Australian Rural Romance
Dreaming of a whirlwind romance set in rural Australia? Click on any title below to check availability, place a hold, or - for eBooks - borrow now.
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The Grazier's Wifeby Barbara Hannay For three generations of Australians, becoming a grazier's wife has meant very different things. For Stella in 1946, it was a compromise in the aftermath of a terrible war. For Jackie in the 1970s, it was a Cinderella fairytale with an outback prince. While for Alice in 2015, it is the promise of a bright new future. Decades earlier, Stella was desperate to right a huge injustice, but now a long-held family secret threatens to tear the Drummond family of Ruthven Downs apart. On the eve of a special birthday reunion, with half the district invited, the past and the present collide, passions are unleashed and the shocking truth comes spilling out. From glamorous pre-war Singapore to a vast cattle property in Queensland's far north, this sweeping, emotional saga tests the beliefs and hopes of these women as they learn how to hold on to loved ones and when to let go. |
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Magpie's Bendby Maya Linnell Bush nurse Lara McIntyre and journalist Toby Paxton are thrust into the limelight when an accident puts the beating heart of their community in jeopardy. The small country town of Bridgefield can't manage without their general store and post office, but Lara can't stomach the idea of out-of-town buyers revamping it with no regard for what the residents want or need. She's also unsure about where Toby's allegiances lie in this fight. Loyalties are put to the test as the locals attempt to save the shop, with personal agendas, old grudges and misunderstandings threatening their best efforts. |
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The bushranger's wifeby Cheryl Adnams Central Highlands of Victoria 1861 Jack the Devil's reputation precedes him. The most notorious bushranger on the Central Highlands, nothing throws him off his game -- until he holds up Prudence Stanforth and her grandmother. Jack can't help but be captivated by the feisty Pru and her lack of fear in the face of danger. Weeks later, Pru crosses paths with the respectable businessman Jack Fairweather, and it's not long before she recognises him as the bushranger who stole her favourite necklace. His price for the locket's return is a kiss -- a kiss that ignites sparks in them both. When Pru discovers her grandmother has been keeping a devastating secret, running away with Jack the Devil is the perfect escape for her broken heart. The dangerous nature of his less than salubrious occupation is a poetic contradiction to her sheltered upbringing, and only fuels their passion. But as life becomes more complicated, will the return of dark elements from Jack's past ruin their chance at happiness? |
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Starting from Scratchby Penelope Janu After a troubled childhood and the loss of her beloved grandmother, Sapphie Brown finally finds somewhere to call home - the close-knit rural community of Horseshoe Hill. The locals love Sapphie because she never gives up - as chair of the environment committee, with the children in her classes, the troubled teens at the youth centre, the ex-racehorses she cares for and even the neglected farmhouse and gardens she wants make her own. Sapphie gives second chances to everything and everyone. Except Matts Laaksonen. An impossibly attractive environmental engineer who travels the world, Matts was Sapphie's closest childhood friend. He came to deliver a warning - now he doesn't want to leave. All Sapphie wants to do is forget their painful past, but thrown together they discover an attraction that challenges what they thought they knew about each other. Do they have a chance to recapture what they lost so long ago? Or will long-buried secrets tear them apart? |
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Snowy Mountains Daughterby Alissa Callen Peony flower farmer Clancy Parker was born and bred in the Australian high country. Small-town Bundilla is the only place she will ever truly belong, even if staying means remaining alone. The man she'd loved is long gone and single men are as rare as a summer snowfall. As soon as he could, street artist Heath MacBride escaped his complicated family and traded mountain peaks for city concrete. Now a commission to paint a mural on Bundilla's water tower brings him home. It doesn't matter how long he's been away, the animosity of his cattleman father hasn't waned. As soon as the water tower is painted, he will be gone. But between steadfast Clancy, who'd once been his muse, a free-spirited kelpie who becomes his shadow and a corrosive family secret, his best laid plans disintegrate. When life again backs him into a corner, will he have no choice but to leave or will he and Clancy have the second chance they'd each thought would forever remain out of reach? |
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Summer of Serenityby Nicola Marsh Upstanding principal Jay Atherton dreads the next four weeks. As punishment for challenging his bosses, he's been lumped with the inglorious task of assessing Acacia Haven's tiny school with its, dare he say, 'hippie' curriculum. With the lowest test scores in the state, it's no wonder shutting it down is practically a foregone conclusion. But then he crosses paths with a spitfire who knocks him for six - pity he's already public enemy number one... Teacher Summer O'Reilly loves her small town nestled along the beautiful coast. Returning was the best decision she ever made. The intentional living community of Serenity is thriving, and the children are its future. No way will she allow a jumped-up suit - no matter how good-looking - to close the school her precious students need. For Rayne O'Reilly, Acacia Haven has always been serene on the surface, but there's a dark secret she's kept from everyone for decades, including her daughter, Summer. But after reviving old friendships and reconnecting with the past, will she finally have the courage to tear down the walls that have kept her trapped? |
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Long Way Homeby Nicola Marsh Eleven years ago Ruby Aston left Brockenridge - and its small-town gossip - for the anonymity of the big city. Now, a grieving Ruby is forced to come home to the place she loathes. But it also means returning to someone she's always regretted leaving behind... Connor Delaney is determined to prove himself and not get by on his family name alone. To do this he needs to acquire the local roadhouse. He never anticipated the owner would be the same 'bad girl' who ditched him at the high school ball and was never heard from again. For Alisha Nathieson, the grief of suddenly losing her dear friend and employer Clara Aston has forced her to examine her choice to stay and support her ageing parents. As she battles a growing need to explore her past, temptation wars with duty. And then there are her feelings for handsome chef Harry, who has secrets of his own... In following their hearts, will this unlikely trio lose what they've craved all along? |
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The Wattle Seed Innby Léonie Kelsall PR executive Gabrielle Moreau knows she has an easy life, but when her business partner claims she lacks career passion she takes ownership of a dilapidated pub in a tiny riverside settlement to prove she can be a success without falling back on her privilege. Eighteen months ago, Settlers Bridge stonemason Hayden Paech had it all, a job he loved, good mates and a close family. All he needed was the right woman to come along, and he was ready to settle down. But one poor choice stole that chance and he'll never risk caring for anyone again. Living at Wurruldi Hotel for goodness, so many years, Ilse has seen more changes of ownership than she can recall. Clinging to her failing memories, she's tired of trying to protect the property her grandparents built. With the arrival of the elegant Gabrielle Moreau, however, it seems that finally an owner may recognise the importance of recapturing the grace and dignity of Ilse's past. For Ilse to find peace, Hayden forgiveness and Gabrielle her true passion, three aching hearts must reveal their secrets. |
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Meet me in Bendigoby Eva Scott Annalisa Cappelli has returned to Wongilly to take over her family's hardware shop while she heals from a tragic loss. The business was hit hard by the pandemic, and now a Carpenter's Warehouse hardware superstore is opening in the district. There's no way Annalisa is going to let two hundred years of history go down the drain, but she's going to need to fight to keep her family's legacy alive. The one simple thing in her life is her no names, no complications, easy-breezy online relationship with GardenerGuy94. For now, their online flirtation is the only kind of romance Annalisa needs. Until she meets Ed Carpenter. Sexy as hell, he'd be the perfect man... if he wasn't trying to destroy her business. Ed Carpenter is in Wongilly to offer the owner of a small hardware shop a payout to pave the way for his family's next superstore. What he doesn't expect is for the owner to be the woman he's been talking to online. |
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The Farmer's Friendby Fiona McArthur Jed and Gracie's move to Featherwood brings big dreams and open hearts, despite the drought around them. The ready-made rural store even comes with an ancient homestead overlooking the river, albeit one requiring some TLC. Gracie is expecting, and they're eager to put down family roots in the tiny community. Midwife Nell has fled her life in Sydney, hoping to start afresh on a small farm away from prying eyes and gossip. She strives to go unnoticed, but that proves near impossible when she meets charismatic Gracie and Jed, and the unpredictable, attractive Liam, who has as much emotional baggage as Nell does herself. Jed's store becomes the meeting place for the town's colourful characters, people who'd do anything for their neighbours and friends. As Gracie's due date draws close, tensions rise between her and Jed when his impulsiveness strains their precarious financial situation. As a bushfire ravages the region, the whole town comes under threat, putting relationships and lives on the line. Can quiet achievers, unexpected heroes, and a valley of part-time fire-fighters and farmers help Featherwood rise again? |
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The Desert Midwifeby Fiona McArthur What if the love of your life forgot who you were? When outback midwife Ava May meets Zac on a flight to Alice Springs, they tumble into a whirlwind affair. But an exciting adventure leads to a terrible accident, with shattering consequences. The couple who had so much going for them now find themselves with everything to lose. Devastated, Ava retreats to her family cattle station to help salvage what she can of the critical situation. But at home on the drought-ridden farm, her brother is being pushed to his limits, and as his depression intensifies, Ava must step in to prevent another family tragedy. Against the majestic backdrop of Australia's Red Centre, old dreams are shattered, new babies are born and true love takes flight. |
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The Homestead Girlsby Fiona McArthur After her teenage daughter Mia falls in with the wrong crowd, Dr Billie Green decides it's time to leave the city and return home to far western NSW. When an opportunity to pursue her childhood dream of joining the Flying Doctor Service comes along, she jumps at the chance. Flight nurse Daphne Prince -- who is thrilled to have another woman join the otherwise male crew -- and their handsome new boss, Morgan Blake, instantly make her feel welcome. Just out of town, drought-stricken grazier Soretta Byrnes has been struggling to make ends meet and in desperation has opened her station house to boarders. Tempted by its faded splendour and beautiful outback setting, Billie, Mia and Daphne decide to move in and the four of them are soon joined by eccentric eighty-year-old Lorna Lamerton. The unlikely housemates are cautious at first, but soon they are offering each other frank advice and staunch support as they tackle medical emergencies, romantic adventures and the challenges of growing up and getting older. But when one of their lives is threatened, the strong friendship they have forged will face the ultimate test ... |
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Bottlebrush Creekby Maya Linnell Between managing a bustling beauty salon, hectic volunteer commitments and the lion's share of parenting two-year-old Claudia, Angie McIntyre barely has time to turn around. And with each passing month, she feels her relationship with fly-in, fly-out boyfriend Rob Jones slipping through her fingers. When Rob faces retrenchment, and the most fabulous fixer-upper comes onto the market, Angie knows this derelict weatherboard cottage will be the perfect project to draw their little family together. There's just one catch; the 200-acre property is right next door to Rob's parents in south-west Victoria. It doesn't take long for rising tensions to set a wedge between the hard-working couple. Instead of drawing them closer together, Angie and Rob have to find out the hard way whether their grand design will be the very thing that tears them apart. |
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Wildflower Ridgeby Maya Linnell Penny McIntyre loves her life as an ambitious city professional, with a marketing team at her fingertips and a promotion just within reach. So when she's floored by a mystery illness, and ordered back to the family farm for three months' rest and recuperation, she is horrified to find her perfect life imploding. Within days, Penny has to leave her much-loved job, her live-in boyfriend, and her beloved city apartment to return to the small country town in which she grew up. Back to her dad and three sisters, one of whom has never forgiven her for abandoning her family. And to her ex-boyfriend, Tim Patterson, who was the biggest reason she ran in the first place. When Penny's father is injured in a farming accident and Tim campaigns to buy the property, she must choose between the city life she loves and the farming dream she buried long ago. Wildflower Ridge is rural fiction straight from the heart. |
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Matilda Next Doorby Kelly Hunter Aussie farm girl Matilda Moore kicks off her dream trip to London by flat-sitting for her childhood friend. But London is daunting, crowded and noisy, and that's before Tilly finds a baby on the doorstep. There's a note attached: 'Henry, if you're reading this, please know the worst has happened'. Probability expert Henry Church has finally returned home to Wirralong, Australia to see his grandparents when he gets a phone call from Tilly that breaks every statistical analysis. The probability of him being the father is marginal. Plus, he knows nothing about caring for a baby. Emotions and socializing are even bigger mysteries. He begs Tilly for help--can she cut her holiday short and bring the baby to Wirralong? Tilly will do almost anything for her childhood best friend, but falling in love with him and his motherless baby is an emphatic no. Out of the question. Or is it? |
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Last Bridge Before Homeby Lily Malone For Jaydah Tully, the country town of Chalk Hill has never felt like home. Home is a place to feel loved. Home is a place to feel safe. Jaydah's home life is dark in ways the close-knit community could never imagine. Jaydah knows that the man she loves has never understood her need for secrets. Brix is a Honeychurch, she's a Tully - her family are Chalk Hill's black sheep. It's better for everyone if Brix stays away. But Brix is a one-woman man, and when he returns to his home town to help his brother, the first person he sees is Jaydah. Independent. Private. Proud. When things are good between them they are really really good but all too soon they're back in the old patterns, caught in the same argument: Her father. Her family. Her life that doesn't include him. Underneath her tough exterior, Jaydah is drowning. She has one chance to change everything. Is she brave enough to take the risk and let Brix in? Or will her father keep them apart forever? |
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The wrong Callahanby Karly Lane It had been two long years since Lincoln Callahan had found himself in front of the gates to Stringybark Creek. He was in the army then - a lifetime ago. Linc had always been the unsettled Callahan, looking for danger, the one who couldn't wait to leave the family farm. This time he was back for his little sister, Hadley's, wedding. From far and wide, the Callahan relatives were streaming toward Stringybark Creek. Linc's little brother, Griffin, was the steady son, the one who stayed at home, the one who did the right things. And now, the one who had feelings for city-girl, Cash Sullivan. For Cash, the offer to manage her best friend's luxury beauty spa tucked away in the country had come at the right time. She knew she needed to make smarter choices in her life, starting with the men she dated, and an enforced break in the country seemed the right way to consider her options. When Linc sets eyes on Cash at a family dinner, their swift attraction floors him. But Cash is his brother's girlfriend ... what was he thinking? As Linc, Griff and Cash form an uneasy triangle, each of them have personal demons to face before they can open their hearts. |
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Moment of Truthby Mandy Magro Alexis Brown was thirteen when her parents were killed. The police labelled it a murder-suicide, but Alexis has grown up believing her loving father could never have hurt her mother. So when, seventeen years later, Alexis receives an anonymous note telling her the police were wrong and her parents were both murdered, she's determined to return to Blue Ridge and find out the truth. When Alexis arrives at the newly renovated cottage hoping to awaken her lost memories, she can't help but notice how strong and handsome her childhood friend Ethan King has become. But she's not here for love. As soon as the truth is uncovered she has to return to her life, and falling for him would only leave her with a broken heart. For Ethan, getting to know the resilient woman that Alexis has blossomed into leaves his world upside down. But as they spend the days together and with their mutual love for horses, it doesn't take long for Alexis and Ethan to discover their friendship is much more than they'd first thought. But will it all be threatened by a shocking secret from all those years ago? |
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Six ways to Sundayby Karly lane When city naturopath Rilee Summers meets gorgeous farmer Dan Kincaid, sparks fly. A whirlwind romance follows and the next thing Rilee knows she's married and living on her husband's family property in a small rural community. Never one to shy from a challenge, Rilee is determined to win over her in-laws and the townsfolk of nearby Pallaburra, but her city ways and outspoken views only seem to alienate her further. Opening her own naturopathy practice has always been her dream. Although Pallaburra isn't Sydney, and despite the fact she's not exactly inundated with new clients, she's not ready to give up. Things get even worse for Rilee when she champions the issue of teen pregnancies in the deeply conservative town. Worn down by the ill-will towards her and what she sees as Dan's lack of support, Rilee flees the station to think about the future. Can her marriage survive - or is she destined to leave Dan and move back to the city? Six Ways to Sunday is a tale about a woman determined to stand up for her convictions even at the risk of jeopardising the future she envisaged with the man she loves. |
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Firestormby Tamara McKinley Becky Jackson's family has been managing the bush hospital in far-flung Morgan's Reach for three generations. When Becky's husband is tragically lost at war, she and her young son Danny must leave the city where she's been living since marriage and return to her birthplace to start over. But for all its charm, Morgan's Reach is a divided community, where blood is thicker than water and grudges run deep. So when a mysterious stranger appears in the bush outside the town and Danny begins to act strangely, it is not only Becky's newfound stability that's threatened. And what of the fact that there's not been a drop of rain in over three years? The risk of firestorm looms large and the hospital is already pushed to breaking point. A single spark could level the area in minutes - burning away everything for which the town has worked so hard; exposing the secrets they've fought to keep so close. |
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Silver Cloudsby Fleur McDonald When marketing executive Tessa Mathison leaves London to attend her great-aunt's funeral in Australia, her life is in turmoil. An indiscretion during a boozy night out has resulted in Tessa's name being mud in London's cliquey marketing scene, and soon after she arrives in her homeland she discovers she's been sacked. Tessa's childhood home, Danjar Plains, is an isolated station which holds some bad memories for her. She plans to escape it as soon as the funeral is over, but then an unusual request in her Aunt Violet's will makes it impossible for her to leave. When charismatic and charming Brendan McKensie introduces himself to Tessa, staying at Danjar Plains no longer seems such a hardship. As various secrets begin to unravel, Tessa realises letting go of her heart may hold the key to unlocking both her past and her future. |