Cirrus@Austlit

'The Christmas season is fast approaching. Snow is falling, the stockings are prepared, and the mistletoe is hung, but in a quaint town in Scotland, festivities could prove more challenging for some.

'Community crisis co-ordinator Emerald Bloom has had it tough, but she hopes this Christmas season will be jolly. She's invited several investors to stay in her ancestral home, Emerald Isle, the week of Christmas, in hopes of restoring the 'near castle' back to its glory days. Emerald's keen to show them her dream of supporting others to navigate life after grief, during seasonal celebrations, where often being with family and friends after the death of a loved one.

'Hunter O'Connell has fought his demons. He's built solid walls around his bruised heart to protect himself from further heartbreak. He's intrigued by the woman who's passionate about opening her home to complete strangers, providing a service of support and assistance in times of emotional need. The instant he lays eyes on Emerald Bloom, she chips away at his dark secrets and slowly melts his ice-cold heart.

'Emerald hopes by healing others, she'll ease her emotional pain, and Hunter seems the perfect challenge. Can she break through his hard shell and rebuild her shattered soul? And will he succumb to her healing ways, or will his heart stay locked away forever?' (Publication summary)

(Publication summary)

'Set in the stunning region of the Western District – Soul Keepers of Glenormiston South: A Victoria Collection Novel.

'Mother Earth has been cruelly impacted by the uncaring and the ignorant. Her foundation is wavering, her biodiversity declining. Humanity is failing her, and malicious forces are working to ensure that evil continues to reign. The demise of the planet is imminent…unless a saviour can answer her cry for help.

'That saviour is Angel Cloud.

'Along with her family of royal-souls, known as the Soul Keepers of Glenormiston South, they fight the malevolent Veins; a vile species who spread chaos and destruction throughout the world, devouring all in their path. But Angel soon discovers that not all who are born from evil, become it.

'All Angel desires is to help and heal every soul. But even Soul Keepers must obey the laws laid down by the High Council; to disobey is to be punished. Although she struggles to follow these rules, Angel soon discovers why she, especially, must be protected: a powerful Vein has come to Glenormiston South. One who seeks to destroy everything she loves.

'Under the guidance of her blood-sibling, Michael, and his soul-sibling, Bowie, Angel must learn to harness her immense power and unite with the one person who can help her reach her full potential; her soul-partner. Only then will she be able to do what she was born to do—save the world. With her soul-sibling, Sam, by her side, Angel is determined to do all she can to protect the ones she loves.

'At any cost.

'Will she become strong enough to save Mother Earth and all her innocent creatures, ensuring the restoration of her biodiversity? Or will the Veins’ malevolent plan to destroy the one planet they all need to survive, Earth, overpower them all?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'After spending a decade within the walls of her safe haven, The Given, Lilliana Night must flee her home at the facility and re-enter the outside world once again in her fight for justice and to protect the one she loves. Lilliana has no choice but to leave behind all she knows-and the man she loves-in order to do her part to eradicate one of the world's most vilest of criminals'. Will her self-sacrifice for the greater good allow her to return home to her loved ones? Or will the evil that still walks the Earth be her ultimate undoing? Decency dances on a dangerous stage with depravity and the results could be explosive.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Damon Night has left the Louisiana’s Given Establishment to work undercover in a fallen world full of despicable mayhem. Partly to help the Officials eliminate an Underworld narcotics epidemic, partly to escape his lust and overwhelming desire for Lilliana.

'Existing day to day without him, Lilliana completes her studies, to then thrive in her role as a leading therapist offering support to the mentally and physically wounded souls the outside world has delivered to them. Between a hectic schedule, expected from the establishment, to juggling free time with her friends, life flowed around her in a complex, yet meaningful way as the years passed, longing for Damon’s return.

'Five years undercover can do a lot to a man who had to fully commit himself to his role in order to convince the black minds of society he was one of them. When Damon returns, Lilliana hardly recognises the dangerous and unpredictable man who stands before her, but when her eyes meet his, questions of who the man he has become, fade as memories of the past ignite more than just an inferno of feelings.

'Can Damon overcome the abuse he subjected himself, and others to whilst undercover, and Can Lilliana forgive him his crimes? Just when they are so close to coming together, evil forces weave their sticky web of destruction. Will they be able to finally overcome these dangerous hurdles, or will they once again be forced miles apart?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The world no longer tolerates vicious, repeat offenders, and deals with criminals accordingly. The survivors of these heinous crimes are sent to private establishments around the globe, known as, The Given.

'The Louisiana's Given is run by the ever charming and handsome brothers, Damon and Cam Night who are obligated by their rule to mentor, protect and offer all the wounded a safe haven, a place to heal mentally and physically, whilst coming to terms with their new life. New Given must follow strict rules and an intense regime that comes with the gift of a superior education that only The Given establishments can offer.

'Lilliana becomes one of the Given, after suffering a horrific event that separates her from her family forever and she finds herself thrust into a foreign world of volatile individuals, challenging situations and unyielding rules. Her unexpected attraction to Damon Night confuses her all the more, as she tries to deal with her trauma and get a grip on her undetermined reality, amidst the broken minds of society.

'Damon is puzzled by the lure the beautiful Lilliana has on him, as he continues to run the family business in a respectful manner, expected of him with his responsibilities, but finds it harder to fight his growing, forbidden attraction to her. An unexpected desire that adds to the already challenging day to day running of The Given.

'Can friendship, animal therapy, education, and love weave their magic around the souls in The Given, and in time, heal the abused and injured? Or does danger and tragedy strike once too often and tear their safe haven apart? To Whom Much is Given, much is expected.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.