Book: Red Wine and Summer Storms

Summary: Australia, 1985 After a painful breakup with her long term boyfriend, lawyer Clare Sutton moves to Mildura to open her own practice not too far from Karinya Station, where her brother lives with his family. She’s thrilled to have her own office, even if she spends most of her days with paperwork, and is not looking for any romantic attachments. On a visit to Karinya she meets Max Fraser, grape grower and budding wine maker. They become friends and he protects her on more than one occasion, because someone is stalking her, and although Clare's work involves contact with criminals, at first she doesn't take it seriously. It’s not long before her feelings for Max become more than friendship, but is it the kind of relationship that her brother has with his wife Prue? The kind that will last a lifetime? In 1923, Fern is fresh from Sydney with her new husband, returned soldier George, to start a new life on a citrus orchard in Curlwaa. Their life is filled with hardships but their love for each other never dies and Fern has no regrets. In 1985, now a widow, Fern lives in Mildura, next-door to Clare, and they become good friends. Estranged from her remaining family Fern looks on Clare almost as a daughter and becomes worried about her when she realises someone is watching her. What I Thought: Loved this series. Hoping for book 4!

Book: The Road to Karinya

Summary: Prue King is nineteen and lives on Karinya Station, one of seven girls. She and her friend Sally decide to go on the adventure of a live time—a road trip, right around Australia. Neither Prue nor Sally is in any hurry to settle down, unlike some girls their age. They want to see the country and prove their independence. When they meet brothers Dan and Steve on the Sunshine Coast Prue is stunned by her feelings for him, but her plans remain the same. She and Sally are determined to get to Perth where they will live for at least a few months and decide what their futures hold. When the girls leave the brothers behind though, a horrifying experience will change their plans and their lives, perhaps forever. The Road to Karinya also tells the story of Ellie, Prue’s mother. Ellie is a beautiful young woman living in wartime Adelaide when she meets Keith. It’s love at first sight for her, but she’s not sure how Keith feels, even after they marry. Karinya Station is his first love and Ellie will have to leave her family and her life in the city and contend with the loneliness of the outback. Ellie’s story begins in 1941 while Prue’s is set in the 70s. What I Thought: Loved this book. Purchased book 3 straight away!

Book: Stony Creek

Summary: Laura Prescott is a city girl. She lives in Melbourne and enjoys the life of a single girl in 1970, with no intention of marrying any time soon, if at all. She has no desire to live the life she sees her mother has, with a house full of children. Things change suddenly after she loses her job and she finds herself faced with very different choices. She finds a new life in the outback, with a new kind of love and a new kind of pain. What I Thought: Loved this one. Already halfway through the next one!

Book: Bookmark Days

Summary: 'I've been driving the ute and the tractor since I was eleven. I get to sleep under the stars, help lambs into the world and ride my horse whenever I want.'
Avril Stanton lives in the country and thrives on it. But she has never been in love - until she meets Nathaniel, the boy from the farm next door.
Avril's family and Nathaniel's family have been feuding for two generations and aren't about to stop now. Will it be a Romeo-and-Juliet-style tragedy or will a thunderstorm, a car accident and a couple of conniving grandmothers be able to solve her dilemma?

What I thought: A great teen country read.