Code Blue Hearts Series by Cari Blake

She survived a toxic marriage, a brutal divorce, and the chaos of the ER. Her heart? Flatlined. Love? Marked DNR.Emergency department nurse Sophia Mitchell has made it through the single motherhood, long shifts in one of the country’s busiest ERs, and a man who nearly broke her. Now she’s built walls around her heart strong enough to stop a trauma team. And she has exactly zero interest in letting anyone past them... moreShe survived a toxic marriage, a brutal divorce, and the chaos of the ER. Her heart? Flatlined. Love? Marked DNR.Emergency department nurse Sophia Mitchell has made it through the single motherhood, long shifts in one of the country’s busiest ERs, and a man who nearly broke her. Now she’s built walls around her heart strong enough to stop a trauma team. And she has exactly zero interest in letting anyone past them.Especially not the charming New Zealand paramedic whose radio flirtations are making her question everything she knows about keeping men at a safe distance.Jack McKenzie wasn't supposed to be more than another EMT dropping off patients at Metro General. But his coffee deliveries, his easy way with her fifteen-year-old daughter Madison, and an accent that does dangerous things to her pulse are slowly dismantling every defense she's built. When he invites them to New Zealand for spring break, Sophia takes the biggest leap of faith since signing her divorce papers.What she discovers halfway around the world changes everything.Jack isn't just a paramedic with perfect coffee skills—he's Jackson Charles McKenzie, heir to a wine empire and owner of a vineyard estate that belongs in a travel magazine. Standing in his family's mansion, watching his mother assess her like a lab specimen, Sophia realizes she's made the same mistake falling for a man who's been playing a carefully edited version of himself.But when her toxic ex-husband escalates his campaign of psychological warfare, Sophia discovers Jack has been quietly protecting Madison from threats she never knew existed. Now she faces an impossible trust the man who deceived her, or lose the only person who's ever made her feel truly seen.From Metro General's controlled chaos to Central Otago's breathtaking vineyards, this is a story about second chances, the courage to trust again, and discovering that sometimes the biggest risk is letting someone see all of you—scars, walls, and all. less

He braids her hair for school. Packs lunches with color-coded notes. Holds her through middle school drama and midnight nightmares.Navy Corpsman and single father Nathan Crawford has been his daughter's whole world for eleven years—and he's damn good at it. As an ER nurse, he saves lives for a living, but he couldn't save the little girl who died in his arms in Fallujah, and he's never forgiven himself. Still, he's built a life for him and Paige that's safe. Controlled. Predictable... moreHe braids her hair for school. Packs lunches with color-coded notes. Holds her through middle school drama and midnight nightmares.Navy Corpsman and single father Nathan Crawford has been his daughter's whole world for eleven years—and he's damn good at it. As an ER nurse, he saves lives for a living, but he couldn't save the little girl who died in his arms in Fallujah, and he's never forgiven himself. Still, he's built a life for him and Paige that's safe. Controlled. Predictable.Then Tasha Williams joins the ER team.Sharp-tongued, fiercely competent, and completely unimpressed by his carefully maintained walls, Tasha challenges everything Nate thought he knew about keeping people at a safe distance. She sees through his military precision to the man underneath—the one who sings lullabies at midnight and builds color-coded science fair projects. When a crisis with Paige brings them together outside the hospital, Nate begins to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he doesn't have to carry everything alone.But just as their unlikely family begins to heal old wounds, the past comes calling. Paige's biological mother—the woman who walked away when Paige was three months old—returns with lawyers, money, and a plan to destroy everything Nate has built. Sarah Davis claims she's changed. She says she's ready to be a mother. But what she really wants is far more calculated.Suddenly, eleven years of bedtime stories and scraped knees mean nothing in a courtroom. When Sarah's high-powered attorneys threaten to paint his PTSD as a liability, Nate realizes he's not just fighting for custody... he's fighting for the right to be the father Paige deserves. With Tasha by his side and everything he loves at stake, Nate must learn that sometimes the greatest act of courage isn't charging into battle.Sometimes it's believing you're worth fighting for.Can be read as a standalone book, but features beloved characters from Code Blue Hearts Book 1, "Under Southern Stars"! less

The good ol' boys' club has a "Fire service is no place for a woman."Lieutenant Isabela Delgado has two words for Watch me.For years, Fire Lieutenant Isabela "Izzy" Delgado has proven herself on every call, earned every commendation, and protected every member of her crew. But when her mentor's cancer diagnosis collides with department politics, she discovers that being twice as good still only gets you half the respect... moreThe good ol' boys' club has a "Fire service is no place for a woman."Lieutenant Isabela Delgado has two words for Watch me.For years, Fire Lieutenant Isabela "Izzy" Delgado has proven herself on every call, earned every commendation, and protected every member of her crew. But when her mentor's cancer diagnosis collides with department politics, she discovers that being twice as good still only gets you half the respect. The captain's promotion she's earned is about to be handed to a well-connected rival who plays golf with the brass and thinks women belong anywhere but the fireground.ER nurse Jimmy Dalton knows better than to fall for someone who runs toward danger for a living. After watching a domestic violence patient he couldn't save walk back into hell, he's learned that caring too much only leads to heartbreak. But there's something about the fierce lieutenant who brings her captain to his emergency room—something that makes him want to be brave enough to try again.When Jimmy writes a letter defending Izzy to her battalion chief, he thinks he's fighting for the woman he loves. Instead, he hands her enemies the ammunition they need to destroy her career. Now she's lost everything she's worked for, and he's lost the only person who's ever made him feel whole.Sometimes the most dangerous fires are the ones that burn inside us.Sometimes the only way out of the smoke is to trust someone else to lead you home.And sometimes being strong means letting someone see you break. less