Book: Cross My Heart

Summary: Tessa De Santis's child-free marriage in inner-city Sydney is ordered and comfortable, and she likes it that way. When tragedy strikes and her childhood friend Skye Whittaker dies, Tess is bound to honour a promise to become foster-mother to Skye's ten-year-old daughter, Grace, throwing her life upside down. Leaving her husband and work-driven life behind, Tess travels to an isolated property where the realities of her friend's life - and death - hit hard. The idyllic landscape and an unexpected form of therapy ease her fears, and her relationship with Grace begins to blossom. But a secret from her earlier life with Skye refuses to remain hidden, and Tess is forced into a decision that will either right the wrongs of the past, or completely destroy her future. What I Thought: This was a good read. Definitely a little deeper than most stuff I’ve read lately.

Book: The Crossroads

Summary: One family. Three women. Will the lies they tell and the secrets they hide lead to more heartache, or will fate bring them together before it's too late?

Rosie O'Shea dreams of seeing the world. But right now, the outback hotel she inherited from her husband is falling down around her ears, her bank account is empty and family duty means she's staying put.

The only thing keeping Stephanie Bailey sane are the rides she takes on their sprawling property, even if the earth is red and barren as far as her eye can see. Drought has forced the sale of almost all their cattle and her husband is getting more and more distant. The last thing she needs is the complications her brother-in-law brings.

Sydney girl Faith Montgomery is single, out of work and at the age of 31 has just discovered she is adopted. Furious at being lied to for her entire life, she lands a job at the Crossroads Hotel so she can track down her biological mother without revealing who she is. When Cameron Bailey walks into the bar his curious blend of country charm and city savvy has her falling hard.

What I Thought: Loved this - hooked from the beginning.

Book: Essie's Way

Summary: Miranda McIntyre thinks she has it all sorted. She s a successful lawyer, she's planning her wedding and ticking off all the right boxes. When searching for something old to go with her wedding dress she remembers an antique necklace from her childhood, but her mother denies any knowledge of it. Miranda is sure it exists. Trying to find the necklace, she discovers evidence that perhaps the grandmother she thought was dead is still alive.Ignoring the creeping uncertainty about her impending marriage, and the worry that she is not living the life she really wants, Miranda takes off on a road trip in search of answers to the family mystery but also in search of herself. Ultimately, she will find that looking back can lead you home.

What I thought: A lovely little country romance. I wasn't swooning over the "spunky man" though because he had an earring and long hair which just ain't my thing! But a nice story otherwise.

Book: When the dust settles

Summary: When third generation Northern Territory cattleman Rob Cook set out on a routine mustering job in a chopper it was a day in the outback like any other, but when the chopper suddenly fell out of the sky, smashing into the ground, it was the day that changed everything. This one-time professional bull-rider had been in scrapes before - he had miraculously walked away from a previous crash in his beloved Gyro, but this time it was different. This time there was no walking away. Seven hours later he was rescued from the wreck on one of Australia’s most remote cattle stations, Suplejack Downs Station, and his journey back to life, his young family and the way of life he loved had only just begun. When the Dust Settles is the extraordinary story of cattleman Rob Cook’s journey back to life from a catastrophic helicopter accident that left him paralysed - it is also the story of Suplejack Downs Station and one of Australia’s most remarkable and resilient bush dynasties.

What I thought: Riveting read - remarkable man and what an amazing wife and such a supportive family!

Book: Blackwattle Lake

Summary: For Eve Nicholls, walking up the driveway of her childhood home brings up many emotions, and not all good. The horses that she loved still dot the paddocks but the house is empty, and the silence inside allows her memories to flood back. She s glad to have her best friend Banjo the kelpie with her . . . and a bottle of bourbon. Her plan is simple: sell the farm, grab the cash and get the hell out.


Despite Eve s desire to keep a low profile, within days of her return she runs into all the people she hoped to avoid. At the house she is surrounded by memories and worse. But with a lifetime of clutter to sort out, there s plenty to take her mind off it all. Slowly, she begins to discover the girl she used to be: Angie Flanagan adventurous, animal-loving, vulnerable. When tragedy strikes, Eve realises that changing her name all those years ago in an attempt to hide from her past has not changed the truth of what happened or who she really is.

What I thought: Loved this. Another new rural author on the scene! Simple easy read and slightly different from most in that the romance wasn't to the forefront. It was more about Eve finding herself.