AustLit

'This is one murder that doesn’t add up…

'Following a spectacular business failure, Clara Mitchell returns to her coastal hometown, Lemon Tree Bay, with an inglorious thud. Living with her mum and working in a hair salon, she’s determined to repay her debts and get back to glamorous city living.

'When she meets poker-faced accountant Lucas Pepper, sparks fly, however, their blossoming romance slips into the red as he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his uncle.

'Convinced of Lucas's innocence, Clara locks horns with her ex-boyfriend - local bad boy turned police officer, Senior Constable Adam Billings. He's desperate to prove Lucas guilty and protect Clara at all costs.

'With evidence threatening to sink Lucas, Clara must unravel the mystery using a trusty grapevine of local gossip and her somewhat unreliable intuition. Will she save Lucas from mounting charges in time, or was Adam right all along?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Should we hold on to the promises we make ourselves?

'Lottie De Luca lives to run, but since a terrifying attack while training, she's lost her passion and her way. Her career as a real estate agent is suffering, and she's disconnected from her friends. Will a chance meeting with an off-duty police officer help re-start her life?

'Jess Goldsmith is a woman on the run after calling off her wedding to her childhood sweetheart, Hamish. Leasing an apartment from Lottie, she finds her a supportive friend as she deals with the fall-out of her disastrous engagement. When a terrible accident occurs, Jess fears her past mistakes have come back to haunt her.

'As Lottie and Jess's friendship grows, both are forced to decide between loyalty, friendship and lasting love. Will they be able to keep the promises they made each other, let alone the ones they made to themselves?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'How far do we go for love when worlds collide?

'Clare Harrison has always felt invisible to everyone other than her grandmother. While she has everything she wants in her career, something is missing: someone to love and a family of her own.

'Pete Fitzgerald has family. Too much. The Fitzgeralds are loud, intrusive and always trying to set him up with the daughters of family friends. As he completes his PhD and contemplates moving back to his hometown, he's determined to meet 'the one' and hopes she can cope with his overbearing family.

'When Clare and Pete meet, they are instantly drawn to one another. They want the same things in life, but as Pete's family unwittingly intrudes on his relationship and Clare's worries for her grandmother's health mount, their worlds begin to seem further apart than either of them thought.

'Can they juggle the needs of their families to give them everything they always wanted, or are there too many differences to overcome?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'What if the things we never knew could tear our lives apart?

'Michelle Fitzgerald isn't having a good year. A disastrous student exchange opportunity in Canada has seen her thrown out of university and nursing a broken heart. She focuses on work and planning her next adventure, yet finds herself at a crossroads when a chance meeting with a handsome locksmith, Leon causes her to rethink her wanderlust.

'Meanwhile, fashion designer Bebe Baranov has lived a nomadic, creative existence travelling the world since she was a child. Awaiting the commencement of a prestigious masterclass in New York, Bebe spends time with her mother in her hometown of Melbourne and enjoys a whirlwind romance with café manager, Harry. Yet, while in town, she finds herself compelled to find out more about her father, a man she never knew.

'As Bebe's quest for the truth about her past leads her to Michelle, a secret threatens to not only destroy their newfound friendship but cause ripples through Michelle's entire life. Are the answers worth the pain they might cause, or are some things best left unknown?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Journalist Niall and public relations manager Emma have never met, but neither can stand the other. When Niall attends the New Year's Eve yacht party, he's chasing the interview with a reclusive community hero that will define his career, but will uncovering Emma's secret spark a story that neither of them could have predicted?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'New in town and with little family, preschool teacher Annabelle Smyth is passing the lead up to Christmas at the holiday film festival at the Hope Street Movie Theater, knowing happy endings are little more than Hollywood magic.

'Architect John Golding is a family man without a family. With his ex-wife and daughter spending the holidays in sunny Miami, he throws himself into his work, his heart too wounded to allow himself to be hurt again.

'At a chance meeting at the Theater, Annabelle and John realise they have more in common than simply loneliness, but will a series of unexpected plot twists roll the credits on their chance at happiness?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Rose Doyle never wanted a career. A job was fine, but it all seemed like a distraction from what she really wanted: love and family. Filling her days with fun, friends and fashion seemed like a good way to spend the time, but when a near-death experience leaves her questioning her life, she sets out to discover her purpose.

'Noah Edwards is a doctor at the cross-roads. With career ambitions having drawn an irreconcilable wedge between himself and his former life on remote Bruny Island, tough decisions must be made. Will a chance meeting with Rose give him the courage to face his past?

'Odette Doyle is a woman on the edge. After years of questioning her marriage, a heart-breaking discovery sees her finally start a new chapter in her life.

'As Rose and Noah grow closer, Odette worries her daughter may make the same mistakes she made in her life. Will her deepest secret protect Rose's future, or will it tear mother and daughter apart?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Marigold Doyle’s life was perfect, with a successful career and wonderful marriage. But when her husband, Julian, passes away, her life is thrown into turmoil as she discovers a trail of secrets Julian was hiding in the months prior to his death. Struggling with her grief, she knows she needs to find out Julian’s actions to help her move on.

'Finn Schröder, a former police officer and now private security consultant, is focused on an uncomplicated, unattached life and growing his business. He agrees to help Marigold find out the truth about Julian, but as they become closer, he realises his feelings for her may be developing beyond simply professional.

'As Marigold and Finn work through the web of Julian’s deception, will they learn to face the reality that things aren’t always exactly as they seem?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Amelia O'Sullivan is a photographer who has always viewed herself through the wrong lens. When her marriage publicly crashes around her, she flees to the safety of her aunt's country property to pick up the pieces. Can she adjust her focus to what she really wants from her life?

'Born into a wealthy and powerful family, Frederick Doyle may seem like a man who has it all, but behind the scenes, a bitter business feud threatens an irrevocable family split. As he fights for control of the winery he'd built from the ground up, he finds a supportive ally in Amelia and becomes increasingly beguiled by her creative spirit.

'Jill McMahon is a successful novelist suffering from writer's block over her latest manuscript. Finding her niece, Amelia, at her door, reminds her of the bonds of family, but in seeing Amelia and Frederick's relationship grow, a long-forgotten and painful secret threatens to re-surface.

'Can Amelia, Frederick and Jill untangle themselves from their pasts or will history simply repeat itself?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Is it the things we don’t say that haunt us the most?

'Clare is anxious to start a family with adoring husband, Pete. When she takes on the seemingly simple task of obtaining her late mother’s birth certificate, she finds herself in a family history search that will challenge everything she thought she knew about her life.

'Scarred by her parents' ill-fated marriage, Tessa lives by three rules – dating unavailable men, building her café into a food empire, and avoiding her father. However, when her carefully planned life is thrown into chaos, Tessa is forced to decide which of these rules she’s willing to break.

'As Clare and Tessa’s paths cross and their friendship grows, can they both finally unlock their family secrets in order to realise their futures?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.