A big, tough biker, Axel Bryant has used his muscle to frighten more than a few people over the years. Which makes it ironic how he's spent the last three years patiently trying to persuade Caleb Sullivan, the man he's loved practically at first sight, to stop being afraid of him. A past trauma for which Axel's looks are a trigger has kept Caleb fearful, but just when Axel is thinking he should give up on the younger man, things take a sudden turn. When Caleb makes it clear he's interested in Axel, the biker is over the moon. But with his violent past, is he worthy of someone like Caleb? Caleb has spent the past four years suffering flashbacks of the night his entire family was killed while he hid upstairs in a closet. He's finally found a good therapist, and, more than anything, he wants to be normal again. Axel's big, muscular build both attracts Caleb and terrifies him. He can only hope he's doing the right thing by reaching out to the man and not setting himself back in the recovery he's only recently made strides in.

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. "I didn't go to Alice's funeral." So opens Australian author James's impressive debut, a searing coming-of-age novel that deftly intertwines two violent backstories. Studious Katherine Patterson, who's reading a book under a tree during lunchtime at her Sydney high school, is surprised when Alice Parrie, "beautiful, popular, impossible to miss," hands Katherine an invitation to her 18th birthday party. Alice draws Katherine, who has her reasons for remaining aloof from others, into an addictive relationship that fatally sours as one disturbing secret after another comes to light. James, gifted with unusual insight into teenage agonies, probes Katherine's raw-nerve guilt over her sister Rachel's murder, Alice's self-destructive narcissism, and the healing power of young love. This unflinching exploration of psychological manipulation and the tragedies it creates introduces a promising new talent in literary suspense. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. FromAustralian author James' U.S. debut speaks directly to older teens and twentysomethings. Katherine, a self-imposed outsider who narrates her own story, may be wrapped in guilt following the tragic death of her sister, but she is still recognizably 17—longing for friendship and fun, searching for love, committment, and sex. When charismatic classmate Alice befriends her, emotional baggage and all, she is surprised and enormously grateful. But as her self-confidence returns and she finds other friends and a sweet, gentle boyfriend, she begins to see her best friend in fresh light—and starts wondering if Alice is really a friend at all. A nail-biting thriller this isn't, and wouldn't be if the title wasn't an unfortunate giveaway. But the novel will be an easy sell as a beach book, and it's not hard to picture readers sympathizing with Katherine's deep-rooted need to make sense of the past and find satisfaction in the person she has become. --Stephanie Zvirin

'A dark treat' Kate Riordan, author of The Stranger Haunting and moving, The Woman in the Mirror is a tale of obsession tinged with suspense, perfect for fans of Tracy Rees and Lulu Taylor. 'You'll be the woman of this house, next, miss. And you'll like it.' 1947 Governess Alice Miller loves Winterbourne the moment she sees it. Towering over the Cornish cliffs, its dark corners and tall turrets promise that, if Alice can hide from her ghosts anywhere, it's here. And who better to play hide and seek with than twins Constance and Edmund? Angelic and motherless, they are perfect little companions. 2018 Adopted at birth, Rachel's roots are a mystery. So, when a letter brings news of the death of an unknown relative, Constance de Grey, Rachel travels to Cornwall, vowing to uncover her past. With each new arrival, something in Winterbourne stirs. It's hiding in the paintings. It's sitting on the stairs. It's waiting in a mirror, behind a locked door.