AustLit

'A powerful story of love and loss from internationally bestselling author Tamara McKinley.

'So this is Paris, she thought in awe. Spread out before her beneath a clear blue sky, it was like a precious gift after the smog and filth of London. No wonder it was called the city of love . . .

'After a spiteful rumour ruins her career in London, Annabelle Blake must travel to Paris to start afresh. There she makes the acquaintance of Etienne and Henri - one a poet, the other a painter - both charming, talented and handsome. They spend their days flirting and drinking with the city's artistes and Bohemians, and soon Annabelle too is swept up in the exotic and exhilarating world of 1930s Paris. But as ever more young people are drawn to the fight against Fascism in Spain, Annabelle must wake from the dream and confront the reality of war. A lifetime later, gifted artist Eugenie Ashton falls in love with Paris the moment she sets foot outside the Gare de Lyon. Like her mother Annabelle before her, the artistic delights of the city are a bright new world to her: but Eugenie will soon find that in its shadows are hidden the secrets of her family's past. ' (Publication summary)

'Becky Jackson's family has been managing the hospital in far-flung Morgan's Reach for three generations. When Becky's husband is tragically lost at war, she and her young son Danny must leave the city and return to her birthplace to start over.

'But for all its charm, Morgan's Reach is a divided community, where blood is thicker than water and grudges run deep. So when a mysterious stranger appears outside the town and Danny begins to act strangely, it is not only Becky's newfound stability that's threatened.

'And what of the fact that there's not been a drop of rain in over three years? The risk of wildfire looms large and the hospital is already pushed to breaking point. A single spark could level the area in minutes - burning away everything for which the town has worked so hard; exposing the secrets they've fought to keep so close.' (Publication summary)

'When Fleur receives word of a sudden inheritance from an aunt she never knew, it couldn't come at a more opportune moment. Her relationship with her beloved husband is crumbling, and she's caught in the middle of a serious family rift. Consulting her aunt's long-lost diary, Fleur decides to follow her footsteps on a voyage of historical discovery down the coast and through the Gulf Country to find out more about the secrets of her family's past. ' (Publication summary)

'1920. Having disobeyed the wishes of her aristocratic family, Lulu Pearson, a young and talented Tasmanian sculptress, finds herself alone in London in the wake of the Great War. The future is looking bright until, on the eve of her first exhibition, Lulu learns she has inherited a racing colt called Ocean Child from a mysterious benefactor, and she must return to her homeland to claim him.

'Baffled by the news, Lulu boards a ship to Tasmania to uncover the truth behind the strange bequest, but it seems a welcome return is more than she can hope for. Unbeknownst to Lulu, more than a few fortunes ride on Ocean Child's success – it seems everyone from her estranged mother to the stable hands has a part to play, and an interest in keeping the family secrets buried. ' (Publication summary)

'Ruby and her new husband James brave a long and treacherous journey to start their new life in Australia. Meanwhile, there are other new arrivals to Australian shores: a Tahitian with a mysterious past, a naive young schoolmistress, and an English aristocrat, all unaware that their destinies are irrevocably intertwined.' (Publication summary)

'Discovery
It is 1768. For thousands of years Australia has been inhabited only by the Aborigines who understand its land so well. But giant boats filled with white ghost-men are arriving, and their shores are now under a terrifying invasion.

'Adventure
Longing to see the world, Jonathan Cadwallader joins the Endeavour's voyage to find the so-called 'Lands Beyond the Sea'. But it is a journey that will have far-reaching consequences...

'Love
Susan Penhalligan mourns everything she has lost to the sea. But she does not yet know that her destiny actually lies across that ocean, and further from her native Cornwall than she could ever imagine.

'Hardship
Having survived transportation, Billy Penhalligan clings to the promise of a new life and a new beginning. But there's more suffering to face before he or his fellow convicts can call Australia home... ' (Publisher's blurb)