Book: Heads You Die (Young Bond)

Summary: James's Cuban holiday has become a nightmare mission to save an old friend from a villain who has perfected 1,000 ways to kill. With corrupt cops and hired assassins hot on his heels, James must travel through Havana and brave Caribbean waters to stop a countdown to mass murder. Fates will be decided with the flip of a coin. Heads or tails. Live or die. What I Thought: Enjoyable. Always far fetched. Love Hugo!

Book: Dark Emu

Summary: Dark Emu argues for a reconsideration of the 'hunter-gatherer' tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians and attempts to rebut the colonial myths that have worked to justify dispossession. Accomplished author Bruce Pascoe provides compelling evidence from the diaries of early explorers that suggests that systems of food production and land management have been blatantly understated in modern retellings of early Aboriginal history, and that a new look at Australia's past is required. What I Thought: This has been on my TBR pile for years. Nicwe to tick it off. I really enjoyed it. I'm aware of the controversary surrounding it so will read some more about that as[ect too. But I currently walk away thinking that we definitely have nbot given credit where credit was due (but I felt this was anyway so not sure it has impacted me much)

Book: The Survivors

Summary: Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal town he once called home. Kieran's parents are struggling in a community which is bound, for better or worse, to the sea, that is both a lifeline and a threat. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn. When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away... What I Thought: Enjoyable but not as good as her others. Very slow going to begin with.

Book: The Snake Trap

Summary: Following a death-defying escape from the hands of a criminal overlord, young PI Travis Delaney thinks he might finally be getting closer to finding out who killed his parents, and why. But things are about to get a whole lot more deadly . . . One moment Travis is trapped in an armed face-off in the offices of Delaney & Co, private investigators. The next terrorists have stormed the building and he's been abducted. Kept captive alongside Winston, the rogue security officer who Travis believes is responsible for his parents' death, Travis is quickly plagued by more questions than answers. As the truth begins to emerge, Travis is faced with the ultimate dilemma: how do you choose between saving your own life or saving the life of someone you love? What I Thought: A nice final book in the series. Enjoyed these and will seek out more from the author.

Book: Boy from the Mish

Summary: It's a hot summer, and life's going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It's almost Christmas, school's out, and he's hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson's Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city - but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them... As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret - a secret he thought he'd locked away for good. What I Thought: I enjoyed this - explored lots of issues.

Book: Take Me Home

Summary: It was a straightforward request. Take her gran home to her beloved Scotland. In the space of a few days, Elle loses her job and her home and faces moving back in with her parents-where she knows she'll hear a lot about how she is wasting her life, unlike her three siblings . . . Then Gran's will is read and everything changes. It seems simple: a road trip across Scotland, a country Gran loved, to locate the family castle; meet some long lost cousins; oh, and work out what she wants to do with the rest of her life before returning home. Not a problem. That is unless the family castle is a ruin that has pretty much been lost in time; the family Elle has never met seem to be hiding a mysterious secret; her over-achieving parents are breathing down her neck, and she's running out of time to make a decision about her future. What I Thought: Really enjoyed this - lovely read.

Book: Sanctuary

Summary: On a barren island off the coast of Western Australia, a rickety wooden dinghy runs aground. Aboard are nine people who have no idea where they are. Strangers before the violent storm that tore their vessel apart, the instinct to survive has seen them bond during their days adrift on a vast and merciless ocean. Fate has cast them ashore with only one thing in common . . . fear. Rassen the doctor, Massoud the student, the child Hamid and the others all fear for their lives. But in their midst is Jalila, who appears to fear nothing. The beautiful young Yazidi woman is a mystery to them all. While they remain undiscovered on the deserted island, they dare to dream of a new life . . . But forty kilometres away on the mainland lies the tiny fishing port of Shoalhaven. Here everyone knows everyone, and everyone has their place. In Shoalhaven things never change. Until now . . . What I Thought: Wow - blown away by this book. So well done. Such an incredible setting and a harrowing story.

Book: Emma (Outback Brides of Wirralong)

Summary: Lady Emmaline Lewellyn Grayson has never felt at home in her stuffy, aristocratic world. She might look the part of a Lady and play it to perfection, but a wilder world has always beckoned. A world where people say what they mean and keep their promises. A world where, if a man says "I love you," the next word isn’t “but…” Liam McNair is a rough and tumble cattleman with a station to run and no time to babysit a fragile English rose. But if Lady Em needs a keeper for the short time she’ll be in Australia, it might as well be him. He’ll show her the Outback, keep her out of trouble, maybe have a little fun and at the end of her stay he’ll gladly wave her on her way. What I Thought: Another enjoyable easy read.

Book: The Dark Dream

Summary: Winter 1852. Adam has just returned from the Californian goldfields and is heading for Bendigo in Victoria, the new El Dorado. He comes across Ella, injured, penniless and with only the clothes she is wearing. Adam is the son of a convict with the determination and intelligence to 'better' himself. Despite her current circumstances, it is obvious to him that Ella is a lady, and although Adam might believe himself as good as any man, the class divide remains. When Ella wakes beside an isolated lagoon, all she can remember are frightening and tantalizing pieces of a dream. Even her name isn't her own, but one given to her by Adam, who has agreed to her travelling with him while she struggles to discover the truth. As the days go by, and their journey northwards continues, Ella learns to adjust to the harsh realities of her new life and grows to like and admire her unlikely companion. Ella and Adam must find their way through old dangers and newfound love, to confront the shocking truth. A truth that will change their future forever. What I Thought: Enjoyable - not as good as her others.