AustLit

'As floodwaters rise, can their love bring a fractured community together?

'Mildura, Northern Victoria - 1956

'Isabel Hayward has ambitions of being a great chef. But cooking for the locals at the country pub she and her mother run doesn't really allow for experimenting with haute cuisine.

'When she meets local Italian farmer Matteo Sorrenti, their connection is instant and intense - much to the displeasure of Ross Burrows, one of the region's wealthiest sons, who has been keen on Isabel since they were kids.

'Isabel and Matteo's blossoming relationship has challenges to overcome: their cultural differences, prejudice, Ross' jealousy, and the worst flood in Australia's history.

'As the Murray River rises to its peak, threatening the Sorrentis' farm and the Haywards' pub, secrets are revealed that show Matteo, Isabel and Ross are inextricably linked by their fathers' wartime experiences. Will the secrets their fathers kept threaten Isabel and Matteo's relationship? Or can their love break down the remnants of prejudice left behind by the war?' (Publication summary) 

'For readers of Victoria Purman, Kate Quinn and Alli Sinclair comes a poignant story of love, loss, ambition and family set against the dramatic backdrop of the second world war.

'November 1941

'Australian sisters Elizabeth and Maggie Cardwell have accompanied their father on his diplomatic assignment to Hawaii where bright blue skies, a radiant sun and the swaggering confidence of flirtatious American sailors make war feel like a distant threat. When the sisters meet the handsome Baker brothers on the sparkling white shores of Waikiki beach, Maggie falls hard and fast for Cody while Elizabeth discovers an easy friendship with his older brother, Tom, under the shared responsibility of chaperoning their wild younger siblings.

'But mere days after the Cardwells board a ship back to Australia, Pearl Harbor is attacked and memories of sun-kissed afternoons and beach romance are fast eclipsed by fear and uncertainty.

'With the war now very real to them all, the sisters embark on two very different paths that will take them to opposite ends of Australia, threaten their safety, and test their bonds of friendship and family. As the war continues to tear lives and loves apart, neither sister expects to cross paths with the Baker brothers again. But perhaps the pull of fate is even more powerful than the chaos of war ...' (Publication summary)

'How do you tame a wild colonial boy? With an even wilder colonial girl.

'Central Highlands of Victoria 1861

'Jack the Devil's reputation precedes him. The most notorious bushranger on the Central Highlands, nothing throws him off his game -- until he holds up Prudence Stanforth and her grandmother. Jack can't help but be captivated by the feisty Pru and her lack of fear in the face of danger.

'Weeks later, Pru crosses paths with the respectable businessman Jack Fairweather, and it's not long before she recognises him as the bushranger who stole her favourite necklace. His price for the locket's return is a kiss -- a kiss that ignites sparks in them both.

'When Pru discovers her grandmother has been keeping a devastating secret, running away with Jack the Devil is the perfect escape for her broken heart. The dangerous nature of his less than salubrious occupation is a poetic contradiction to her sheltered upbringing, and only fuels their passion.

'But as life becomes more complicated, will the return of dark elements from Jack's past ruin their chance at happiness?

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Ballarat, Australia 1854

'Gold miner Indy Wallace wants nothing more than to dig up enough gold to give her mother an easier life. Wild and reckless, and in trouble more often than not, Indy finds herself falling for handsome, chivalrous, British Army Lieutenant Will Marsh. But in the eyes of immigrant miners, soldiers are the enemy.

'Will has been posted to Ballarat with a large contingent of Her Majesty's Army to protect the Crown gold and keep the peace. But once he meets rebellious Indy, he doubts he'll ever be at peace again. As Will and Indy's attraction grows, their loyalties are tested when the unrest between miners and the military reaches breaking point.

'On opposite sides of the escalating conflict, can their love survive their battle of ideals? And will any of them survive the battle of the Eureka Stockade?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'He who falls last, falls twice as hard. Has the last bachelor of Muller’s Field finally met his match?

'Andrew Muller has always enjoyed the single life. But now that his older brothers have found the loves of their lives, he’s beginning to see that being a one-woman man might have some benefits after all. But has he missed his chance?

'Taryn McArthur loves her independent life of travel and working on the harvest trail. Some of her most treasured memories are the years spent at Muller’s Field vineyard with her father. At eleven years of age, her young heart fluttered when Andrew stole her first kiss from her. On her return to Muller’s Field to help with handpicking the grapes, she is thrilled to discover that Andrew has grown into a very attractive man.

'Andrew is immediately entranced by her beauty and adventurous nature and while she is receptive to his advances, they both know that their romance can only be a short-term thing. When Taryn’s secret life catches up with her Andrew must make a decision that will alter his easygoing life forever.

'The smallest things in life can often make the biggest difference.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Only love can begin to heal the deepest of battle scars.

'Rachel Raymond has always loved her job - she's a strong, independent foreign correspondent and has built up an illustrious career chasing stories across the world. But her life suddenly changes forever when at the end of a tour based in war-torn Afghanistan, the vehicle she and her team are travelling in hits a roadside bomb.

'Liliana Howell is over the moon when her long lost best friend returns unexpectedly the week before Lily's wedding in the South Australia Riverland. But it doesn't take her long to realise that something is different about Rachel, even though her old friend refuses to talk about why she's finally come home.

'Fireman Tate Cassidy has also made the trip to the Riverlands for the wedding and finds himself instantly drawn to the mysterious journalist. Tate has his own demons to fight, but when he finds himself falling for this woman who's seen too much, can he use their common ground to help her through her darkest time? And will Rachel let him close enough to show her that love can heal all wounds?'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A sizzling rural romance set in the McLaren Vale, with a girl who's ready for a change and the three brothers who are determined to win her over.

'Gabrielle didn't believe men like this existed in real life – the three Muller brothers are ridiculously good-looking, and they're officially her new bosses. She's in need of a change of scenery, and the Muller's winery might just be the right place…

'Seth Muller isn't sure it's a good idea to bet on who can seduce Gabby first, but the new girl working at the winery is too gorgeous to give up to his brothers without a fight. But what happens if he starts to fall for her? Will he lose everything if she finds out what he's done?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sometimes the hottest fire burns with an old flame.

'Trisha Carne has loved Brian Muller, of Muller's Field vineyard, for as long as she can remember but the moment has never been right. Then an unexpected kiss on New Year's Eve has Brian looking at her in a new way. Has she finally caught his attention?

Brian's been doing it tough since his wife left him, and has retreated into the safety of bachelorhood. So he's surprised to find this new fling with an old flame is starting to bring him back to life.

'Until his ex-wife turns up in McLaren Vale and he's thrown into a state of confusion.

Will Brian and Trisha let their pasts keep them from finding true happiness? Or will they have the courage to chase the flames that still smoulder between them?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.