Cirrus@Austlit

'When Celeste was kidnapped a century ago and turned against her will by a cruel vampire fighter, she expected to spend her doomed eternity as his slave, chained in the darkness, and she questioned her ability to survive. But things don't always go as expected. Just ask her kidnapper. He never expected Celeste to learn how to fight. He never expected Celeste to become the best warrior he had ever seen. He never expected the secret hidden away in her blood, And he certainly never expected to become a victim of his own sword.

'Tormented by her past and the dreams she can't explain, Celeste now roams the earth slaying the creatures she loathes–other vampires like herself–and seeking revenge against those who would harm innocents in the name of bloodlust. Until she crosses paths with Striker, the handsome vampire leader weighed down by his own tortured story. In his quest for answers about the stunning Celeste, Striker finds out more than he ever thought possible–about himself, his true origins, and his destiny.

'But the secret Celeste is keeping from him might be the one thing that keeps them apart for good–a secret even more dangerous than a new, powerful enemy they never saw coming. As ancient mysteries, forgotten prophecies, and cruel eras collide, Celeste must confront her past as well as her future. Fighting her inner demons and letting Striker beyond the wall she built around her heart haunts her, even more than her captive past. Enter a supernatural world of passion, lust, sexual obsession, and power that the unsuspecting humans never knew existed, until now . . .'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Detective Alicia “Berg” Raymond is lying. She’s lying to the Chicago Police Department, to her boyfriend, Captain Jay O’Loughlin, but most of all, she is lying to herself—about her past, her future, and her addiction.

'As Berg investigates a series of brutal rapes, she juggles finding justice for the victims, keeping her own sordid past buried, and wrapping her damaged head around living in a state of domestic bliss she’s certain she doesn’t deserve.

'But when enemies from the past threaten her present, she is once again vulnerable to the demons that have plagued her. It’s only a matter of time before the lies unravel and destroy the fairy tale she’s finally started believing.

'Can she save anyone from the lurking darkness or will her own bloodlines drag her under—this time for good?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A mother is murdered in an apparent robbery. A young woman is raped and beaten in a home invasion. Chicago Detective Alicia "Berg" Raymond doesn't believe in random crime and is certain both cases are more than they seem–but can she trust her instincts, or is she too distracted by the feelings she has for former partner and new boss? For Berg, the need for justice burns deep and fills the emptiness where therapy and relationships fall short. She's certain the husband knows more than he's willing to admit, but the trap to catch the killer is the loophole that sets him free. The rapist is caught and sent to prison, but when Berg gets closer to the family devastated by his depravity, their behavior doesn't add up. As Berg fights to prevent another murder, she crosses the line between hero and villain–and there's no turning back.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Chicago Detective Alicia Raymond, aka Berg, hides her depression and a brutal past with dangerous, anonymous sex and an obsessive desire to track down killers. Bringing murderers to justice is the only thing she has in her life worth living for. Her partner, Detective Inspector Jay O'Loughlin, has a few secrets of his own. He knows Berg isn't as perfect as her faultless veneer, but as his intense attraction to her grows, can he overlook it? Captain Louise Leigh assigns them to investigate the gruesome murder of a trucker and repeat sex offender. But before they can get a lead on the killing, another trucker's body is found on the highway. Soon the bodies pile up, and it's a race against time to find the killer before their Chief, Consiglio, uses them as scapegoats to fulfill his political aspirations. When Berg's DNA is found on one victim, her career looks to be over. In the course of clearing her name, she and Jay grow even closer, so when her sordid sex life is exposed, their precarious relationship comes under fire. With nothing to lose, Jay and Berg forge ahead and defy direct orders to continue working on the cases, until Jay disappears. Desperate to find him, Berg stops at nothing to unearth what links the murders together, eventually uncovering a sadistic vigilante exacting revenge for a thirty-year-old gang rape. The sheer viciousness of the rape makes Berg question her place in a justice system that increasingly allows the guilty to go unpunished. Berg fears for Jay's life, but her demons are overwhelming. As events spiral out of control, Berg is forced towards a final confrontation with the killer where she will face the ultimate test: surrender to the evil inside her or finally confront the past she would rather bury.' (Publication summary)

'When seventeen-year-old Anais Butt is expelled from her fifth boarding school in three years, she expects her parents to slap her on the wrist and send her to another expensive school. However, her fed-up parents have other ideas. They decide to exile her to the isolated mountain town of Glenorie to labour for her child-hating maternal grandmother, Nanny Pam and her hostile cousin, Josephine, who operate a riding school on Pam's three thousand-acre ranch on the Turon River. However, before leaving for Glenorie, Anais spends a few days with her paternal grandmother, Nanny Bette, who has a handsome, mysterious guest staying with her in her flat. Shannon Ferguson has told Nanny Bette that he’s an out-of-work actor, but Anais, who finds herself strongly attracted to him, suspects that he’s lying. Shannon seems to be on the run from the police.

'When Shannon follows Anais to Glenorie, she’s scared of him and drawn to him in equal measure. He reveals that he’s being pursued by the police over a crime he did not commit. Anais wants to believe the man she’s in love with, but when a German backpacker goes missing and another is horribly injured near Glenorie, Anais can’t help but suspect Shannon.

'Finding herself more and more allied with her serious, goody-two-shoes cousin Josephine, Anais sets out to investigate the disappearances herself. Through a series of thrilling but dangerous events, the girls discover that the prime suspect is not Shannon, but the town’s well-respected pastor, Reverend Hobhouse and his band of ‘foster sons’.

'After an incident in the bush where Shannon is almost killed, he’s forced to face the prospect of leaving Glenorie, and Anais, forever. And Anais must make her own decisions and discoveries about her past, present and future. She may just have to grow up . . .' (Publisher's blurb)