures threaten to destroy the life she toiled to build.When her doctor says she is likely to die if her seizures are not controlled, Casey is at a crossroads: will she choose her career and lifelong aspirations, or her family and health?The decisions she makes affect her marriage, children, and future in ways she could never expect.Told by Casey and her husband, Uncontrollable is an emotional roller coaster that examines both what happens when the life we may be forced to live is not the life we planned to live, and the compromises we make to survive in the face of adversity.

"With a realistic redemption arc, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back is a novel in which a survivor of abuse achieves a gritty, tender coming-of-age and reinvents herself." -Karen Ribgy, The ForewardA girl-and-her backpack story: Carlie is not merely traveling. A child sexual abuse survivor, as a teen she steals ten thousand dollars and runs away to Asia. There, the Lonely Planet path of hookups, heat, alcohol, and drugs takes on a terrifying reality.Landing in Tokyo in the late 1980s, Carlie falls in with an international crew of tai chi-practicing backpackers. With their help, she has the chance at a journey she didn't plan for: one to find the self-respect taken from her as a child and the healthy sexuality she desires.

"Hello. My name is Fred. And I've been dead. Numerous times."This is the true account of the medical traumas of Fred Rutman. From 2009 through 2018, Fred faced continuous life and death situations that rocked every aspect of his life. Further, the unique aspects of his rarely-seen conditions forced medical teams to level up like never before.Fred Rutman was certainly up against it. It being the Grim Reaper. The Reaper unleashed its full arsenal, pitting Fred against much of the medical system he trusted with his life. Even if Fred won the initial battles, could he win the war?The Summer I Died Twenty Times is a medical trauma memoir unlike any other. In one package, Fred Rutman provides all the overcoming adversity, resilience and beating the odds a reader expects. With a side of sarcasm and humour. He may not be the hero you expected. He just might be the hero you need.This may be the most important book you never knew you had to read. These experiences changed the lives of almost everyone who knows Fred. It will likely change your life, too. Perhaps even save your life or the life of someone you know. Pick up a copy. Now. You'll be glad you did.

"The Ledger weaves a tale of nonstop action and danger, all at a lightning pace. You'll read it more than once just to re-experience the excitement." -Megan Davidson, author of The ThunderingNo matter how hard she tries, Maddy Reynolds can't seem to escape the darkest aspects of humanity. After leaving her New York detective career behind, she retires to the Adirondacks, but even the rolling mountains and wondrous beauty cannot keep evil at bay.It's been years since The Glades burned to the ground, and evidence of the horrendous sex trafficking ring seems to have vanished with the smoke. But then, a new congressional investigation reveals the existence of a document with the names of the predators.Believing Maddy knows where the document is, the predators dispatch hit men and mobster thugs, along with Maddy's long-time nemesis, Naomi White.After learning the stakes and extent of this menace, Maddy's law enforcement colleagues find themselves in a race against the clock to save her, all while the former detective must find greater fortitude than she's ever had before.

"Rich with empathy, humor, and imagination, Giorgio paints a beautiful picture of the afterlife that is a balm for anyone who has ever lost someone." -Marisa Dondlinger, author of Open and Gray LinesIn Heaven, there is a gated community for those who end their lives by choice. This is a complete surprise to 43-year old Hope, who ends her life one morning on the banks of the Fox River in Waukesha, Wisconsin.Hope has always dealt with deep sadness. From childhood on, she visited therapists, doctors, alternative medicine practitioners, Reiki artists, etc., to no avail. In Heaven, God reassures her that he knows what caused the sadness, but he won't reveal it yet.All community residents are required to attend weekly group therapy. Hope's first group is led by Virginia Woolf.Several of the book's chapters tell the stories of other members of this group. Filled with many moments of striking humor, uplifting realizations, and difficult challenges, Hope finds her way in Heaven. She meets many people like herself, who help her restore her forgotten artistic talent and passion, and God himself, who is amazingly human in the most inhuman of ways. Hope finds understanding and forgiveness, and most importantly, friends.

"We kissed again, this one different, with a subtle feeling of urgency behind it that reached way down deep into me, like a hook, pulling on something soft and very tender. I pulled away, fighting an urge to leap up and run."Shy and introverted Amber begins her first job out of high school cleaning kennels for Helping All Animals, moving quickly into their writing/researching staff using skills gained at her high school's newspaper. Tom, a one-eyed cat Amber rescued from a hoarder's house, becomes her best friend and confidant. Hikes into the surrounding New Mexico hills provide her with some solace.Surrounded by people who speak out against cruelty, Amber gradually awakens to the insidious and pervasive effects her relationship with an older man is having in her own life. Revealing her story to others, even in the face of horror, disgust, and rejection, is her first step towards healing. With the help of Tom's non-judgmental ear and a friend from work, she fights to peel herself away from the abuse and its effects.Gradually, Amber learns how to connect with the world, discovering along the way her own inner strength and wisdom.

Caleb's finest hour is his deepest secret. Not even his parents knew what really happened after three nights in the wilderness. Now another school, another class, and another group of kids who were not his friends.Finding Caleb is the story of the new kid with a secret. The brutal summer storm, in the dark, in the Wyoming wilderness, hungry and alone, Caleb hears an animal approaching his survival shelter. Does anyone know or care that he has been missing for three days? In a flash of lightning, his fears come alive in the dark form of a creature. He feels the warm breath on his hand, his face. Then the animal turns and vaults into the dark. When it returns, Caleb is no longer afraid.Now, in a new school, he is lost again... friendless. When he boldly tells his story of survival to a group of elite students who have never been out of walking distance of a McDonalds, friendships form and even romance blooms.Author, and rescue-dog handler, Scott Hammond's Finding Caleb, Book 1 in the Search and Rescue Dog Series is a story of hope about a loyal dog whose mission is to bring people home. It is a must-read for any wandering teen wondering how to connect with the real world.

2023 San Francisco Book Festival WINNER - Science Fiction"Prepare to be swept away with this riveting, character-driven sci-fi thriller. This exceptional and one-of-a-kind, sci-fi journey is a must-read for anyone seeking a thrilling and meaningful story, as it is truly-like many reviewers have said-a 'page-turner.'" (Amazon Reviewer)Everyone remembers exactly where they were, the day the ships came.What no one knew back then, though, was that there were people who were already expecting them.Scottish psychologist Elspeth McGann thinks her patient Lester Rains-a suave, enigmatic man who claims to be have been alive for 2,000 years and to be part of a team of extraterrestrial 'farmers' waiting on Earth for an alien harvest-is a delusional schizophrenic. But when vast ships suddenly appear over Moscow and vacuum up 50,000 people in a matter of hours, she realizes she must track down the elusive Rains. In her search, she stumbles upon a group who are already trying to track down the farmers. This band of renegades is led by Cassius C. Trenton, a former NSA analyst who has been on the run since he broke the code on a mystery transmission beamed into space from Earth years ago, and which bore a single, chilling message: Ripe.With the aliens set to return, and some world leaders complicit in their plans, Elspeth and Trenton must seek out Rains and find a way of escaping the impending apocalypse, a hunt that takes them from Edinburgh to the White House, only to discover the harvest is just the beginning.

When sixteen-year-old Vernadine Dawn Turnipseed is asked to join the boys' basketball team for Buford County High School in 1943, shock waves, riots and anger roll through her hometown of Spit's Creek, Alabama with a fury. In a strange twist of fate, the once hated, despised and rejected Vernadine becomes the 'Queen of Basketball' and the unlikely hero of her hometown, county and state.But Vernadine has a secret; a secret that would devastate her newfound status in her community if anyone knew. After a carefully hatched plan with her parents, Vernadine suddenly departs her hometown, leaving the town to speculate what happened to her?After receiving the news of her father's illness, Vernadine returns home after many years as a beautiful, successful and confident woman finally ending the mystery of 'what became of Vernadine?' once and for all.When Louanna Parsons disappears in the spring of 1961, no one would ever suspect the prominent man involved.

"Engaging and mysterious, The Emerald Necklace sheds light on that inevitable time when lovers, family, friends and circumstances change and force you to reinvent yourself whether you want to or not." -Rebecca Rosenberg, award-winning Champagne Widows seriesThree months after her husband's death in 1969, Rosalee Linoff is determined to jump back into life.For her, that means returning to her art. She desperately wants to be accepted as a talented sculptor, but that requires she dig up the courage to submit her work again - and be judged. Her paralyzing insecurity mounts when she meets her new neighbor, best-selling author Fran Barish.Fran has the recognition Rosalee craves. But Rosalee's joy with her children, especially her granddaughter, Jill, eats at Fran, a constant reminder of her childlessness. A spiral of mutual envy ensues. It constantly bubbles below the surface of their friendship and is intensified by Fran's long held secret - and her inexplicable fascination with Jill's emerald necklace.As Jill starts college, Rosalee worries about the choices her granddaughter might make. But Jill's passion for women's rights makes Grandma proud. Together with Rosalee's friends, they travel to New York City for the Women's Strike for Equality - which further escalates the tension between Rosalee and Fran.When Jill's convictions are tested, Rosalee faces a dilemma. Does she dare trust Fran to help? Will their mutual jealousy make that impossible? Or will the story behind Jill's emerald bind them together?

A heartwarming, coming-of-age debut YA novel with plenty to entertain both young and adult.Divided Berlin is the face of the Cold War in the 70s. Kate is new at Berlin American High School in West Berlin, confused how life works in an island of freedom walled in by a totalitarian state.Life in the American Sector takes off when Kate befriends Amy, joins cross country, and discovers Berlin's quirky nightlife, while falling quietly in love.On the other side of the Wall, siblings Michael and Anika are alone, struggling to stay true to their values despite State repression and manipulations of a creepy relative who works for the Stasi. Anika must find the courage to reveal her dark secret to her brother.Worlds separated by the Wall: when they merge, the result is an explosion of courage as love leads the way.

As a red-haired, freckle-faced kid whose pants were always too short, author Joel Samberg was taunted by his share of bullies. One day he decided it was a good idea to hurl a string of insults to a bully across the street. He thought he was safe since he was standing on the stoop of his own house. That true-life incident became the basis for the title tale in Weinerface-one of 35 stories that might come in handy for our collective sanity by providing a short respite from the craziness of the world.The stories in Weinerface allow us to consider some intriguing questions such as: What if you believed the world was going to end and decided it was time to overindulge? (My Ass, Not Yours) What if you had to pack for a one-way trip to outer space? (One Hundred Fifty Nine Pounds Max) What if all your clothes were stolen during a lunchtime picnic during work? (Bitten By a Badger in Blauvelt) And many others.When Joel thinks back to those days on the stoop, it often sends him into an emotional tailspin. But that should be of no concern to the reader. After all, it was his ass, not yours.

Written by award-winning entertainment strategist Aisha Tritle, this cyberpunk thriller is perfect for fans of sci-fi classics Brave New World and Logan's Run.Astrid was brought back six months ago for one purpose: to help restore balance in the city.Blessed with a broken moral compass and a past she can't remember, Astrid fills her role as a Regulator with ease. Every day, she kills Unworthies-those deemed unfit to be a part of the society so carefully constructed after the Infirmum swept through the earth a hundred years ago, leaving all the children dead and all the adults infertile.With humanity now reliant on a weekly injection to survive, everyone is young, beautiful, and almost immortal... including the enigmatic doctor who renewed her, Michael.As the city is pushed into a new ice age and she's drawn into a rebellion, Astrid realizes she knows dangerously little about the place she lives and the people she kills for. When Michael reveals the reason he's been able to survive for so long, Astrid finds out she won't just have to save the city, she will also have to decide what it truly means to be human.

"It must be said. Scandal follows her family like an ever-faithful hound. No matter how hard they kick it away, it comes slinking around time-after-time. Although her relatives are obsessed with social position and the opinions of others, heiress India Elisabeth Petra De Vries Ledbetter is determined to live life by her own terms, family expectations and society's demands be damned. Reared away from the social whirl of Gilded Age New York, India would prefer a life of philanthropy in her native Appalachia, but Mother and Grandmama have far grander plans. They believe Mrs. Astor's old 400 are ready to overlook the past and that an advantageous marriage will cement their place in society once more. In fact, they have already selected the prospective bridegroom. The only problem? No one consulted India. With captivating insights into the human spirit and heart, The Last Dollar Princess leads us on a riveting quest for self-determination through the most elegant and glamorous settings of the early 20th century. Perfect for fans of Marie Benedict, Daisy Goodwin, and Julian Fellowes, this sweeping work of historical fiction will stay with readers long after the last page is turned."--Provided by publisher.

"Cultural anecdotes along with a cast of well-developed characters create a memorable tale examining our differences and the commonalities that unite us all. 5 Stars!" -Gail Ward Olmsted, author of Landscape of a MarriageSet in the steamy equatorial rain forest of Nicaragua, Tropical Depression tells a poignant, touchingly funny tale of a young couple, Lupe and Ascensión Guzman, who, after being deported from the United States, have returned to their jungle village of Krukrulitos at the foot of the percolating volcano Momotombo. Here they struggle to readjust to life under one roof with Ascensión's overbearing, over-opinionated, up-in-your-business extended family where emotions are always simmering and the roost is ruled by Ascensión's mother, the family's iron-willed matriarch.Lupe and Ascensión grieve privately, in what little privacy they can find, for the American-born child they were forced to leave behind and Lupe suffers from bouts of depression that Ascensión's relatives see as laziness from having lived in American comfort and make her the target of her mother-in-law's wrath and her sister-in-law's envy.But a chain of events begins to unwind that causes Lupe to find her voice and strength, forces Ascensión to man up to his family, and offers both the hope of seeing their child again.Tropical Depression can be read as a stand-alone story or as the final book of a trilogy, following the books Equal and Opposite Reactions and Hail Mary, heart-tugging comedies that can be woven together to tell a continuing tale of human relationships and contemporary social issues.

PI Steve Rockfish's morning meeting was supposed to focus on a case of straightforward harassment. Two clients had purchased a miniature golf course and instantly became victims of vandalism and projected intolerance.But as the team investigates, a neighborhood's bigoted knee jerk reaction to a new sapphic-owned business, is in fact a laser focused plan of intimidation. Before anyone can yell FORE!, violence litters the front nine after Rockfish uncovers the real perpetrator, their actual motive, and dangerous accomplices.Soon, an old nemesis returns to raise the stakes with plans of revenge and domination. Now facing a battle on two fronts, Rockfish finds his allies thinning at the worst possible time, and recklessly goes on the offensive.The back nine takes Rockfish and McGee on a frenetic ride from a corporate boardroom, across cyberspace, and to the 19th hole where a long-overdue showdown will change everything for the partners, for better and worse.

Grow Damn It! is a captivating work by Cheryl Oreglia, who uses uncommon honesty and arresting humor to draw you into her cantankerous life, forty-year marriage, and revolving empty nest. She claims the space between past and future is where our potential is created or destroyed.If you don't like where your life is going, dig deeper, and write a new story. By weeding out the things that clutter her life, she invites you into a refreshing space with some of her most popular posts from her beloved blog Living in the Gap.She surrounds herself with a gaggle of intriguing friends, along with a large and rambunctious family who challenge both her and the reader to live fully in an ever-changing world. Her provocative writing dares us to confront our lives not only with optimism, but courage, and uproarious laughter. Oreglia uses her experience to explore what matters most in life... the degree to which we love and are loved.

Sarah Peroni is a beautiful young wealthy war widow going home to grieve with her parents when the train she is on makes an unscheduled stop at a farm where a poor farm boy Roy Dalton has stopped his fence mending chores to watch the train. Their eyes meet and something strange happens as they seemingly exchange souls in a brief encounter.As the years go by, when Roy becomes a successful country singer while Sarah achieves fame as a world-renowned artist, they both find something missing in their lives.Despite efforts to find their soulmate, circumstances keep the two from meeting. They find and reject love from others not realizing that the love they seek was that person they met briefly somewhere in time several years earlier.A Soul Encounter in a brief exchange somewhere in time is the story of their struggle to find each other again.

"Hang on and let Shadow Investigation immerse you in Florida's crime scene-boats, drugs, and money...with some romance on the side. A 5-star, page-flipping, helluva read!" -Cam Torrens, author of Stable: Someone is Taking Them...It's 1987-a dangerous period during America's War on Drugs, but DEA Special Agent Sam Dahl is comfortable- perhaps even a little bored-with his job seizing drug money from couriers passing through the daily hubbub of the LAX airport.A friend begs Sam to find out what happened to her parents who disappeared while boating in the Gulf of Mexico. Although Sam possesses well-honed instincts and a keen eye for trouble, he knows nothing about missing-person cases. Eventually, Sam agrees to help and under the guise of taking a long overdue "vacation," he jumps on a flight to the Sunshine State. Soon, his real job and the personal favor to his friend meld into a single investigation. But Sam gets more than he bargained for when he falls for a beautiful woman, then battles a drug kingpin intent on destroying him. And, if Sam isn't careful, he could lose his livelihood and his life.Christopher Amato, who spent a career as a federal agent, has written a fast-paced, high-stakes thriller that will be irresistible to readers, but will also stand up to the critical and discerning eye of law enforcement professionals.

"I was hooked from page one... this heart-warming novel is ultimately about the hope that comes with learning to trust and finding family in unlikely places." -Tracey Lange, New York Times Bestseller, We Are the BrennansNewly orphaned Magnolia Parker must protect her sick little brothers, but when the authorities send the boys to an unknown orphan asylum, Magnolia calls on her unwavering grit to bring them home. She's lost everything but still has a secret weapon-a promise from Eleanor Roosevelt, the most famous woman in America. Setting out on a cross country quest, she befriends two unlikely travelers: Hop, a migrant worker with a big heart, and Red, a young girl traumatized into silence. Hunger and dust storms aren't the only dangers this found family faces on the rails. After an assault, they're forced to outrun the police, all while trying to track down the First Lady. But time is running out and Magnolia's chance to reunite her siblings depends on one thing-finding Eleanor.Award-winning historical author Kerry Chaput is back with a touching story of loss and survival set in America's Great Depression. With vivid details and unforgettable characters, Chasing Eleanor takes readers on an adventure of the heart, where a young woman finds hope in the most unlikely places. A touching tribute to the great Eleanor Roosevelt, this adventure-filled story will entertain and inspire all ages.

Jacobine Flaa and her increasingly unrealistic friend Cinda are approaching retirement in the Midwest in the age of Trump and climate crisis. Both want to move back to the western US, but can they afford the housing prices there?Jacobine, a historian specializing in immigration, combines teaching and museum work at a university and misses her California friends; Cinda, an art historian employed less than happily at a small museum, wants a more outdoorsy life and keeps applying for jobs in places she'd rather live.The novel opens on Election Day 2016, when the two women meet for dinner with a third friend. When Trump captures the necessary electoral votes, Jacobine attends many protests, while Cinda, though sharing her politics, is no activist.Jacobine struggles with health worries and the loss of friends and loved ones to cancer, heart attack, and suicide. What's more, over time, Cinda's sometimes crazy plans and peculiar expectations prompt Jacobine to rethink their friendship.Jacobine must confront questions of aging, death, and renewal in her effort to regain a vibrant life. How will she pull herself forward as she turns sixty in the third year of the Trump presidency?

"Gripping and unforgettable suspense-think North Country, New York noir laced with dark humor. Don't plan on setting this fast-paced thriller down until you read the last page!" -Cam Torrens, author of StableJealousy can be deadly.Longtime bachelor Ron Burley has a rule against messing around with married women in his rural upstate New York town, but sassy, lovely Lavender has convinced him to break it. Their steamy affair sets someone off, but it isn't Lavender's clueless husband-it's Marta, Burley's clingy childhood friend and ex-lover.Marta knows Burley is on the verge of going broke, so she secretly tries to lure him with a lucrative job offer and some enticing fringe benefits. Although he's sorely tempted, Burley's afraid to trust Marta due to the sketchy circumstances surrounding their bitter breakup years ago; but this might be his only chance to get back at her for what she did.Suspicious of her boyfriend's romantic history, Lavender visits a psychic for a tarot card reading in a creepy cabin in the Adirondack woods. Watch your back, the psychic warns her. Burley and Marta aren't the innocent people they're pretending to be. Someone's out for revenge, and this love triangle could turn deadly.

We. Do. Not. Come. In. Peace.Extraterrestrial DNA mutates life on Earth into a cosmic playground and an obscure frequency draws in the players.US Secretary of Energy, Ed Marker, is living his dream as head of the most ambitious power initiative in the world. He is overseeing the roll-out of the harvester project, which will provide clean, efficient, and unlimited energy. When this new technology activates alien DNA, the price of free energy becomes too high.This uncatalogued genetic code is reshaping the planet as the world's oceans turn a deep crimson and seismic activity shakes the globe. People are developing photosynthetic properties, growing scales, and using previously inaccessible portions of the human mind. These alarming changes are accelerating with each passing day. Millions of years of evolution are occurring near these monstrosities in only months, and it is up to Ed and a team of scientists to stop these transformations before the human race is unrecognizable.Dormant Diversion is the first book in The Harvester Series. Diane Lauer and Sarah Lauer Nakawatase have turned biology and physics upside down, weaving a contemporary story of genetically-unimaginable proportions.

In the finale of the That Was Before series, Randolph Spiers and Sheila Backe team up with redemption, forgiveness, and the possibility of second chances at stake.With INTERPOL investigator Gary O'Reilly on their heels as part of an unlikely trio of misfits, Randolph must put everything he thought he knew aside and put faith in the one person he'd been led to believe he shouldn't. As Sheila's true identity and motivations come into focus, Randolph grows to understand her at a level he didn't know possible and must decide if she's worth fighting for. And as the truth about everything and everyone around them comes to light, trusting Sheila's not the most challenging obstacle he faces-survival is, for themselves and others.Meanwhile, old wounds continue to be torn open from all sides, and the people they want to forget never seem to be far enough away-and never closer.New beginnings await on the other side. But getting there might be the most difficult journey of all.

As five friends travel through the isolated California desert towards a popular music festival, their trip is interrupted thanks to our modern world's ever-evolving state of technology... Stranded and alone needing to recharge their electric vehicle. When the group of teenagers settle on a remote parking lot in the middle of nowhere, it isn't only a charging station they find. They also uncover pure, unrelenting evil.Hiding in the shadows is a maniac. Searching endlessly and without discrimination for victims to satisfy a hunger, viciously hunting down anyone that comes near.As they fight for survival, the maniac works to outsmart and hunt them one by one, with a goal in mind that is so heinous and vile that the truth behind his actions will rattle the very foundation of the deepest caverns in hell.As the heartfelt ties that bind the friends together unravel, they each will learn not only what it takes to love, but how to survive. While coping with past heartbreak, loss and abandonment, they must band together to get out alive. Or die one by one under the most excruciating circumstances imaginable.One thing is certain, the desert is no place to hide.

Three boys, linked by a terrible secret, grow into adulthood while sharing an unshakable bond.David, the survivor of an abusive childhood, attempts to forge the perfect nuclear family. Instead, his wife's devastating miscarriage and David's scandalous infatuation with Jackie, the sister of his best friend, destroys his marriage. A second attempt at a stable life is cut short when David is murdered in a robbery gone wrong. Proclaimed a hero, David's life appears to have ended with a noble sacrifice.Now released from their earlier pledge not to take revenge on David's father, the remaining two friends are determined to seek justice. James, the successful investment advisor, leaves the details to the brilliant Finch, an itinerant wanderer temporarily returned for David's funeral. After an early attempt fails, Finch's clever new plan will ensure a devastating reckoning provided there is enough time for it to unfold. To achieve his goal, Finch must also control his long-suppressed love for David's beautiful widow while keeping secret the truth about how David died.Through career changes, marriages, divorces, infidelity, family secrets, tragic accidents and dramatic renewal, The Boys builds to a surprise climax as each of the men's lives is shattered and rebuilt.

Jane Roland and her painter friends are looking forward to a busy, fun-filled holiday season at the town's art center-watercolor exhibits, concerts, and a festive gala. But, when the screams of a child pierce the gaiety at the Halloween reception, Jane discovers a skeleton in the art closet. There's a dark history lurking below the center's charming exterior, and the deeper Jane digs into the secrets of the past, the more she realizes that art can be a deadly obsession.

Discovering who you are can be dangerous - even deadly.Twyla's been living in hiding on Earth, hoping to leave her past behind. But when her mother, Madam Cassiopeia DeConnett finds her and kidnaps her back to the Paraxous Star Cluster, she expects her daughter to take her rightful place within the family business. The DeConnetts are Dashia- a group of genetically- engineered telepaths who use their powers to control some and ruin others. Their criminal organization is rich, powerful, and spans The Cluster.When escape seems impossible, Twyla considers suicide. Then she meets Dovain, another prisoner, and their friendship blossoms into something more. Together, can they figure out how to free themselves? Can she trust herself enough to risk loving him? If she does, will that love save her, or lead to her destruction?