The Babylon Project Series by Elise Fry, Kate Fry

The darkest deeds often happen in plain sight; the harshest truths sound like lies.Kailai Reed has drowned beneath the weight of other people’s emotions her entire life. She protects herself by hiding away from everyone, except for her close friend, associate (and forbidden crush) Hideo Tanaka. He’s her handler at the Seattle Police Department, where she works as a consultant, hired under a trial program for gifted individuals. She just wants to do her job and not attract attention... moreThe darkest deeds often happen in plain sight; the harshest truths sound like lies.Kailai Reed has drowned beneath the weight of other people’s emotions her entire life. She protects herself by hiding away from everyone, except for her close friend, associate (and forbidden crush) Hideo Tanaka. He’s her handler at the Seattle Police Department, where she works as a consultant, hired under a trial program for gifted individuals. She just wants to do her job and not attract attention. So when a girl is murdered under unusual circumstances, drawing the attention of a unique task force, Kailani wants nothing to do with it. The CIA and FBI agents running the unit don’t care, though.Maela Driscoll is an American post-grad student in London, who spends most of her days buried in books. To make ends meet, and help fund her coffee budget, she takes part in a clinical trial for a cutting-edge medical drug, with very bad – or very good – results. After witnessing a murder, she’s forcibly recruited by MI5 agent Emlyn Ryder, who thinks she can help him take down a local crime boss. She isn’t so sure, but he’s not giving her a decision, inserting himself into her private life and relationships in order to keep her, and her unusual gift, close at hand.When a single victim survives long enough to talk, the teams realize their cases are linked through a shadowy organization known as Kronos. But what does Kronos really want? With the body count rapidly mounting, who can be trusted when neither woman is being given a choice? And can Maela and Kailani figure it out before it’s too late, while keeping things professional with their teams?The Rise of Kronos is the first book in The Babylon Project, a thrilling double reverse-harem series. Slow build, slow burn, because anticipation enhances pleasure... less

Light may drive out the darkness but can also cast shadows; the sweetest lies can sound like truth. With their best lead on Kronos eliminated, Babylon is back to square one. In Seattle, Kailani and her team turn to James Tennireef’s old employer to help snare the slippery lawmaker. At least gentle giant Lachlainn Baird provides some relief from the dead ends and dysfunctional dynamics. In London, at MI5, Maela continues to track an elusive criminal she’s only seen from afar... moreLight may drive out the darkness but can also cast shadows; the sweetest lies can sound like truth. With their best lead on Kronos eliminated, Babylon is back to square one. In Seattle, Kailani and her team turn to James Tennireef’s old employer to help snare the slippery lawmaker. At least gentle giant Lachlainn Baird provides some relief from the dead ends and dysfunctional dynamics. In London, at MI5, Maela continues to track an elusive criminal she’s only seen from afar. The task isn’t made any easier when she is thrown into training with ex royal marine Seef Arend, who takes an instant dislike to her. As tensions increase on both sides of the Atlantic, unexpected shifts begin to occur. Foes become friends; answers become questions; and chess pieces fall in a game that turns deadly.Gates of Tartarus is the second book in The Babylon Project, a thrilling double reverse-harem series.Content Warning: This book discusses and describes dark themes such as human trafficking and drug use. less

What if you discovered your very existence was a lie?Maela Driscoll, expat, postdoc, and lover of wine and English Romantic poetry, wakes up one morning to be told that she’s been in a coma, after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a violent mugging. Her memories of the past four months – everything she’s done; everyone she’s met – are false, innocent stories told to her as she slept by Kailani Reed, a fellow patient at the Mount Ida sanatorium... moreWhat if you discovered your very existence was a lie?Maela Driscoll, expat, postdoc, and lover of wine and English Romantic poetry, wakes up one morning to be told that she’s been in a coma, after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a violent mugging. Her memories of the past four months – everything she’s done; everyone she’s met – are false, innocent stories told to her as she slept by Kailani Reed, a fellow patient at the Mount Ida sanatorium. A resident of the facility for sixteen years, Kailani suffers from delusions, helplessly cycling between the roles of patient, empath, and secret agent. Her particular nemesis is the Matron, Elizabeth Cole, who favors unorthodox methods of treatment.Struggling to accept the harsh reality of the sanatorium, Maela and Kai begin to plot together to escape. If the Babylon Project and its fight against Kronos were a fantasy, then they can still try to find a refuge, far from Elizabeth Cole and her helpers. And if everyone the women knew was a fiction, then surely they can at least trust each other? less