Cirrus@Austlit

'Melissande Brown is finally free.

'After being controlled by a powerful psychic for most of her adulthood, Melissande’s finally free to live her life. But now her youngest daughter, Emmie, is in trouble. She’s picking fights at school and using her unique mental abilities against orders.

'Mikael Smythe’s life has not gone according to plan. The Night Captain of the City Guard, he’s a single dad with a son who’s deeply sensitive to other people’s emotions. Now his boy is on the verge of a mental breakdown, and Mikael has no idea how to help.

'Through a chance meeting, Melissande and Mikael are brought together. But can Mel learn to trust again before it’s too late to help both Mikael and his son?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Is the truth really worth dying for?

'Becoming a bodyguard isn't exactly on Yael's list of dream jobs. In fact, he's much better at killing than he is at saving people. But when the most powerful witch Crone in the Americas asks him for a favor, he isn't left with much of a choice. And the worst part? His new client doesn't believe in magic and she's human.

'The love of Rowan Broome's life is dead; killed in a horrific car accident. Rowan seeks escape, only for it to be offered in the opportunity of a lifetime: become an excavation director for an archaeological dig in Egypt. Unbeknownst to her, her boss isn't the magnanimous Luke Starre she believes, but Lucifer, ruler of Hell.

'Burdened with a bodyguard she doesn't want, but desperate to forget her past, Rowan is drawn closer and closer to Lucifer. Can she survive the twisted web he's woven, or will Yael have to save her from herself?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Once an angel, now a blood slave.

Seraphina would do anything to protect her fellow Darts—even become a blood slave. But can an angel survive living in the depths of Hell, surrounded by demonic killers?

'Trick's entire life is a lie, which is exactly how he likes it. Ruler of the Halcyon Guild, he is one of the most powerful demons in Hell. But for the first time in centuries, he's been outwitted—and by a damned angel.

'His bad luck doesn't end there. Hades has a mission for the guild: one only Trick and Seraphina can complete. The catch—they have to complete it within a week or their lives will be forfeit.

'Can Seraphina and Trick set aside centuries of prejudice and work together, or will their pride see them both destroyed?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'As a qualified doctor who only ever dreamed of helping people, being kept as a slave and then sold as breeding stock for Mortus demons was never on the cards. Freed from imprisonment, Zadkiel is an angel on a mission: find Heaven’s stolen Heart and save the demon who helped him when he was a captive. But Z is suffering from a mystical illness no one can cure… Can he stay alive long enough to achieve his goals? Together, Peony and Z will need every ounce of their combined strength to survive the Mortus stronghold and find the key to Heaven’s Heart.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Dru is a blood-bound assassin, tied to Hell and her master for eternity — okay, not ‘eternity’, but it sure as Hell feels like it. She’s got a slight attitude problem, a strict no-touching rule and she has claws and knows how to use them. She’s also willing to earn her freedom at any cost, even if that means stealing from an angel. Azrael was once a member of an elite unit in Heaven’s army, but after a priceless artifact was stolen on his watch, he was thrown out of Heaven. Now the fallen angel is on a mission: find Heaven’s Heart, save his missing comrades, and get even with the angel who took his wings. The first time Azrael and Dru meet, she leaves him for dead. The second time, they’re tasked with the same mission — retrieve Odin’s Orb. Will their sparking passion derail their best-laid plans? Or will they play for keeps?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'On a bad day, Verity Winter can raise hell. Literally.
'Verity Winter wants to escape her past, and the town of Moonlit Hills is her new sanctuary. There’s only one problem: it’s a supernatural hotspot. Which would be fine, except her magical powers are a little bit out of control and she might have accidentally raised a horde of undead chickens at the Happy Pie diner.

'Gabriel Black is the scoundrel of his family. Born without magic into a town full of power, he runs a special kind of supply store filled with rare and magical artifacts. But Gabe isn’t interested in helping people, and when Verity crashes into his life, he’s in for a world of trouble.

'Can they learn to work together, before Verity’s magic spins out of control and she plunges the whole town into chaos?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Aria Ash shouldn’t exist…

'Born to a were mother and vampire father, Aria Ash is the perfect blend of two races, and in their world, that’s a death sentence. Hunted for as long as she can remember, she now hides in plain sight in the city of Skarva, and will do anything to keep her secret safe.
'Sebastian Talien is an alpha were with a troubled past. Ever since his pack went rogue and tried to kill three innocent pups, he’s been dedicated to rescuing children in need. Now an invitation has him heading to Skarva, to help a child he thought he’d failed...'

Source: publisher's blurb

'The city of Pinton has never been safe…and now a serial killer is on the loose.

'Doctor Alice Reive is the city’s coroner, and she’s determined to help find the murderer. Enlisting the assistance of the Honorable Dante Kipling and city guard Elle Brown, they race to track down the killer, before another victim dies.

'Hannah Romanov – Dante’s missing twin sister – has spent hundreds of years living on an isolated mountain. But her quiet life is thrown into chaos after she discovers a baby left in the wilds to die. Hannah will do anything to ensure the infant’s survival, even if it means traveling to the worst place in the world for her – Pinton.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Civilization has ended.

'Vampires, werewolves, and the Graced are at war with their human creators, and humanity is losing. But one girl might hold the key to salvation. Held captive with her fellow humans by alpha Wolfgang and his pack of weres, Laney secretly inches ever closer to breaking were and vampire blood dependency forever.

'But Laney doesn’t have long. Their numbers decimated by plague, humans are being kidnapped and reduced to livestock. And when Laney and her sister are kidnapped by a neighboring vampire clan notorious for its “farming” of humans, their only hope lies in Wolf – who doesn’t know the shocking secret Laney has gone to great lengths to conceal.

'With their lives and the future of humanity in the balance, can Laney and Wolf learn to trust each other before their races cease to exist?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Billie Young is a city guard from Pinton with a troubled past – she was kidnapped, tortured and almost murdered by vampires. Though she managed to survive her attack, it’s left her scarred and damaged. Now, she wants revenge.

'Vere Radcliffe is a vampire spy who answers directly to the king. Recently returned to the city, he’s stuck living with his family – a fate almost worse than death. But trouble is brewing in the streets of Pinton, and Vere is asked to investigate the abduction of a city guard and the murder of several other humans.

'Can Vere and Billie work together to find the killers, before it’s too late?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Dancing with Demons features four of Amanda Pillar’s short stories, available together for the first time. These tales will take you from London’s ballrooms, to seedy pubs in the Underworld, and to smoke-shrouded towns in a steampunk world. Vampires, demons, werewolves, and even the Devil await you within these pages.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

A selection of dark urban fantasy stories, centred around the theme of blood.

'City Guard Elle Brown has one goal in life: to protect her kid sister, Emmie. Falling in love–and with a werewolf at that–was never part of the deal.

'Life, however, doesn’t always go to plan, and when Elle meets Clay, everything she thought about her world is thrown into turmoil. Everything, that is, but protecting Emmie, who is Graced with teal-colored eyes and an unknown power that could change their very existence. But being different is dangerous in their home city of Pinton, and it’s Elle’s very own differences that capture the attention of the Honorable Dante Kipling, a vampire with a bone-deep fascination for a special type of human.

'Dante is convinced that humans with eye colors other than brown are unique, but he has no proof. The answers may exist in the enigmatic hazel eyes of Elle Brown, and he’s determined to uncover their secrets no matter the cost…or the lives lost.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

A rich young woman, disgraced by an affair with a married man and a subsequent pregnancy, is sent by her uncle to the distant hilltop down of Mercury, accessible only by dirigible, where she is to marry a man with his own secrets.

With Bloodstones, Amanda Pillar presents stories themed around myths and legends, in a dark urban fantasy setting.