Six years ago a monster broke Ava Monroe's soul. She was left with nothing but an empty house and no reason to live. In starting a new life in a new city she finds the strength to carry on, but can she ever erase the demons of her past? When an act of fate brings Seth into her life, they'll attempt to discover the truth about their tainted pasts. But Seth Carter has a secret; one even he doesn't know exists. Will Ava's connection with Seth be enough to lift her up, or will it destroy what little she has left? \\WARNING: This book contains mature content\\

Two simple words sent Seth’s world crashing down around him. He’s gone. The truth begins to unravel as Seth and Dawson discover just how deep Richard's betrayal went. With the help of Detective Sterling, they race to stop the monster that destroyed their pasts. Together they find that family isn’t always blood, but rather a dysfunctional mesh of unexpected friends. With Ava gone, Seth struggles to get back the woman he loves. Will he be able to keep his promise to stop James from destroying their futures? Or will he lose his grip on reality, setting off a chain reaction? Sometimes, in order to move forward from the wake of a disaster, you have to take two steps back.

James Carter has been Ava Monroe's nightmare. He's taken everything from her. We've seen the destruction he leaves in his wake, but we haven't seen what created his darkness. Stepping Out tells James' story leading up to that fateful night he met Ava. Was he always a twisted soul? Or did compassion and love run through his veins once upon a time?

Letting go of a past that won’t stay there has never been harder. After another failed attempt at stopping James, Ava finds herself back in Seth’s arms. There, she finds the courage to put the monster out of her mind, get on with her life, and accept the love he gives her. Slowly learning to set herself free, Ava and Seth are closer than ever to the happy ending they deserve. Too bad James has something else in mind, and Detective Dawson has been kicked off the case. Determined to end James once and for all, Dawson sets out to track him down without a badge holding him back. Ava trusts Dawson to handle it, but leaving a desperate man on his own against James might just come back to bite her. Will Ava finally be able leave her haunted past behind? Or will she drown in it until the promise of her future is dead and gone?

Carissa Jacobs spent most of her life hiding from her past behind the devastation that surrounded her best friend, Ava Monroe. After Ava’s parents were brutally murdered, the two of them left home for a better life in sunny Florida. Carissa had herself, and everyone else convinced, that their move was to give Ava a second chance at life. But she’d only been running from her own demons. Now, years later, she finds herself enamored with a certain detective. She’s finally living a life she’d always wanted. One filled with a love that leaves her vulnerable to emotions she’s only ever wanted to keep buried inside. When an inevitable trip for Ava’s wedding takes them back home, Carissa is finally forced to face her own tortured past head on. Everything she’d kept hidden inside herself comes rushing to the surface after a run in with her estranged parents. Will Carissa find the courage to let go of all the hate and deception buried deep within herself? Or will she lose faith and find herself pushing away the only man she’d ever truly loved?