Cirrus@Austlit

'London, 1817

'When Miss Joanna Dalrymple’s father inherits a fortune from a relative, he sells his haberdashery and turns his attention to seeing his beloved daughter settled in the manner he’d promised her mother. He leases a townhouse in Mayfair for the Season and engages a lady to ease their way into Society. At her first ball, Jo makes a new friend, Letitia Cartwright, who introduces her to the baron, Lord Reade. Dark-haired and handsome, he towers over most men, and his teasing manner is not what one finds on a ballroom dance floor. Jo learns from Letty that Reade is not looking to marry. It intrigues Jo. There is something mysterious about the baron. An air of danger surrounds him. But Jo has decided her husband must be a quiet gentleman who would welcome her widowed father into their house, so when the elegant Mr. Ollerton, pursues her, Jo welcomes his advances.

'Gareth, Baron Reade, an agent for the crown, is investigating the disappearances of several young women at the request of the Prince Regent. The lovely redhead, Miss Joanna Dalrymple, has captured Reade’s attention. Against his better judgement, his interest in her deepens. His good friend, Brandon Cartwright, has the annoying tendency to read Reade’s mind, and to voice what’s on his. Brandon urges Reade to marry and cast aside the low spirits which have plagued him since Waterloo. But Reade refuses to inflict his dark moods and nightmares on a wife. Trouble is, Joanna, a forthright young lady, becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Especially when it appears she might be in danger. Has she become involved with the Virden’s, the couple Reade has under suspicion? While he has no intention of caring for anyone again, he becomes determined to protect her.

'Will it take a matter of life and death for them to realize they cannot live without each other?'

'Lady Nellie Dountry, and Charles, His Grace, Duke of Shewsbury have had their hearts broken in the past. Neither is prepared to chance love again. When they are compelled to marry because of an agreement made long ago by their fathers, they are both determined to resist falling in love. Convinced that it’s mere desire which draws them together, both are surprised by their jealousy.

'Nellie finds Charles irresistibly attractive, but other women do too. They circle like sharks. Aware that Charles’s former fiancée who had broken his heart some years ago is now a widow and on the hunt for a lover, Nellie struggles to trust him while she fears she is falling in love with him.

'Charles was more than pleased with his choice of bride, but he wishes she wasn’t so difficult to understand. One minute she’s hot for him, the next as remote from him as a chalet in the alps. Why he wants to get close surprises him, he planned for his marriage to be little more than one of polite indifference. But Nellie is so dashed beguiling!'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Andrew, the Duke of Harrow, has returned to his Oxfordshire estate after years away in Vienna on a diplomatic engagement. He left England after losing his beloved wife in childbirth. But his children consider him a stranger, and the new governess disapproves of him.

'In hope of restoring his family, he has invited a German baroness who may become the new Duchess of Harrow, and her brother, as his guests. Andrew’s plans do not go to order. Were there three attempts made on his young son William’s life, or are they a string of amazing coincidences? Why would anyone want to harm William? Andrew finds himself working with the governess to discover the truth while keeping his son safe, and disconcertingly, comes to depend on Miss Harrismith, as his respect for her deepens. When the truth finally becomes clear, Andrew faces his feelings, but then finds his chance of happiness snatched away.

'Miss Jenny Harrismith, the daughter of an impoverished baron from Yorkshire with six children, leaves home after a disagreement with her father, taking a position as governess to the Duke of Harrow’s two children. After a year at Castlebridge, when the duke barely makes an appearance, she has found a certain peace, and become very fond of her charges. But the duke has arrived home to stay, and suddenly, there is no peace to be found. Frightening things begin to happen. As she fights to keep the duke’s son safe, she finds herself falling in love with his father.

'Thrust into danger, and coming close to death, she realizes she must face the truth of what she left behind in York.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Rakes are intent on something a young debutante must never give them… their virtue!

'Armed with this advice from her aunt, Letitia Bromley embarks on her first Season in London. Fresh from the country, she is intent on a romantic adventure after reading the diaries of her great-great Aunt Lydia, who sailed the high seas with a pirate. But when Letty’s kind patroness begs for her help to right a wrong done to her dead husband, Letty can only respond to the lady’s distress. Can it be true that the rakish Brandon Cartwright spies for the French? Danger lurks, and Letty becomes unsure whom to trust. Her head urges her to be sensible, to go home to the man everyone in her village expects her to marry, but her heart says otherwise.

'Declared the family’s black sheep by his father after a tragedy, Brandon is drawn into the spying business. He has had little regard for his life, taking on dangerous assignments, until circumstances change when he becomes involved with a stubborn young lady who is determined to help her chaperone. Brandon can’t help but admire Letty for her bravery and compassion, but while he’s intent on keeping her safe, he has no intention of drawing her into his disreputable life.

'Once he sees her safely on her way back to Cumbria, he can pick up the threads of the life he lived before she came into it… or will he follow his heart – and her?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'When a widow must fight for herself… and her love.

'A widow in dire circumstances, Lady Althea Brookwood fights to hang on to the one thing left to her, Owltree Cottage. When faced with a ruthless enemy, she must turn to a man for help. But her former life with her cruel husband has made her distrust men. When a gentleman she seeks assistance from is murdered, Althea finds herself caught up in a conspiracy. Unfortunately, she must turn to the last man on earth she would trust with her virtue….

'Leaving behind his sad past in Ireland, Keiran Flynn, Viscount Montsimon, has become a renowned diplomat and close confidant of King George IV. A handsome rake many women of the ton wish to take to their beds, Flynn treats women lightly until he meets a lady who resists his charm. When the king sends Flynn on a secret mission, he finds that this lady, Lady Brookwood, is in some way involved. It is a puzzling situation as well as a dangerous one. He is determined to protect her even though the stubborn lady resists him at every turn.

'Althea and Flynn find themselves thrust into the midst of a hazardous intrigue while fighting an attraction which could cause them to lose focus and possibly their lives.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'John Haldane, Earl of Stathairn, first met Lady Sibella Winborne before he left to fight Bonaparte on the Peninsular. He intended to pursue her upon his return, but his war experiences ruined that plan. Instead, disturbed by nightmares, he chooses to associate with tavern wenches and gambles his time away while he continues to spy for the Crown.

'But the lady remains on his mind.

'He can’t quite let Lady Sibella go. Amazed that she has not yet married, John keeps her close as a friend, seeking her out at balls and riding with her in the park. But any thoughts he might have harbored about marrying the beautiful and smart Lady Sibella vanish after his friend and fellow spy is slain.

'The game changes.

'Determined to find his friend’s murderer, Strathairn faces a new mission – has the treasonous Frenchman, Count Forney, returned to wreak havoc? It is believed he drowned escaping England years ago. Or, worse… is there a new plot afoot to drive the people to revolution?

'Lady Sibella Winborne has remained single well past her first season, despite several offers of marriage. Her many siblings have always aided her to deter unwanted suitors, but the family now believes it’s time she wed. Her elder brother, Chaloner, Marquess of Brandreth, insists on it. He has found the perfect suitor, Lord Coombe, but Sibella doesn’t warm to him. Is it because she harbors a strong affection for a blond-haired gentleman? Strathairn makes every other man seem ordinary. While she wants to set up her own household and have children, she can’t give up on Strathairn. When they’re together, the air sizzles. But does he look at every woman the way he looks at her?

'Join John and Sibella on their unforgettable journey to their happily ever after!'

Source : publisher's blurb

'London 1816

'Guy Fortescue comes to England to claim his inheritance, Rosecroft Hall, abandoned over thirty years ago when his father fled to France after killing a man in a duel. But England proves to be a dangerous place – someone wants Guy dead. As Guy seeks to discover who lies behind the attacks on his life, he arranges a faux betrothal with Miss Horatia Cavendish.

'Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan. An aspiring poet, Hetty proves to have a mind of her own but in spite of that, Guy finds her far too alluring.

'Dangerous….

'Headstrong and lovely, Hetty agrees to the betrothal because it allows her to go to London where she can attend literary societies with her aunt. While her affection for Guy grows deeper, she must not forget the betrothal isn’t real. Guy will choose a bride from the beau monde – it will not be a colonel’s daughter from Digswell.

'But Hetty is soon drawn in to Guy’s life, more and more, and not entirely against her will. He is handsome and brave, and the attraction between them is undeniable. Soon, she can no longer resist her desire for him and the fact that someone is out to kill him only feeds her innate protectiveness of the man she is betrothed to. As attempts are made on Guy’s life, Hetty and his sister ,Genevieve, work together to keep him alive, and a love that has been denied finally comes to fruition in the exciting conclusion.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'In a post-apocalyptic world, Evie French has just turned seventeen. She and her cousin, Marcus Peters, sixteen, struggle to survive after being left alone in their parent’s bed-and-breakfast hotel in outback Australia. An endless drought has killed Evie’s father’s avocado trees and all the surrounding habitation. Nothing grows in the fetid soil. Hope comes in the form of a nineteen-year-old boy, Joel Pitt. He arrives on his motorbike with his dog, Rasputin, bringing supplies. He climbs the tallest tree on the crest of the hill and locates an area of green down along the coast, hundreds of miles away. The three pile onto the bike, with Marcus and Rasputin in the sidecar, and embark on a trip that will take them over mountainous terrain with a limited supply of food and water. What might they find if they reach the coast? Will other people have survived the devastation? And who bombed their country? No one seems to know.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Sucked into a race against time Lucy fights to save the man she loves.

'Lucy Reed and Daniel Fleming seem to have it all: a new home they are in the process of restoring, and a loving relationship. Sure, mortgage payments and a few arguments are always around the corner, but no life can be perfect, right?

'Lucy discovers exactly how tricky life can be when she wakes up one morning to find that Daniel seems to have vanished into thin air. He’d been worried and distracted since they bought the house. Had it all got too much? When the police refuse to do anything, Lucy is forced to take matters into her own hands.

'Lucy’s frantic search brings her to the doorstep of her unsettling Italian neighbors, the Martone’s. Sebastian Martone, a wealthy, attractive businessman, has bought the television station where Lucy and Daniel work. He offers to help, but what does he really want?'

source : publisher's blurb

'In Victorian England, beautiful artist’s model Giovanna Russo is desired by two powerful men. One is enchanted by her and decides to make her his mistress. The other wants her dead.

'When Gina’s diary is discovered over a century after she wrote it, the truth of her step-father, renowned pre-Raphaelite artist, Milo Russo's murder emerges. Within it's pages, Gina has chronicled her fascinating life, her rise to fame and her love for an Irishman.

'When a movie is made of Gina's story, two actors, Dylan Shaw and Astrid LeClair, discover the meaning of true love.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Kate Kilgarth, yearning for passion and excitement far from her country village, refuses to marry her childhood best friend, Lord Laurence. But Kate finds excitement right on her doorstep. Lord Broughton has returned from abroad to restore the partly burnt-out Broughton Hall, reigniting an old mystery.

'When Kate overhears two plotters, she is determined to save Broughton Hall from murderous foes. She cannot count on Laurie’s help. He has become quite stuffy since he left Cambridge. But can she trust Lord Broughton? And why has the beautiful Frenchwoman, Angelique, come to stay at the Hall?

'As Kate falls headlong into love, she risks far more than she intended.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Dreams can come true if you open your heart.

'After her four sisters married for love, Mercy Baxendale, in her first London Season, wants the same for herself. Her requirements are simple. The man she marries must be madly in love with her, and he must also be prepared to support her business venture.

'When an incident lands Mercy and Grant, Viscount Northcliffe in the scandal sheets and has everyone in London talking, they are forced into a marriage of convenience. Although Northcliffe is quite the most handsome man she’s met, he does not fill her criterion for a husband. Not only does he appear to be a man with secrets, he has a very public mistress.

'Grant foresees no rush to marry and produce an heir. His grandfather, the Duke of Rotherham, and Grant’s father are still above ground. And squiring a fiancée around London for the Season is difficult with the dangerous work he’s undertaken for the Crown.

'While he accepts that circumstances have thrust marriage upon him, he wishes his reluctant fiancée would be warmer. There’s a decidedly chilly expression in her beautiful blue eyes when she looks at him.

'Will they find it possible to overcome their differences and love one another, or will his secrets destroy their chance of happiness?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'As a young woman must marry and become engaged in proper duties, art can only be an accomplishment and a recreation.

'Despite opposition at every turn, Charity Baxendale dreams of becoming a renowned portrait painter. She is heartened to receive two significant commissions from esteemed family members, and when a rakish Scottish baron commissions her to do his portrait, she dares hope she is one step closer.

'When Robin, Lord Stanberry, with whom Charity has had a long friendship, asks her to marry him, she must choose between marriage and her career. Robin is heir to a dukedom, and Charity fears that not only would she be unsuited to life as a duchess, but also that her burgeoning career might end before it begins. And besides, Robin has made no mention of love.

'After his uncle and heir die, Robin becomes the Duke of Harwood. Never having expected such an event, he feels himself unfitted for such a position. He was perfectly content living as a viscount in Tunbridge Wells, writing a manuscript on ornithology. Now he must leave all that he loves. He’d hoped to have Charity at his side by the time he took his place at Harwood Castle, for her pragmatic nature and strength of character would be of enormous help to him. Should he have thrown himself at her feet and declared an undying love? Charity would have seen through it, for that was not the sort of friendship they enjoyed. But her refusal has brought him lower than he’d thought possible. Can he change her mind, despite the distance that now lay between them?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A woman in search of passion. At the end of her third Season, Lady Harriett Edgerton has refused her one offer of marriage from a perfectly worthy, if dull, suitor. Harriett doesn’t want proper. She wants passion. And the prospect of a passionate marriage is becoming increasingly unlikely, judging by the men she meets. When she and her family visit a dying relative at his country mansion in Kent, Pendleton Manor, everything appears normal on the surface, until Harriet is suddenly embroiled in murder, intrigue, and lust.

'A man determined to live life on his own terms. Gentleman farmer, Gerard Everard, Earl of Foxworth, has inherited an estate deep in debt. While he toils to save Foxworth from creditors, he becomes embroiled in a dangerous mission.

'Together, Harriett and Gerard work to uncover a murderer, while Harriett, expecting Gerard to succumb to the charms of her younger, beautiful sister, Leonora, tries unsuccessfully to guard her heart.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Angeline Martin tried to run away from her past. But the past has a way of catching up with you.

'After ten years of living in Hong Kong and working for a magazine, editor and food writer, Angeline Martin is drawn back to Australia after her twin sister Dany is involved in a car accident that has claimed a man’s life. The sisters were once the closest of confidants, until an event drove them apart; and it now seems that Dany, a talented and eccentric artist, is keeping her secrets close. Only this time, it’s dangerous.

'The town has changed beyond Angie’s recognition, making Angie feel out of place, and Detective Inspector, Nick Alexander is digging. It’s clear he suspects foul play. Angie, or Angel, as her sister calls her, finds herself caught between her sister and the attractive cop she can’t seem to ignore.

'DI Nick Alexander is fighting to stay in his job. To move to another station now would be disastrous. The present case is keeping him here, but he’s torn between solving a murder and protecting someone he’s come to care about. Either way leads him down a path to misery.

Source : publisher's blurb

'A stickler for correctness, Lord Bartholomew Winborne, second son of the Marquess of Brandreth, is about to take up his appointment as a vicar in India. Requiring a suitable wife by Christmas, he has made a list of the most desirable qualities she must possess. The annoying Miss Emily Isherwood appears to have none of them.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'In her first Season, Hope Baxendale attracts the interest of a powerful English duke, the husband all debutantes wish for and some will fight dirty to get. If only the handsome Frenchman Daniel Brienne, Duc du Ténèbres wasn’t distracting her from her course. Daniel shows little interest in marrying again, and surely, it is only the sadness in his deep brown eyes that pulls her to him.

'Daniel yearns for solitude. When his very existence is threatened, he wakes to the possibilities of a life passionately lived. He knows just whom he wants in his future, but the weary hawk, the Duke of Winslow, circles. And is it fair to ask Hope to leave her family and her country for him?'

Source : publisher's blurb