Whilst Hard Times is grittier than her previous works, Blayne Cooper still manages to put soul into her characters. Lorna has managed to climb to the top of the heap in the Blue Ridge Women's Correctional Facility but she soon has to deal with her new cellmate Kellie, a penal system virgin. As time goes on the pair go from intense dislike to understanding and love as they learn to live with each other.

Lorna Malachi entered the Blue Ridge Women's Correctional Facility as a teenager. Terrified and desperate to belong, she sold her soul one piece at a time. Having learned the hard way not to trust anyone she collides with her new cellmate, Kellie Holloway, who hasn’t yet learned the tough rules of living inside.

Slowly the pair soon start learning to live with each other as they navigate through an oppressive, hidden world where the lines between right and wrong blur, sexual passion is forbidden but explosive, and love is the biggest risk of all.

Paperback - 288 pages