Lovers Ransom
Publisher: 4th Avenue Press
Published: 2023
Place of publication: Australia
Language: eng
Copyright date: 2023
First sentence: Phoebe Toulouse dismounted and, gripping the horse’s reins, walked over to the weathered wooden sign nailed to the old gum tree.
Description: Phoebe Toulouse ran away from her family…from her fiancé…from her life.

Upon arriving in the dusty outback town of Millchester, Queensland, Australia, Phoebe is certain she is finally safe from the bastard who wants to rob her of everything she has…including her life. Being swept up in the strong arms of a stranger, she finds herself tempted with pleasures she couldn’t refuse, and must face the uncertainty surrounding what was to become of her.

This wasn’t a job Raymond MacAllester wanted to do, but he had no choice. If he didn’t take Phoebe back east to Inkerman, he’d be risking his sister’s life. Given that she was Gordon Marriot’s half-sister, he doubted it would be easy to find her, but he would not allow himself to feel guilt for any member of that heartless, corrupt family.
When he meets Phoebe running for her life in the streets of Millchester, he couldn’t believe this beauty was any family of Gordon’s. When he finally took her into custody, he assumed she’d reluctantly agree to go back home. Never could he imagine that she would fight him as if her life depended on it.

When Phoebe learns the true reason for Raymond coming after her, and his relationship with her brother, she is heartbroken and betrayed. Returning to Inkerman with Gordon, she resumes her place in his corrupt company.
Desperate to find her and make her believe she was more than a business transaction, Raymond follows her to Inkerman and reluctantly reinstates himself into a life he hoped never to see again.

Reunited with Phoebe, and desperate to save her from Gordon’s overbearingness, Raymond risks everything to try and get her to safety. Will she let him play at being her knight in shining armour though, or has he left it too late?

Content Warning: contains sex, strong language, and some violence