AustLit

'Up close, the cottage is tiny and perfect, with fresh paint on the walls and the scent of roses in the air. A bicycle with a woven basket at the front is at the end of the veranda. And on the lake, a wooden rowboat floats loose. She shouldn’t intrude, but Sadie thinks again of the woman’s plea: ‘I need to find my family. Will you help me?’

'Sadie Forest hasn’t lived in Rivers End for fifteen years. Not since she was eighteen when, after a devastating argument with her father, she packed her bags and left. Not until now.

'Now, Sadie’s father is dead and her mother Pam is struggling to run the family inn alone. Sadie tells herself she’ll help her mother sort out the business and then leave again as quickly as possible.

'But Rivers End has a way of pulling you back in. When Sadie arrives, she finds a town that’s both nothing and everything like she remembered. On a bittersweet exploration of her old childhood haunts, Sadie meets construction company boss Dan, and Rebecca, the reclusive new owner of the solitary cottage at the edge of nearby Whisper Lake. The old woman’s request for help touches Sadie’s heart. And draws her into a decades-old mystery.

'By helping Rebecca to lay her ghosts to rest, could it be time for Sadie to face the trauma in her own past, and against the beautiful coastal backdrop she once called home, can she find a way to heal?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Miranda Layton has too many balls in the air at a time – if running her grooming salon and building her dog walking clientele isn’t enough, there’s her elderly grandfather who wanders off at the drop of a hat. As much as she adores her life in Bindarra Creek, she is always just one catastrophe away from failure.

'Blair Maxwell is at a loose end on a break from his job as a sports physiotherapist in the city. He’s home to spend Christmas with his brother and to catch up with old friends, including Miranda, but then he’s back to his normal life.

'Falling off a ladder while setting up decorations in the salon is the last thing Miranda needed. Rather than lose clients, she reluctantly allows Blair to take over dog walking while she heals. Working together brings out new feelings – not the kind she wants. After all, she’s too busy for love and his home is far away.

'Unless a missing loved one and the magic of Christmas can work a miracle for them both.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A long lost jade necklace. One chance to find it. And two hearts at risk.

'Izzie Davis might be broke but she will never accept charity. Which is a problem, because the cute guy she met visiting Maple Gardens Assisted Living could solve all her financial woes with a click of his fingers. Keeping her mom’s fees up to date takes almost all her meagre income but she's seen what money does to some people and will never seek out wealth.

'Bart Brown inherited more money than he knows what to do with, but the one person he’d love to spend it on happens to be a spitfire who sticks to her principles. The only way she’ll date him is if he promises he won’t ever spend money on her. His generous heart doesn't quite understand but she is worth the compromise.

'When the family heirloom Izzie's been desperate to buy back for her mom is up for auction, Bart wants to change the rules to help her. But will Izzie's principles mean more to her than love? Because suddenly there’s more at stake than a necklace.

'Part Cinderella retelling, part billionaire romance all wrapped up in a clean and sweet contemporary romance with a swoony happy ever after.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.