Mary Bennet, the third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, often felt overshadowed by her sisters. In her quest to distinguish herself, she pursued knowledge and self-improvement with a fervor unmatched in her family. Though lacking formal education, she dedicated herself to intellectual pursuits, striving to excel in areas her sisters overlooked. Initially seen as an awkward and overzealous scholar, Mary's perseverance eventually led her to a deeper self-awareness and fulfillment. As she matured, she found solace and confidence in her unique path, embracing her identity with grace and wisdom, ultimately finding her own place in the world.

Book One of the Pirate's Heart trilogy Piracy is on the rise and Scarlett, a baker's daughter, lives along the English coastline where stories of pillaging and swordfights spread like wildfire. Despite knowing they come with very real dangers, Scarlett can't help but be fascinated by them. However, when she is captured and thrown into the midst of such danger, she finds herself fighting for her life as the desired object between two rivaling captains--but for very different reasons. What does Captain Jones want from her? Something that never would have crossed her mind. But as all is revealed to her, secrets about her own family begin to surface. ----- Written and published 2014 - 2017

SHORTLISTED FOR WATTYS 2022 What should have been an easy payday for a band of British privateers turns into a desperate fight for survival when they find a young woman in the wreck of a schooner. Life is unforgiving for any privateering ship fighting in the Queen Anne's War, but of all the leaky tubs on the Caribbean sea, the brigantine ship, Scourge, and her crew have been dealt a pretty rotten hand. None more-so than her newest member, Martin Hamish, a deckhand looked down upon by his captain and fellow shipmates, but eager to please nonetheless. Down on their luck and desperate for their next prize, the crew's prayers are answered when a burning ship, bursting with unclaimed loot, crashes into the shore nearby. However, their dreams of a free payday are quickly soured when they discover an enigmatic noblewoman in the wreck with a proposition that may well change their fortunes, or end them all together. [Story complete at 88,000 words - next novel in the works] WARNING: Contains violence, gore, threat, alcohol references & scurvy dogs

Inspired by true events, 'The Blue Hour' is a story of political intrigue and doomed love set in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire during the summer of 1876. All Prince Hamid and the Belgian glove-maker, Flora Cordier, want is to pursue their forbidden love. But how can they amid backroom dealings, deadly conspiracies, and when an ominous prophecy seals Hamid's fate as the saviour of the Empire? ***** It's the summer of 1876, and rebellion, corruption, famine, and the impending threat of war plague the Ottoman Empire. As European powers circle like vultures for spoils, the century-old dynasty fears Allah has abandoned it. Presiding over the decline is the deranged Sultan Abdulaziz. A prophecy emerges that Hamid, second heir to the throne, will ascend to sultan-hood by summer's end. Fearing for his life and haunted by an inner darkness, he flees the palace. Meanwhile, Hamid's step-mother Peresto, and his enigmatic tutor, Reshid, conspire to fulfil the prophecy by betraying the Sultan and Hamid's step-brother, Crown Prince Murad. Intoxicated by love and freedom, Hamid pursues a secret affair with Flora Cordier, about to marry a man she does not love to escape her past. Over a few passionate summer months, they fight for their forbidden love to become the persons they dream of being, in defiance of society and of the powerful forces of history that conspire to drive them apart. Intimate and intensely atmospheric, 'The Blue Hour' encapsulates eternal themes of love, power, and the struggle for freedom. Blending the epic romance of 'Doctor Zhivago' with the rich historical detail and political intrigue of a Jason Goodwin novel, it is entertaining and vividly immersive, with deep emotional resonance. COMPLETED.

☆ 2022 ᴡᴀᴛᴛʏꜱ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀ!! ☆ "Hell is empty and all the devils are here." On the cusp of the 20th century, blue blood heiress Lucy Penn has lost everything: her betrothed, her family and home, and even her ability to walk in the sunlight. As she struggles to acclimate to her new nocturnal existence, she makes the acquaintance of Dr. Thomas Reed: an intelligent and tortured immortal, still haunted by the horrors of his past. As the pair grow closer, Lucy becomes privy to a frightening world far below the surface of polite society, in which beings of ancient and unfathomable power live outside the confines of humanity. Carpe Noctem (or "Seize the Night") follows Lucy on her journey through the shrouded streets, eerie hospitals, and aristocratic parlors of nighttime London. As she seeks to exhume the insidious and terrifying purpose behind her transformation, Lucy finds herself drawn deeper into a dark nocturne world of unimaginable folklore and intrigue, begging the question: can love be found after death? HIGHEST RANKINGS ~ #1 Carpe Noctem #1 Period Fiction #1 Nocturnal #1 Gothic Romance #1 Gothic Horror #3 Dracula #3 Shakespeare #8 Vampire #17 Victorian #46 Historical Fiction

GOING BACK IN TIME WAS NEVER PART OF KATS PLAN FOR THE FUTURE... Kat Jones is an average teenager in her last year of school and all she wants to do is get it over with so that she can get into her dream university and get her dream job. However her life's plans are disturbed when she is mysteriously transported back in time, to the year 1807, and into the body of Lady Katherine Ainsworth, where manners and decorum are important and one small mistake could ruin your reputation. ERIC'S FUTURE IS CAUSING HIS PAST TO CATCH UP WITH HIM Lord Eric Hartford is stuck in a marriage arrangement with a girl he has no interest in, and all he wants to do is live the rest of his lonely life in peace. When his fiancee has an accident that causes her to lose her memory, he secretly hopes to get out of the marriage but there's something about her that's changed and is attracting him towards her...

A new system of marriage for the prince has been made in the kingdom Taraxac: The Dandelion System. When Karlina Dearcage makes a deal with the manipulative Princess Oda to be her pawn in The Dandelion System, she has a bad feeling about it. There are ominous rumors of the mysterious prince whom the public never sees, the other contestants are just as driven as her for different reasons, and the Queen herself has some tricks up her sleeve. Nevertheless, she meets the strangely childish Prince Otto and the other personality, Oscar, who shares his body, and realizes she wants to help both of them out of her own will. As Karlina learns of the dark secrets of the Royal family and the other girls' feelings about it, she finds herself questioning the innocence of The Dandelion System. *** #1 in royal (2/11/21) #1 in royalty (4/21/20) #1 in retelling (6/13/19) #1 in medieval (1/22/20) #1 in revolution (4/16/20) #1 in dark fantasy (1/1/21) #2 in rebel (10/20/19) #2 in contest (8/22/19) #2 in competition (6/19/20) #2 in fantasy romance (10/8/21)