AustLit

'A heartwarming Christmas novella about finding home in the most unexpected places.

'After three disastrous Christmases, New York saleswoman Angelette Beaumont has decided enough is enough. To avoid history repeating itself, this year she is going to escape to a place far away, where it won't feel like Christmas at all: a remote country town in Australia.

'But when she arrives in the sleepy town of Seekers Hill, she discovers her accommodation has been double booked and there is no room for her at the inn. The only place to spend Christmas is in a small, dilapidated room above the local pub, The Mistletoe. A pub that is not only named after a Christmas novelty, but goes all out to celebrate Christmas in the biggest way possible.

'Despite facing her worst Christmas nightmares, Angelette somehow finds herself drawn into the holiday cheer around her. Between the attractive pub owner who makes it his mission to revive her Christmas spirit, and a little girl who still believes in magic, Angelette's avoidance tactics are failing. But embracing Christmas will mean opening up about the one reason she vowed never to celebrate Christmas again. And that will take a miracle.' (Publication summary)

'Practical and hard-working event planner Hannah Delaney has only ever known life on her family's chicken farm in Tarrin's Bay. Needing a fresh start, she has finally made the decision to move to the city. But just when her mind's made up, her past comes back to town - Luca Antonescu, her secret high school crush. Grieving the loss of his mother, Luca is back in Tarrin's Bay after years away working as a chef. He's finally ready to settle down and open his own restaurant in his parents' honour. When he runs into his old friend, Hannah's event management skills seem like the perfect fit for his restaurant's launch. But as they work together to set up the new business, secrets are uncovered and long ago feelings resurface. Luca soon realises that he wants more with Hannah. But the woman he wants to share it with has other plans. Will Hannah follow through with her move to the city, or will she realise that everything she's ever wanted is back home in the town of new beginnings?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

This collection of heart-warming Australian stories is full of the joys of the season and guaranteed to brighten your Christmas.' (Publication Summary)
 

'They say that truth is stranger than fiction, but in Tarrin’s Bay, she’s about to find that love is stronger than time...

'By day, single mother Olivia Chevalier runs the family’s bookstore and raises her nine-year-old daughter. By night, she escapes into a world of fiction where there is excitement, romance, and happy endings.

'Both of her roles are endlessly rewarding, but Olivia’s life has not been without challenges, hard work, and disappointment. So when enigmatic travel writer Joel Foster walks into her bookstore – and her life – with his mantras of trying new things and taking risks, Olivia knows that nothing will change.

'But when a family dilemma surfaces, Olivia is compelled to enroll in Joel’s writing course to tell the story of her grandmother’s life. With each new day and each new page, Olivia discovers secrets about her family and truths about herself, and finds herself yearning to rewrite the story she has planned and seek a life as intriguing as fiction.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Distracting herself from a string of bad luck and a disastrous love life, bubbly April Vedora throws herself into her new business —April’s Glow, a candle store in seaside Tarrin’s Bay — the enchanting scents and colourful atmosphere provide a safe haven. But outside business hours she’s clueless about her personal life.

'When a mysterious loner moves in next door, she can’t help but become intrigued, and ex-soldier Zac Masterson is equally fascinated by April. But both have sworn off relationships, and while April avoids her emotions by keeping busy and sociable, Zac hides away from the world — and his past.

'As the pair chip away at each other’s facades and secrets are revealed, April fears that the man she is unwillingly falling for could represent everything she’s worked so hard to avoid. Or could they be just what the other needs?

'They’ve shared their secrets over the back fence, but resolving the past is going to mean opening the doors to their hearts — and letting each other in.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The heat gets turned up on the Delcarta sisters when they have a mystery in the kitchen, one that puts each of them in mortal danger.

'Tamara is smitten with neighbor Leo Pearce, and not only because he can cook like the chefs on television, and gets her a job as kitchen hand at the restaurant where he works. His dark intensity is alluring and he begins mentoring her in his own time, sharing their mutual passion for food and assisting her in preparations for a local amateur cooking competition. But is Leo as he seems?

'Tamara's new friend, Emilia, advises her to be cautious about his troubled past and mood swings. Tamara is also worried that her chance at romance will be ruined when Leo discovers the secret of The Delta Girls.

'But more serious matters may force her to put aside her personal concerns and do what's right, when the premonitions she shares with her sisters reveal that someone is in danger of being poisoned. As a special event at the restaurant nears, The Delta Girls will have to put their sensory clues together to figure out who is in danger, who is responsible, and how to stop it. But their mission proves more complicated than they thought when a catastrophic turn of events may require them to save more lives than just one.' (Publication summary)

'Five extraordinary sisters discover that they each have a unique talent, an extra-sensory perception that enables them to see what others can't. It makes them incredible, it puts them in danger, and it brings them closer to learning the secrets that have haunted them their entire lives. These are the Delta Girls.

'Serena and her sisters read a private letter their father wrote to their mother, revealing a clue about his disappearance that they never knew about before. But as they struggle to gain further insight through their sensory visions, trying to solve the mystery continues to prove elusive.

'The Delta Girls try to move on, balancing their supernatural abilities with the daily trials of being teenagers. Studious Serena teams with the classroom outcast, Lara, and her charming brother, Damon, for a school science project. They end up studying more than they bargained for, though, when strange noises come from rooms in Lara and Damon’s house. There are voices, but only Serena, with her special powers, can hear them. This is until the trio experiment with Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) and are able to record and hear them on the computer.

'Bringing in her extraordinary sisters to help, Serena must figure out who the voices belong to— and what they want—if she is to have a chance at stopping an impending tragedy before it’s too late.' (Publication summary)

'Five extraordinary sisters discover that they each have a unique talent, an extra-sensory perception that enables them to see what others can't. It makes them incredible, it puts them in danger, and it brings them closer to learning the secrets that have haunted them their entire lives. These are the Delta Girls.

'Sassy Sasha is having an online interlude with a secret admirer. She’s convinced it’s the gorgeous Taylor Petrenko behind the romantic emails.

'There’s little time for love, though. As new developments come to light around their father’s disappearance, the Delta Girls start to question just how well they knew their father. The sisters experience increasingly detailed and troubling sensory predictions that bring fear and uncertainty, weighing them down with the responsibility toward helping those in danger.

'Sasha distracts herself with the excitement of newfound romance, refusing to partake in further analysis of the visions. When her sisters cover for her so she can sneak out for a date, her sense of scent becomes heightened and awakens the memory of a vision she shared with her sisters. Sasha realizes a moment too late that she is in danger, and must gather all of her strength if she is to save her own life' (Publication summary)

'From Juliet Madison, the Queen of Romantic Comedy, comes a collection of three funny, fabulous stories with a touch of magic.'

'"I spent my birthday fast asleep. In a coma to be exact."

'When Savannah wakes up after two months in the hospital, she sees a whole lot more than expected, things that could put those close to her at risk.

'The five Delcarta sisters have never believed in the paranormal, not like their woo-woo mother. Instead they believe in the power of sisterhood, of romance, and rebuilding their lives after their father’s mysterious disappearance nine years earlier. Starting anew in the small town of Iris Harbor, they see potential in all.

'But Savannah’s awakening after having surgery on a life-threatening aneurysm brings a unique ability to the Delcarta sisters–together, each can predict the future with one of the five senses. And Savannah has the gift of sight.

'A serial arsonist has been terrorizing the tight-knit community, and the Delcarta sisters have their suspicions on who could be to blame, including a boy who starts as an adversary to Savannah and then very quickly becomes her whole world. Investigating these crimes, trying to stop them before the next flame is sparked will call upon Savannah to use her newfound abilities with the help of her sisters, and will put each of their lives in danger.

'This stunning new paranormal series blends the sweetest of romances with breathless suspense, and introduces five young women who share a haunted past, an extraordinary gift, and an uncertain future.'

'Emma had plans, travel plans, going-far-away plans, but her family means everything to her, so when they needed help, she was there to deliver it. Running the family business of beachside cabins in Tarrin’s Bay might not be the same as the French Riviera, but Emma finds a certain level of peace in the beautiful setting and small town community.

'But when she finds that her ex-boyfriend, a man she left behind without explanation, staying in one of the cabins, her peace is ruined. She knows the only way to get it back is to share the secret she’s been hiding for five years, and admit to him the limitations that she now carries. But James has his own truths to share, and he’s not the man that Emma once knew.

'They are both in very different places than before, but it’s a time for renewal and second chances when their reunion brings secrets to the surface, dreams to be remembered, and the realisation that they are both in need of a little miracle.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Abby Solomon may write happy-ever-afters for a living, but doesn’t believe she’ll have her own. But then a surprise visit from her grandmother’s ghost sets her off on a journey she’ll never forget.

'Grandma Charlotte wants to find her first love, Dave, who she mistakenly thought had died in World War II. A quick trawl through the Yellow Pages yields a list of twelve possibilities, and Abby and Charlotte set off on a Christmas road trip — twelve Daves over twelve days along the sun-drenched east coast of Australia.

'With just over a week to make the meeting happen, Abby has to meet a dozen Daves — some sweet, some quirky, some downright dangerous — while trying to honour her book deadline and enduring the awkward challenges of having a ghost as a travelling companion.

'But when she comes across a young doctor who looks like the hero in one of her novels, Abby has the chance to discover that true love transcends time and space, and that happy endings aren’t only to be found between the pages of a book.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In this heartwarming coastal romance, Escape bestselling author Juliet Madison asks, what if your favourite celebrity fell in love with you?

'Yoga teacher and single mother, Chrissie Burns has a plan: move into the rundown beach house left to her by her deceased aunt, renovate it, sell it, and move on. The scene of a terrible accident years ago, the house needs to get out of Chrissie's hands as soon as possible.

'But Tarrin's Bay, where the house stands, has more to offer than bad memories. The town is lovely, the people friendly, and even Chrissie's young son finds friends and begins coming out of his shell. Employed at Serendipity Retreat as a yoga instructor, Chrissie is shocked to be given the role of private teacher to Drew Williams, Australia’s top singer/songwriter for the month.

'Relationships between instructors and clients are strictly forbidden, but Drew draws happiness out of Chrissie with his down-to-earth nature and sense of humour. Days of stretching and bending may bring Chrissie unexpected peace and strength, but she knows that this interlude must end, and there's no pose or position to aid her when Drew walks away and leaves her broken-hearted.' (Publication summary)

'Mixing romance, humour and a sparkle of magic, Juliet Madison is back with a new full-length novel about a bride-to-be, a mystery and the stripper next door.

'When bride-to-be Sally Marsh attends a weekend away with her bridesmaids, the last thing she expects is an uninvited guest: the ghost of her fiancé's ex-girlfriend.

'Red is quirky, loud and distracting, and Sally is soon desperate to find the reason behind her presence, so she can rid herself of her embarrassing shadow before the wedding day. Unfortunately, the ghost is reluctant to share the reason for her existence, but very enthusiastic about Ty, the surprise hen’s night stripper who keeps showing up at awkward moments.

'Time is running out for Sally, but it’s also running out for Red. By the time all is revealed, Sally will be tested to the limits, and go above and beyond everything she’s ever believed in order to ensure not only her own happy-ever-after – but Red’s as well. ' (Publication summary)