This is a short story (15,000 words) cliffhanger prequel to A Dangerous Invitation, and can be read as The Rookery Rogues 0.5. It is not a stand-alone book. Currently, this book is not available, but Erica hopes to release a second edition of it. Daniel O’Reilly has everything: the job of a lifetime and the love of the only woman he’s ever wanted. But the siren’s lure of gin calls to him, and Daniel can’t shake it. With each passing day, his life spins more out of control, until one night he’s wrongfully arrested for a murder he didn’t commit. Shipping magnate’s daughter Kate Morgan knows her betrothed has flaws, but she’s determined to stick by him. Resourceful and smart, Kate believes that she can conquer their problems with force of will alone. But even she can’t stop Daniel from leaving, when the only other option is execution at Newgate Prison…

She’s given up on love, and wants only independence… Torn from her life of privilege by her father’s death, Kate Morgan survives in London’s dark and depraved rookeries as a fence for stolen goods. The last man she ever expects, or wants, to be reunited with is her first love, who promised to cherish, honor and protect her, and instead fled amidst accusations of murder. He’s the reformed rake determined to win her back… One drunken night cost Daniel O’Reilly the woman he loved and the life he’d worked so hard to create. If he ever wants to reclaim that life–and Kate–he’ll not only have to prove he’s innocent of murder, but convince the pistol-wielding spitfire that he’s no longer the scoundrel he once was. Together, they’ll have to face a killer. Time is running out…

When a girl is murdered at a factory in one of London’s rookeries, Sergeant Thaddeus Knight of the Metropolitan Police comes in to investigate. But it’s not just the factory owners that Thaddeus wants information on—the devilishly intriguing Poppy O’Reilly is a puzzle he’d like nothing more than to solve. Protecting her young daughter is the most important thing to Poppy, and Thaddeus threatens the false identity she’s carefully constructed. The last thing she should do is allow Thaddeus close to her family, yet she can’t stay away from him. With danger around the corner, will the secrets of a scarlet woman lead to their undoing?

Once, she was beautiful… Abigail Vautille dreamed of escaping the Whitechapel rookery and starting a new life, until one tragic night left her scarred and penniless. To save her family from debtor’s prison, she strikes a deal with the rogue who owns her father’s gambling vowels–if he excuses the debt, for two weeks, she’ll give him her body, but not her heart. Once he was charming… Inspector Michael Strickland of the Metropolitan Police has always had a way with women. Success comes easily to him, and he glides through life on his good looks and family name. But Abigail lights a passion within him he never knew existed. He sees the beauty within her, not the beast she believes herself to be. Together, their love is beyond a fairy tale. After a dangerous figure from Abigail’s past resurfaces vowing vengeance, things take a sinister turn. But Michael will stop at nothing to keep the woman he loves safe. When the stakes are high and the scars are more than skin deep, passion might be the key to a happily ever after.

Scoundrels, thieves and rebels inhabit the rookeries—where the women are fierce and the men are dangerous. WHEN AN UNDERWORLD PRINCESS... Beautiful, innocent Mina Mason has led a sheltered life as the sister to the most notorious crime lord in England. Her family's wealth and expectations keep her in a gilded cage, never able to act on her true desires. Like kissing—and engaging in far more scandalous behavior with—Charlie Thatcher, her childhood best friend. As a member of a rival gang, Charlie is distinctly off-limits. FALLS FOR THE WRONG MAN... Charlie Thatcher has known since he was a boy where his loyalties should lie: with the Chapman Street Thieves, who saved him from a brutal death in the dark alleys of the Ratcliffe rookery. As a bartender for the Three Boars public house, he protects his fellow brothers with his mind and his fists. But when one of those members threatens Mina's safety, Charlie's primal, protective instincts are triggered—and his defense of her puts them both in danger. PASSION MAY BE THEIR DOWNFALL. ———— Stealing the Rogue's Heart is a dark, gritty, and sexy romantic suspense about the working class of pre-Victorian England. While it is book four in the Rookery Rogues series, it can be read as a stand-alone historical romance.