Beware, for even the mosquito can make the lion's eye bleed. ♛♛♛ Alia Preet grew up in the slums of Toshalwar, spending her days stealing from wealthy merchants and toying with the local police. But when she learns that she is the Lost Princess of Maurya, descended from the Gods, and heir to the throne, she is thrust into a world she doesn't understand. Now, she must embark on a sacred quest through a dangerous labyrinth of caves to revitalize her ancient bond with the Gods. Arjun Yadava is the Crown Prince of Yadav, a Kingdom on the brink of war with Maurya. A fearless and stoic warrior, he cannot let Alia complete the ritual. A newly empowered Mauryan Queen would decimate his Kingdom. And so begins their game of cat-and-mouse. As they war with each other, and their growing feelings, Alia and Arjun must decide where their loyalties lie: with the vows they made to their countries, or the glittering promise of something better? *Cover by @TheTigerWriter*

{Shortlisted for the Wattys 2022} It's 1798 and The Lenoir family controls a significant part of London's dreaded and violent underworld. They reap the rewards in high-class society but Clarissa Lenoir has little interest in society or the people within it. Instead, she is following in her grandfather's footsteps as the leader and protector of The Strand, however, a problem, in the form of a silver-eyed man and rival leader, is about to throw her world into chaos. Clarissa is determined to best this entitled and immoral duke in any way she can and refuses to fall prey to his dashing looks and lavish words. Will she risk everything, including her own life to see this man crumble at her feet? Or is there something stronger than revenge in her heart?

[2021 WATTYS Winner] Giovanna joins a handsome nobleman to save a friend from an arranged marriage, but they discover a plot that may have victims of Venice's Black Death rising from their graves. * * * As a child, Giovanna Visconti learned the arts of bloodletting and elixir brewing from her father with an intent to simply support his work, not take it over. But when he falls ill from the pestilence that's been ravaging Venice for months, she reluctantly dons the beaked mask of the plague doctor. Vowing to protect her father however she can, Giovanna hides him away and sees her first patient--the handsome, but alarmingly feverish Matteo Barozzi. Although she successfully treats this son of a high-ranking official, in a careless moment Giovanna fails to properly conceal her identity. The only reason she isn't tossed into a dank jail cell is thanks to the young man's honor and feelings of indebtedness. The association between the charming aristocrat and the clever commoner should end there, but when Giovanna's dearest friend goes missing right after her betrothal to the Doge's son and amid strange reports of nighttime attacks, violent commotions, and inexplicable behaviors in the community, the only person Giovanna can turn to for help is Matteo. Together, they must carefully navigate Venice's increasingly deadly canals to uncover a sect peddling false cures and a smuggling plot involving the highest levels of government or risk the entire Republic falling victim to something even worse than the plague: the risen dead. Historical Fiction with Fantasy Elements THE BORGIAS X FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH * * * WATTYS 2021 winner for Historical Fiction and special HQ prize for "Catchiest Hook" AMBYS 2022 winner for Best Zombie story Content Warning for adult situations including assault and death. Cover made with Canva.

Samantha has been running from a monster for a long while. Everyday she lives in fear of being found. She wonders if her life will ever be anything other than hiding and looking over her shoulder. Zachary has failed his family. After five long years, attempting to avenge their deaths, he returns home unsuccessful. Full of pain, self-loathing, and regret, Zachary wants only to be left alone and attempt to get his family ranch back up and running. One night, Zachary decides to drown his pain at a saloon in town and that's where a red-haired beauty catches his eyes. Something about her seems out of place in a saloon full of drunken men and experienced women. Zachary finds himself desperate to help the woman and along the way she brings him back to life..... ...Until a monster from their past comes to tear everything apart.

1862, Philadelphia, USA. Charlotte Bice, orphaned at age eight, is taken in by one of the city's most prominent families, the Whitcombs, with the promise that she would be raised as a lady. The Whitcombs are certainly not as respectable as they present themselves, and the worst of all is William: the temperamental middle child, who rarely has a kind word to say to her. Now an introspective young woman, Charlotte struggles to find herself in a society where ladies are expected to be as beautiful as empty. Her future already uncertain, Charlotte's hopes are shaken once again by a letter from an exhausted William, who has enlisted in the Union Army two years prior. This letter reveals an astonishingly different man than the one she remembers. Even more surprisingly, Charlotte likes this man. A lot.

As the first Lady Knight of Monrique, Juliette Van Helsing regularly deals with criminals who threaten the peace and security of her country. When a string of brutal murders among the nobility take place in quick succession, leaving behind one puzzle after another, she begins a race against time to find the murderer. Along the way, webs of lies, betrayals and greed are unravelled, and at each turn, she finds herself questioning her beliefs and assumptions. In the midst of all of this chaos, will she be able to fulfil her duty, and mayhap, find love?

Two lands, one much richer than the other. A betrothal is suggested. Wolfe and Raven are to be married, or at least that is what Sparrow believes when she arrives to wish her sister well. The betrothal is broken and Sparrow is bound by honour to find another solution to unite the two lands. An offer is given but she is too stubborn to accept. But she may have met her match. Wolfe will do anything to get his own way. Their story is only just beginning... 28/12/16 #2 highest rating (Book One of the Honour series)

Corinna Báthory, 16th-century nobility, is kidnapped and thrown into a male detective academy in present-day Florida. But they grabbed the wrong girl. Season 1 of Agents of Time ***** It's 1585, and things could not possibly be going any slower for Corinna Báthory. Overwhelmed with expectations as Hungarian nobility and the trials and tribulations of becoming a female playwright in a field dominated by men, Corinna would do anything for a change of pace. Of course, there's nothing better to speed up the narrative than being kidnapped...and being accused of being a serial killer. ***** [[ THE WATTY'S 2021 SHORTLIST ]]

Abandoned by the man she thought loved her, Claire Denham is left with very few options as she faces the prospect of being disgraced for falling pregnant out of wedlock. In fact, she is left with one. Lord Jack Beresford, the younger son of the late Duke of Ashwood, and often considered "the spare" in comparison to his older brother, has long held a torch for the pretty Claire Denham. When fate throws them together, Jack extends a favour to Claire, and she takes it, turning the lives of their families upside down. As they navigate a marriage of convenience, jealousy, betrayal, old lovers, and the fear of being second best all pose dangerous threats to an already shaky relationship ...

***This is my original work, and if anyone decides to steal it and post it anywhere else without specific permission, I will not hesitate to take legal action against you!!!!*** A girl to take home to one's mother with no fear of sharp disapproval. Sure, she was plain and dull, but she was the sort one could settle down with in a few years after the sowing of the wild oats was completed. . .if one could get past how plain and ordinary she was that is. In truth, Lady Lavinia Antrucha was nothing compared to her sister, Cassandra. She had neither beauty nor social notoriety. . .but at least she didn't leave a trail of broken hearts behind her. She's the one people go to when they're in trouble and don't know what to do, the one who is supposed to be the stronger of the two Antrucha girls, the one her parents expect will stay with them for the rest of their lives, because what man would want to marry plain, little Lavinia? The most sought after bachelor in all of Scotland, the life of any given party, that's what they named Laird Ethan Brodi. He was the toast of high society and the man every mother yearned to see on their doorstep, asking to see their fine daughter. He knew there was something more to life than petty women who couldn't see past his fine physique, and he intended to find it; that is, until his father decided he had spent enough time unmarried and forged an alliance with the rich Antruchas by promising him in marriage to the eldest daughter who would certainly match Ethan in good looks and fine tastes. As far as Ethan was concerned, Lady Cassandra Antrucha could take a long walk off a short pier, but his father's word was law, and so to England he must go to meet his future bride. Can he go through with a marriage when his heart yearns for another? #Wattys2016