Marked Heart Series by M. Sembera, Margaret Civella

In order to put years of heartache and abuse behind her, Ren learned to bury the past deep down inside herself and focus on one thing; raising her daughter Sophia. As the years passed, she found peace in the daily routine of her job and becomes content with being a mom. On the night of her daughter's wedding, Ren takes a risk and strays from the predictable world she has set up for herself when her longtime friend Jackson rekindles a loving promise he made to her long ago... moreIn order to put years of heartache and abuse behind her, Ren learned to bury the past deep down inside herself and focus on one thing; raising her daughter Sophia. As the years passed, she found peace in the daily routine of her job and becomes content with being a mom. On the night of her daughter's wedding, Ren takes a risk and strays from the predictable world she has set up for herself when her longtime friend Jackson rekindles a loving promise he made to her long ago. Ren cannot keep her past buried, and the two struggle when old problems start to creep back into their lives. She cannot get her world back in order and her instinct is to shut everyone out. In the midst of it all, Ren is coerced into helping Charlotte, an adopted teenager of her close friends the Roberts'. Reluctantly agreeing, Ren finds Charlotte is in dire need of self control and direction. Upon discovering they share a similar upbringing, Ren feels she can advise Charlotte and keep her from repeating her own mistakes. Taking steps to ensure Charlotte's recovery, her new found purpose causes a rift in the family she has come to know and love as her own. Battling issues, both new and old, will Ren & Jacks be able to endure everything life has thrown at them or will Ren give up everything and isolate herself from the inevitable pain that will follow when all her secrets are revealed? less

The true measure of a person's worth lies not within what they can offer you but what you have to offer them. No matter how desirable, are they worth your time, patience, forgiveness, loyalty, friendship, love, respect, understanding, compassion, trust? If not, they are worth more than you have to offer. They deserve for you to let them go. Charlotte Roberts and Augustus (Auggie) Caffrey may never have known each other, if it were not for William Caffrey... moreThe true measure of a person's worth lies not within what they can offer you but what you have to offer them. No matter how desirable, are they worth your time, patience, forgiveness, loyalty, friendship, love, respect, understanding, compassion, trust? If not, they are worth more than you have to offer. They deserve for you to let them go. Charlotte Roberts and Augustus (Auggie) Caffrey may never have known each other, if it were not for William Caffrey. They would have simply moved on with their own lives without the anger and resentment that followed, when William fell for Charlotte almost six years ago. Under the pretense of introducing Trace Delgado, her soon to be fiancé, to her adoptive parents, Emerson and Amila Roberts, Charlotte arrives back in her small southern hometown to personally collect on the forgiveness William promised he would give her if she ever returned. Spending his days at the hospital with his brother William and his nights tending bar at The Dog House, Auggie knows it is only a matter of time before he loses the brother he has tried his entire life to protect. When Auggie finds out Charlotte is in town, to no doubt torment his brother on his death bed, he wants her to stay as far away from William as possible. All Charlotte wants is to be forgiven and move on with a clear conscience. While, William's dying wish is to ensure the two people he cares about most step outside of their comfort zones and see that life is not as cut and dry as they think it is. Charlotte's guilt and Auggie's brotherly devotion compel them to, secretly, follow through with William's last requests forcing them to begrudgingly spend time together. The more time they spend together, the closer they become. And the harder it is to keep what is taking place between them secret. Late nights visits and stolen moments cause Charlotte to fall hard. But when a reminder of what brought them together stops Auggie dead in his tracks, he starts to question how far he's willing to go with someone who was his brother's first. *Charlotte is a standalone featuring characters from Enduring Everything* less

Foolish is the heart that leaves itself open to fall in love. Reckless is the person who breaks tradition to claim a life of their own. Irreplaceable is the moment one takes the risk. Penny Caffrey seems to make all the wrong choices in life. From the men she dates to her career path; most of what she does is either hidden from or frowned upon by her large Irish family. Seth Chevalier has been labeled a disappointment by his entire family... moreFoolish is the heart that leaves itself open to fall in love. Reckless is the person who breaks tradition to claim a life of their own. Irreplaceable is the moment one takes the risk. Penny Caffrey seems to make all the wrong choices in life. From the men she dates to her career path; most of what she does is either hidden from or frowned upon by her large Irish family. Seth Chevalier has been labeled a disappointment by his entire family. He has a good job at a large accounting firm that he devotes the majority of his time to. His is used to and comfortable living a solitary life. When her latest boyfriend, the drummer for a local band dumps her, Penny takes a step back to do some self-evaluation and decides to lay off of dating for a while. Even with an overbearing father, Seth is determined to be his own man and moves into an upscale apartment complex in an effort to prove he is successful. Seth's solitary life is thrown completely off track when he moves in next door to Penny and she decides they are going to be friends, whether he likes it or not. less

A marked heart, longing for the one is nothing more than a restless heart, burdened by a lie. On the surface, everything appears fine. / No one knows the truth. Only she understands what he's lost. / He's the only one that feels her pain. His soul is broken. / Her existence is hollow. She brings purpose to his life. / With him, her life has meaning. She's opening up. / He's getting to her. He doesn't know. / She has no idea. He never wanted to lie. / She can't admit the truth... moreA marked heart, longing for the one is nothing more than a restless heart, burdened by a lie. On the surface, everything appears fine. / No one knows the truth. Only she understands what he's lost. / He's the only one that feels her pain. His soul is broken. / Her existence is hollow. She brings purpose to his life. / With him, her life has meaning. She's opening up. / He's getting to her. He doesn't know. / She has no idea. He never wanted to lie. / She can't admit the truth. It could be fate. / It's only ink. less