Cirrus@Austlit

'Amber

'How do you politely refuse when the only guy to star in any of your dirty fantasies has just offered to put you up for the foreseeable future and your brother's just accepted like you were in fact still thirteen and couldn't make decisions for yourself? You don't. And, you end up with a roommate who wears a very good elegant mask over the rough and tumble, bad boy core I remember far too well.

'Only, it's ten years later and I'm even nerdier than I used to be. It's ten years later and I couldn't look worse. It's ten years later and I can't keep one guy. It's ten years later and my brother still teases me mercilessly in front of him. It's ten years later and Kit somehow looks even better than the guy I spent my formative years crushing on.

'So, there's not only the issue that he's my older brother's best friend, but also a sex-god this virgin can barely talk to. But that certainly never stopped me from drooling over him and it wouldn't stop me now. He's so far out of my league, I wouldn't even clean in his league.

'Except, there might just be a smouldering heat in Kit's eyes that suggests he's not quite as out of my league as I thought. Just maybe, this geek is about to get a whole lot of chaos.

'Kit

'When I find out about my best mate's little sister's situation, the offer is out of my mouth before I can stop it; Hawk's like a brother to me even if Amber's never looked twice at me. I could never tell if she was scared of me or hated me. But the deal is done. She's going to bring her bedraggled self upstairs to my penthouse and live with me for as long as she needs.

'I see the pain she hides away, I see the lack of confidence despite how smart she is, how good. If there's something I've learned, it's that confidence makes all the difference. So, it becomes my mission to help Amber find her confidence. But I find more than confidence in her and suddenly I'm seeing my best mate's little sister completely differently.

'I've never known what to say to her. She's always been good and studious and sweet. She's always been so far out of my league I wouldn't even carry bags in that league. Her face is a mask that tells me nothing in between the sparse words that come out of her mouth.

'Except, there might be something in the way she smiles at me that gives me hope I'm not as far out of her league as I thought. It might just be time that this chaos gets a little geek.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Leah

'I didn't belong in their world, but I made a good show of pretending I did. Mother and Father expected it. All I wanted to do was get a cosy cottage in the suburbs and live with my million cats. What I got instead was suitor after suitor paraded in front of me and the threat of a looming engagement. So, what else was a girl to do?

'After bumping into Mrs Fortescue's 'companion' one too many times, I decided he'd do. Mother and Father wanted an engagement? They'd get one. Except I'd be the one having the last laugh because Patrick is the total opposite of what my parents want in a son-in-law – his nickname is Hawk for goodness' sake – and I have no obligations to him in any department.

'But of course, the best laid plans make fools of us all and it's not long before I want him to hold me accountable only to him in EVERY department. There's just the small problem of him being completely unsuitable and without any inclination to settle down.

'If there's one thing I know about men, it's that it takes a remarkable woman to tame them. I know I'm a remarkable woman. I only hope it's not too late for this lady to tame her hawk.

'Patrick

'If there's one thing that makes a guy reconsider his womanising ways, it's seeing his best mate and his little sister settle down. If there's another, it's a gorgeous woman in a stunning red dress. But she's a part of a world I can only pretend to fit into and she's a damned lady – elegant and sophisticated – and she's totally off-limits to a grunt like me.

'Every time we meet, there's a look in her eyes that suggests she's far less sophisticated than she'd have me believe. And it's not long before this hawk is close to begging to relinquish his freedom, even just for one night. So, how could I say no when she needed my help? I was expertly qualified to serve, and if I got to be myself for once that was just icing.

'But the more time I spend with her, the more I want to be around her. The more it feels less like a job and more like something real. There's just the small problem of her being an heiress with obligations that don't include me and the job will only last so long.

'I don't know a lot about ladies, despite my remarkable ability to play a part. All I know is there's always more underneath the mask, and there's only one lady who can tame this hawk.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Raegan

'I was used to being the smartest person in a room, the nerd queen my boss looked to when things went wrong. And boy, did they go wrong. Super wrong. Enter Nico Daniels. Ex-military. Tall, built, smoking hot. He wears suits like they were poured onto his body. He has a mouth that would make Satan blush. And I thought my Nan was bossy? Nico makes her look tame.

'Girls like me want a guy as nerdy as them. Girls like me need a nerd on the streets and a beast in the sheets, but guys like that are practically impossible to find. They're rarer than the mythical unicorn, the legendary eight hours of sleep a night, or the fabled second orgasm. But a highly frustrated girl's only got so much restraint. So, maybe one night won't hurt? Or two.

'Nico and I are all sorts of wrong for each other. Sure, the guy makes me scream his name in absolute ecstasy. But the rest of the time I want to smash my keyboard over his cocky head. And that's really not conducive to a healthy relationship.

'If only the man who was a beast in the sheets was a nerd on the streets. If only we had something in common. I need a little nerd in my man and Nico Daniels is anything but nerd. Isn't he?

'Nico

'I hated roleplay. I was bad at it. So, what's my new job? Play the jarhead security guard to some pixie who's got herself into a world of trouble with some shady online shit. The big boss likes his security to look the part. My boss likes to keep him happy. So, it's Converse and nerdy t-shirts off, and tailored suits on and contacts in. Because the tech guy isn't quite so scary.

'Raegan Lane wasn't just in a world of trouble, she was in danger of troubling my strict, orderly world. The guy who's lived behind computers hasn't needed game in a long time, but this little nerd makes me want more than just a couple of games nights. She makes me want everything. But I've hidden from the world for so long, I've forgotten how to human.

'Every time I think I've worked out how to open up to her, all my walls slam back into place. My nerd side has never been what's got ladies into bed – I've picked up a thing or two from my team mates. But that's the side this nerd queen would love, if only I'd let her know it.

'She's the code that could crack all my firewalls, but I'm not sure I know how to be the real me and be a guy someone could love. To keep her, I'm gonna need to let my nerd light shine bright.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Nora

'As the female bassist in an otherwise all-male rockband, I had an image to maintain – relaxed, laidback, available. One-Night Nora was what the headlines called me and I relished it. My freedom meant everything to me and that freedom had become my brand. Until I get a stalker and our manager hires a dude from Grace Grayson.

'I've heard they're the most satisfying firm in the country and I'm more than happy to give their reputation a try. Except, when it comes down to it, I can't follow through. Ryder is funny, gorgeous, kind, and sweet in his own way. I don't want our time together to come to an end, so I'm adamant I won't sleep with him.

'But my restraint only goes so far and I'm all too aware that all good things must come to an end sometime. Still, it's only one night. Or so I tell myself until our easy banter disappears under the deafening unspoken knowledge that we both want more.

'He's the sort of guy who can rock my whole world, if I could just roll with it. And he's making it harder and harder to pretend it means nothing. After all, rock and roll just go together.

'Ryder

'It took some serious convincing on my part, but eventually the boss man let me have the VIP. And what a VIP she turned out to be. But some one-night rocker she turns out to be. The woman isn't falling for any of my numerous charms, no matter how close I seem to get. But the more time I spend with her, the more I don't mind. This is one good thing I never want to end.

'With a voice like a fallen angel and a personality that would make Lucifer himself blush, Nora's the kind of person I don't mind being around. The fact all that comes in a female form that does strange, exciting things to me is just icing. Being with her is like being with a friend you want to bone, only I'm beginning to think maybe I'm interested in more than just the benefits.

'Despite watching three of my best mates settle down, I never thought I'd follow suit. But, this chick has me wondering if it would be so bad after all. It's as terrifying as it is motivating to think I could fall in love. I'm sure I could so long as I don't focus too hard on the terrifying bit.

'She's the sort of woman to rock my whole world, if only she'd just roll with it. I'll have to pull out all the stops, but I'll do it to prove it to her. After all, rock and roll just go together.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I was the juvenile delinquent now in her late-twenties and with very little hope in sight. But I got along okay. I had a good group of friends, some delicious eye-candy, and my business was growing in leaps and bounds. Going out for a few benders with the girls of a Saturday night was what being in your twenties was all about. Right? Who needed to settle down?

'My life is mess and disorder, but maybe there's one man who'll make me want to straighten it out.

'Gavin

'When I was younger, they called me the gentle giant. I was actually one of the most picked on kids at school because I refused to return a punch. It wasn't just that I knew, as the biggest kid, I'd get into the biggest trouble. I just didn't like trouble. Odd then that I ended up in the Navy and turning a blind eye to the antics of the Grace Grayson boys.

'My life is ordered and stable, but maybe there's one rebel who'll make me want to shake it up.'(Publication summary)