Cirrus@Austlit

'The royal witches of Anglion have bowed to tradition for centuries. If a woman of royal blood manifests powers, she is immediately bound by rites of marriage. She will serve her lord by practicing the tamer magics of the earth—ensuring good harvests and predicting the weather. Any magic more dangerous is forbidden.

'Lady Sophia Kendall, thirty-second in line to the throne, is only days away from finding out if she will be blessed—or perhaps cursed—with magic. When a vicious attack by Anglion’s ancient enemies leaves the kingdom in chaos, Sophia is forced to flee the court. Her protector by happenstance is Lieutenant Cameron Mackenzie, a member of the royal guard, raised all his life to be fiercely loyal to the Crown.

'Then Sophia’s powers manifest stronger than she ever imagined they would, and Cameron and she are inextricably linked in the process. As a witch unbound by marriage rites, Sophia is not only a threat to the established order of her country, but is also a weapon for those who seek to destroy it. Faced with old secrets and new truths, she must decide if she will fight for her country or succumb to the delicious temptation of power.…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Imagine a city divided…a city readying itself for a war. The vampire Blood and the shape-shifting Beast Kind seek to seize control now that the treaty is broken. Only the humans stand in their way…but they stand without their Fae allies…and they desperately need help….'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Imagine a city divided. Fae and human mages on one side, vampire Blood Lords and shape-shifting Beast Kind on the other. Between these supernatural forces stands a peace treaty that threatens to shatter at the slightest provocation….'

Source: Author's blurb.

'In the Half-Light City, tensions are rising. The night hides many secrets. And when a holy knight meets a half-Fae spy, uncovering secrets might save their lives. Or change them forever.'

Source: Author's blurb.

'When Maeve, twenty year old daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, accompanies a skittish horse back to Erin, she must confront her demons. For Maeve carries the legacy of a childhood fire in her crippled hands. She has lived with her aunt in Britain for ten years, developing a special gift for gentling difficult animals.

'Maeve arrives home to find Sevenwaters in turmoil. The forest surrounding her father's keep also has uncanny inhabitants, including a community of Fair Folk. Now the fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son return to the Otherworld to rule after him. To force Sean's hand, Mac Dara has made innocent travellers on the Sevenwaters border disappear, and now their bodies are appearing one by one in bizarre circumstances. Mac Dara's malign activities must be stopped. But how? What human army can defeat a force with magic at its fingertips?

'Maeve's gift with animals earns her respect at Sevenwaters. She bonds with her enigmatic small brother, Finbar, his druid tutor Luachan, and two stray dogs. When Maeve discovers the body of one of the missing men, she and Finbar are drawn into a journey where the stakes are high: they may bring about the end of Mac Dara's reign, or suffer a hideous death. For Maeve, success may lead to a future she has not dared to believe possible.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Imagine a city divided. On one side, the Night World, ruled by the Blood Lords and the Beast Kind. On the other, the elusive Fae and the humans, protected by their steadfast mages. A city held together by nothing more than a treaty-and even then, just barely…'

Source: Author's blurb.

'Sibeal has always known that she is destined for a spiritual life, and is committed to it with all her heart. The only thing left for her to do before she enters the nemetons is to spend the summer visiting her sisters, Muirrin and Clodagh, on the northern island of Inis Eala.

'But Sibeal has barely set foot on the island before a freak storm out at sea sinks a ship before her eyes. In spite of frantic efforts, only three survivors are fished alive from the water, and one of them, a man Sibeal names Ardal, clings to life by the merest thread.

'Life continues on the island, as it must, and Sibeal befriends Ardal as he begins to regain his health. But it becomes clear there is something unusual about the three shipwrecked strangers. Why won't the beautiful Svala speak? And what is it that the gravely ill Ardal can't remember - or won't tell? When a visiting warrior is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, and an attempt is made on Ardal's life, Sibeal finds herself a pawn in a deadly game. The truth will be far more astonishing than she could ever have believed - and the consequences for Sibeal unimaginable.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Caitrin, daughter of Berach, flees her home in Market Cross, running from her grief and mistreatment at the hands of her kinsfolk. Bruised and alone she arrives at Whistling Tor - a formidable fortification presided over by the local chieftain, Anluan. The villagers scorn and curse him for being a weak and unsupportive leader, unresponsive to their pleas for him to rid the surrounding forest of the ghostly and eerie manifestations that have plagued it for generations.

But desperate for work and shelter, Caitrin ignores their warnings, thinking them nothing more than fanciful tales and seeks refuge at the Tor. Here she encounters giant hounds, malevolent whispering in the night and the rare and precious herb, Heart's Blood; not to mention the moody and cursed Anluan.

As Caitrin slowly begins to regain control of her life, she discovers that not everything is as it seems in this mysterious place. What does Anluan's skewed features and anger hide? Who are the men and women of the Host? What might the ancient manuscripts and family documents in the library reveal? And why does Caitrin get the distinct impression that there is a dark and powerful force on the hill that doesn't want her to find the truth?' Source: www.panmacmillan.com.au/ (Sighted 17/03/2010).

'The chieftains of Sevenwaters have long been custodians of a vast forest, said by some to be one of the last refuges of the Tuatha De Danann, the Fair Folk of ancient story. Whatever the truth, Human and Otherworld dwellers have existed side by side in peace, sharing a wary trust. Until the spring when Lady Aisling of Sevenwaters finds herself expecting another child, and everything changes.

'With her mother pregnant, Clodagh fears for her health, as Aisling is well past the safe age for childbearing. Her father, Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, son of the famous Sorcha who performed her miraculous sacrifice all those years ago, faces his own difficulties, as warring factions threaten his borders. When Aisling gives birth, the responsibility of caring for the infant falls to Clodagh while her mother recovers.

'Then the family's joy turns to despair when an unspeakable horror falls upon Sevenwaters. Clodagh must finally confront the shadowy mystery of the silent forest and descend to the Otherworld, to find out why the trust between the two realms has been broken so tragically.

'Accompanied on her quest by a warrior of uncertain allegiance, Clodagh will have her courage tested to breaking point. The reward may be far greater than she ever dreamed...' (Publisher's blurb)

'Linked to an advanced alien culture through his dreams, Jack has fallen into the hands of Outreach Industries-whose agents will stop at nothing to tap into that link. But if Jack can't decipher what the aliens have been communicating to him, the entire human race may be in jeopardy.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Jack's sixteen-year-old ward Billie has vanished somewhere in the metropolis of Balance City. His search for her brings him to the attention of a corrupt millionaire, the fanatical Sons of Utrecht, and an alien conspiracy that may alter the future of humanity.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.