Book: Under the Flame Tree

Summary: When Kirra leaves school to begin her first job on the station where she grew up, she is unimpressed to find herself partnered with a new employee who will barely speak to her. Daniel is undeniably cute, but he has a serious attitude problem and a mysterious past - there are whispers that he's fresh out of juvenile detention, but no one will tell her why. Daniel gradually thaws and reveals his secrets and Kirra starts to see beyond the moodiness to a boy she can believe in. But others remain wary of him, and her best friend warns her to stay clear. Kirra has some decisions to make. Is Daniel worth fighting for? Or should she walk away?

What I Thought: Really enjoying this author's teen books. It was like a teen rural romance! Ha ha

Book: Life as I Know It

Summary: Michelle Payne rode into history as the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. She and her 100-to-1 local horse Prince of Penzance took the international racing world by surprise but hers was no overnight success story. Michelle was first put on a horse aged four. At five years old her dream was to ride in the Melbourne Cup and win it. By seven she was doing track work.

All of the ten Payne children learned to ride racehorses but Michelle has stayed the distance. She has ridden the miles, done the dawn training, fallen badly and each time got back on the horse. So when she declared that anyone who said women couldn't compete in the industry could 'get stuffed', the nation stood up and cheered.

What I Thought: I really enjoyed this. She went to my kids school and I drive past her dad's place all the time so it was definitely a "Ballarat" book which makes it relatable. She was a bit blunt at times though...

Book: Gossip Girl - Would I lie to you?

Summary: Blair and Nate reunite just as Serena realizes she's in love with him. Dan starts an experimental literary salon and thinks he's gay after making out with his male co-worker. 

What I Thought: I had read the first 9 of these eons ago and really want to finish them before watching the TV show. This one was pretty bad... but I'm still compelled to read the final couple of books!

Book: Daintree

Summary: The Daintree breeds survivors, those who can weather the storms, heat and floods that come hand-in-hand with its beauty. Doctor Emma Porter is one such survivor, dedicated to her patients and to preserving this precious land where she has made a home.

Emma's quiet life is disrupted when Doctor Jeremy Langford starts working at the hospital, bringing back painful memories: Jeremy was her first love and embodies all that she left behind in Sydney. Jeremy has demons of his own, however, and the tight-knit community of Dalrymple seems to promise the peace he has been looking for.

But while some come to the Daintree to find shelter, others are here to exploit the rainforest's riches. And they will stop at nothing to get their hands on its bounty.


What I Thought: Hooked! Loved it and am now itching to visit FNQ!

Book: Third Time Lucky

Summary: After a disastrous marriage, December Doyle has returned to her home town to try to pick up the pieces of her life and start again. She’s also intent on helping breathe new life into the Christmas Creek township, so the last thing she needs is trouble.

Bad boy Seth Hunter has also returned to Christmas Creek, and trouble is his middle name. Wrongly convicted of a serious crime in his youth, Seth is now a successful businessman, but he’s intent on settling some old scores.

As teenagers, December and Seth were madly in love, and seeing each other again reawakens past feelings. But will Seth be able to overcome his destructive anger about the past, and can December conquer her fear of heartbreak to make their relationship third time lucky?




What I Thought: Loved this - even though I had read the novella version of this story this sucked me in and I was hooked.

Book: Standing Strong

Summary: Former city girl Jacqueline Havelock, Wattle Creek’s newly arrived psychologist, has settled in to country life and is slowly coming to terms with the town’s quirky ways. Farmer Damien McAllister’s plans with his animal welfare venture are falling into place nicely and it finally feels like he has a future to look forward to.


But everything can change as quickly as the fickle weather – and it does. A fire challenges the community and soon Damien and Jacqueline find themselves in a situation neither had anticipated. But is their growing relationship also under threat?


Although the town comes out in support of their newest resident, is the Wattle Creek community strong enough to stand together and win this David and Goliath battle? And could happily-ever-after still be possible for Damien and Jacqueline?


What I Thought: Loved this - not sure if it's realistic or not but a great read.

Book: Dear Banjo

Summary: They were best friends who were never meant to fall in love – but for one of them, it was already way too late.

Willow ‘Banjo’ Paterson and Tom Forrest were raised on neighbouring cattle stations in the heart of the Kimberley. As young adults, sharing the same life dreams, something came between them that Willow cannot forget. Now ten years have passed since she's even spoken to Tom.

When her father falls ill, Willow is called home to take over the running of the family property, Paterson Downs. Her vision for a sustainable, organic cattle station is proving hard to achieve. She needs Tom’s help, but is it too late, and all too complicated, to make amends?

Tom’s heartfelt, decade-old letters remain unopened and unmentioned between them, and Willow must find the courage to finally read them. Their tattered pages reveal a love story like no other – and one you’ll never forget.

What I Thought: Loved this! Kick started my reading mojo again. Another new author on the list!

Book: Wild Lands

Summary: New South Wales, 1837, and settlers in search of fertile country are venturing far outside the colony. Literally cutting a swathe through the bush with their bare hands, they lay claim to territory beyond government jurisdiction – and the reach of the law.


As she accepts a position on one such farm, seventeen-year-old Kate Carter is unaware she is entering a land of outlaws, adventurers and murderous natives. Because the first people of this new world will no longer accept the white man’s advance, and retaliatory attacks on both sides have made it a frontier on the brink of war.


Into Kate’s path comes Bronzewing, a young white man schooled by a settler family yet raised within an Aboriginal tribe. Caught between two worlds, Bronzewing strives to protect his adopted people and their vanishing civilisation. But as he and Kate will discover, ‘beyond the outer limits’ is a beautiful yet terrifying place, where it’s impossible to know who is friend and who is enemy . . .




What I Thought: I did enjoy this but it was a big build up to any "action".

Book: Walking the Line

Summary: Country-loving Dallas Armstrong is a hard-as-nails bull rider, who dreams of becoming Australian champion, just like his father, Mick, was. But when he discovers a shocking secret about his father on the same day Mick dies in a car accident, Dallas’s world is turned upside down. Now it’s up to him to protect his mother from the truth, and to keep the family farm Rollingstone Ridge afloat. And he will do everything in his power to do so.

Charlize Dawson is a successful city journalist whose marriage is in tatters. Begrudgingly sent to the country to write about Dallas, she is surprised to find that he isn’t the arrogant cowboy she’d assumed he’d be. Instead she and Dallas and share an intense chemistry and deep connection that lead to a stolen kiss at the Rodeo Ball.


But when Charlize’s research for her article puts her on the path of uncovering Dallas’s secret, he demands she stop or lose him forever. Dallas or her career, which should she choose? How can she turn her back on the people who have welcomed her into their lives with open arms, all in the name of her job? Her career is all she has left, and she has worked so very hard to be where she is. But how can she reveal what she knows, if it means losing the love of her life?

What I Thought: Enjoyed this - easy rural romance.