Description

The War to End All Wars . . . and the world. What if the world changed with the Great War? What if the future we know never occurred? It's 1917 and in the aftermath of war, a dystopian visage of climate altered by biochemical warfare, populations decimated by a virus and governments collapsed. In the isolated town of Berrima, Australia, Anna Baylon waits for her older brother, Peter - enlisted in the war years before, to return. When all hope of Peter's return seems abandoned, the arrival of a stranger on her doorstep changes everything. Nicolas, claiming to be Peter's lover sent to safely bring Anna to Sydney where he's recovering from war wounds. But Nicolas is as mysterious as he is charming. So Anna embarks on a journey to discover Peter's fate but the entanglements of duty, love and desire may be her undoing. Or is the greater danger not be Nicolas's vampiric nature but the darkness within him? Soon Anna's fortitude is tested when faced with Nicolas's hidden truth. When mind and lives are shattered, can she forgive him?In The Devil's Garden, a trilogy of alternate history, gothic horror and dark romance in a world as tangled and twisted as heartbreaking and wondrous. Leanbh Pearson (Any) lives on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra, Australia. An award-winning LGBTQ and disability author of horror and dark fantasy inspired by folklore, fairytales, myth, history and climate. Leanbh's judged numerous awards, an invited panelist and avid book reviewer. Leanbh has been awarded ASA, AHWA and HWA mentorships and 2023 HWA Diversity Grant. Leanbh's alter-ego is an academic in archaeology, evolution and prehistory. A museum devotee, insomniac and photography enthusiast, Leanbh is always aided by canine assistants.