AusRom Today Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Whether you’re shopping for your Mum, Mother-in-Law, Grandma, or maybe even a sneaky gift for yourself, our Mother’s Day Gift Guide is the perfect shopping guide.
Featuring Australian romance fiction novelists, the AusRom Today Mother’s Day Gift Guide will let you spoil all the ladies in your life!
Rural Romance
There’s something truly Australian about the rural romance sub-genre. From small-towns to rolling plains, farming communities to vineyards, farmers to hot cowboys, Australia’s rural romance novelists truly do offer something special.
We recommend:
Indigo Storm
Fleur McDonald
The thrilling and romantic story of a courageous woman’s fierce determination to reclaim her life and restore her self-belief.
When Ashleigh decides to flee her controlling husband, Dominic, she knows he’ll hunt her down. The only way to escape is to disappear and reinvent herself. Changing her name to Eliza and driving by night, she is drawn to the tiny rural town of Blinman. There she begins the long road to healing and regaining her self-confidence.
Then one day, on an excursion to a ruined homestead in the area, Eliza becomes fascinated by a family who lived there during the nineteenth century. But just as she begins to unlock the secrets of her own past, Dominic arrives in town, determined to punish her… With its fast-moving plot and nail-biting suspense, Indigo Storm is the story of a courageous woman fiercely determined to reclaim her life and her belief in herself.
Outback Sisters
Rachael Johns
Cafe owner Frankie has been unlucky in love all her life. It’s hard in a small town like Bunyip Bay to meet prospective partners. Her sister, Simone, lost the love of her life years before and is now devoted to raising their two teenage girls, leaving little time for romance. When Frankie is kissed by a handsome stranger who calls her Simone, it’s a case of mistaken identity – but who is this man and how does he know Simone?
Logan Knight is in town to meet up with a woman he has met online. Although raised on a farm with his brother Angus, he has travelled the world as a journalist and is now looking forward to meeting a girl and settling down. The girl in the cafe was an amazing kisser – but not the one he thought he was meeting!
Reclusive farmer Angus wants nothing to do with Logan’s plans for improving the property’s finances and finding a partner – until he meets the sisters at a wedding. Who is attracted to whom? More importantly, can Frankie and Simone sort out their feelings for the two brothers without destroying their very close bond?
Historical romance
From 1890’s France to the roaring Manhattan 1920’s and everything in between, we’ve got you covered with this selection of historical romance fiction novels.
We recommend:
Precious Things
Kelly Doust
Normandy, France, 1891: a young woman painstakingly sews an intricate beaded collar to her wedding dress, the night before her marriage to someone she barely knows. Yet Aimee longs for so much more …
Shanghai, 1926: dancing sensation and wild child Zephyr spies what looks like a beaded headpiece lying carelessly discarded on a ballroom floor. She takes it with her to Malaya where she sets her sights on a prize so out of reach that, in striving for it, she will jeopardise everything she holds dear …
PRECIOUS THINGS tells the story of a collar – a wonderful, glittering beaded piece – and its journey through the decades. It’s also the story of Maggie, an auctioneer living in modern-day London, who comes across the crumpled, neglected collar in a box of old junk, and sets out on an unexpected mission to discover more about its secret and elusive past.
Maggie has a journey of her own too. Juggling a demanding job, a clingy young child and a rebellious stepdaughter, and with her once-solid marriage foundering under the pressure of a busy life, Maggie has to find out the hard way that you can’t always get what you want… but sometimes, you’re lucky enough to get precisely what you need.
This is a wonderful, absorbing and moving novel about desire, marriage and family, telling the story about how we so often reach out for the sparkly, shiny things (and people) we desire, only to realise – in the nick of time – that the most precious things are the ones we’ve had with us all along.
Castle of Dreams
Elise McCune
A ruined castle deep in the rainforest holds a secret that unites three generations of women: two sisters who find themselves in love with the same man as the Second World War rages and, decades later, a young woman determined to uncover the secrets in her grandmother’s hidden past.
Growing up together in a mysterious castle in northern Queensland, Rose and Vivien Blake are very close sisters. But during the Second World War their relationship becomes strained when they each fall in love with the same dashing but enigmatic American soldier.
Rose’s daughter, Linda, has long sensed a secret in her mother’s past, but Rose has always resisted Linda’s questions, preferring to focus on the present.
Years later Rose’s granddaughter, Stella, also becomes fascinated by the shroud of secrecy surrounding her grandmother’s life. Intent on unravelling the truth, she visits the now-ruined castle where Rose and Vivien grew up to see if she can find out more.
Captivating and compelling, Castle of Dreams is about love, secrets, lies – and the perils of delving into the past . . .
The Wife’s Tale
Christine Wells
An unforgettable novel that transports the reader from modern-day Australia to the windswept Isle of Wight and the courtrooms of London in the 1780s.
With her marriage on the rocks, workaholic lawyer Liz Jones agrees to visit Seagrove, a stately home on the Isle of Wight, while she quietly investigates its provenance on behalf of a client. When she discovers Seagrove is linked to a notorious eighteenth-century court case, Liz becomes fascinated – not only by the house and its history, but also by its current owners.
In the winter of 1789, the infamous Delany Nash scandalised London when details of her alleged affair with her husband’s brother were aired in a public courtroom. Yet her journals reveal an extraordinary woman’s tale of passion, betrayal and heartbreak.
Captivated by Delany’s story, Liz delves into her research but the more she uncovers, the more she risks jeopardising the future of everyone at Seagrove. For there are dark secrets that surround the house, and when the truth emerges the repercussions will echo down through the centuries.
The Wife’s Tale is a mesmerising story of love, loyalty and sacrifice.
A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald
Natasha Lester
It’s 1922 in the Manhattan of gin, jazz and prosperity. Women wear makeup and hitched hemlines – and enjoy a new freedom to vote and work. Not so for Evelyn Lockhart, who is forbidden from pursuing her passion to become one of the first female doctors. Chasing her dream will mean turning her back on her family: her competitive sister, Viola; her conservative parents; and the childhood best friend she is expected to marry, Charlie.
In a desperate attempt to support herself through Columbia University’s medical school, Evie auditions for the infamous late-night Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway. But if she gets the part, what will it mean for her fledgling relationship with Upper East Side banker Thomas Whitman – a man Evie thinks she could fall in love with, if only she lived a life less scandalous?
Travel and Adventure
It was once said that reading “is a discount ticket to everywhere” and with this selection of novels you’ll travel to France, Italy, and Spain…
We recommend:
Conspiracy in Emilia Romagna
Erin Moira O’Hara
SOPHIA DEROSA becomes entangled in a deadly web of deception when she sets out to prove the Santinis, a wealthy Italian family, were behind a conspiracy to destroy her father. Her plans come undone when she encounters Ricardo Santini, a man determined to guard his family name at all costs. After several attempts are made on her life, Sofia must trust in the very people she’s certain were behind the conspiracy.
RICARDO SANTINI is a tough negotiator and an intimidating adversary. He’s worked hard to restore the family vineyard after Giuseppe DeRosa almost destroyed it. The Santini’s are about to launch a chain of luxury hotels throughout Emilia Romagna when Sofia DeRosa arrives in Bologna. She is beautiful, strong-willed, and set on proving her father’s innocence. Ricardo finds her dangerously irresistible, yet to protect his family, he must keep her close.
Under The Spanish Stars
Alli Sinclair
Charlotte Kavanagh’s beloved grandma Katarina Sanchez is gravely ill, so when she begs Charlotte to travel to her homeland in Andalucía to uncover the truth behind a mysterious painting, Charlotte agrees. Taking leave from her soul-destroying job and stalled life in Australia, Charlotte embarks on a quest through Granada’s ancient cobble-stoned streets and vibrant neighbourhoods. There she meets Mateo Vives, a flamenco guitarist with a dark past, and through him she quickly becomes entangled in the world of flamenco and gypsies that ignites a passion she had thought lost.
But the mystery surrounding the painting deepens, reaching back in time to the war-torn Spain of the 1940s and Charlotte discovers her grandmother’s connection to the Spanish underground. Who is her grandmother, really? What is Mateo’s connection to her family history? And why is finding answers to a family mystery turning into a journey of self-discovery for Charlotte?
Weighed down by secrets, betrayals and shattered relationships, Charlotte finds herself questioning the true meaning of heritage, family and love.
Tiny Dancer
Diane Demetre
At twenty-four, Samantha O’Brien scores her dream job as a dancer at the famous Moulin Rouge, only to arrive in Paris to find her well-laid plans in disarray. Fortuitously, Sam is rescued by the eccentric, tarot-card reading proprietress of Hotel Hollandaise, who cautions that Paris is for lovers, but not always love.
As Sam launches into her new career, the show’s super sexy, Sicilian stage director, Tony Di Falco reveals he is more than just a creative genius and hard taskmaster, leaving Sam to wonder whether secrets, specifically her own, are indeed best shared.
Meeting Philippe Lacroix, a struggling, young artist in Montmartre saves Sam from imploding under the pressure. He introduces her to the city of love, captivating her with his angelic good looks and sensuous touch. Yet the mounting attraction intensifies between Samantha and her passionate nemesis Tony, and a tense, sexually-charged relationship threatens to overwhelm them both. But the show must go on.
Filled with backstage bitchiness, tough rehearsals, a sprinkling of cocaine and the French addiction to cigarettes, Samantha grapples with her new life. Then without warning, Sam’s destiny changes literally before her eyes and she finally discovers that even in the most romantic city of the world, you don’t find love, love finds you.
Contemporary
From Jenn J McLeod’s much-anticipated new novel to book four in Juliet Madison’s Tarrin’s Bay series through to the debut novel for screenwriter J.D. Barrett, our list has something for every reader.
We recommend:
The Other Side of the Season
Jenn J McLeod
When offering to drive her brother to Byron Bay to escape the bitter Blue Mountains winter, Sidney neglects to mention her planned detour to the small coastal town of Watercolour Cove.
Thirty-five years earlier, Watercolour Cove is a very different place. Two brothers are working the steep, snake-infested slopes of a Coffs Coast banana plantation. Seventeen-year-old David does his share, but he spends too much time daydreaming about becoming a famous artist and skiving off with Tilly, the pretty girl from the neighbouring property. His older brother, Matthew, has no time for such infatuations. His future is on the land and he plans to take over the Greenhill plantation from his father.
Life is simple on top of the mountain for David, Matthew and Tilly until the winter of 1979 when tragedy strikes, starting a chain reaction that will ruin lives for years to come. Those who can, escape the Greenhill plantation. One stays—trapped on the mountain and haunted by memories and lost dreams.
That is, until the arrival of a curious young woman, named Sidney, whose love of family shows everyone the truth can heal, what’s wrong can be righted, the lost can be found, and . . . there’s another side to every story.
April’s Glow
Juliet Madison
The heartwarming new Tarrin’s Bay novel from bestselling author Juliet Madison is all about moving on – in unexpected ways.
Distracting herself from a string of bad luck and a disastrous love life, bubbly April Vedora throws herself into her new business —April’s Glow, a candle store in seaside Tarrin’s Bay — the enchanting scents and colourful atmosphere provide a safe haven. But outside business hours she’s clueless about her personal life.
When a mysterious loner moves in next door, she can’t help but become intrigued, and ex-soldier Zac Masterson is equally fascinated by April. But both have sworn off relationships, and while April avoids her emotions by keeping busy and sociable, Zac hides away from the world — and his past.
As the pair chip away at each other’s facades and secrets are revealed, April fears that the man she is unwillingly falling for could represent everything she’s worked so hard to avoid. Or could they be just what the other needs?
They’ve shared their secrets over the back fence, but resolving the past is going to mean opening the doors to their hearts — and letting each other in.
The Secret Recipe for Second Chances
J.D. Barrett
Lucy Muir is leaving her husband. It’s complicated. They’re joint owners and chefs at one of the best restaurants in town, so making a clean break is tough. But, let’s face it, a woman can only take so much cheating, recipe stealing and lack of good grace.
Despondently driving around the back streets of Woolloomooloo one night, Lucy happens upon an old, empty terrace that was once the city’s hottest restaurant: Fortune. One minute she’s peering through grimy windows into an abandoned space, the next she’s planning a pop-up bistro.
When Lucy fires up Fortune’s old kitchen she discovers a little red recipe book that belonged to the former chef, the infamous Frankie Summers. As she cries over the ingredients for Frankie’s French Onion Soup, she imagines what Fortune was like in its heyday. It’s strange, Lucy can sense Frankie beside her, almost see him there.
This fiery chef, who lived with a passion for food and women in almost equal measure, just might help Lucy cook herself up a better life. But is she brave enough to believe?
Return to Jacaranda Avenue
Kerrie Paterson
A pastry chef returns to her roots and discovers that the flavour of first love improves with age.
Twenty-five years ago, Polly and Matt were in love—but their relationship came to a traumatic end following the death of her best friend.
Now Polly Chappell has moved back to her home town to open a patisserie and care for her elderly parents, and the last person she wants to see is Matt Enright. Until she actually sees him, that is…
Their attraction turns out to be stronger than ever, but both have their reasons to resist rekindling their romance—until someone attempts to run Polly out of town with escalating threats and vandalism, and Matt’s protective instincts surface.
Will the secret she keeps bring them together—or get them killed?
Erotic romance
From steamy to sensual to downright smoldering, Australia’s romance novelists sure know how to serve up smoking hot romance. Try these reads to get you started…
We recommend:
Dirty
Kylie Scott
The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that comes with her.
Lydia Green doesn’t know whether to burn down the church or sit and cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it’s with his best man is another thing all together. She narrowly escapes tying the knot and meets Vaughan only hours later.
Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessman she thought she’d marry. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and unsettled. But she already tried Mr. Right and discovered he’s all wrong-maybe it’s time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.
After all, what’s wrong with getting dirty?
Reveal
K.M.Golland
“I have a diary because I’m not who I say I am.
The ‘me’ you see, isn’t me.
She’s fabricated for your liking.
Trust me, you don’t want to turn my pages.”
Emily Davis has a secret … or two. Even her best friend, Cori, is none the wiser. You see, Em is a part-time sexter and makes a living fooling men into believing whatever it is she wants them to believe. And she’s not ashamed about it. Not in the slightest. Yet, those around her could be, which is why she has kept her secret … until now. Until a sun-tanned, male revue performer by the name of Brad surfed into her life.
Surfer Brad pushes Em’s boundaries, pushes her buttons and pushes his way into her heart. But will she push him away when she has no choice but to reveal what it is she’s hiding? Everything she’s hiding?
Taken by the Billionaire
Christina Phillips, Mel Teshco, Cathleen Ross
He’s her stepbrother, and her every wicked fantasy…
Three billionaire stepbrother romance reads…
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