Cirrus@Austlit

'Should you keep score when it comes to love?

'As an adopted only child, Annabel Norton, has always wanted children of her own. Having recently retired from playing semi-professional football for the AFLW, now would be the perfect time—except she’s still reeling from the failure of her last relationship.

'Special Operations Group police officer, Ben Naylor, loves the idea of a family, but with two marriages under his belt, he figures commitment isn’t for a man like him. Especially as he needs time to process all he’s lived through in his job. That’s why it makes no sense that he falls head over heels for Annabel the very first time he sees her. He does the right thing and keeps his distance…and then she moves in next door.

'As their feelings become impossible to deny, Annabel starts to think that they might be made for each other. That is until she learns about an unexpected secret in Ben’s past. For a chance at happiness, can she open her heart and accept that a future with Ben could involve more than children of her own?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'For a chance of happiness, will they follow their hearts?

'Jed Delaney is a household name and considered one of the best ruckmen in the AFL. But after a devastating career-ending injury, he’s faced with returning to the small town of Glengarrick to figure out what comes next.

'Georgina Purcell always wanted to leave Glengarrick, but ten years after Jed left town taking a secret with him and breaking her heart in the process, she’s still stuck wondering what her future holds.

'When Jed walks back into her life acting like nothing has changed, sparks fly. But their feelings for one another can’t change Jed’s painful secret…that Georgie might be the reason for his retirement from the game he loves.

'Will the lure of a new opportunity within the AFL be too much for Jed to walk away from? Or can he leave it all behind for a chance of happiness with Georgie?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Stuck in a stressful job and trapped in a toxic relationship, paediatric oncology nurse Hope Rossi needs to run. When her cousin Courtney begs for her help, Hope is on the next bus to Macarthur Point – the quaint seaside fishing village that was home to her happiest childhood memories.

'Veterinarian Mitchell Davis loves his life in Macarthur Point and loves caring for all creatures great and small at the animal hospital he proudly owns. After a troubled upbringing, he’s finally found peace, people who love him unconditionally, and a place to call home.

'When Hope comes back to town after fifteen years away, Mitch has no idea whether she’ll still have feelings for him. Fearful of being hurt, Mitch has never admitted how he feels about Hope to anyone – not even her.

'How can he hold onto Hope and convince her that staying in Macarthur Point doesn’t mean giving up her freedom? Or should he take a risk and give up the life he’s made for himself for a chance of love, even if that means leaving the one place he feels safe.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Australian celebrity chef Jack Carter is determined to convince his estranged wife he's not the smooth-talking workaholic she married six years ago. Olivia has invited him to Canada for Christmas, not for herself but for the sake of their three-year-old daughter Scarlett. Jack willingly agreed, hoping this is the second chance he's been looking for.

'Olivia has been hurt too many times by her soon-to-be-ex-husband and she doesn't trust him any more. But she has to deal with him for Scarlett's sake, because her child deserves to grow up with both parents.

'But when Jack joins them in Niagara-on-the-Lake for Christmas and asks Olivia to reconsider the divorce, she is shocked. And more than a little worried that a part of her wants to say yes.

'Jack promises he'll give up everything for her and Scarlett, but Olivia is not convinced. Can he really turn his back on his high-flying television career in Australia and the lifestyle that comes with it?

'Will ten days over Christmas be enough time for Jack and Olivia to mend their broken hearts? Or will it take Jack's career or an unexpected accident to rip them apart again?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Can a city boy and a country girl find a way to be together?

'Harrison Baxter and Edwina Campbell lead completely different lives.

'Much has changed for Harry since he escaped his home town of Yallambah ten years ago, headed for the bright lights of the big city. Now he's the star of Melbourne's hottest musical, and feels more at home centre stage than anywhere else. Why bother going back to Yallambah to visit his parents when his father couldn't care less about his success?

'Meanwhile, nothing much has changed for Edwina in the last decade, which is exactly how she likes it. Eddie adores her career as a nurse and loves the Yallambah community - she can't imagine living anywhere else. And she could never leave her beloved grandparents, who raised her like their own daughter. She's not going to abandon them in their old age. Not for anything.

'So when Harry and Eddie bump into each other on one of Harry's flying visits home, their instant mutual attraction seems as pointless as it is intense. There's no way they could ever make it work.

'Or is there?' (Publication summary)

'When emergency nurse Emma Chirnside's husband dies unexpectedly, she finds herself tangled in lies and secrets. The last thing she expected to receive from him was a heritage listed mansion in her home town of Birrangulla, but with her in-laws causing chaos, she flees to the country, hoping to rebuild her life. Fleeing, it turns out, creates new complications. The estate manager is none other than her teenage crush Tom Henderson.

'Tom hasn't thought about Emma since high school. They'd always been friendly – like Emma, Tom knows how it feels to care for a sick mother from a young age – but as far as Tom was aware, they were nothing more than friends. He had no idea of Emma's feelings for him, or the way he'd once broken her heart.

'When their worlds collide again, Emma realizes the depth of her feelings for Tom, and wonders if she's been given another chance to find true love. But Tom has demons of his own.

'Will Tom's secrets drive them apart and break her heart again? Or will they both get their happy ever after?

'A sweet medical romance set in the outback of Australia, perfect for fans of Fiona McArthur and Melanie Milburne.' (Publication summary)

'One heartbroken woman. One bitter cop. One community to save them.

'After the tragic death of her husband, single mum Isabelle Cassidy is bereft and broke. When she hears about The Peppercorn Project – a scheme that offers affordable rent in the tiny but vibrant town of Stony Creek – Issie sees it as her family's best chance at a fresh start.

'Newly single police officer Matt Robertson moved to Stony Creek to lick his wounds after a bitter divorce. Wanting only peace and quiet, Matt is against the Project, seeing it as a threat to the peace he's found in the country town – until he meets Issie. Despite himself, Matt is drawn to the widow and feels inexplicably protective of her fragile family.

'Just when Issie begins to imagine a future with Matt, an accident proves how far she has to go before she can move beyond her grief. But the citizens of Stony Creek won't rest until they see these two broken souls find a new beginning, together.

'Can Issie move beyond the pain of her past and entrust Matt with her family, and her heart?

'A gorgeous rural romance for fans of Fiona McArthur, Rachael Johns and Fiona McCallum.' (Publication summary)

'Christmas is looking grim for Melissa Allen. She has no one to celebrate with, as her boyfriend of five years left her for her best friend and, after losing her home in a fire, she has nowhere to live. Left without a choice, she accepts the offer to the stay with family friends Rob and Linda Nicholls.

'Chris Nicholls is excited about bringing his five-year-old daughter, Jasmine, home to Lakefield, Ontario for her first white Christmas. The trip is a surprise for his parents, though no one is more surprised than Chris when he finds his childhood best friend in his parent's spare room. Surprise soon turns to delight as Chris has always had feelings for Melissa, feelings that are only getting stronger the longer they are together.

'But Melissa has had her fill of heartbreak, and isn't willing to fall for a man who is only going to leave. And Jasmine? She doesn't want to share her daddy with anyone. If Chris has any hope of convincing Melissa and Jasmine that they have a future together as a family, he'll need all the mistletoe magic he can get.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Liam O'Connor wants a wife. Problem is, the type of woman he's looking for doesn't exist.

'After years working as a paramedic in Sydney and living the bachelor life, Liam has had enough. He's convinced himself, and everyone else, that he's moved home to Birrangulla for a slower pace of life, but what he's really looking for is the woman of his dreams.

'From the outside, emergency nurse Poppy McDonald lives a charmed life. Unfortunately, when she moved to the other side of the world to escape her family, all she did was swap one controlling environment for another. After Poppy's father dies, she returns to Australia to face her past. And her mother. But she has no intention of staying, and definitely not in Birrangulla.

'When Liam and Poppy meet, there's an instant spark. Liam knows Poppy is the one even though she's carrying more than her share of baggage. But can he gain her trust and get her to look beyond her past? Or will the man Poppy left in the US return and ruin everything?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'No one expects to find love in the middle of a snowstorm.

Hollie Douglas has always dreamed of a white Christmas: carolers, pudding, chestnuts roasting on an open fire. But in her dreams, she shared that fire's hearth with a husband, and two months before her big day, her fiance broke her heart and left.

'Now, determined to go ahead with her honeymoon anyway, Hollie's plans are going awry. It's the day before Christmas Eve and she is stuck in the middle of a snowstorm in rural Canada. Thankfully, luck is on her side.

'When Jim Bell braved a snowstorm to search for one of his orphaned animals, he didn't expect he'd be rescuing a stranded Australian tourist too. A widower, Jim has been dreading another Christmas without his wife, and he wonders if offering the stranded Hollie shelter is something he can bear.

'Jim quickly realizes Hollie is carrying as much emotional baggage as him. But as he helps Hollie fulfil her dream of a white Christmas, the winter wonderland and spirit of Christmas may yet work their healing magic on both of them.

'A sweet Christmas romance in the tradition of Melissa McClone and Alissa Callen.' (Publication summary)

'On the surface it looks like busy intensive care nurse Kate Kennedy has it all: a long-term relationship, a great career and a sleek inner city apartment. But appearances are deceiving, and in one fell swoop everything comes crashing down around her. In a moment of spontaneity, Kate leaves her city life and takes a new role as Nurse Unit Manager at Birrangulla Base Hospital, but her dream move proves harder than expected.

'Local cafe owner Joel O’Connor finds himself increasingly drawn to the gorgeous new nurse, but like Kate, he’s been scarred by love and isn’t looking to jump into anything. Yet their chemistry is hard to deny and after a near fatal incident, Joel and Kate find themselves opening up to one another.

'Just when Kate thinks she’s found love again, their fragile relationship is thwarted by their pasts. Can they both let go of their guilt and grief to move on to a bright new future?' (Publication summary)

'Intensive care nurse Mackenzie Jones is no stranger to running. As a teenager she fled her family home, leaving tragedy and loss in her wake. Now, after fifteen years alone in Sydney, with the strain of working in a city hospital wearing her thin, she’s tempted to run again.

'Mackenzie jumps at the chance to work in a mining town in the Western Australian desert – anything to lift her spirits. Though she barely dares to hope, she wonders if she might find the kind of love that can ease her loneliness.

'In the outback, Nathan Kennedy is at a loose end. He’s been making money in the mines for years, and pressure from his family to return to the east coast, settle down and get married is reaching fever pitch. The problem is, he hasn’t met the right woman.

'When Mackenzie turns up in town, there’s an instant attraction between her and Nathan, maybe even true love. But tragedy’s not done with Mackenzie Jones – the past is about to catch up with her in more ways than one.

'Can Nathan convince Mackenzie to stop running, or is this just another tragedy in the making?' (Publication summary)

A sweet medical romance set in the outback of Australia, perfect for fans of Fiona McArthur and Melanie Milburne.