New Beginnings Series by Mandie Tepe

What happens when the dreams you’ve always dreamed start evolving? Meg Conlan was enjoying living her dream. She’d worked hard her whole life to make that dream come true . . . traveling the world over as a highly sought-after, critically acclaimed dancer. She and her partner were settling into a six-week position at a prestigious dance institute in San Diego, and she was looking forward to slowing down the runaway train that was her professional life... moreWhat happens when the dreams you’ve always dreamed start evolving? Meg Conlan was enjoying living her dream. She’d worked hard her whole life to make that dream come true . . . traveling the world over as a highly sought-after, critically acclaimed dancer. She and her partner were settling into a six-week position at a prestigious dance institute in San Diego, and she was looking forward to slowing down the runaway train that was her professional life. Little did she know her career would derail and cause her to imagine new dreams . . . and reinvent her whole life. A satisfied life suddenly becomes unsatisfactory . . . Navy SEAL, Trace McKenna, had worked his entire life for his dream, as well. He’d met every goal he’d ever set and had settled comfortably into the life he’d always envisioned for himself. He thought nothing of offering his home to his stepbrother and his dance partner, Meg, during their stay in San Diego. Little did he know that she would have him imagining new dreams . . . that he’d never allowed himself to dream for his own life. Old dreams become new adventures . . . and two lives become one new dream . . . less

How do you rebuild your life when you refuse to be a victim anymore? Gracie Laurent had gone from happy-ever-after, with her childhood sweetheart, to a nightmare. In the blink of an eye, her world had crumbled and she’d retreated to the bosom of her family. After letting them care for her, she realized she didn’t want to be the weak person she’d become any longer... moreHow do you rebuild your life when you refuse to be a victim anymore? Gracie Laurent had gone from happy-ever-after, with her childhood sweetheart, to a nightmare. In the blink of an eye, her world had crumbled and she’d retreated to the bosom of her family. After letting them care for her, she realized she didn’t want to be the weak person she’d become any longer. Deciding to go out on her own and start a whole new life, she rediscovered the music she’d missed and found a love she never dreamed possible . . . with someone from her past she never expected to find. A hero at a crossroads . . . looking at an uncertain future Luca “Sonny” Ionescu loved his life as a Navy SEAL. After being injured in Afghanistan, he’d been shipped home and was facing the biggest challenge of his life. What would he do if he weren’t able to recover enough to rejoin his SEAL team? How could he rebuild his life into one as satisfying as the one he’d been living? A phone call from a childhood friend out of the blue gives him a mission and a new purpose—a reason to focus on someone other than himself. It also leads to a brand new love and a life more fulfilling than he could have ever expected. An old threat resurfaces putting their future at risk. Is their love a strong enough foundation to hold up the new life they’re building? less

She had affection for everyone in her life… both her patients and the friends who had become her family … Kelli Adams was just a normal down-to-earth girl. She lived for caring for her wounded warrior patients. She also lived for her wide circle of friends, who were always able to call on her for any reason. After growing up in a neglectful family, she’d been able to build a life of her own and was content... moreShe had affection for everyone in her life… both her patients and the friends who had become her family … Kelli Adams was just a normal down-to-earth girl. She lived for caring for her wounded warrior patients. She also lived for her wide circle of friends, who were always able to call on her for any reason. After growing up in a neglectful family, she’d been able to build a life of her own and was content. Just as she thought she had her life in place, she realized there were still surprises waiting for her. Would she be able to reach for what she wanted, despite the voices from her past telling her she could never deserve it? And would her servant’s heart allow her to put her own wishes first for once? His affection for her would take a sudden twist… tangling friendship into love and his wishes into need Mathias Laurent was new to San Diego. He’d recently sold the successful marketing consulting firm he’d built from nothing, and moved back to the west coast. As he reconnected with his sister and found a new group of friends, he discovered a new path to happiness. Out of the blue, he’d realize that he had sudden strong feelings for his sister’s best friend. With those feelings came a new mission in life . . . to convince Kelli that they could be friends first, then something much more. He’d have to break down her barriers, but he was no stranger to hard work, and the rewards from this task would be bigger than he’d ever earned before. Friendship grows into affection… affection grows into love… until both are tangled into an unexpected future. less

He led a solitary life by choice . . . Remy LaGuarda was a loner… and content to be that way. He’d been out on his own since the age of sixteen. With the help of an aging biker, he’d built his life into what it was today. He was the owner of a small, but successful building contractor business. He had his boat, his Harley, and his art. If it was a lonely life, at least it was safe and secure—unlike his childhood in a home with abusive, alcoholic parents... moreHe led a solitary life by choice . . . Remy LaGuarda was a loner… and content to be that way. He’d been out on his own since the age of sixteen. With the help of an aging biker, he’d built his life into what it was today. He was the owner of a small, but successful building contractor business. He had his boat, his Harley, and his art. If it was a lonely life, at least it was safe and secure—unlike his childhood in a home with abusive, alcoholic parents. When one of the few people in the world he let himself care about goes missing, he reaches out for help. He’d heard about a police officer that had helped his sister through a domestic violence incident the year before, so he went looking for that officer for help. What he found was a complete surprise—and it shook up his life in ways he couldn’t have expected. She was his polar opposite . . . Stevie Jenssen had a wide circle of friends and family who she relied on… and who relied on her. That was the way she liked it. She had recently settled into a new job, after the tragic end to a case she had worked as a police officer with the San Diego Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit. Her love for criminal justice had not been enough to keep her on the job after that explosive afternoon. But, she had landed on her feet as usual. She was drawn to the man who had come to her for help in finding his missing sister. Even after that issue is resolved, she can’t keep from drawing him more firmly into her life. Could she make him understand there was more strength in leaning on and loving someone than in going it alone? Just as the armor around his heart and soul begins to loosen, his past comes back to haunt him . . . Can someone from his past truly change and in turn, change the way he sees his future? less

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO PUT HER SHATTERED WORLD BACK TOGETHER? Pepper Juliani’s bright future had been crushed in one afternoon—with no warning. After a year of grief, she wondered if rebuilding her life was even possible... moreWHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO PUT HER SHATTERED WORLD BACK TOGETHER? Pepper Juliani’s bright future had been crushed in one afternoon—with no warning. After a year of grief, she wondered if rebuilding her life was even possible. And if it was, what would it take for her to find happiness again? Just as she was figuring it all out by embarking on a new path in her career with the San Diego PD and beginning an exciting and fun relationship with someone unexpected, she is reminded that the heartbreak of her past had left her with unfinished business . . . old baggage that threatened her new love and the happiness that love could bring to her life. AFTER LIVING A LIFE OF FUN AND GAMES, HOW COULD HE EVER EXPECT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY? Charley O’Brien had always been a love ‘em and leave ’em kind of guy—the life of the party. Despite his intense past serving as a Navy SEAL, his sense of humor and fun-loving attitude had remained intact. After his best friends had settled down and found their soulmates, he had begun to rethink the way he was living his life and had settled down. Finding his feelings change for an acquaintance who had been through a really rough time, he realized he may have found his own soulmate. But he was having a problem getting everyone else to take him seriously. less

UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY CHANGED THE COURSE OF HER LIFE FOREVER . . . Tangie Killion had to grow up fast. Her childhood might not have been considered normal, but it was a happy one for the most part. After losing her mother to murder when she was just eighteen, she found herself with the responsibility of raising her younger brother and sister. Her dreams sidelined, she stepped up to do what she had to do... moreUNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY CHANGED THE COURSE OF HER LIFE FOREVER . . . Tangie Killion had to grow up fast. Her childhood might not have been considered normal, but it was a happy one for the most part. After losing her mother to murder when she was just eighteen, she found herself with the responsibility of raising her younger brother and sister. Her dreams sidelined, she stepped up to do what she had to do. If only she could get justice for her mother, maybe she and her family could step out of the shadows that hovered over them. The case had gone cold and everyone outside the family seemed to have forgotten about her mother . . . until someone unexpected entered her life to help shine the light back into it. HIS ONLY HOPE OF COMING OUT FROM HIS OWN SHADOWS RESTS ON HELPING FAMILIES FIND THEIR LIGHT AS WELL . . . Quinn Cullen—U.S. Army vet who has served in Afghanistan—suffered from PTSD. He was doing his best to get a handle on it. Moving to a small community near his hometown to take a position as a cold case detective on the local police force seemed a good way to get on with his life. He finds himself drawn to the murder victim’s daughter in his first case assignment. Can he chase her shadows away by helping to solve the mystery of her mother’s death? THEY BOTH WERE IMMERSED IN THE SHADOWS, BUT WITH HELP FROM ONE ANOTHER, THEY HOPED TO STEP OUT OF THEM AND INTO THE LIGHT. less

Sometimes the only thing you can do is run. Hart Raintree had been running from his past for too long and he was resigned to the fact that he would never be able to stop. It didn’t really matter to him. He had no family and his substitute family—the outlaw biker club Renegade Storm—had become a nightmare instead of the refuge it had promised to be. As he rolled into yet another small town, he would be blindsided by the promise of everything he never had in his life.. moreSometimes the only thing you can do is run. Hart Raintree had been running from his past for too long and he was resigned to the fact that he would never be able to stop. It didn’t really matter to him. He had no family and his substitute family—the outlaw biker club Renegade Storm—had become a nightmare instead of the refuge it had promised to be. As he rolled into yet another small town, he would be blindsided by the promise of everything he never had in his life... and everything he never knew he wanted. She had known loss, pain and betrayal in her young life. Wholesome kindergarten teacher, Willa Bradley, had lived in her family’s home in her small town her whole life and never had a thought of leaving. After some hard times of loss and betrayal, she had made it to the other side with the help of loving friends and was content with her life. When the lonesome, brooding biker rents the apartment over her garage, she has no idea he is about to change her life and give her everything she thought was lost to her forever. Can two people who are so different really be the only ones who can give each another what they need? Home is where the heart is... and often where your dreams are hiding. less