AustLit

'The farm Kloof may provide a sanctuary of sorts - but who really belongs here and how important is belongingness anyway? When her husband Jan is killed by a landmine, his widow Veronica (Ronnie) Boltman has little choice but to pick up her life and continue to farm Kloof. At stake are her young son Rudi's inheritance, the livelihoods of her farm labourers and her own sense of belonging. From time to time she reaches out for assistance to the owner of the neighbouring property, Jan's former best friend Piet Toerien. But Piet has problems of his own. And there are some who have other plans. Set in Northern Transvaal in South Africa straddling two epochs, Kloof was founded on trust and honesty, the principles of which still exist generations later. But now it is 1978 and the two isolated smallholdings that sit on the border between Rhodesia and Mozambique find themselves in the path of someone else's war. An edgy mix of physical isolation and emotional alienation where vulnerability meets grit and determination, A Question of Belonging reaches for the essence of what it means - and just what it takes - to belong.'  (Publication summary)

'Nick Langtree has lived reclusively on his farm, Winters Hill, ever since the tragic death of his wife. On the occasional trip into nearby White Gum Creek he keeps to himself and that's the way he likes it. And though over the years the townsfolk have tried to reach out to Nick, he's pushed them all away. Whenever Nick comes into Gumnut Bakery, Natasha Duroz tries to engage him in conversation when she serves him. There's something about him that intrigues Tash, but she's not sure if it's because she feels sorry for him or there's something more.

'Encouraged by Tash, Nick gradually begins to re-engage with the outside world. Then, suddenly some minor vandalism on his farm escalates. Is someone out to hurt Nick or have his years of solitude been playing tricks on his mind? This classic rural romance novel is about overcoming heartache through the power of friendship and love.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A vast outback property. An unforgettable season. A family's fight to save their livelihood. A sweeping tale of love and loss, and the highs and lows of life on the land, from an utterly authentic new voice in rural fiction.

'Many of Peter and Kelsie Dalton's friends thought they were crazy when they bought Ridgeview Station. But five years on, their hard work, help from Kelsie's parents, and record rainfall have them in high spirits as the summer muster approaches.

'Realising they're going to need more help this season, Peter rings around the neighbouring stations to try and find a good worker. After a glowing recommendation, Alexi arrives to give them a hand - and is not at all what they'd expected ...

Everything is going smoothly with the muster before disaster strikes and the Dalton's find themselves battling to save their livestock, their property and their lives.

'An entertaining yarn set on a vast outback property peopled with colourful and authentic characters, Ridgeview Station is about love, loss and the spirit of the bush.' (Publication Summary)

'When suspicions are wrongly aimed at Amelia following the theft of proceeds from the local rodeo after a crash and grab, she must work with a sceptical rural detective to clear her name - and that of the man she loves. Mystery and romance abound in the new novel from the bestselling author of Crimson Dawn.

'After finishing university, Amelia Bennett returns to her home town. Determined to lose her old reputation for being scatty, she works hard to prove herself as the treasurer of the local rodeo committee.

'Flushed with triumph on the evening of the best rodeo in the town's history, Amelia is driving the bags of cash into town when she becomes the victim of a terrifying smash and grab. Injured and distraught after her ordeal, she's even more devastated when she finds out that she and her boyfriend Paul are the objects of suspicion.

'To prove her innocence and that of the man she loves, Amelia must convince a sceptical detective that her account of what happened does add up and that he must help her track down the real culprits . . .

'With its cracker plot, feisty heroine and engaging love story, Emerald Springs will have you reading well into the night.' (Publication summary)

'When her marriage ends, December Doyle returns home to Christmas Creek. Will she conquer her fear of heartbreak? A heart-warming novel about betrayal, ambition and the power of love.

'After a disastrous marriage, December Doyle has returned to her home town to try to pick up the pieces of her life and start again. She’s also intent on helping breathe new life into the Christmas Creek township, so the last thing she needs is trouble.

'Bad boy Seth Hunter has also returned to Christmas Creek, and trouble is his middle name. Wrongly convicted of a serious crime in his youth, Seth is now a successful businessman, but he’s intent on settling some old scores.

'As teenagers, December and Seth were madly in love, and seeing each other again reawakens past feelings. But will Seth be able to overcome his destructive anger about the past, and can December conquer her fear of heartbreak to make their relationship third time lucky?' (Publication summary)

'It's been ages since Jo, Helen, Ereka and CJ first became friends through their mothers' group-back then, life revolved around their small children. Now their kids are pre-teens and teenagers with attitudes, iPods and raging hormones, and life is feeling emptier for some mothers, more liberating for others.

'While away together in an old country house with a couple of new friends and plenty of wine and food, it's not long before the women are discussing men, marriage and parenting, sharing intimacies and confiding vulnerabilities. Friendships are put on the line as the bonds between them are tested and the weekend takes some unexpected turns.

'Picking up where the international bestseller Secret Mothers' Business left off, The Reunion is an insightful, funny and often biting novel about the challenges women face as their bodies change, dreams fade and kids grow up. Ultimately it explores what it means to be a good friend, a good person and a good mother-and suggests that all love is about learning to let go.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Anna and Matt Butler were childhood sweethearts with a dream of owning their own land, a dream they achieved through hard work and determination.

'But as the seasons conspire against them and Matt is involved in a terrible accident, the couple face financial ruin and the loss of their farm.

'As they fight for everything they hold dear, they suddenly find themselves caught up in events much bigger and more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.

'Purple Roads is a story about maintaining faith in yourself, staying true to your ideals and, most of all, the belief that some things are worth fighting for.' (From the publisher's website.)

'"Gill and I had dreamt of living in Italy for as long as we'd been together."

'This is the story of an Aussie couple who sought a Mediterranean sea change only to find themselves in the sprawling Sicilian city of Catania - the "anti-Tuscany" of Italy. There, any romantic visions they'd had of restoring a villa or stamping their entwined feet in vats of Chianti grapes disappeared faster than the chief witness in a Cosa Nostra trial.

'Shamus and Gill's tiny apartment in Catania was located in a grim neighbourhood opposite a triple-X cinema and a shop selling coffins, nearby Mount Etna erupted soon after their arrival, a mystery ailment left Shamus in a neck brace, they crashed a Vespa and had regular dealings with at least one Mafioso.

'This, then, is an Italian sea change with grit. But it's also a story of optimism, endurance and acceptance, an exploration of the minutiae of Sicilian culture, history, food and religion, and an example of how to find beauty - and humour - in the most unexpected of places.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Claudia Taylor's life is a mess.

Her twenties and thirties seem to have disappeared in a haze of boring office jobs, unsuitable shags and superficial spending. Her latest disaster? An ill-advised fling. In an attempt to get some perspective on her life, Claudia jets off to glorious Santorini with her two best friends, Tara and Sophie. But it's not long before they're shaking their heads at some of Claudia's shenanigans.

Meanwhile, Sophie and Tara are wrestling with their own issues. Sophie, a former high-flying career woman, is struggling with being a stay-at-home mother and her husband's nasty ex-wife. Tara, meanwhile, is sick of her dead-end job and trying to write a novel.

Claudia's Big Break is an hilarious novel about friendship, romance, laughter and loyalty. It's also about three women taking stock of their lives - with a bit of drunken karaoke thrown in to the mix. For Claudia and her friends, life will never be the same after their much-needed holiday in paradise.' (From the publisher's website.)

''And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

'Faith isn't so different from most women her age; She's thirty-two, single, has the requisite dysfunctional family, an even more dysfunctional best friend, a busy and challenging job, and in her weaker moments dreams of perhaps some day meeting a man that will ignite her senses and take her away from all this.

'The trouble is, while she aches to see the good in the world, Faith is constantly confronted by the bad. After having heard one too many love-gone-wrong stories and being left feeling helpless in the aftermath of yet another woman fleeing yet another violent man, Faith, a legal counsellor in a women's crisis centre, has just about given up. Not just on the big ideas like hope, love and trust, but even on the chance of getting a decent haircut or meeting an ordinary, non-psychotic, bloke.

'One night a twist of fate finds Faith wringing out years of unshed tears in a suburban veterinary clinic. It is a night that will slowly change the way Faith sees herself and that will allow her to finally understand what she has always needed to know: that before you can save others you have to save yourself.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Australia's super-spy, Alan McQueen, has been lured out of retirement. Any dreams Mac has of a cosy office job are shattered when he's dispatched to Singapore to oversee a covert mission. And when things go disastrously wrong, he not only has to defend his reputation in Australia but also stay out of jail in Vietnam.

'From the leafy suburbs of Singapore to the mean streets of Saigon, from the political infighting of Canberra to the old killing fields of Northern Cambodia, Mac has to use all his cunning - and a few unusual alliances - to get to the bottom of a conspiracy that could throw the world into a thermo-nuclear showdown.

'When nothing is what it seems, and death is only one mistake away, Mac finds himself both hunter and hunted as he pursues a truth that could save millions of lives.' (From the publisher's website.)

'The mare snorted, wild-eyed, and danced sideways as a dark shape launched itself at Kira, knocking her off her feet. It leapt on top of her, then a disfigured face thrust close, its lips drawing back in a macabre smile as hands tightened around her throat.

'With battles raging and Shargh warriors threatening the future of Allogrenia, gold-eyed Kira is forced to betray her every principle by requesting Tremen Protectors fight and kill to defend their homeland. As the sickening carnage continues, Ashmiri treachery threatens to deliver Shargh victory. Realising her love of Tierken is not enough to bridge the gulf between them and their respective people, Kira flees Terak.

'Reunited with Caledon, her companion of yore, Kira decides to make for her Tremen homeland. But as she and Caledon approach Allogrenia, Caledon's star vision fails him and they're confronted by Shargh.

'With the prophecy drawing towards its chilling conclusion, Kira realises victory over the Shargh may cost her everyone and everything she loves...

'This action-packed conclusion to the Kira Chronicles finds our heroine battling for her people, her beliefs, her love for a man, and, finally, her very existence.' (From the publisher's website.)