AustLit

'Fritha Wynde is a free-spirit, sleeping with whoever grabs her fancy, especially if the grab feels good! She has work that she loves, friends who will let her wear rainbow-colored bridesmaid dresses, and girlfriends’ babies to cuddle. There’s not a thing about her life she wants changed, until trouble walks into her feel-good teahouse Bohemian Brew.

'Trouble is a six foot two restaurant critic—Max—who has the audacity to ridicule the Banchee Tea, her signature brew, in his annoyingly sexy Brit accent. It’s time to retaliate and a low blow is in order—below the belt to be exact—but when Max discovers how delicious Fritha is, he’ll do anything to have her, including rolling over and playing dead.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Angela Lata only ever wanted two things out of life: a singing career and children. So she’s entitled to a little craziness after discovering that her cheating husband had a vasectomy before their wedding. Still, that’s no excuse to succumb to sexy man-whore Jack, even if he is so gorgeous she can barely breathe in his presence. Hadn’t she learned anything from her girlfriend’s example? The best way to get over one man is NOT to sleep with another.

'The trouble is, Angela has never had good sex, let alone great sex, and on the eve of her diva dreams coming true, Jack promises her both. All it takes is one night with him to ruin her completely. Every date afterward suffers in comparison, and with her biological clock ticking loudly and her career not living up to her expectations, what she needs is father material, not pleasure-on-tap.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Rose Bay socialite Louella Knight is the emotionally repressed friend who’s done everything expected of her for over a decade—the perfect hostess and the perfect wife with the perfect life. But in the wake of her husband’s shock announcement and her subsequent divorce, her life is thrown into turmoil.

'A death threat brings bodyguard Nick Aston into her employ, challenging her icy persona and awakening demons from the past that not even her girlfriends can help her overcome. One shocking experience after another pushes Louella past the limits of her emotional control and into Nick’s bed and his heart, but can she trust that the connection between them is real, or will it fade when the danger has passed?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Jill Wilson is the wildcard, fresh out of a ten-year relationship so boring she slept through half of it. Thirty-something, no children, no house, blah. The glamorous potential she and friends shared as starry-eyed schoolgirls feels very far away, until an unlikely job appears—Husband Sitting—being paid by rich wives to keep their cheating husbands ‘happy’ at home while they skip off on vacation.

'Not the sort of job a nice girl would do, but the ten thousand dollar a week pay check is exactly what Jill needs to stop her little sister ending up in a Bangkok jail. And maybe, just maybe, the sex sounds exciting too, so long as her friends don’t find out. Unfortunately, there’s one complication: gorgeous Finn'.

Source: Publisher's blurb.

A series of books centred on the romances of a group of friends: loosely connected but each a standalone novel.

'Adorable Winifred Malone may or may not be obsessed with Baz Wilson, but one thing she knows for sure is that they belong together. So she's not about to let a mermaid come between them, or a demented father and the internet scammer who's trying to steal his fortune. Not a kleptomaniac cleaning lady and the messy mermaid she's cleaning up after. Not an OCD marine biologist. And certainly not the harried constable trying to make sense of it all. Wynne only cares about marrying Baz, and she's not prepared to let anything get in her way!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Justin DuBois is in love with his co-worker, but not only does Marianne think he’s too young to be taken seriously, she’s convinced he’s gay. In desperation to win her, Justin recreates her teenage fantasy of a circus, a carnie, and a splash of Old Spice…

'Read this delightful novella to find out whether Justin’s crazy plan actually works.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Glimmer's mother Khatrene and her Guardian lover Talis struggle under the rule of Khatrene's White Twin brother King Mihale who has been compassionless and perverse since his revival from death on the Airworld of Atheyre. The only other remaining Guardian, Pagan, hopes to rekindle his betrothal to Lae, their new religious leader, but her grief at the loss of her son and her husband seems too great a barrier to cross.

On the Waterworld of Magoria (our earth) Vandal, the son Pagan left behind when duty called him back to Ennae, has turned into a young man, bitter at his father for abandoning him. When tragedy steals Vandal's future, his bitterness becomes deadly as he uses his own Guardian power to follow his father into Ennae to exact revenge, intent on destroying the one thing his father loves most.

Overshadowing all is the Maelstrom, inexorable, relentless, pouring elements from one world into another, causing destruction and death on an unprecedented scale. The cetaceans of Magoria and Cliffdwellers of Ennae have ascended to the Airworld of Atheyre, but those races who remain are in the deepest peril.

In the end, Glimmer must overcome her own selfish desires to follow her destiny, giving up everything she holds dear to fight the Serpent of Death and steal a future for the remnants of mankind'.

Source: author's website (www.louisecusack.com).

'Only seventeen and barely able to control his Guardian powers, Pagan has been given the task of championing the most consequential child ever born, the newborn child of The Light - Glimmer, who will grow to become the Catalyst. Pagan is injured as they flee their brown homeworld of Ennae, arriving into the strange rainbow hued world of Magoria (Earth) helpless and friendless. Small town funeral director, Sarah McGuire finds them and her home becomes their sanctuary, however Sarah's forthright manner takes some getting used to.

Pagan struggles to adapt, for he has little choice. He knows nothing of caring for a babe and already shoulders the burden of not only hiding his own healing powers in a world that is as confusing as it is contradictory, but as Glimmer grows he must also hide the frightening intelligence locked inside her child's body. On Ennae, the world they have fled, Kraal, the fearful Firegod of Haddash who can transform himself into any terrifying shape has made a pact with The Dark. In return for a magical talisman now held by the Plainsmen, Kraal will give The Dark sovereignty over Ennae, yet little does he know that The Dark's ambitions now lean towards power over all four worlds.

There is no place in either of their plans for Glimmer to live. On the Airworld of Atheyre, The Light and her lover Talis watch on helplessly, unable to protect Pagan and Glimmer from the evil that conspires against them. And behind all is the inexorable Maelstrom, growing in strength and momentum. Before it destroys the four elemental worlds Glimmer must return to Ennae and face those who would have her dead. Only one thing can distract her from fulfilling her destiny, yet that one thing is exactly what she needs to bring peace to the four worlds.' - author's website (sighted 25/01/2010)

'Ennae is a parallel world joined to our own world by the Sacred Pool, a portal that can only be opened by one with the Guardian blood running through their veins. It is through this watery gateway that Khatrene leaves her modern-day life behind forever, drawn into a quest that will take her into the depths of the unknown. Khatrene must fulfil her destiny as The Light, the woman whose child will unite the four elemental worlds. At each turn are real and imagined enemies who will do everything in their power to prevent her from fulfilling the prophecy, including the ethereal and erotic shadow woman, the enigmatic tattooed man, even her beloved brother Mihale. Talkis, her appointed Guardian, must help her through the dangerous terrain of Ennae, sacrificing everything to ensure her safety in a land where magic prevails and nothing is as it seems'.

Source: Bookwormers website (www.bookwormers.co.nz). Source: 7/2/11.

'Computer genius Julian Wilde has a month booked at an island hideaway to finish his PhD, but when he arrives, sexy oyster farmer Natasha Barri grabs him, thinking he’s a burglar, and suddenly asthma isn’t the only thing making Julian breathless. The house has been double booked so they’re forced to share and Julian readily agrees to cook, hoping to use the voodoo potions he’s discovered online to make Tasha fall in love with him. Disaster follows debacle as Julian tries to impress her, and she tries not to kill him.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.