Karla Brandenburg – författare

When Sandra Meyer's violent ex-boyfriend returns to sleepy Edgarville, Illinois, she turns to the man who stood up to Nick Benedetto years ago. If brawny Garth Benson will pose as her boyfriend on social media, maybe Nick will leave her alone. Sandra adores Garth, but she doesn't want any more ties to Edgarville. Now finished with a decade of dedicated service as her mother's caregiver, Sandra is planning her exit from this one-stoplight town.Garth is firmly rooted in Edgarville with the family monument business and a trophy shop that will need a "e;mom"e; to his "e;pop."e; Garth has wanted Sandra ever since he slugged Nick more than ten years ago. Her secrets run deep, as do the strengths that he admires within her, but whenever he tries to move their casual flirtations from talk to dating, she backs away.Small town life has strangled Sandra as effectively as Nick tried to before he left town. Garth might be the one man who can protect her from Nick, but what he expects in return is too much. On top of that, her deceased father's unexpected appearance in the mirror of her new home exposes long-held secrets that will change Sandra's view of her family and hometown forever.When the last tie holding her to Edgarville is cut, Sandra runs as fast as she can, but the world outside her small-town community isn't all she expects.

A high-profile contract in the famed New Orleans Garden District can bring architect Kathleen McCormick's dream of owning her own home that much closer, but she'll have to stifle her fiery temper while she's on location. The senior project manager is a notorious workaholic and the last associate to work with him got fired amid controversy. Still, Kathleen can't resist the urge to push his buttons.Sebastian Brooks' father likes to remind him that he founded his own firm by the time he was thirty. As Sebastian nears that same milestone, he's checking off the boxes for promotion at a more prestigious architectural firm, including contemplating an engagement with an acceptable socialite. The pursuit feels hollow, especially when his boss lobs an attractive, unpredictable new associate into his path to derail his promotion, a woman who reminds him of all the compromises he's made in the interest of living up to expectations.A mischievous ghost in a NOLA hotel decides to play matchmaker, but with a strict non-fraternization policy at work, getting involved could get both Kathleen and Sebastian fired. Caught up in the city's steamy atmosphere, their unexpected connection throws all their plans into a tailspin.

Don't mix pleasure with business…Pro Soccer player Liam McCormick doesn't date fans or groupies. When his physical therapist makes a play for him after he blows out his ACL, he quits therapy to rehab himself. The coaches learn of their most valuable player's walk-out and assign an athletic trainer to assess his condition before Liam's return to the field, an exhibition game in Ireland. The fact the new trainer is a woman puts Liam on his guard. He's not interested in a replay of what happened with his physical therapist.Emma Parrish works 80 hours a week, but a free trip to Ireland to assess a player's recovery is something she will make time for. Unfortunately, an excess of Irish stout and a local legend of seals rising from the ocean as loyal lovers has Emma making a fool of herself by mistaking the dark and attractive Liam for a Selkie. When Liam's teammate makes a play for her, she drops him to the floor with practiced technique. Dating the athletes is unprofessional and she can take care of herself.Instead of being put off, Liam is attracted to her strength and independence. The more time they spend together, the more the temptation grows until neither can resist. But an unexpected visitor follows them home from Ireland. The ghost of Liam's father—an alleged Selkie, according to Liam's Kinsale relatives—has much to atone for, and when Liam refuses to listen to him, the ghost recruits Emma to help him make amends with his family. Is Emma in love with Liam, or is she under the spell of a Selkie?

Book reviewer Maggie Grant has a romantic soul. When she happens on a tender moment in a cemetery, the man who places a fingertip kiss on a headstone provides inspiration for her popular magazine blog.​After inheriting the family monument shop, Thad Benson struggles with his new-found responsibilities. Teased by his sister as having a face only a mother could love, Thad is only comfortable sharing his thoughts with a dead woman. Until he meets Maggie.​The more Maggie learns about Thad, the worse she feels for exposing his private moment on her trending blog—except no one seems to recognize him, and that makes her angry. Does she, a stuttering stranger, dare to show Thad's family and friends, the people closest to him, what they're missing? And how does she compete with the ghost of a dead girl to win the heart of Edgarville's confirmed bachelor?

Landscape designer Gwen Haley is due to inherit her grandparents' garden estate, a well-known tourist destination. Then it will no longer matter that her parents think she's unhinged for seeing the ghosts of her grandparents. As the trust term nears the end, accidents that seem to be aimed toward Gwen threaten her life, and her cousin, the estate manager, is intent on discrediting her. Weary of being patronized and belittled, Gwen finds an unlikely ally in the estate's new horticulturist.With two older brothers, Brian Benson is no stranger to practical jokers. Taking on a horticulturist job for a fresh start, he had hoped to escape the perception of being the village idiot. Pranks are one thing, but if he can't expose the guilty party behind the explosion in the greenhouse at Haley Gardens, he and his new boss, Gwen, might both end up dead. The struggling horticulturist must keep this trust fund baby safe long enough for her to gain her inheritance. But repeating past mistakes may mean losing his heart in the bargain.

Ghostwriter Michelle Alvere is returning from self-imposed exile to be present for the impending birth of her niece and to mend fences with her sister, but the attractive author renting Michelle's house isn't ready to vacate. Although she would prefer to have her home to herself, she agrees to let her tenant stay on so he can remain close to his dying mother.Novelist Keith Schumaker is determined to be by his mother's side during her final days, but he is also on deadline to finish his latest book. His enigmatic landlady is a distraction, one who alternates between coming on to him and pushing him away. While away on a book tour, he discovers secrets about Michelle that even she doesn't know, secrets that could put her life in jeopardy.

Giselle Draxler has denied her hereditary magic from the time she came of age, including dying her red hair brown. But at her husband's funeral, she runs into a demon hunting for Kundigerin. Then her aunt and cousin turn up dead. Paranormal intuition leads her to new friends Marissa and Wolf Harper, who bring her face-to-face with the one love she never got over—a man who chose his music career over her.Scott Michaels fails his mother and sisters, unable to protect them from the tragedies that scar their family. He turns to his guitar to heal, and when the band he joins vaults to popularity, the front man demands Scott walk away from the one woman who owns his heart. Now in their 40s, the band is slowing down, and Scott's thoughts turn more than ever toward Giselle and the life they might have had together. Their passion reignites as though no time has passed.Scott is helpless to shield Giselle when they are drawn into the supernatural world of ghosts and demons, another reminder of his inability to protect the people he loves. Out of her depth, Giselle needs his support. Can she count on him not to run this time?

After nine years away, a business venture forces Brody Parkhill to return to his home town. Trying to determine whether the building he's been sent to assess would be a viable project for his boss, he is surprised to discover it houses a women's crisis center. Further complicating his job, members of his old high school gang are involved in the center's operations—the same friends he ran out on all those years ago. His boss questions where Brody's loyalties lie and ultimately fires him. With no more to offer Cinda Cooper, the girl he left behind, than when he was a hot-headed teen, Brody must find a way to regain his job, save the center, and win her back.The last person Cinda Cooper expected to see after a night out was her best friend from high school, Brody Parkhill, the one who was supposed to help her escape her troubled home life. The one she hasn't seen or heard from for nine years. But she's too busy dealing with escalating acts of violence to deal with her feelings for him. Could these crimes have anything to do with Brody's return to town? Or has her past caught up with her?

"e;Crazy Amy"e; Benson has an unusual talent for hearing epitaphs as the dead pass on. The men she dates who aren't unnerved by her ability are usually scared off by Amy's brothers. When reporter Kevin McCormick shows up to do a story at the cemetery, Amy tells him his dead sister is calling for justice, except Kevin's sister died in an accident.Kevin relays Amy's odd message to his family and unleashes a killer. While Kevin strives to be an investigative reporter, he doesn't anticipate his first opportunity will focus on the murders of his own family. Now he has to protect the alluring epitaph writer while hunting for evidence against the killer.

Although she vowed never to go back, nurse Siobhan McCormick returns home after two family members have died and her brother's life is threatened. Her new job introduces her to accident victim Jared Pierce, a man whose casual charm tempts her with the same bad decisions she made in her past.Haunted houses don't sell, and Jared Pierce's family sends him from Louisiana to Illinois to make sure there aren't any ghosts lingering in his great-aunt's house. An accident on an icy road extends his visit from a few days to a few months.Though the house is ghost-free when Jared arrives, a violent ice storm breaks apart a tree and releases the spirits of twin boys who were buried in the backyard. Temporarily disabled by his injuries, Jared needs his nurse's help to give the ghosts peace. There's only one problem. Siobhan doesn't believe in ghosts. Will Jared earn her trust and affection or will Siobhan retreat into the safety of her job?

Meet the McCormicks. This bundle of four books includes:EPITAPH - A dead girl's cry for help - A serial killer on the loose - Not your typical first date.THE TWINS - Haunted houses don't sell, and Jared Pierce's family sends him from Louisiana to Illinois to make sure there aren't any ghosts lingering in his great-aunt's house. An accident on an icy road extends his visit from a few days to a few months. THE ARCHITECT - A mischievous ghost in a NOLA hotel decides to play matchmaker, but with a strict non-fraternization policy at work, getting involved could get both Kathleen and Sebastian fired.THE SELKIE - The ghost of Liam's father—an alleged Selkie, according to Liam's Kinsale relatives—has much to atone for, and when Liam refuses to listen to him, the ghost recruits Emma to help him make amends with his family.

Eighteen-year-old Brynn Taylor eagerly heads for college, ready to escape the aunt and uncle who resented being saddled with their orphaned niece. Her excitement to be on her own quickly turns to dismay when a hit-and-run accident totals her car, she discovers her aunt has stolen her college fund, and her credit card is maxed out.Stranded in a throwback Wisconsin town, Brynn meets an aunt she didn't know she had. With nowhere else to turn, Brynn reluctantly accepts her new-found Aunt Nora's offer for temporary room and board. Rumors abound, and Brynn fears her aunt might be a witch—and that Brynn herself might share this unexpected family legacy. Are the goods made from Nora's garden—the ones she sells in her gift shop—more than herbal remedies and homemade bath products?Brynn finds in Nora the family she's been missing since her parents died and allows Nora to teach her the art of alchemy passed down from one generation to the next. But past sins catch up to both Brynn and Nora, threatening their relationship and their lives.

After coming to terms with the extraordinary things she can do, Brynn Taylor finally has her life on track—her own house, a new direction for her business, and a promising future with the man she loves. Thanks to her aunt, Brynn has learned to control the mystical powers that are part of her legacy. When a young cousin exhibits powers at an early age, Brynn is ready to take her turn in mentoring the next generation, but the child's father refuses to acknowledge their legacy and warns Brynn to stay away from his family. Brynn turns to a hidden grimoire for guidance, but the spell it shows her comes with dire consequences.

A stranger comes to Brynn Taylor looking to overcome a streak of bad luck, but when Brynn agrees to help, the hex transfers from the stranger to Brynn's fiancé, Kyle Jakes. Four months ago, Kyle was laid off from the Hillendale Police Department. He's postponed the wedding, taken a "e;filler"e; job out of town, and has grown sullen and irritable. While their relationship has eroded, Brynn vows to redirect the hex to its rightful owner. Her business is suffering, and once the town gossips get hold of the information she and Kyle—the town's golden boy—have broken up, she may have to close her doors permanently. After a steamy encounter with a man at a grocery store, her gift for alchemy has gone on the fritz. Either the spell that transferred to Kyle stripped her of her talents or the man from the grocery store is responsible for her interrupted magic.They only have two weeks to thwart the terms of the hex, the consequences of which could cost Kyle his future in law enforcement. How is she supposed to reverse the hex when her magic isn't working?

While on a site inspection in Scotland, event planner Audrey MacDougall receives word her company has been sold, the result of a hostile takeover. Her supervisor emails Audrey, proposing her job might shift to contractor status to move her off the payroll. As Audrey researches her new boss, she uncovers frightening gossip that compounds her fears for job security. Her overdeveloped sense of intuition attracts her to a fellow traveler, a photographer on assignment who sends her mixed signals.Widowed father Greg Ellison's first consideration has to be for his children, but there's something familiar about Audrey. While they tour countryside, she tells him her job is hanging in the balance and he impulsively asks if she'd be interested in helping him achieve his dream job of running a B&B.Is Greg working for the new boss?Upon her arrival home, Audrey is gifted a painting, but the card has gone missing. The painting draws her in, literally, but it's all a dream, right? She continues to run into Greg unexpectedly, including at the B&B he wants to buy. With interference from her best friend, Audrey takes a leap of faith and joins forces with Greg to escape the toxic, post-takeover work environment, but her old boss isn't finished with her yet.