AustLit

'The festive season isn't Mina Rosso's favourite time of year. It reminds her that as a descendant of La Befana - Italy's Christmas witch - she's cursed to forever be unlucky in love... Her plan this Christmastime is to lie low, keeping her secret identity under wraps as usual, and do what comes naturally: spread goodwill.

'Unfortunately, the arrival of her boss's son, Jadon Eder, puts a spanner in the works. Fresh from working in Milan, Jadon's full of big-city arrogance and plans to overhaul the antique shop Mina loves. Pity he's also sinfully attractive. Despite her best intentions - and even though he's human, a no-no in the witchy world - Mina finds herself falling for him.

'Then she finds out some bad news. Some of the spells she's sold online have backfired ... horribly. While she's critical of the dark witches in her neighbourhood, is she really the good witch she thinks she is?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'With her dreams of dominating Melbourne's fashion scene in tatters, Nella Martini has returned to the last place she wants to be – Torrente Blu, the market garden inherited from her late nonna. She just needs to clean up the property, sell it quickly, and avoid run–ins with her neighbour: surly Adrian Tomaso.

'But when Nella comes across her nonna's cookbook things start to change. The place, with its endless tomato plants and gallons of olive oil in storage, gets under her skin, as does Adrian with his passion for this life. But her dreams have always meant being anywhere but here – haven't they? Or has the right place been here all this time?

'For Esta Feliciano in the 1950s, the right place was her Italian village. But in search of a better life than war–torn Italy has to offer, her husband has moved Esta and their daughter to this alien country, settling on a small, flat piece of land that he calls Torrente Blu. Can Esta come to grips with the harsh Australian sun and strange culture?

'Woven with traditional Italian recipes, The Right Place is the heartfelt story of two women's journeys, as they discover how the right place to call home can be where you make it...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The Belshaw brothers are back in Balkissoch...

'Bridie Porter is wearing her Vera Wang gown and veil in the back of her wedding limo when she receives a compromising text about her hotelier groom. Panicked, she tells the driver to keep going and she flees from Melbourne to the small town of Balkissoch in the Adelaide Hills.

'It’s the perfect pit-stop to hide from her ex and the press and to earn enough cash to stay out of sight. Unfortunately, the admin job she gets is for a wedding photography business and she’s had her fill of weddings lately. But it’s slim pickings on the work front in a town so teeny. And her new boss is strangely compelling...

'After the rush and adrenaline of his job as an LA paparazzo, the last place Cody Belshaw wants to be is back in the small town where he grew up. But thanks to a clause in his father’s will that amounts to blackmail, Cody and his two brothers are stuck running a wedding business for at least a month. If there’s one thing that he’s learned in LA, however, it's to keep business and pleasure very, very separate. Which makes his new admin employee the definition of temptation.

'Bridie is desperate to stay anonymous. Cody seeks out secrets for a living. As they delve into the world of brides, boutonnières and dogs-as-best-men, both Cody and Bridie will have to decide if this is a fling ... or forever.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Hot sun, warm bodies, tight skin, electricity on the air ... four top romance authors give you their take on summer.

'From Carla Caruso - A chance meeting with a pro-surfer on an island getaway ...

'From Maria Lewis - The world of women's surfing throws two recent bedmates together ...

'From Alli Sinclair - A world-famous performer finds her heart and a way to fight her demons in Rio de Janeiro ...

'From Tess Woods - A Cornish beach retreat proves a full reawakening ...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Is love really written in the stars?

'Fledgling romance author Simona Gemella is hoping the rugged wilderness of South Australia's Kangaroo Island will help reignite her creative spark after her husband walked out on her (calling her a workaholic and filing for divorce).

'She's joined her best friend, Nessie, on a health and wellness retreat at a mysterious old manor on the island, run by an astrology guru.

'Though Simona's sworn off men, she can't help being distracted by a darkly dangerous man with a scorpion tattoo - Denham Cobalt - who's also staying at the manor. Then strange things start to happen, including uncanny accidents and even a possible murder.

'It all culminates at a masquerade party on the night of a total lunar eclipse. Will Simona survive - with her heart intact?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A dark secret from Hollywood's Golden Age. A possible prince-in-hiding. Astonvale's about to implode...

'Professional organiser Celeste Pretty swore she'd never work with uber-blonde interior designer Imogen Karmel again, but then she's presented with a project she can't refuse. The prestigious Astonvale College is celebrating its centenary and needs the pair to ensure the festivities go off without a hitch.

'As Celeste sets to work in a flurry of activity - in between organising her own engagement party - she finds herself blowing away the cobwebs on a sixty-year-old secret.

'Meanwhile, Imogen becomes enamoured with a substitute teacher, Hudson Addison, who may or may not be a royal in hiding. And there's nothing Imogen dreams of more than becoming a princess. Will all be revealed on party night?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Holly Plume is a bookseller by day and a romance blogger by night, dishing out scathing reviews under her pseudonym, Sultry Scarlet. When she scores an invite to the publishing event of the year, Holly couldn't be more excited. Finally a chance to meet her favourite author, the mysterious thriller writer known only as AJ Ruffo.

'When Holly literally falls into the arms of the mysterious and charming Santo Randolfi, she's sure it must be AJ. After all, Santo has tousled good looks, dark curls, luscious lips . . . He's exactly what she'd imagined. But when Santo reveals he's actually the author of a romance novel Holly recently slammed on her blog, keeping her online identity a secret becomes vital.

'As Holly struggles to keep Santo from learning the truth, she realizes just how much she likes him. But when he discovers who she is, will their relationship be over before it's even begun?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Raffy Fortuna knows all about luck, and she's not interested in pushing it. But sometimes luck pushes you to the places you least expect.

'Sassy Italian-Australian newspaper reporter Raffy has been ultra-superstitious ever since her ex-fiance saw her in her bridal gown before they got hitched - and left her at the altar. But as luck would have it, one of her new assignments at Press Publishing is a feature series challenging some of the most common superstitions in the lead-up to Friday the thirteenth. It's her worst nightmare - not helped by the grumpy, yet annoyingly handsome cameraman accompanying her to film the daily online videos for the newspaper's site.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It's summer time and the temperature is rising in the small coastal town of Robe, where Astonvale's A-list comes to catch up, dress down and be seen. Professional organiser Celeste Pretty has a summer getaway planned in well-to-do Robe, the 'Hamptons' of Australia. She's staying at the beach 'shack' of her hunky new builder beau, Lenny Muscat. The first week she'll de-clutter the holiday home of fashion designer Sabine Cloud with her assistant, Flip Belmont. Then she'll enjoy loved-up bliss with Lenny. But despite Celeste's penchant for organisation, things have a way of veering off-script. She soon discovers the last person who occupied Sabine's pad - the designer's model daughter, Romy - died from a possible overdose. Plus, Sabine's uber-glam real estate agent seems intent on throwing herself at Lenny. Meanwhile, Flip is distracted by the bad-boy son of a rock star, Blaise Zenith, who some say is responsible for Romy going off the rails. And Celeste thought sunburn and sand in the house were all she'd have to worry about these holidays.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sometimes, to come clean, you've got to get your hands dirty ...

'Celeste Pretty, a self-confessed neat freak, has found the job she was born to do: a professional organiser, de-cluttering people's homes and workplaces. Her new business gets off to a cracking start when she lands her first client, health and fitness guru Natalia Samphire, in the well-heeled suburb of Astonvale. But things get messy at Natalia's mansion when Celeste finds a blackmail note and other mysterious items. And then there's Lenny Muscat, the sexy builder renovating the place, whose constant presence is muddling Celeste's usually organised brain. When things get decidedly suspicious at the mansion, she and Lenny have to team up to investigate. But will Celeste emerge with her heart and professional reputation unscathed?'

Source: Publishing blurb.

'On the night of her 35th birthday, Flora Brunelli is full of regrets. The celebrations have turned sour and life hasn't gone according to plan. She wishes she could be 20 again. Then she finds herself zapped back in time, landing in the summer of 1998 when she was 20 years old. The Spice Girls are at the top of the charts and the X-Files is the hit TV show. It's also the week Flora's life unravelled.

'For Flora, this is a chance to change her future: win back the love of her life, stay friends with her former best mate and succeed in landing her dream job. It should be easy. But her ex's best friend, Lance Devic, who she never really noticed before, keeps popping up and messing with her head. And after a while Flora begins to wonder if living in the past really will deliver her the happiness she seeks?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'After a regrettable incident at the office Christmas party, up-and-coming fashion editor, Winnie Cherry, is banished to coastal South Australia to set up a beach lifestyle magazine – 300km from nowhere.

Her friends joke that she'll marry a rich cray fisherman and stay there for good, but Winnie has other ideas. Determined to get back to Sydney within two months, she gets to work and starts counting down the days. Until she meets handsome freelance photographer Alex Bass, and sparks begin to fly.

As Winnie is increasingly drawn into the close-knit local community, she starts to question whether city life is really what she wants. That is, until Alex drops a bombshell that casts dark storm clouds over all her coastal dreams…' (From the publisher's website.)

'One baby, one lie–and a whole new career. Stella lands a great job as a mommy blogger. The catch is she’s never had children. Plunged into a world of insanity every mother faces, she must learn to cope as her lies build upon one another. A sexy ex comes into the picture, forcing her to choose between him or the job and a handsome ‘keeper’ of a coworker. It can’t last forever.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.