New Releases 2016

The Many Lives of Hadley Monroe is out now from all ebook retailers! Previously published as a story in the Mammoth Book of Southern Gothic Romance, it's a fun little novella featuring a romance between Death and Hadley Monroe:

When the clock stops ticking, and the storm rolls in, Hadley Monroe knows exactly what's going on. Forty years ago her grandfather made a pact with Death, and now Death has come calling again.

Forced to make her own deal with the reaper, Hadley has only three weeks to answer his question, or he'll take her grandmother too. The problem is, there's no way to answer it, and three weeks is not long enough with the reaper who's beginning to steal her heart…

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Next up is Shadowbound, the first full-length novella you'll be seeing from me this year, and the first in a brand new series I'm calling The Dark Arts. I'm just waiting on the cover, and then Shadowbound should be available. Most likely by the end of April. Here's the blurb:

SHADOWBOUND

THE DARK ARTS SERIES

When a powerful relic goes missing from a secret society that dabbles in the occult, Miss Ianthe Martin is charged with finding it at all costs. She needs help, but all clues point to someone on the inside being the thief. The only sorcerer she knows that can't possibly be involved, is the very man she saw locked in Bedlam a year ago…

The mad, bad, dangerous Earl of Rathbourne.

When the seductive Miss Martin appears in his Bedlam cell, Rathbourne fears he's finally lost his mind. The devilish sorceress played a hand in his incarceration, and now she comes asking for help? Perhaps she should begin by begging for mercy…

But Ianthe's offer of freedom is one he can't refuse, although he has a clause of his own to add. She may bind him with her power – the only way to still the demons haunting him – but for every day spent under her command, the nights will be his… to wreak delicious revenge on her willing flesh.

It might have started as a devil's bargain, but when the trail they're following reveals a hidden conspiracy, they both realise their bond might just be the only thing to save them.

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FAQ FOR SHADOWBOUND 

I've been seeing a lot of teasers online about this mysterious Shadowbound. What is it?

Shadowbound is an old story that's been playing on my mind for about ten years now, long before London Steampunk was even a glimmer in my eye. I just couldn't get it right, until now.

Picture this: A little bit of Penny Dreadful, mixed with some Sherlock Holmes, with a dash of secret societies and sorcery. So it's a similar tone to London Steampunk, but not really. Which helps. I know (:

There's a prophecy about three cursed brothers doomed to die. A damaged Earl, and the woman who sentenced him to Bedlam. Demons. Sorcery. Shadows. Some very, very sexy bargains. Assassins. Dangerous relics. A little bit of revenge, and a dash of secrets. An EVIL villainess. Explosive action. Twists. And a heroine who will do anything, anything at all, to save those she loves.

More about this bargain, please…

Lucien Devereaux wants revenge, and freedom from Bedlam. Ianthe Martin needs to find a dangerous relic that's been stolen. It's an inside job, and the only one she can trust is the only sorcerer who couldn't possibly have been involved. AKA Lucien. So he must pledge his help in finding the relic during the day… But Ianthe must return the favor at night, in his bed.

So Lucien is ‘damaged'?

The setting is the Victorian era, and unfortunately the Victorians had a very umbrella approach to what constitutes as mental illness. Lucien went through a psychic attack a year before the story is set, and can barely use his sorcery now. He also suffers from synesthesia to some extent, though it shows itself in colors that he reads as emotions, and after a year in Bedlam he's struggling to deal with the overload on his senses – particularly his sorcerous ones – as he re-enters the world. I liked exploring a hero who can't just save the world with a wave of his hand, and the weight this plays on him. Romance heroes are often invincible, but what happens when they aren't? Lucien has power, but he can't use it, and the only people who might be able to help him, are those he distrusts.

The heroine sent him to Bedlam?!?

So he thinks. It was the best of a lot of bad choices at the time, but he's certainly not going to forgive her for it in a hurry.

Sounds dark.

I think that anyone who knows my work knows I like to explore darker themes, although I always try to balance that with humor, and saucy good times. This is very much the story of two people who need to heal, who find each other, and realize they're not so alone in the world. It's probably a little more of an emotional journey for both characters than I've ever written before.

You mentioned humor. Character who almost steals the show?

Lady Eberhardt. Definitely.

Why is this not the next London Steampunk book?

As for the next arc in the London Steampunk series, it's coming. In July. I know everyone wants it, but if an author is only allowed to write one series, they get stale. Trust me. Nobody wants that. I try to put it like this: imagine only being able to read one series, over and over again. Even if it's your favorite series, with the best characters and ideas in the world, by about the fifth time through, you're starting to flirt with that other series across the shelf. Or the dozen or so you see online. You love your original series, but you're desperate to try something new. You just want a little break. And if you go off and try those new books, then a little while later, you're probably going to want to read that original series again.

I've had a little time off to play, and now I'm keen to dive back into that London Steampunk world, and explore the possibilities. No. I almost need to. And that's the book my readers want to read.

So keep an eye out folks! Shadowbound is due to drop soon, and in May I've got another exciting release lined up for everyone!

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