AustLit

'Last year, Arianne Rayne was playing college basketball and looking forward to a permanent future with her boyfriend.

'This year, she is learning to live with disability.

'After walking away from an accident he'd caused by reckless driving, her boyfriend walked away from her. The uncertainty of how life would look now that she had lost mobility was enough for him to break the relationship, and her heart.

'Coming to Trinity Lakes to live with her stable, unflappable grandparents is hope for a new beginning and a chance to heal her heart. Away from her parents' cloistered, cotton-wool approach, she hopes to learn how to live independently with the help of physiotherapist and trainers at the local gym.

'Until she meets Matthew Kennedy. He might be buff and good looking, but he has no idea how to relate to someone living with disability. He's eligible, and he is certainly accessible, given he is one of her personal trainers, but will he ever see beyond her wheelchair? Arianne's heart tells her it's unlikely.

'Until she is stranded, and Matthew is her only hope of getting home.' (Publication summary)

'The temptation to matchmake is too much to resist. Louise has one success already under her belt having introduced her other daughter, Megan, to her new husband. Now, this handsome, successful lawyer has just admitted he isn't married. Single and in possession of a large fortune, Michael Sullivan must be in want of a wife. Louise's second daughter, Chloe, would be just the right sort of woman for him.

'There is no way Chloe will let her mother organize a blind date for her like she'd done for her sister. Chloe has her principles-and she has a ridiculous, unjust speeding ticket. The person she needs is a lawyer to help argue her case in court. Is it dishonest, when her mother's lawyer calls and asks her on a date, to agree with ulterior motives?

'Michael Sullivan has ulterior motives of his own. This all expenses paid trip to the sunny Gold Coast is merely a case of one person helping the other out-isn't it? Everyone else might think they're a couple, but it's just about winning a court case-isn't it?

'Can Regency romance author, Luella Linley (AKA Louise Brooker) hit the target two times in a row? Meddling in her adult children's lives is almost as much fun as creating fiction characters, except her children have minds of their own, and don't always cooperate.' (Publication summary)

Mother of three adult children, and Regency romance author, Louise Brooker (AKA Luella Linley) should feel satisfied that she has been instrumental in getting her two daughters happily settled. Her meddling was successful but came at a price, and husband, Russell, has advised she leave the children to their own devices.

But her eldest, Pete, is thirty-five, living back at home and discouraged. His fiancée left him days before the planned wedding and six months on, Pete still hasn't recovered. Louise might be biased, but her responsible, hard-working and handsome son would make a good husband and father-but he's given up after three failed relationships. He is a good catch, but unlikely to be fooled by his mother's scheming and meddling as she did with his sisters.

This situation calls for something special. A direct approach. Just like in her novels. Let the parents do the arranging and sort out the wheat from the chaff. This method will take any risk of rejection out of the equation, and let's face it, a mother can tell what's needed for a successful long-term relationship.

Carrie Davis dedicated herself to her career long ago. Her one and only serious relationship was a disaster, put down mainly to her youthful naivety at the time. Up until the birth of her niece, Carrie had not considered she might even like a relationship, but now thoughts of loneliness are stalking her. Carrie's sister, Ellen, knows and when she sees an odd advert in the classified ads she begins to wonder if this is a prank or an opportunity sent from heaven. "Wanted. For a social experiment. A family arranged marriage."' (Publication summary)

'Regency romance author, Luella Linley, arranges her characters' lives, making sure that they weather all storms and live happily-ever-after. Her characters are putty in her hands, but her 21st Century adult children are not so easily organized. When her daughter, Megan, asks for support with an inappropriate situation at work, Luella decides Megan should get a boyfriend to intimidate her boss. The cop who just pulled Luella over for speeding is a likely candidate.

'Cam Fletcher is expecting to be interviewed by a famous author. Instead of sharing insights into his job as a police officer, he is sharing a meal with the famous author and her daughter, Megan. When left alone with Megan, Cam wonders when the interview will begin. The parents' extended absence gives him a clue, which Megan confirms. Luella Linley is playing matchmaker, but is he willing to play the game?' (Publication summary)

'February, 2009, in the midst of Australia's worst ever bushfire disaster, Jan Graham asked the question: "What can I do to help?" She had no idea that this question would lead her and her husband, John, into three years of intense relief work, helping survivors of the Black Saturday Fires.

'This is not another bushfire story, though that is the setting. This is a story about how a local church and community responded in the face of crisis, and it asks the question, are there still fires burning today? What trauma and pain in our society is right on our doorstep, and can the church and community still respond, as it did back in 2009?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It has been fourteen years since the end of the Great War, and Grace doesn’t think she will ever get over losing the love of her life. She is a committed spinster aunt, despite her mother’s attempts to introduce her to eligible bachelors. When a stranger comes to town looking for work, her mother is immediately alert to possibilities. Grace admits he is handsome, but their first encounter was enough to put her off him for life.

'Alex has been on the road with his three children for nearly two years, looking for work where he could find it. Times are tough and work hard to come by. Charlie Shore gave him hope he would find something long term — as long as it doesn’t involve Charlie’s sister, another opportunistic spinster looking for a man. He’s not going to fall for it.

'Things change when circumstances throw Alex and Grace together to survive.

'But Alex has a secret that could destroy them all. And now Grace has a secret—one that won’t stay hidden.

'This new title is part of the very popular 'Heart of Green Valley' series. Australian, New Zealand and British readers connected well with the author's characters, setting and stories. Though part of a series, this book and all books in the series read as stand-alone novels.' (Publication summary)

'After three years, Chris is returning home because of a bushfire crisis threatening his family farm. The danger level is extreme both to himself and the property, almost as extreme as the danger that his heart will be broken all over again. Sally hasn't seen Chris in three years, and she hasn't forgiven him for just disappearing with no explanation. But he chooses today – the day when their neighbouring properties are in the path of a raging bushfire – to return. She wants to demand an explanation, but with the smoke and flames bearing down on them, now is the time for defending their homes and stock – and each other.'

Source: Publisher's blurb,

'When Sarah Montgomery finds a man lying half-dead in the snow, she doesn’t stop to think of the consequences of trying to save his life.

'But being a Good Samaritan to a stranger yields nothing but trouble. In her parents’ absence, she struggles against a deadly fever and a vicious snow-storm, doing her best to save the life of a stranger.

'But when her self-righteous neighbours eventually come to see how she fared during the storm, they draw a very different conclusion, and before she knows it, her reputation is in tatters, and she has been cast out of the church and her home.

'Alone and destitute, Sarah is determined to seek work as a servant from the man whose life she has saved. But all is not well for the master of Mellington Hall. Someone wants Lord Alan Mellington dead, and he doesn’t know who or why. The only person he seems to be able to trust is the gamekeeper’s daughter, Sarah Montgomery, who has intervened to save his life not once but twice.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'An uprising has separated the island of Terranin from the mainland rule, bringing it under the control of the rebel leader, Lucien. What was once a land of prosperity has been devastated by Lucien’s lust for power, pleasure and control. Blinding the people with his attractive lies, Lucien is turning the once peaceful land into one of fear, madness and darkness.

'Disguised as a commoner, Justin, grandson of the King, the one man with the authority to destroy the evil rule, enters Terranin and challenges Lucien’s control. But Lucien’s desire for power is surpassed only by one thing: his hatred for the King.

'In a power play between purity, betrayal and deceit, Lucien goes after the very thing Justin cares for most: Christina.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'One terrible decision leads to another and the Parker and Quinlan families find out what it means to be in total despair.

'In a moment of recklessness, Blake Quinlan does something he never should. The bitter consequences of his impulse will reverberate through the rest of his life unless he learns to deal with his past.

'Without warning, Claire Parker's world shatters. One horrific event leads to a choice that she can never forget. She must find a source of strength and forgiveness to help her recover or she will never again be the happy person she once was.

'Moving forwards there is still hope. A triumphant story about forgiveness, new beginnings and the power of love that cuts straight to the heart.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Emily Wallace has been given a choice. Either she obeys her father's wishes and marries the elderly widower, or she will be sent to live with her aunt in Australia. Even with the tales of wild animals and convicts, Emily chooses to sail to this unknown and untamed land. She simply cannot marry the cruel and arrogant Lord. Colin Shore has never met anyone so beautiful before. The moment he first saw Lady Emily Wallace at the dock he fell in love with her. But he would never presume that she would be part of his life. After all, she was a Lady and he was only a farmer.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.