Discover The Commander's Truth by K. Langston

Title: The Commander's Truth

Series: Brothers in Blue

Author: K. Langston

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Tropes: Second Chance Romance; Enemies-to-Lovers; He Falls First; Praise Kink; Forced Proximity; Workplace Romance; Found Family; Protective Alpha Hero

Release Date: March 12, 2026

 

My badge is on the line. So is my heart.

I never expected to see her again.

Not after she walked away from me all those years ago, leaving a hole where my heart used to be.

But fate has a twisted sense of humor.

Now she’s back.

The woman who shattered me.

And she’s been assigned to investigate the case that could destroy everything I’ve built.

I should be angry.

But instead, I’m drowning in memories I never buried deep enough.

The way she used to look at me.

The way I still ache for her.

The way I never stopped loving her.

Even when I tried.

As danger closes in and the truth unravels, we’re forced to trust each other again.

But trust is a dangerous thing.

Because I’m not just fighting for my badge anymore.

I’m fighting for the woman who broke me.

And praying that I’m strong enough to claim her for good.

Or finally let her go forever.

The harsh light above seems brighter. More severe. Maybe because I’m on the opposite side of the table. I’ve been inside this room countless times, but never for this reason, never in this chair. The knowledge makes me feel uneasy, but I remain calm.

Cool.

Leaning back in the chair, I try to force my muscles to relax, but when the door swings open and I see her, my calm demeanor goes straight out the fucking window.

“Good afternoon, Commander Cunningham.”

Her familiar voice sends a jolt through me.

“I’m Agent Karmen Ashford with Internal Affairs,” she states, displaying her badge for me to inspect. “This is Agent Roberto Ramirez.”

My heart pounds erratically as I grind my teeth, my entire body tense.

Is she trying to pretend we don’t know each other? As if we didn’t share a goddamn bed for a year. Like I haven’t been inside her in every way a man can be inside of a woman.

It’s been five years since we last laid eyes on each other. How long has she been working for IA Metro? Right underneath my goddamn nose?

She takes a seat in front of me while her partner occupies the chair in the corner. It’s obvious who the alpha is of the two, but she’s not the only alpha in this room.

After flipping open the file, she folds her hands in front of her, meeting my gaze head-on with those cold silver eyes. The same eyes that once looked up at me in complete submission. That once begged for my mercy, my tenderness. Eyes that stole my heart so she could crush it in her tiny little fist.

“Commander, we have reason to believe you’ve been stealing large amounts of fentanyl from the evidence locker and selling it back to the dealers on the street,” she says, raising an arched brow.

My mind is still spinning. Part of me wants to put an end to this now. If I reveal we know each other and that we were in a previous relationship, that is a direct conflict of interest.

She knows that.

What is her endgame? Why would she take this case, knowing it was me she’d be investigating?

I open my mouth to expose her, expose us, but the words stay lodged in my throat. Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrow my eyes at her.

I could start fires for what I once felt for this woman and burn down cities with the pain she left in her wake.

She shifts in her seat, darting her silver eyes from my intense glare, while the familiar scent of her perfume hijacks my senses, my cock twitching in response. The need to touch her is wreaking havoc on my self-control. My mouth waters, tasting the satisfaction I would get from having her bent over this desk, creamy ass exposed, and my handprint decorating her honey-gold skin.

Despite the contempt I feel for this woman, she still takes my breath away.

She's dressed in a black suit with a crisp white button-down, like the daily uniform she wore when we worked together. She’s feminine yet powerful. Strong and yielding. Dominant and submissive.

I wonder if she’s wearing something pretty and lacy underneath.

Fuck, I bet she’s wearing pink.

My favorite color on her.

She would be so cruel.

Her rich brown hair is pulled back in a tame ponytail, not a single strand out of place, and the square tortoise-frame glasses perched on her freckled nose only serve to irritate me more.

Why does she have to be so goddamn beautiful?

When I don’t respond, she asks, “Can you explain your digital fingerprint being used to gain access to the evidence locker?”

I shrug. “Someone must have cloned it.”

“Seems a little far-fetched, don’t you think, Commander?”

I grind my teeth so hard I feel like my jaw might crack. She knows I didn’t do this. She knows I’m being set up because she fucking knows me.

She’s trying to rattle me.

Push me.

Shred my precious control.

I remain still.

Composed.

She wants to play games.

Let’s fucking play.

K. Langston writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense, weaving emotionally charged stories filled with unforgettable characters, undeniable chemistry, and heart-pounding twists. Whether it's small-town charm, intense love affairs, or gripping suspense, her books deliver the perfect blend of heat, heart, and tension. When she's not writing, K. can be found in her garden, devouring books or baking homemade cookies with her two grandchildren.

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Now Available from Carrie Ann Ryan: One Quick Obsession #CageFamilySeries

 

Hudson and Scarlett are officially out in the world! Book 4 in the Cage Family series is ready for you to dive in!

If you love:

Small Town

Enemies to Lovers

Grumpy x Sunshine

Read Now: https://carrieannryan.com/books/one-quick-obsession/#order

About the book:

“Who Hurt You?”

When Hudson Cage asked those words, I shut him out just as I did the rest of those who cared for me. It’s been a year since I made one of the worst choices of my life but now I am stronger and following the path I’ve carved myself.

As manager of the Cage Resort, I want to bring the company into a new era and show the larger than life family that I am worth so much more than what my father and ex said I was.

Only to do that, I have to deal with Hudson. The man I can’t get off my mind.

And my neighbor in this small town of ours.

We fight more than we speak to one another, and his over protectiveness is starting to become far too attractive. He holds secrets within those stormy eyes and the part of me that knows it’s a mistake wants to dive deep and know more.

When one lack of control turns to another, there’s no turning back from what we could have. Yet the darkness on each of our paths are closing in.

I don’t want to love Hudson Cage, but if we don’t give in and learn to trust, we both could risk losing it all before we even have a chance.

**One Quick Obsession is an enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, small town romance featuring Hudson and Scarlett. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!**

Teaser Excerpt:

I moved down the hall towards the back offices. After I slid my key card to get through security, I tried to think about all the things I needed to get done tonight. I wanted to work on my art piece, but it was turning out to be far more difficult than I thought. Maybe I would head down to Harper’s later and work on another mural. That would clear my head. And I liked my brother’s girlfriend. She might seem sweet and innocent, but she could kick anybody’s ass if they ever decided to come and hurt her family. And the Cages were now her family.

I liked her.

I could be doing art. I could be working on my house. I could be doing anything else. Instead I was at this damn resort trying to fix a doorknob that kept getting stuck.

Again, not my job, but if I kept my hands busy, I wouldn’t have nightmares. And that sounded a lot better to me.

When I got to the manager’s office though, I frowned. The door was open, not locked in place like it usually was. Scarlett was damn good with security. She was damn good at most things, which was why we always butted heads. Because I didn’t like her knowing that I thought she did a damn good job. She got all uppity and looked down at me. And I wasn’t in the mood to deal with that.

But she never left the door open.

I slid my hand in my pocket, gripping my knife, as I slowly opened the door fully. She stood there, alone, as I scanned the room, but it took me a moment to let go of the knife.

Because while she was alone, she wasn’t sitting at her desk working.

Instead the image in front of me made my jaw tense, and anger surged to the surface.

Scarlett, in all her beauty, with her light blonde hair flowing down her back, and that icy way she could put down anybody who tried to hurt her, stood in front of her mirror, her main shirt off and over the chair, in only her pants and tank top.

And there were bruises all over her. She pulled up part of her shirt since I knew she hadn’t seen me yet, and the dark bruises turning blue and green there put a metallic taste in my mouth.

“Who. Hurt. You?”

She met my gaze in the mirror, her eyes widening. Her face went deathly pale, before her jaw tensed, and that familiar snarl covered her face. She whirled, sliding down her top.

“Get out!” she yelled as she scrambled for her shirt.

I moved forward, hands at my sides. I was a good foot taller than her, and could scare the shit out of her, but it wasn’t like I could look any smaller than I was. I’d be damned if she didn’t tell me what the hell happened.

“I repeat. Who hurt you?”

 

She quickly buttoned up her blouse, her hands shaking.

“I’m fine,” she lied. Because it was a damn lie. “I went skiing and hurt myself. I was just checking the bruises.”

I leaned forward and reached out to grip her chin. My breath caught as the bruise on the side of her jaw had only just now revealed itself to me when she turned.

And she flinched. Fucking flinched.

I let my hand drop, and I told myself to breathe. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”

“And maybe you should just get over yourself. I don’t owe you any answers. Get out. You may own this place, but you don’t own me. Get out, get out, get out, get out.”

She repeated the words over and over again, before her knees went weak, and tears slid down her face.

I had never once seen Scarlett Blair crack. Not in all the times that we’d yelled at each other, fought, or poked at each other just because we knew we could handle it.

And that scared me more than anything.

I reached out and caught her before she hit the ground and held her to my chest.

Because I knew exactly who had done this.

About the Cage Family Series:

Seven brothers find out their father had a secret family. Now there are a whole new set of Cage siblings no one is prepared for.
Forced to have dinner once a month to keep the company in tact and not let the small town of Cage Lake go under, the Cages are in for some trouble.

If they fail, thousands lose their jobs and others could lose their lives.
If they succeed…their world will change forever.

Family Secrets. A Family-Owned Small Town. Grumpy Heroes. Unstoppable Heroines.
This is the Cage Family.

When a dark secret derails the family’s plans for the future, the Cage brothers are faced with a new problem:
They aren’t the only Cages in town.
Now there’s double the trouble. Triple the angst. And the Cage family better step up.
Or they might just lose everything.
Including the HEAs they didn’t know they were missing.

You first meet the Cages in Best Friend Temptation. These are Ford’s brothers.
Each book is a complete stand alone with an HEA.
The series is ongoing

About the Author:

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Talon Pack, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She's the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.

Website: https://carrieannryan.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieAnnRyanAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrieannryanauthor/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carrieannryan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5360266.Carrie_Ann_Ryan

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carrie-ann-ryan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarrieAnnRyan

Discover Mercy's Peril by Virginia Barlow today

 

Talking with Virginia Barlow about Mercy's Peril

How Mercy’s Peril Came to Be

Mercy’s Peril began with a question that would not leave me alone: What happens to justice after a war ends—but the wounds do not?

I have always been drawn to stories set in moments of upheaval, when the world is being reshaped, and the rules people once trusted no longer apply. The post–Civil War South offered that tension in abundance. It was an era steeped in grief, secrets, and unfinished reckonings. Where loss lingered in every household, and survival often required silence. I knew immediately it was the right place to tell Mercy’s story.

This novel is the fourth book in the Calhan Brides series, comprising standalone romances that welcome new readers while rewarding those already familiar with the Calhan family. At its heart, Mercy’s Peril belongs to Connor Calhan, the oldest brother. A man shaped by responsibility, war, and the burden of being the first to carry his family’s name forward. Connor has always stood slightly apart, steady and watchful, and I knew his story would need a woman strong enough to challenge both his restraint and his past.

Mercy arrived quietly in pre-war Virginia. She was not born a heroine in a blaze of courage, but as a woman shaped by loyalty, intelligence, and loss. What fascinated me most was not her strength alone, but the cost of it. Mercy does not seek danger for glory. She steps into it because doing nothing feels like another kind of death. Her journey became a way to explore how women of that era navigated fear, injustice, and desire in a world that rarely protected them.

Connor’s pursuit of The Phantom is not merely professional; it is deeply personal. Through him, I wanted to examine how violence lingers long after the battlefield is abandoned, and how love becomes both a risk and a redemption. The tension between Mercy and Connor grew naturally from their shared sense of grief and loss. Both believe the other's family is responsible for a parent's death. 

And then there is The Phantom. I was less interested in writing a killer driven by spectacle than one who thrives on secrecy, manipulation, and the confidence of believing he will never be caught. In many ways, he represents the darkness left behind when accountability disappears.

As the story unfolded, Mercy’s Peril became more than a mystery or a romance. It became a meditation on courage, choice, and the danger of silence. It asks what happens when a woman refuses to look away, even when doing so would be safer—and whether love can survive in a world still learning how to heal.

Title: Mercy’s Peril

Author: Virginia Barlow

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Publication Date: January 19, 2026

Pages: 348

Genre: Historical Western Romance

Formats: Paperback, Kindle

When Mercy Jackson slips into Calhan Shipping under cover of darkness, she expects to steal a secret and disappear. What she doesn’t expect is Connor Calhan, a man as dangerous as he is relentless. Mercy has one mission: to expose a killer, protect her family, and vanish before anyone uncovers her true identity. But the deeper she digs, the more tangled the lies become, and the more drawn she is to the man who stands in her way. Connor is determined to unmask The Phantom, a traitor hiding in plain sight. But Mercy’s arrival threatens everything. Her secrets run deep, and her presence stirs a past Connor cannot outrun.

 

Mercy’s Peril is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

BOOK EXCERPT

Richmond, Virginia, 1857

Tonight, I gave birth to a fragile miracle, a daughter. She arrived feet first, and Dr. Perry urged me to surrender to death, but Mammy, through her courage and faith, turned the child. For two long hours, I clung to life while Mammy fought beside me, and when it was over, my daughter’s tiny fingers curled around mine, bringing tears of gratitude.

Percival sent a cruel message condemning me for my failure to produce a son and vowed to take my gilded chest as punishment. He demanded I name her Rue, for regret. But I will not let his darkness define her. I call her Mercy, for she is my salvation, a light in this house of shadows, and a reminder that grace can bloom even in sorrow. She will grow strong and pure, a light undimmed by her father’s shadow. –Grace Bennett

– Excerpted from Mercy’s Peril by Virginia Marlow, Marrow Publishing, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Virginia Barlow has been a dreamer her whole life. She loves reading, traveling, and roses. She will dive headfirst into any romance she can get her hands on in any genre. Although her first love is Regency Romance and always will be.  Something about the era calls to her soul like a siren’s song rising from the depths.

She writes richly layered historical romance infused with intrigue, drawing readers into worlds of aristocratic scandal, hidden bargains, dangerous desire, and women who refuse to remain pawns in other people’s games. Her heroines are intelligent, resilient, and quietly defiant; her heroes carry honor, guilt, and a capacity for devotion that cuts deep. Beneath the silk gowns and rigid rules of society, Virginia’s stories explore freedom, longing, and the cost of choosing one’s own heart.

Known for her sensual yet elegant prose, Virginia favors emotional tension over excess, intimate moments over spectacle, and romance that simmers before it ignites. Her work often weaves together family secrets, shadowed power brokers, and high-stakes love, where a single kiss can be as dangerous as a duel.

The most important thing in Virginia’s life is her family, and spending time with them. When she is not bouncing a grandbaby in her arms or handing out popsicles, she is writing and dreaming up her next story.  Virginia has published sixteen romance novels with another two on the way and has half a dozen more circling inside her head, eager to make their debut.

Her latest book, Mercy’s Peril, is available at  Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Visit her website at www.virginia-barlow.com.

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