AustLit

'The only vow she's prepared to make is not to say 'I do'...

'Running a major tech company without breaking a sweat? No problem. But being bridesmaid at her best friend's wedding is giving Jess Cohen a bad case of the jitters. Maybe that's because she'll have to face the groom's brother, Jake - the man she's been avoiding for the last two years, after she dumped him mercilessly, unable to tell him the truth about her past. Jake, who's loyal, loving and all wrong for someone who refuses to be tied down - if only her heart could remember that.

'Jake Winton spent four months secretly dating Jess, and the past two years trying - and failing - to forget the woman he'd been ready to propose to. Now, he's sure their connection is still there, sizzling and undeniable. Whatever she's holding back, he can handle - if only she'll trust him with her secrets, her fears and her heart.' (Publication summary)

'Lancashire 1934. Three years after her husband's sudden death, Stella comes into some money unexpectedly and decides to make a new start in the country. She settles on Ellin Valley, where she quickly begins to make friends. She falls in love with a cottage in Birch End, but an unscrupulous man wants it too. Will she be able to buy her dream home?

'Life has changed drastically for local handyman Wilf Pollard as well. When tragedy strikes, Wilf is left as the only support of his two young children. But his friends rally round to help so that he can pull his life together and take up an exciting new job with a well-respected builder.

'Some of the local council are eager to deal with the squalid conditions of the Backshaw Moss slum, but others will stop at nothing to keep their profitable rents. And Stella's dream cottage is threatened by their plans to build yet more cheap housing. Can Stella, Wilf and the residents of Birch End pull together to make sure good triumphs over evil?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Jo Melling has arrived in Birch End from Australia, still grieving her father's recent death. She's not intending to stay long, but after tracking down her distant family, Jo becomes more involved in village life than she could ever have imagined - and suddenly in danger too.

'Jo also finds herself drawn to Nick, a handsome newcomer to the village. Nick had planned to settle in Birch End and start a business, but as he grows closer to Jo, he realises he may have to choose between his dreams and a chance at love.

'Meanwhile, the new local council are faced with some tough decisions of their own. It's time to take a stand against the poor conditions in Backshaw Moss, the nearby slum, but some councillors want things to stay as they are - and will go to any lengths to make sure they get their way . . .

'Will the decent people of the valley win a brighter future for themselves? And can Jo find a way to stay with Nick in a place she's grown to love?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'1931, Lancashire:

'When Finn Carlisle loses his wife and unborn child, he spends a few years travelling to keep the sad memories at bay. Just as he's ready to settle down again, his great-uncle dies and leaves everything to him. This includes Heythorpe House in Ellindale just down the road from Leah Willcox and her little fizzy drink factory.

'Finn finds a village of people in dire need of jobs, a house that hasn't been cleaned or lived in for thirty years and Reggie, an eleven-year-old who's run away from the nearby orphanage and its brutal Director Buddle. When Finn sees the marks left by regular beatings, he decides Reggie will never go back there.

'But Buddle has other plans for the child, and will stop at nothing to get Reggie back in his cruel grasp. Finn's new neighbours help him save Reggie but other surprises throw his new plans into turmoil.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'1930, Lancashire: Leah Turner's father has been killed in an accident at the laundry, and since her mother died years ago it falls to her to become sole provider for her little sister. But women's wages are half those of men and pawning the few belongings she has left will only keep their vicious rent collector at bay for a few weeks, so even if she finds a job, they'll lose their home.

'Out of the blue Charlie Willcox, the local pawnbroker, offers her a deal. His brother Jonah, an invalid since being gassed in the Great War, needs a wife. Charlie thinks Leah would be perfect for the job.

'The idea of a marriage of convenience doesn't please Leah, but she finds Jonah agreeable enough and moving with him to the pretty hamlet of Ellindale may be the only chance of a better life for her sister.

'But other people have plans for the remote Pennine valley, and the two sisters find themselves facing danger in their new life with Jonah. Can the three of them ever look to a brighter future?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Lizzie Spender's bohemian childhood was spent in England, Ireland and California where she was surrounded by horses, but unfortunately never her own. Lizzie's lifelong desire to own a horse is the inspiration behind this book, as nearly half a century later, in the remote north-west of Australia, she fulfils her dream.' Source: Libraries Australia.

'Carrie Preston is used to hard work – oldest of ten, with an incompetent mother and a drunken father, she struggles to find food for the younger children. But nothing could have prepared her for the day fate deals her family the cruellest of hands, rendering the Prestons more helpless and desperate than ever.

'In a harsh world, small acts of kindness can bring great hope –Eli Beckett’s offer of a job at the Dragon pub promises a better future for Carrie, especially as Eli’s uncle has offered his nephew some spare land to build a music room.

'With the great cities of England beginning to come alive to the sound of music halls, the locals of Hedderby are soon looking forward to their own place of celebration and merriment. Yet not everyone in the town shares this excitement, and some will stop at nothing in the pursuit of selfish gain...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Chrissy Amphlett is a legend in the world of Australian music - and now, for the first time, she tells her own story. From growing up in Geelong, Victoria, to being the lead singer in the iconic band The Divinyls, to living in New York and mixing with the likes of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, she has led an amazing life. In this book she tells of life on and off the road - and gives a unique account of a woman surviving in a male-dominated and drug-fuelled industry. Yet not only did she survive, she captivated her audiences with her empowered on-stage performances. From fury to soulful, brash to lecherous, Chrissy Amphlett's voice and character mesmerized all those around her. She talks of the early days when she was breaking into the music scene; of being arrested for busking when a teenager travelling in Spain; of how her angry and provocative stage act drew on her childhood and background - she wanted to shock and, above all, be in control. And she tells of what it was to be at the top, in those years of success and excess, both in Australia and in the United States. Chrissy has always lived life on her terms no matter what those around her wanted.

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It is 1974 and Detective Inspector Briony Williams, with her trademark directness and impatience with small talk, has just started a new job with the Thames Valley Police in Oxford.Briony and her team are called out to investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl in whose hand she finds a stone carved with an ancient cryptic message that says 'the busie fiend control'. Convinced she has encountered no ordinary domestic crime, Briony finds herself in a world of vengeful gods, devilish creatures in search of prey, and curses of the evil eye.A serial killer is roaming the prehistoric landscapes of the White Horse Vale, inspired by local druid folklore about a demonic supernatural Visitor. The perpetrator is violently and systematically murdering people, the victims restrained or held down and killed with heavy blows from all angles.There are psychic girls, druid witches, and maybe even horned goats sitting on altars wearing fur-edged capes. Or are there? Briony, in her search for scientific evidence, needs to steer a dangerous course between rationality and superstition during the autumn equinox, when the spirits are said to wander between worlds.' (Publication summary)