Heidi Morlan

The summer in question started out with hot, fun-filled days and new friendships. We had just turned thirteen and had our whole lives ahead of us. But that was before her. Before we became known as the Hixton Five and our lives become defined by one night. It’s hard to believe twenty years have passed since she was locked away. But now she’s free and strange things have started to happen. When I close my eyes, the creeping anxiety and fear is overwhelming and all too real. Because the monster is back, and I know she has a score to settle with us.

Dark men. They are intriguing, and charming, and powerful. They are changing the world. They are changing themselves. They are playing with lust, and love, and fear, and loathing. Addicted to each other, to their secret, to the seduction, to the sex. It’s a crash in the making. And yes, it’s on purpose. These men are dark. And this is the story of how Nova Ryan loves them.

He's empty, inhuman, dishonest, and cruel. She's never wanted anyone more. Sydney has lived in fear for eight years after freelance assassin, Merc, failed to rescue her from a cult-like militia group. Left in the hands of a sadistic man, she did whatever it took to survive. But Merc's last words gave her hope. Hope he'd be back to finish the job. After Merc is betrayed by her father, Sydney becomes his target. He wields sex, drugs, lies, and love like weapons.

Belinda Baker and I were not made for each other. We are not soul mates, or lovers, or even frenemies. She is the one who needed to get away. What we had together wasn’t blind love, it was sick rage. We were a match made in hell, it was hate at first sight, and when she walked away from me and never looked back - it was a relief. It was bliss. So why did I travel 2,000 miles so I could be near her? Why can’t I stop thinking about this girl I never want to see again?

McKay: I wasn’t the one who broke her, but I helped. She came to us when she was 10. I raised her. I loved her. I taught her how to survive in a world of evil men. But it wasn’t enough. Adam: I wasn’t the one who saved her but I did my best. Bought and paid for on the auction block. But not for the reasons you think. She was my weapon. Donovan: I wasn’t the one who lied to her but I hid her truth. She was broken before I got there. Wild and angry. Defiant and bratty. But she trusted me most. She loved me best. So I set her free.

It starts like any other Monday for Ty Christianson. Fifty laps in his pool, a suave suit, a chat with his mum on the way to his office, dodging countless calls from women, and his faithful yet cynical assistant waiting for him with a coffee. Then a meeting with his business partner and life-long friend Sal upends everything. Sal's hired a new assistant without so much as consulting Ty. That's a cardinal sin in their world, but it's the least of Ty's worries. Sal hasn't just hired a new personal assistant, he's hired an absolute goddess - and she's off-limits to Ty.

I’ve tried to like Adrian Savage, the mercurial frontman for Fugitive Summer, while serving as his band’s opening act on tour. We’re stuck together for three months, after all. And I’m well aware I’m lucky to be here. But it’s proved impossible. He’s far too rude and dismissive a guy to get along with. And way too good at getting under my skin. In fact, at this point, I think it’s fair to say I downright hate his guts.

They call him the Sick Heart. They say he's a shameless monster. They say he's a ruthless killer. They say he's as twisted as the man who owns him. They say a lot of things about Cort van Breda. But in our world violence is money, and money is winning, and winning is life, and life is the only thing that matters. Except...he wasn't meant to win that last fight. And I wasn't meant to be his prize. But he did. And I am. And now his sick heart owns me.