DarkSide DownUnder: Ruby St. George

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Monday, 19 October 2026

DarkSider News: Catch Up Spotlight 8 - HM Hodgson, Ruby St. George, K.A. Montefiore, K.E. Turner, and L.A. Monteiro!

Today we feature the spotlight on more than one author - HM Hodgson, Ruby St George,

K.A. Montefiore, K.E. Turner and L.A. Monteiro!

"Yen

Yen Ching, you have been chosen as a sacrifice to Karkinos, the Cancerian Zodiac God.

I rub my eyes, blinking at the screen, trying to process the email. It's 2am. I've been finishing an assignment after a long shift in the restaurant, so I'm not at my best. The email is from the Zodiac Association. My brain lags to comprehend the message and remember who they are. My pulse picks up, one step ahead.

My parents are asleep and the house is quiet. The glow of the computer screen bathes my bedroom in cold, eerie light. My messy single bed calls to me, but there's no way I can sleep

now.

- Taken by the Crab King of Atlantis (Zodiac Monster Romance) by L.A. Monteiro

NEW RELEASES

K.A. Montefiore

Justice and Slade

Book 2, Fated Mates

Released:

30 August

A murderous warlock.

A lethal curse.

Her mate in peril.

Justice White, with the help of her fated mate and Guardian, wolf shifter Slade Alexander, vows to make the blood mage who murdered her family pay. Except, the incarnate book won’t reveal the information she needs to deliver punishment. And when the warlock kidnaps her best friend, capturing him is imperative.

When her sword and scales refuse to appear; she has no choice but to let Keres Blackwood go. Devastated at breaking her vow, she must pursue another supernatural criminal who has a heartbreaking and justifiable defense.

But when Keres strikes Slade with a lethal spell, Justice faces the toughest choice of all.

Save her fated mate or uphold her divine duty...

Buy

L.A. Monteiro

Taken by the Crab King of Atlantis

Zodia Monster Romance

Released:

1 October

She offered her body for one night. The crab king wants forever.

Every two hundred years, the monsters of the zodiac become flesh to claim a virgin tribute.

When her sister gets into trouble, Yen sacrifices herself to a zodiac god: one night with the Crab King in exchange for five million dollars.

Except Karkinos isn't just a zodiac monster.

He's the ancient god king of Atlantis—and after centuries waiting for his fated mate, he's finally found her.

Yen is human, innocent, and supposed to be his tribute.

But the moment Karkinos sees her, the mating bond snaps into place, and the possessive, hard-shelled king isn't going to send his mate back to the surface without a fight.

Taken by the Crab King of Atlantis is a spicy monster romance novella featuring a crab god king, human virgin heroine, fated mates, a magical underwater city and a protective zodiac monster who wants forever.

Standalone, with cameos from the Zodiac Monsters series.

Buy

L.A. Monteiro

Hating the Lion

Zodia Monster Romance

Released:

15 October

Her only escape from the feral lion shifter is to become his mate.

Maria has spent her life as the mafia's perfect weapon. Poisoner. Assassin. Monster.

When she's captured by the feral lion shifter whose family she was ordered to kill, she expects execution. Instead, Leo gives her a choice: submit to an ancient magical contract that binds them as mates, or die.

Leo wants revenge. Maria is the last woman he should trust. But as the magic forces these enemies closer, Leo begins to wonder if she's really a ruthless killer — or the fated mate he's been waiting for.

Hating the Lion is a spicy monster romance featuring a feral lion shifter, a deadly mafia assassin, fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, an ancient magical contract, and a whole lot of banter.

Buy

PRE-ORDERS

HM Hodgson

Warrior

Book 3, Witch Wars

Expected Release:

30 November

Dead witches don’t talk … or do they?

The thrilling conclusion to Vella and Matthias’ story is coming in 2026.

Pre-order your copy now so you don’t miss out on the exhilarating third book in the Witch Wars series.

Pre-Order

K.E. Turner

The Wolf and His Grace

Book 3, The Descendants

Expected Release:

27 October

He’s not what she expected. She’s his saving Grace.

Grace Williams curses the day her mother married into the King family. That’s when magic became a tool for things a little left of Grace’s moral compass. Now she’s been called up for a mission by the formidable and frightening matriarch. Her task—seduce a member of the Witch’s Council and steal an ancient grimoire.

Getting into his bed isn’t the problem. Staying out of it is.

Alain d’Louncrais, wolf-witch and member of the Witch’s Council, plays hard and kinky. It’s the only thing keeping him sane and his dominance under control. But he’s all business when it comes to guarding an ancient grimoire of the evilest spells he’s ever come across. A grimoire that holds the key to his pack’s survival.

When the woman who comes to steal it is his fated mate, Alain will put more than his heart on the line.

Pre-Order

L.A. Monteiro

Fake Dating the Goddess

Zodiac Monster Romance

Expected Release:

29 January 2027

Could he be her perfectly imperfect match?

As the goddess of precision, Virgo is cursed with the ability to spot imperfection in everything, and everyone. She's never met a person who measured up to her standards — and she's certainly never met a man worth lowering them for.

Until she meets Ben.

He's a hapless gym owner with a failing business, a good heart, and a terrible curse. Thanks to a witch with a grudge, every time he talks to a woman, the wrong words come tumbling out. Compliments become insults. Flirting becomes a disaster. And romance? Completely off the table.

So when a gorgeous winged goddess asks to fake date him so she can find the witches who cursed him, he says yes. He's got nothing to lose, except maybe his heart. And Virgo unexpectedly finds herself noticing everything a man does right, as well as hopelessly wrong.

Fake Dating the Goddess is a spicy paranormal romance featuring a perfectionist goddess, a cursed gym owner, fake dating, forced proximiy and magical mishaps. It's the sixth book in the Zodiac Monsters series. It can be read as a standalone, but features characters from other books.

Pre-Order

COVERS

K.A. Montefiore

Barany and Hunter

Book 3, Fated Mates

Coming in 2027

Barany Reyes, a cougar shifter, is on a mission.

Locate Davin Stone, the man who murdered her foster parents.

What she didn't need was Hunter Alexander, a wolf shifter, to run interference.

When Hunter unwittingly allows Stone to escape while in her clutches, Barany must find a way to beat Hunter at his own game; or join him.

L.A. Montiero

Taken by Aries

Book 1, Zodiac Monster Romance

has a new cover!

She thinks she's seen it all. This ram-headed satyr is about to prove her wrong.

Every two hundred years, the monsters of the zodiac become flesh to claim a virgin tribute.

As a stripper, I've seen every kind of creep. And after my ex ran off with my savings, I've sworn off men for good.

So when I get the chance to sell my virginity for enough money to set me up for life, I figure I can survive one night.

Then I meet him.

He's arrogant. He's filthy-minded. He's not even human.

And when this cheeky satyr takes me to a secluded cabin in the woods, I discover there are some things even a stripper has never seen before...

Taken by Aries is a short, spicy monster romance featuring an arrogant satyr, a virgin heroine, a cabin in the woods and an MMFM surprise. Standalone.

Buy

GENERAL NEWS

HM Hodgson

The Witch Wars series has a Kickstarter campaign for Special Signed Editions. It was funded in 12 minutes but it still has a little time until the campaign ends.

Check out some artwork done for Warrior (Book 3, Witch Wars)

K.E. Turner

Kez was interviewed on A Sense of Wonder on YouTube.

L.A. Monteiro

L.A. was a finalist for the OPAL Award for the Romance Writers of Australia.

Join L.A. on The Monster Net, her reader Facebook group.

L.A. now has a new banner!

EVENTS

HM Hodgson

is expected to be at the following events:

Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival

Sunshine Coast, QLD

31 October - 1 November

Tickets

Facebook page

HM's Pre-Order

Wild Out West 2027

Perth,WA

7 March 2027

Tickets

Website

Facebook group

Pre-Orders

Readers Unleashed

Cairns, QLD

12-13 March 2027

Tickets

ATL Con 2027

Melbourne, VIC

24 April 2027

Tickets

Love and Romance in Toronto

Toronto, Canada

14-15 May 2027

Tickets

Brimstone & Bookshelves

Auckland, New Zealand

23 May 2027

Tickets

Website

HM's pre-orders

Ruby St George

is expected to be at the following event:

A Romantic Rendezvous

Multiple cities

March 2027

Tickets

Website

Facebook group

Ruby's pre-orders

Congratulations to our DarkSiders!

Happy reading everyone. Be safe & well.

Thursday, 19 March 2026

Magic Thursday: Juggling three pen names with Tracy Brenton. And Ruby St. George. And Tess Mackay!

This is my debut year for Ruby St. George, and after writing hard for two years (I’m a fast writer, but I always take loooong breaks between books!) I rapid released the first three books in my new paranormal romance series in late 2025. I started a mailing list for Ruby about a year ago with a reader magnet that I gave away on Book Funnel and it’s built to around 800 subscribers, which helped hugely with the launch.

Why would I do this? Why start a third pen name- three websites, three social media handles, three mailing lists, three brands? To be honest, it wasn’t a thought out decision, it’s just how it’s evolved.

I’ve been writing since 2013, when I realised I never did anything just for me. I had an accounting business, a husband, and a couple of kids and was involved in the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Women’s Network, Rotary, and the school P&C, with Board / Committee positions on all of them including both president and treasurer roles over the years. So I stepped back a little from all those positions and started trying different things that I had always wanted to do but never had time for. Writing was the one that stuck – I started with a course with the Australian Writers' Centre and joined an online writing group from there.

I started writing my first book and got stuck halfway through, which led me to dive deeper into story structure. As an aside, I got to share some of those learnings with other writers last weekend at the Writers for Writers event run by the Port Macquarie Writers Group. I was so nervous! But it was good, we had some great conversations and people actually did the exercise I gave them! And read their work out afterwards! It was fabulous.

I finished writing that first book and pitched it at my first Romance Writers of Australia conference in 2017 (in Brisbane), got three yes’s and was very excited. But when I thought about it, I decided I didn’t want the kind of pressure that came with traditional publishing. I wanted to set my own deadlines. I didn’t want any more stress than I already had. And so began my indie publishing journey.

I published my first small town romantic suspense in 2018 under my real name (hi, I’m Tracy Brenton). It was an experiment – first person, one point of view. It was fun. And it was a little spicy. I think we called it steamy back then. Or maybe it was the days of ‘open door’. In any case, when I segued into sweet contemporary young adult books, after being inspired by a conversation with one of my kids, I decided I better use a pen name (Tess Mackay) in case one of those impressionable teenage readers accidentally picked up the other genre and got more than they bargained for.

After my husband passed away in October 2019 I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep writing. But I’d already started my third YA book, The Full Story, and eventually I decided to finish it.

Then I got an idea for a paranormal romance. But would my contemporary adult and YA readers follow me across genres? I decided to start another pen name, and Ruby St. George was born!

I wrote the novella Shadow Magic in a whirlwind, put it up in an anthology, then promptly went back to write my second small town romantic suspense book. Hearts Sing is also written in first person, but this one has both his and her points of view. Another experiment, and heaps of fun. There’s still more books in that series planned (and I’ve got a short story and a freebie novella already out too), but they’re on the back burner for the moment as I focus on Ruby’s books.

For now, I’m loving writing paranormal. I’ve published four Ruby St. George books, including the prequel novella. The Touch of Magic series is a continuing series, and I did that thing I never wanted to do – I set myself a deadline. Book four is up for pre-order! It will be a six book series once complete, plus the novella, and I’m brimming with shiny new paranormal ideas for Ruby and can’t wait to bring them to life!

This year I will publish my tenth full length book. Three different pen names, three different genres (maybe four if you count the zombie-vampire short story) and so many writing friends! Writing has given me a reason to travel-to book signings, to conferences, to retreats-and awesome friends to travel with.

I love being indie. I love all the moving parts, that I get to play with covers, and formatting, and Canva, and all the myriad of other things we do. I hire my own editors, do my own covers (or pay a cover designer in the Ruby’s case), and the next thing I want to do is audio books. And shiny pretty paperbacks. And the discreet cover hardback too 😊 There’s always something new to learn. But the most fun part is that I get to create worlds and characters, and bring the stories in my head to life.

So how do I juggle three pen names?

For now, Ruby is for readers, as I’m focussing on writing paranormal. Tracy is for me, and it’s a hodge podge of writing stuff and life stuff. Tess is on the back burner. Those books exist, but I probably won’t be writing the fourth Wholesome Hearts book for a while.

It’s not a secret that I write under different names, but I don’t really talk about the others on my Ruby pages, apart from my email welcome sequence. Meanwhile, Tracy is over there talking about everyone!

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how many pen names I use, it’s still just me. And I’m having so much fun!

****

If you want to read Shadow Magic for free you can find a link on my website.

My latest Release is True Magic, book three in the Touch of Magic series, and book four, Midnight Magic, will be released on 30 June 2026!

Latest release

True Magic

Book 3, Touch of Magic

Bonding with a cranky wolf shifter might have been my biggest mistake, but leaving him could mean war.

After a disaster with her strange magic Darcy realizes she is never going to get the help she needs with the wolves, so when someone close to her is threatened by the clan leader she does the only thing she can– she returns to the clan compound to save them, hoping to also find out the truth about her magic.

But returning was a mistake and with the clan pushing its own agenda she might never get free. Her bond with her wolf shifter, Jones, is growing and he will do anything to bring her home, even if it means war.

Then her mother reveals the truth about her heritage and her world is turned upside down. Now she can no longer trust anything she thought was true.

Caught between the clan and her bonded wolf, there's one chance to save them all, even if it means sacrificing herself, and Darcy has to make the toughest choice she’s ever made.

Her family or her heart.

Fans of Ilona Andrews, Faith Hunter and Keri Arthur will love this slow burn paranormal romance.

Buy

Upcoming release

Midnight Magic

Book 4, Touch of Magic

My cranky wolf shifter Familiar has broken our bond, and my heart, in order to save my life. I’m getting him back, but first I need to survive my trip to Faery land.

Pre-Order

Ruby St. George

Ruby St. George writes action packed urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW with her feline companions, who rule her world. Ruby loves good coffee and lives by the motto ‘experiences, not things’. She’s always looking for her next fabulous book boyfriend.

You can find Ruby at rubystgeorge.com.

Monday, 23 February 2026

DarkSider News: February 2026 - Pre-Orders & Covers!

"Nash

“Hit me.” I tapped the felt-covered poker table.

Across from me, my friend, Cole, threw a card down.

I checked it and groaned. “I’m out.” In disgust, I tossed the rest of my cards on the table.

“Good,” Bastian drawled from beside me. “I’m definitely in.”

I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair. Of course he was. Sebastian Thorne was a card shark and won most of our poker games. I wasn’t sure why I bothered.

Cole looked unfazed. My gaze swung from him to where Bastian lounged beside me, looking
like a king sprawled on his throne, deigning to mix with the commoners."

- Burn The World Down (Book 1, Unsanctioned) by Anna Hackett

PRE-ORDERS

Annie Seaton

The Drowning Hour

Book 2, Catherine Snowden Mysteries

Expected Release:

31 March

Detective Catherine Snowden is supposed to be on medical leave. Instead, she's lying in a hospital bed when a dying man's spirit reaches out to her with a desperate message: I was murdered.

Oliver Ashford-Kent's car went into the Thames, his brakes sabotaged by the uncle who's been embezzling millions from the family pharmaceutical company. Now Oliver's trapped in a coma, caught between life and death, and Catherine is the only one who can hear him.

But proving murder means finding evidence the killer thought was safely buried. As Catherine digs deeper, she discovers Oliver isn't Marcus Ashford-Kent's only victim. Bodies have been disappearing into the Thames for years—young professionals who knew too much, who asked the wrong questions, who threatened to expose the truth.

The river remembers everything. And when the dead start calling for justice, Catherine must risk everything to answer—even as Marcus closes in, determined to silence her before she can prove what he's done.

Some secrets are worth killing for. And in the drowning hour, the Thames claims everyone.

Pre-Order

Ebook - Amazon

Print - Author store

Annie Seaton

March Magic

Book 3, The Enchanted Village

Expected Release:

30 March

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of hope, disappointment, and the slow, silent drift that comes when every month brings fresh heartbreak. Sophie and Daniel Ashford thought a fresh start in the Cotswolds might save them—a sabbatical, a break from the constant medical appointments and whispered apologies. Just six months in Violet Cottage to remember why they fell in love.

But Violet Cottage has other plans.

A tender story of marriage, grief, and the courage it takes to start again with the person you thought you'd lost.

Pre-Order

Ebook - Amazon

Print - Author store

Annie Seaton

April Blossoms

Book 4, The Enchanted Village

Expected Release:

15 April

Olivia Morrison came to protect her dead sister's memory. Three years isn't long enough for Hugh to move on. Especially not with Joanna.

But Primrose Cottage doesn't tolerate bitter hearts or unkind thoughts. And it has very pointed ways of teaching lessons about love, loss, and letting go.

Flowers wilt. Doors lock. Gardens refuse to bloom.

Liv's about to learn that grief and kindness can't coexist. And only one of them will help her survive an enchanted cottage with opinions.

Sometimes the gardens we tend most carefully are the ones inside our own hearts.

She came to protect her sister's memory. The village had other plans.

Pre-Order

Ebook - Amazon

Print - Author store

K.E. Turner

Wolves' Witch

Book 5, The Wolves of Langeais

Expected Release:

31 March

Two wolves. One mate. A love that defines the future.

Witch Isobella Rodriguez is dying. With chemotherapy and invasive surgery, she has a thirty-five percent chance of, maybe, another five years. Zero percent chance of having a family of her own. There is one thing that can save her—being turned into a werewolf. Only one pack has that ability. The Langeais wolves.

They won’t sanction a turning. That’s a privilege reserved for human mates. But they do offer her a solution. Take on a dangerous mission to tenth century France and change the face of modern witchcraft and they guarantee she’ll not only survive but thrive.

Twins Edmond and Aubert Montagne are formidable warriors on their own. Together they are terrifying. With a bond so strong, they have no need of words to communicate and are rarely seen apart. When they rescue a woman from the clutches of the witch hunter, their relationship is tested. Both of them want her, to claim her as their mate.

With a witch hunter gathering forces, they’ll need to band together to survive. They can let her choose between them, or they can do something never done before in the history of the Langeais wolves. Share a mate.

Pre-Order

Ruby St. George

Midnight Magic

Book 4, Touch of Magic

Expected Release:

30 June

My cranky wolf shifter Familiar has broken our bond, and my heart, in order to save my life. I’m getting him back, but first I need to survive my trip to Faery land.

After discovering the truth about her father and her heritage, Darcy must travel to Faery land to finally learn how to control her strange magic. She can’t go if she’s bonded to Jones, but without help, she’ll die.

Once she gets to Faery, she must prove her worth by passing the Trials, a Fae right of passage that puts the participant’s life at risk. Failure means death – weaklings aren’t allowed in Faery. Especially when her father is the Midnight Prince.

Fin, a gorgeous Fae warrior, is assigned to train her. But he has his own agenda and Darcy isn't sure she can trust him.

If she survives the Trials she’ll get the magical help she desperately needs. But there’s a catch – passing the Trials means she’s got Fae blood, and the Faery Queen won't allow her to leave Faery land. The only option is to bring Jones to Faery instead.

It’s an impossible choice, making Darcy rethink her priorities. Does she have the right to ask him to give up everything for her? Or will she sacrifice her one chance of happiness and let him go, forever?

Fans of KF Breene, Faith Hunter and Patricia Briggs will love this slow burn paranormal romance.

Pre-Order

Leisl Leighton

Hunter Bound

Book 3, Dawn of the Curse

Expected Release:

20 March

A Hunter, a Fae Shifter, a power to face the Darkness …

Were Hunter, Callum MacHeath, wants nothing more than to help his Alphas build their new Packlands into a place of safety and welcome. His only sadness is that his brother, Bram, still refuses to leave their old Alpha and venture north to join them. But then Leanna, half of his Alpha team, has a vision: he must journey south to find an incredibly powerful and mysterious Being whom only he can manage to bring into the pack. A Being they will need if they are to survive the dark times ahead even while death and destruction follow in her wake. Even as Callum heads south, he worries whether he really should bring this woman back to his pack – until he claps eyes on her and realises she's his mate!

Pre-Order

TJ Nichols

Scream and Steam

Expected Release:

14 March

Failing college was bad enough, but moving back home feels like a nightmare for Timothy. A stepmother he barely knows, a curious five-year-old sister, and eerie noises in the night have reignited his childhood fear of monsters under the bed. Then he learns the truth: the monsters are real.

Farrow, a guardian of the magical bridges hidden beneath children’s beds, has one mission—keep the human and magical worlds apart. But everything changes when he records Timothy in a very private moment. Convinced by a monster friend that selling videos on Scream and Steam will be easy money, Farrow opens an account—and Timothy becomes his unwitting star.

When Timothy discovers Farrow in his room, they strike an uneasy deal: Timothy will appear in Farrow’s videos if it means no more scares. But as sparks fly on and off camera, Timothy begins to see magic where he never expected it, and Farrow realizes Timothy’s past holds secrets that could shatter both their worlds.

Can they bridge the gap between fear and love, or will their worlds collide in chaos? Dive into this steamy monster romance where love pushes all boundaries.

Pre-Order

TJ Nichols

Queens and Other Quarrels

Book 4, Mytho Collapse

Expected Release:

28 July

Pan and Noah's story continues...

The centaurs make a visit to town and Noah leans to be more careful with what he wishes for.

MM urban fantasy romance between an ancient god who has lost his magic and a human who is now selkie.

Pre-Order

Non Spec-Fic

Lilliana Rose writing as Ivy Hart

The Drover

Men of the West

Expected Release:

15 April

He’s running from a hangman’s noose. She’s fighting a war for her land. God brought them together, but a secret this dangerous could tear them apart.

Kansas Territory, 1870.

Ellie Sutton has no room for error. A widow raising a young daughter on a drought-stricken homestead, she faces a ruthless cattle baron determined to steal her water rights. She prays for a miracle, but instead, she gets a stampede—and a stranger who rides into the jaws of death to save her little girl.

Griff is a man defined by the miles he’s put between himself and his past. A fugitive doctor framed for murder, he knows staying in one place is a death sentence. But with a broken leg and a blizzard closing in, the Drover is trapped in Ellie’s small cabin. As he heals, he finds himself drawn to the fierce woman who tends his wounds with a grace he doesn’t deserve.

As winter deepens, Griff becomes the protector Ellie never asked for, and Ellie becomes the home Griff never thought he’d find. But when the snow melts, the law will return.

With a bounty on his head and a land war erupting on her doorstep, Griff must make an impossible choice: ride into the sunset to keep his secrets, or stay and fight for the woman who taught him that even a broken man can be redeemed.

Pre-Order

Mel Teshco

Jackal

Book 4, Sons of the Sheikh

Expected Release:

28 February

His growl is as possessive as his nature

Sheikh Zayn Al-Habib has always preferred his harem to the complications of marriage. Why tie himself to one woman when he can have many? But when Malika—his favorite, his weakness—announces she's leaving because she can't share him anymore, everything changes.

They don't call him Jackal for nothing. This predator mates for life.

She thinks she can walk away, but Zayn has finally realized what he should have known all along: Malika isn't just another woman in his collection. She's his. And jackals don't let their mates go—even if keeping her means destroying what little love she still has for him.

Malika Ismat gave her heart freely, but she won't share it anymore. She wants all of Zayn or nothing at all. The problem? Leaving requires his blessing, and he's made it brutally clear she'll never have it.

Trapped between a man who owns her body but refuses to claim her heart, and a love that's slowly turning to resentment, Malika faces an impossible choice.

The line between devotion and captivity is thinner than a blade's edge.

Pre-Order

Annie Seaton

Outback Secrets

Book 2, The Happy Outback Hotel

Expected Release:

28 May

Small-town outback romance where love is worth the wait.

Jill and Ryan’s story continues in Outback Secrets as Irish photographer Finn O’Sullivan arrives in Garnet Creek running from a scandal—his reputation destroyed, his career in ruins.

Librarian Charlotte Hayes recognises Finn the moment he walks into her library. Her reaction is immediate, complicated—and she's not about to explain why.

When Finn is offered part-time bar work at The Happy Outback Hotel, Charlotte tells herself to stay away, but she can't ignore the growing connection between them—or the guilt of staying silent whilst Finn suffers.

When Charlotte's past catches up to her, threatening everything she's built, staying silent is no longer an option. Speaking the truth could save Finn—or destroy them both.

As Garnet Creek rallies around them both, Finn and Charlotte must decide: keep running from the past or stand and fight for the love and family they never expected to find.

Because sometimes the biggest secret is what you're afraid to reach for.

Pre-Order

Ebook - Amazon

Print - Author store

Annie Seaton

Under Darling Skies

Book 5, Daughters of the Darling

Expected Release:

30 April

Bridget O'Byrne thought she was building the future with her brilliant business partner and cutting-edge AI technology. Eighteen months later, she's trapped in Sydney, financially ruined, and under the controlling influence of Antony Saar. When his venture collapses amid fraud investigations, Bridget returns home to Ceann Mara with her confidence shattered.

Back on the family property she once dismissed as old-fashioned, Bridget struggles to rebuild her life. Her path to recovery takes an unexpected turn when she reconnects with Danny Walsh, a quietly competent stockman who was her closest friend in primary school. Danny's contentment with honest work and simple truths challenges everything Bridget thought she wanted.

Meanwhile, Tom and Cat's genealogical research uncovers the mystery of eleven-year-old Roisin O'Byrne, Catherine's sister, who vanished from Melbourne in 1880. Following Roisin's trail to the goldfields, Bridget begins to understand that sometimes survival requires losing yourself completely before you can find your way home.

A story about recognising manipulation, rebuilding trust, and discovering that the most profound strength often comes from the simplest truths.

Pre-Order

Ebook

Paperback - author store

Annie Seaton

Dark Waters

Book 4, Bec Whitfield Mystery

Expected Release:

31 July

Detective Bec Whitfield thought she'd found paradise in tropical Mission Beach—and maybe even love with charming local developer Jake Morrison. But when Cyclone Meredith threatens the coast, emergency preparations uncover a twenty-year-old secret buried in concrete.

The skeletal remains belong to Marcus “Moondog” Sullivan, a former Sydney property developer turned environmental activist who vanished in 2004 during heated battles over coastal development. Marcus had made powerful enemies on both sides of the conservation debate, and someone wanted him silenced permanently.

As Bec investigates, the case becomes uncomfortably personal. Jake's construction company was involved in the building where Marcus was found, and her new boyfriend grows increasingly evasive about his past. When Detective Todd Davenpot arrives from Brisbane with warnings about Jake's reputation, Bec finds herself caught between two men and a web of corruption that reaches far beyond Mission Beach.

With the cyclone bearing down and evacuation orders imminent, Bec must solve a murder that exposes decades of environmental crime and political corruption. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realises that Marcus Sullivan died because he threatened to expose secrets that powerful people will kill to protect.

In a race against time and the storm of the century, Bec will discover that some foundations are built on lies—and that choosing the wrong person to trust can be deadly.

Perfect for fans of Jane Harper and Candice Fox.

Pre-Order

Ebook - Amazon

D.K. Hood

Watch Over Me

Book 29, Detectives Kane and Alton

Released:

17 March

Fear grips her as the heavy footsteps echo along the isolated trail path. She thought she was alone in the woods, but as a hand reaches out from the darkness to cover her mouth, she knows that nobody will hear her scream…

When Jan Pierce is reported missing, Sheriff Jenna Alton and her deputy David Kane rush to the forest surrounding Black Rock Falls. Jenna’s heart breaks when she sees Jan’s body at the bottom of a ravine. But it’s the purplish bruising in the shape of a boot on her back that tells Jenna it was no accident. Somebody killed her.

As Jenna investigates Jan’s last movements, she learns that Jan joined a self-defense class and told her closest friends that she thought someone had followed her home one night. Was someone watching her every move, waiting for the right moment to strike?

Then another woman from the same group, Sierra Lang, is reported missing. When Jenna finds Sierra at home, her lifeless body submerged in bathwater amid clear signs of a struggle, she is certain there is a serial killer in town. With no sign of forced entry, Jenna believes Sierra knew the killer and let him in. Could it be someone known to the whole group, someone they thought was a friend?

As Jenna looks into both women’s lives, her heart races when the trail leads to someone she knows very well—someone she trusts. As a member of her own team comes under fire, Jenna is shocked to her core and desperate to get answers. Could the killer be closer than Jenna ever imagined, and can she uncover the truth before another young woman’s life is taken?

Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Mary Stone, this absolutely addictive serial killer thriller from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author D.K. Hood will have you hooked from the start!

**Each Kane and Alton book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone**

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Amanda Ashby

The Widows' Guide to Last Orders

Book 4, The Widows' Detective Club

Expected Release:

15 April

Life in Little Shaw is as nice as pie for librarian Ginny Cole. She’s got a tentative truce with her grumpy neighbour Detective Inspector Wallace, and Sunday quiz nights at The Lost Goat with her friends (team name: The Merry Widows). Until the young quizmaster is found dead in the cellar. The police call it an accident; Ginny suspects murder. But with Wallace strangely impossible to locate and convince, she and the other widows must step – carefully, mind – into the breach.

The victim, it turns out, wasn’t just torturing locals with impossible trivia. He was hunting for his great-aunt who vanished from Little Shaw in 1963, along with what village gossips insist was a fortune in Cold War secrets. Now Ginny and her friends must decode a sixty-year-old mystery involving priest holes, spy scandals, and the competing egos of the local history society.

But when the killer strikes again, the widows need to solve this fast before someone calls last orders on them…

A brilliantly twisty cozy mystery perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Robert Thorogood and anyone who thinks retirement should come with a side of solving murders.

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COVERS

Anna Hackett

At Star's End

Book 1, Phoenix Adventures

Expected Re-Release:

25 February