AustLit

'Betrothed is the story of the eldest son, General Vladimir Demitri Petroski and his childhood betrothal to Ms Georgina Franklin.  A betrothal that was born out of a father’s deep desire to give his son the chance at a happiness he wasn’t able to find. This wish was lost when Demitri’s father passes away while Demetri is still too young to understand his father’s heart. The Betrothal is twisted into a family shame, a blackmail forced on the family by an opportunistic businessman and his family.  It is Demetri’s duty to restore family honor and have the betrothal annulled… until he meets the charming, clever and delightful Ms Georgina Franklin.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A WOMAN WHOSE HEART WAS AS FIERCE AS IT WAS FRAGILE….. AND THE MAN WHO BOUGHT HER TO WIN IT.

'The enigmatic Hurley Twins were selling her…and Miss Elspeth James had no choice but to accept. As governess to the Canvases, she prepared the girls to be sold as living art, prepared them to become legendary Painted Sisters to some of the world’s most influential and powerful men, The Collectors. She would have walkout out, left the Hurley twins, her beloved charges and the ridiculous proposal but the girls were in serious danger. There were whispers a diabolical outlawed sect, a Skinner…of secret bidding, astronomical prices for the beautiful tattooed skin minus the girl. If she accepted the deal to become his Painted Sister, the arrogant, cold and infuriatingly handsome Mr. Blackburn, she could do something to protect the girls, to protect her friends. That, was worth doing the unimaginable for. That was worth fighting the way he made her body feel even as he hated him.

'Mr Blackburn, a rudely wealthy self-made man, had connections at every level of society and he wanted more. Having a Painted Sister would rise him higher in the elite world of ‘The Collectors’, men who like him operated over and above the rules of society. Yet on meeting Miss James…. he wanted more. He pushed her to sign over her virtue as well as become his Painted Sister, pushed her to override her distaste for him and taste what passion felt like.

'The trouble was… she made him hunger for something he’d never wanted and never believed in … Could she love him? Would she ever reach out and touch him with the same need that thumped through his veins every moment of every day since the first time they met?

'THE HEART DOESN’T RESPOND TO THE MIND AS A MASTER TO A SERVANT, IT WALKS ITS OWN PATH….IT DEMANDS EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING A PERSON IS AND EVERYTHING THEY THOUGHT THEY’D LEFT BEHIND.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'AN INNOCENT WOMAN DETERMINED TO WIN THE DANGEROUS MAN SHE WANTS. A WICKED MAN DESPERATE TO SAVE AN ANGEL FROM HIS PROFANE DESIRES.

'Intuitively a man knows when a woman can unravel him, regardless of what he tells himself. James Edwards, master of the Velvet Basement’s sensual and elite art of shibari rope, has kept the radiant and innocent Olive Thompson at a distance. For the longest time he’s maintained a constant vigilance, denial, and an endless hunger … until today.  Today he will steal a taste, something to remember after he walks away forever. Because who he is and what he wants are not for someone so pure. She thinks she wants him… she shouldn’t.

'In her poor, coal stained world, Olive Thompson knows one thing for certain – Mr. Edwards is hers. When she’s with him, every part of her feels alive, as if a stream ran under her skin rippling with passion. She thrills to his scowls and moody temperament; because all the while his eyes burn into her like a starving wolf’s, eating her up with every glance. When he looks at her, a forbidden world glows in that gaze. She wants what he threatens, what he promises…no matter the price.

'AFTER THE DARKEST NIGHT, THE SUN ALWAYS RISES – WHETHER YOU’RE READY FOR THE LIGHT OR NOT.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'After a cold and cruel Victorian marriage, Lady Miriam Rothbury is determined to turn her mind to good works with London's fallen women. But when a fleeting brush with a handsome stranger at the scandalous Velvet Basement and a broken carriage combine, they create an invitation to sin. Surrendering once to a tempting rogue could be forgiven, but what happens when this dangerous game promises to extend beyond one unforgettable encounter to a passion that threatens the very foundation of her world?

'At first, Max, Lord Maxwell Worthington, is amused that this lovely visitor to the decadent Velvet Basement mistakes him for a lowly mechanic. And when the veiled beauty welcomes his help and then invites his caresses, he's delighted to explore the attraction sparking between them. But the flammable seduction turns world-shaking when the veil lifts and he discovers the irresistible woman who has always haunted his dreams. Is this his chance to transform those searing desires into breathtaking reality? Or will revealing his true identity push Miriam far out of reach forever?' (Publication summary)