Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals, and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle's chaotic secondhand bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the information they want, or else. Will has no idea what that information is, and nobody to turn to, until Kim Secretan - charming, cultured, oddly attractive - steps in to offer help. As Kim and Will try to find answers and outrun trouble, mutual desire grows along with the danger.  

There’s a smokin’ hot dead guy locked in my garden shed. That part’s bad enough. But now, he’s trying to get out...Growing up, my father always told me that I’d come to a bad end, just like my mom did when I was a kid. Hearing that kind of shit when you’re little eventually gets to a girl, but I can’t say I ever expected my "bad end" to involve an angry vampire with a severe case of iron deficiency and a panty-melting English accent.

Bryony, Princess of Kimmery, has a secret. She lacks the Hunger, the magical and passionate craving that is responsible for Kimmery's prosperity. Without that power, she will lose the crown and the chance to rule the kingdom she sincerely loves. The Queen's Line must select Chosen to satiate their Hunger with and Bryony's Choosing ceremony has arrived. On her first night with her newly assembled men — a prince, an ambassador, a stablehand, a sculptor, and a rogue — her own secret, and the secrets of Kimmery, spill out between them. 

I've lived in the mud quarter my entire life, watching as the fireguards came every five years to select the prettiest girls to go to the Seat to start new lives. They get it all: husbands, houses without a speck of dirt, and enough food that hunger wasn't a constant pain in your belly. This year, it's my turn. The dragon that forces our kingdom to cower under our magnificent dome and hide behind stone walls hasn't shown any signs of leaving.

Some people wear their heart on their sleeve. I wear vengeance like a suit of armor. I’ve got a list with six names on it. Six people who wronged me, who hurt me, who took everything from me. Six people who turned me into the monster I am now. And I’ve crossed off every name but one.