Cirrus@Austlit

'"A shared secret from their past could destroy their future..."

'Northumbria, 1077. In the years following William the Conqueror's harrying of the North, Lady Alfreya of Tyrswick returns to her family home after seven years in exile. But instead of returning victorious as her dead father had promised, she returns defeated by Baron Sebastian de la Croix, the Norman who rules her lands.

'To save her gravely ill brother's life, Alfreya offers herself hostage to her enemy. As Alfreya gets to know her new husband, she finds he's not the monster she feared, and their marriage of convenience soon becomes a bond of passion. But Sebastian is a man with a secret–one that could destroy him.

'As a series of brutal murders haunt their nights, the man who betrayed Alfreya's father returns claiming to be her betrothed. He has learned Sebastian's secret and will use it to further his own ambition–using Sebastian's own family–which will destroy Sebastian and mark him a traitor, and plunge an unprepared England into war with the Scots...' (Publication summary)

'Young Richard Whiting comes from a poor family but he’s given a golden opportunity – to move to London to further his education. On the way there, he is befriended by Lord Ambrose and his young daughter, Catherine ‘Cat’ Swanston, and Richard and Catherine become sweethearts.

'In order to make his fortune, Richard is pulled into a different life but the young couple vow beneath the tolling bells of the churches of London to always be there for one another.

'Years later, now an up-and-coming barrister, Richard learns that Catherine needs help. Her father is missing, and His Lordship’s business partner refuses to provide any information. It will take Catherine’s bravery and Richard’s legal cunning for there to be a happily ever after…'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Pennsylvania, 1791

'After her husband’s death, Pennsylvania widow Ann Sellars forges a business partnership with Toby Jackson that quickly becomes a close friendship.

'But when Toby proposes marriage on the eve of leaving for England, the pain of her husband’s passing is still too raw and Ann refuses.

'Eighteen months later, Toby is returning. Can Ann bid goodbye to the past and love again?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'In her first posting as governess, Ella Montgomery discovers beautiful Blackheath Manor hides family secrets and suppressed passions. Mysterious piano music in the darkness of night draws Ella to the talented Thomas Worsley, the brother of her employer, the Earl of Renthorpe. Grievously wounded in the Napoleonic Wars, Thomas is held prisoner at Blackheath by more than his blindness and scars. Driven by bitter jealousy, the Earl has ensured Thomas is only a memory, his name etched on a marble memorial in the Bedfordshire village graveyard. Drawn together by their love of music, Ella and Thomas begin a clandestine affair, but how far will the Earl go to keep his family’s secret? ' (Publication summary)

'December 1890. London, England.

'Some seriously clever sleight of hand is needed if aspiring lawyer Caro Addison is ever going to enjoy this Christmas. To avoid an unwanted marriage proposal, she needs a distraction as neat as the tricks used by The Phantom, the audacious diamond thief who has left Scotland Yard clueless.

'While her detective inspector uncle methodically hunts the villain, Caro decides to investigate a suspect of her own – the handsome Tobias Black, a magician extraordinaire, known as The Dark Duke. He’s the only one with the means, motive and opportunity but the art of illusion means not everything is as it seems, in both crime and affairs of the heart.

'As Christmas Day draws near, Caro must decide whether it is worth risking reputations and friendships in order to follow her desires.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.