BLOOD PEARLS Jewelry designer Madelyn Duval thinks she's left the high-stakes game of espionage behind her. A trip to China proves her wrong. Ultimately, she finds that mystery and intrigue follow when East meets West. Madelyn's career has been a leveling force in her life, a means of escaping her barren, symbiotic marital arrangement. But when she meets charismatic Cheng Gao, emotional frustration sets in, for their mutual attraction is as sure as the moon's draw on an evening tide. Innocently, the two become embroiled in a deadly conspiracy, a haunting murder, and a scandalous secret that places them in grave danger. Will they escape with their lives? Will their passion bridge an ocean? Or will fate intervene and curtail their fragile time together?