Ten Australian Romance Books to Kickstart 2020

 

Ten Australian Romance Books to Kickstart 2020

Maggie’s Going Nowhere
Rose Hartley

Maggie Cotton’s life is a hot mess.

In one day, she’s dumped by her boyfriend, disinherited by her mum, and kicked out of the three-year degree she’d stretched to a decade. And that was before she received the letter saying she owed the government $70,000.

But that’s no reason to grow up, is it?

With a decrepit 1960s caravan to call home, Maggie has to prove to her mother she can survive without a safety net, stop her loyal best friend Jen from marrying a scumbag, and convince her sexy workmate Rueben that she’s not a walking disaster. For someone who’s spent her life avoiding hard work, she sure can move mountains when she’s got a little motivation – just don’t ask her to move the caravan.

 

 

The Boundary Fence
Alissa Callen

The scars country vet Ella Quinlivan hides are not solely on the outside. Men are off limits. She fills her world with her friends, work and the colourful community of small town Woodlea. She also becomes custodian of a sandstone cottage of an elderly friend whose teenage daughter went missing two decades ago.

With a broken marriage behind him, Saul Armstrong is determined to recapture his dreams by bringing American bison to the Australian bush. He intends to stick to his side of the high wire fence that divides his farm from his distracting new neighbour, Ella.

When Saul calls out Ella for a bison emergency she isn’t just thrown out of her comfort zone by dealing with an unfamiliar animal. Slow-smiling and guarded Saul stirs emotions she’d long ago discarded.

As the summer heat parches the landscape and dust obscures the sun, hidden secrets come to light. Not only will Ella and Saul be tested, the connection forged between them will be threatened. Will love be enough to guarantee their freedom or will fear continue to dictate the direction of their lives?

 

 

Rebel Daughters
Cheryl Adnams and Darry Fraser

Daughter of the Murray by Darry Fraser
1890s, River Murray, Northern Victoria

Living with her foster family on the banks of the River Murray, Georgina Calthorpe is dreading the return of their son, Dane MacHenry. She knows he will direct his fury about the declining state of the crumbling homestead at her. Proven right, Georgina flees, but when Dane learns she has stolen his prized stallion, he gives chase.

As their fates become intertwined with a businessman keeping a dark secret who offers Georgina apparent security in marriage, none of them could imagine the toll the changing social landscape will have. Will Georgina’s path lead her into grave danger, or will she survive and fulfil her destiny?

The Girl From Eureka by Cheryl Adnams
1854, Ballarat,Victoria

Gold miner Indy Wallace wants nothing more than to find enough gold to give her mother an easier life. Falling for British Army Lieutenant Will Marsh, who has been posted to Ballarat to protect the Crown gold, was never part of the plan – in the eyes of immigrant miners, soldiers are the enemy.

As Will and Indy’s attraction grows, the unrest between miners and the military reaches breaking point, testing the pair’s loyalties. Can their love survive their battle of ideals? And will any of them survive the battle of the Eureka Stockade?

 

Walking
Kim Kelly

Sydney, 1948.

Brilliant German surgeon, Hugo Winter, is dead, and his protégé, Lucy Brynne, is tasked with sorting his papers. Among them, Lucy finds glimpses of Hugo’s past that paint a disturbing picture of war and prejudice – a portrait of Australia she can barely recognise.

Days later, an intriguing patient comes into her care on the orthopaedic ward at Sydney Hospital: one Mr Jim Cleary. Lucy’s experience as an army physiotherapist, as well as her own very personal knowledge of pain, tell her there’s more to this man’s fractured leg than meets the eye.

As she pieces together who Jim Cleary really is and the truth behind his injury, she not only falls for his laconic charm, but discovers the rival surgeon who relentlessly persecuted Hugo – the same man who has every intention of shattering Jim’s life completely now.

Inspired by a true story of medical genius and betrayal, Walking is a crisply told tale of bigotry and obsession, love and devastation, and one that charts the transformative power of kindness above all.

 

The Paris Model
Alexandra Joel

After a shocking discovery, Grace Woods leaves her vast Australian sheep station and travels to tumultuous post-war Paris in order to find her true identity.

While working as a mannequin for Christian Dior, the world’s newly acclaimed emperor of fashion, Grace mixes with counts and princesses, authors and artists, diplomats and politicians.

But when Grace falls for handsome Philippe Boyer she doesn’t know that he is leading a double life, nor that his past might inflict devastating consequences upon her. As she is drawn into Philippe’s dangerous world of international espionage, Grace discovers both the shattering truth of her origins – and that her life is in peril.

Inspired by an astonishing true story, The Paris Model is a tale of glamour, family secrets and heartbreak that takes you from the rolling plains of country Australia to the elegant salons of Paris.

 

 

The Daughter of Victory Lights
Kerri Turner

‘PART CABARET, PART BURLESQUE, AND LIKE NOTHING YOU’VE EVER SEEN BEFORE! GENTLEMEN, AND LADIES IF YOU’VE DARED TO COME, WELCOME TO …

THE VICTORY!’

1945: After the thrill and danger of volunteering in an all-female searchlight regiment protecting Londoners from German bombers overhead, Evelyn Bell is secretly dismayed to be sent back to her rigid domestic life when the war is over. But then she comes across a secret night-time show, hidden from the law on a boat in the middle of the Thames. Entranced by the risqué and lively performance, she grabs the opportunity to join the misfit crew and escape her dreary future.

At first the Victory travels from port to port to raucous applause, but as the shows get bigger and bigger, so too do the risks the performers are driven to take, as well as the growing emotional complications among the crew. Until one desperate night …

1963: Lucy, an unloved and unwanted little girl, is rescued by a mysterious stranger who says he knows her mother. On the Isle of Wight, Lucy is welcomed into an eclectic family of ex-performers. She is showered with kindness and love, but gradually it becomes clear that there are secrets they refuse to share. Who is Evelyn Bell?

 

The Lawson Sisters
Janet Gover

For many years Elizabeth Lawson has battled single-handedly to run the family’s historic horse stud in memory of her beloved father. But a devastating loss puts her dreams at risk. With no options left, Liz is forced to turn to her estranged sister Kayla for help.

Kayla has built a new life in the city as a wedding planner, far removed from the stableyard sweat and dust of her rural upbringing. She never thought she’d go back. But when Liz calls out of the blue, Kayla forms a plan that could save their childhood home.

Kayla’s return forces Liz to confront her past … and her future, in the shape of Mitch, her first and only love, who still watches over her from the other side of the creek.

But Liz still hides a terrible secret. When Kayla learns the truth, will the Lawson sisters find common ground or will their conflict splinter the family once again?

 

 

Redemption of the Untamed Italian
Clare Connelly

The playboy’s shocking proposal: ‘Two weeks. In my bed.’

If Cesare’s wild past has taught him anything, it’s that relationships never work. He’s sure one sinful encounter with enchanting aristocrat Jemima will be enough. It’s not! Nothing less than claiming her for a red-hot fling will do…

Yet Jemima is a breath of fresh air in his billion-dollar world. For the first time, Cesare longs to use his infamous charm for more than seduction. But to unravel Jemima’s secrets, this ruthless Italian must first prove himself worthy of her…

Mills & Boon Modern – Seduction, glamour and sinfully seductive heroes await you in luxurious international locations.

 

 

 

Unconditional
Lexxie Couper

Life’s great — it’s the terminal degenerative disease that sucks.

Maci is young, smart and about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. It looks like she has the world at her feet, but appearances can be deceiving. Because Maci is not like other college girls. She already knows her future is written and there’s no happy ending in sight.

For Raphael, life is all upside. He’s on the fast track to success and nothing can stop him—except his unexpected love for a girl who’s convinced she’ll hold him back.

When Maci and Raphael are drawn irresistibly together, they’ll both have to redefine everything they thought they knew about life, love and happy ever after.

 

 

 

A Girls Guide to the Outback
Jessica Kate

Romance author Jessica Kate explores the hilariously thin line between love and hate in her heartwarming new novel.Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but beneath the surface, Sam’s still recovering from a failed business.

His coworker-start-up expert Kimberly Foster-is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but her mother’s rejection from a young age till now has left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds-or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks are flying. When Kimberly’s ambitious plans for Sam’s ministry butt up against his risk-averse nature, Sam decides that obligations to family trump his work for the church. He quits the ministry and flies home to Australia to help his family save their struggling farm-much to Kimberly’s chagrin.

As Kimberly’s grand plans flounder, she is forced to face the truth: that no one can replace Sam. To what lengths will she go to get him back