Before the road to redemption... There was the fire that lit the match.

Ava Sinclair has spent her life fighting for survivors. As a trauma counsellor, she knows the system doesn't always protect the vulnerable; it protects itself. And when a violent man walks into her clinic and turns her world upside down, Ava is forced to confront just how broken the rules really are.
Police Chief Harlan Gray built his life on control. Military discipline. Moral clarity. Black and white. But when he arrests the wrong woman, based on a lie, a weapon, and the word of a man, something in him begins to crack.
Ava is furious. Harlan is intrigued. She challenges everything he believes in. She exposes what he's been too careful to see.
But what begins as a clash between fire and order slowly ignites into something else, something neither of them is prepared for. Until jealousy, sabotage, and betrayal threaten to burn them both.
And when a dangerous woman from Harlan's past sets her sights on Ava, it's not just their reputations on the line, it's their future.
Because some love stories aren't born in the light.
They're forged in the fallout.


Series Note: Unlawful Hearts is the emotional prequel to No Redemption Road, exploring the origin of Ava and Harlan's story.
It can be read as a standalone, but the author highly recommends reading No Redemption Road first to experience the full impact of the characters and their journey. Unlawful Hearts starts 3 years before NRR.

This is book two in the Redemption Road Series of interconnected stories following different characters surrounding No Redemption Road.

⚠️ Content Warnings:
This book contains references to trauma, emotional abuse, domestic violence, victim-blaming, and abuse of power. It may be triggering for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.