"For readers of Karly Lane and Fleur McDonald, comes this fresh rural romance about courage, hope and learning to believe in love from an award-winning, much-loved author.
A traumatic past, a charismatic stranger, a closeknit community...life is about to get complicated.
Flick Atherton loves the country towns where she lives, her work with migratory birds and the bond she shares with her late brother's daughter. The last thing she needs is a man telling her what to do. Particularly the arrogant, frighteningly competent Norwegian air-force pilot Sebastien Thorsen. When she accepts an assignment in the sub-Antarctic, her biggest challenge isn't the sub-zero temperature or her long-held fears, it's Sebastien.
Head of the UN environmental team funding Flick's position, and an all-round adrenaline junkie, Sebastien is the last man Flick should be attracted to. But the tiny Antarctic community is closeknit and vulnerabilities, both Flick's and Sebastien's, are impossible to hide. Working to finish a job he didn't want to take, Sebastien finds Flick a risk unlike any he has ever encountered, and he is frustrated yet entranced by her impossible mix of fragility and independence.
When the assignment is over and Flick is home again, can she leave her fears and the shadows of the past behind her? Will she accept that the love she's found, even when it is out of the blue, might be all she'll ever need?"
"A collection of Christmas stories from award-winning Australian authors about the country practices that lie at the heart of small towns.
The Christmas Cake War by Stella Quinn
Physiotherapist Jodie is in Clarence to help her great-aunt Carol move into an aged care home. But Jodie didn't count on Carol's dispute with the president of Clarence Gardens' residents' association. Jodie will have to team up with local publican Will, the boy who once saved her life and crushed her heart, to defuse the feud before it explodes into all-out war. Jodie doesn't believe in happy endings, but perhaps Clarence has its own kind of magic ...
The Night Before Christmas by Penelope Janu
Amelie Peterson swore she would never go back to Summerfield. And yet here she is, taking over the local vet clinic for the summer, not only as a favour to the doctor who once changed her life, but to finally face her demons. Easier said than done when one of her demons, Cameron McLeod, owns the only available accommodation in town. As Christmas draws closer, is Amelie ready to face the hurts of her past?
The Ghost of Christmas Past by Pamela Cook
Psychologist Hannah Rasmussen's main goal at Christmas is to hide from the ghosts of her past. But when her old friend and mentor asks to spend the festive season with her, Hannah can hardly deny a terminally ill woman her Christmas wish. Is Hannah's grief stronger than Christmas cheer, or will she discover that present joy - particularly in the form of burly farrier Cole Harrison - can outshine past sorrow and pave the way for a brighter future?
A Rush Creek Christmas by Renae Black
Piper Hendrix arrives in Rush Creek on the heels of scandal, desperate for anonymity and the chance to ignore Christmas to focus on her job as a nurse. Discovering that her older brother's childhood best friend (and Piper's longstanding crush) is one of the local paramedics is definitely not part of the plan. But nowhere does Christmas like Rush Creek, and Piper's best-laid plans never stood a chance."
"Mackenzie Henry is happy enough with her life in the small town of Summerfield. She loves her work as a saddler, the bushland surrounding her home, and the feeling of safety her beloved grandfather brings her. She doesn't want anything-or anybody-else.
So when her grandfather asks her to lead the fight to rehabilitate land destroyed by an open-cut mine, and work in front of the camera with a Norwegian documentary-making team, Mackenzie fears her life will be tipped on its axis. And she's right. The documentary not only reignites old resentments but unearths secrets that threaten her family's reputation and her own safety. To make matters worse, the enigmatic scientist, filmmaker and adventurer Kit Thorsen is a threat to the heart Mackenzie has kept safe.
Handsome, arrogant and infuriating (read: Viking), Kit is in equal parts as fascinated and frustrated by Mackenzie's mix of independence and vulnerability as she is by his. Given the demons in both of their pasts, they should run a mile. Will the compulsion that brings them together unite them or tear them apart?
'A rural story that has it all ... simmering romance [...], a complex heroine and a swoon-worthy hero. What's not to love?' KARLY LANE, bestselling Australian author
‘Encapsulates everything I love about the romance genre and so much more. A go-to author for rural romance for the head as well as the heart …’ JOANNA NELL, bestselling Australian author"
"A heartwarming collection of four brand-new festive stories from favourite Australian authors about finding love on the farm this Christmas.
The Christmas Contract by Pamela Cook
Bridie has until Christmas to convince her dad not to pull the loan he gave her to set up her organic produce farm. So when she gets an unexpected offer of assistance from her elderly neighbour's son - the same elderly neighbour who's been actively trying to railroad her into selling - she can't say no. Are all the resulting feels another complication or exactly what she needs?
A Fairytale for Christmas by Penelope Janu
Big-city lawyer Juliette is living a small-town life in Ballimore for one reason only - to save her career by Christmas. Which is why she should say no to helping the town, no to taking over the fairytale cabin in the forest, and no to challenging the impossibly attractive farmer and local-boy-made-good, Beau. A past left behind, a reimagined future. Can there be a happy ending to this fairytale?
The Christmas Kindness Project by Lily Malone
After the break-up of her 26-year marriage, high-flying property manager Rosie returns to Chalk Hill to start over. When she's nominated to represent her new employer in the Christmas Kindness Project, Rosie struggles in the competition spotlight. Then enigmatic real estate valuer Fletcher takes an interest in her ideas. If it's not a hot flush, maybe Rosie's love life is finally heating up.
Christmas at Yindi Creek by Stella Quinn
Angela arrives in Yindi Creek desperate to restore her late mother's opal earring only to discover the opal dealers are closed for the summer. Robbie spends his days with his sheep, determinedly not looking at the white cross planted by the gates of his property. But the meddlesome locals reckon he's grieved long enough, and it doesn't take them long to hatch a devious (but romantic!) plan ..."
"For readers of Karly Lane, Fleur McDonald, Maya Linnell and Rachael Johns - a heartfelt and fresh rural romance about trust, hope and finding your place in life from an award winning and much loved author.
Country vet Primrose Cartwright knows more about heartache than most but in the close-knit community of Ballimore, she's found a place to call home. Prim has her work and the love of her sisters, and she doesn't need anything else - certainly not Blake Sinclair.
The new vet in town, Scotsman Blake has a love-them-and-leave-them reputation. He is curiously protective of Prim, but his privileged upbringing and jet-set life are nothing like her own. Prim has tried - and failed - at the dating game. Even if there's a burning attraction between them, the last man she could ever trust is Blake.
Blake finds Prim fiercely independent, vulnerable, and unlike any other woman he has ever known. But Prim won't tell him her secrets unless he tells her his own, and Blake's pain is buried deep.
Will Prim's determination to unravel the mystery that threatens her career bring Prim and Blake together or tear them apart? As the storm clouds gather, can Prim and Blake confront their painful pasts and create a future together? Will they find the sunshine through the rain?"
"'A rural story that has it all ... simmering romance, international intrigue, a complex heroine and a swoon-worthy hero. What's not to love?' Karly Lane, bestselling Australian author
Will a misunderstanding and past trauma stand in the way of profound attraction? Immovable determination meets irresistible charm in this delightful rural romance from an award-winning and much-loved author - for readers of Rachael Johns, Karly Lane and Fleur McDonald.
When Phoebe Cartwright finds Sinn Tørrissen, a naval officer and meteorologist, frozen half to death in the middle of a thunderstorm, she believes she's saved his life. Sinn, unfailingly competent and infuriatingly arrogant, disagrees. In Phoebe's small country town to track down the members of an illegal horse-racing syndicate, the last thing he needs is to become entangled with Phoebe.
A much-loved member of her community, the prickly and independent Phoebe is used to solving other people's problems. So when she learns her younger sister could be implicated in their father's dishonest accounting for the syndicate, she insists on working with Sinn to uncover the truth.
Sinn is both confused and entranced by the passionate Phoebe and in spite of her resistance, Phoebe finds herself drawn to him. But Phoebe is determined to protect her sister above all, and the secrets she cannot tell Sinn threaten to sweep his investigation - and their romance - way off course. With clouds building on the horizon, can Phoebe and Sinn weather the gale and find in each other a shelter from the storm?
'Encapsulates everything I love about the romance genre and so much more. A go-to author for rural romance for the head as well as the heart,' Joanna Nell, Bestselling Australian Author"
"'Penelope Janu's fresh, bright, funny new twist on rural romance is an absolute delight. Her wit is as sharp as a knife. She is one of my absolute must-read authors.' Victoria Purman, bestselling Australian author
A kiss can change your life ...
Jemima Kincaid loves her home, her horses and her job as a farrier. Life has not been kind to her, but Jemima is happy in the close-knit rural community of Horseshoe Hill, which rallied around in her hour of need. Even so, she is fiercely independent and will never rely on anyone again.
Particularly a man like Finn Blackwood.
An infuriatingly attractive geneticist and wild animal vet, Finn threatens not only the serenity of Jemima's present, but that of the future she has so carefully mapped out. But as their paths continue to cross, she finds her attraction to Finn impossible to counter, even as the trauma of her past threatens to undo her. Finn is fascinated by Jemima's solitary nature and unique vulnerabilities but Jemima knows all about loss and how to avoid it. Don't let anyone get close in the first place ...
As the past begins to cast long shadows, Jemima and Finn discover that a kiss can bring worlds together-or tear them apart. Will they finally face their fears and find love on Horseshoe Hill?"
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