Cirrus@Austlit

'Brooke’s face lights up and the corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiles brightly at her new boyfriend. He gently pulls her in, nestling her cheek on his chest. But when he turns his head towards me, my blood runs cold. I know my sister’s life is in danger…

'I would recognize that face anywhere. Handsome and chiseled. The perfect mask. I prayed I would never see Noel Harwood again, but here he is, sneering at me over Brooke’s shoulder.

'I want to protect her, but I remember the last time I saw her. Voice dripping with venom, she said she would never forgive my betrayal. I want to scream at her to run and tell her that Noel has done terrible things, but the words die in my throat. I’ve lied too often for her to believe me over her knight-in-shining-armor.

'I need to be smart if I want to save my sister. Noel might think he’s one step ahead, but he has no idea what I’m capable of. He could never imagine the darkness that lurks in our family. Or the truth about what happened on the jagged clifftop, all those years ago.

'I nearly lost Brooke once, and I’ll never let that happen again. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her…' (Publication summary)

'I thought my life was perfect. Cal and I have been together forever, high school sweethearts who share a beautiful son. But when we grow apart, we know it’s best to separate and try to stay friends.

'My best friend, Jo, has been an absolute rock for me. She’s known Cal since school too, and knows all my secrets, understands all my highs and lows. She encourages me to start dating again- though I’m uncertain, I’ve only ever been with Cal. But I decide to give it a go – what harm can it do?

'Then threats start landing at home and at work. At first it’s small things but when I disturb a masked intruder on my doorstep in the dead of night, I know someone is out to hurt me and I’m frightened about what might happen next.

'Jo’s becoming more distant too, and I start to wonder can I trust her? Does she know more about these threats than she’s letting on? Until she comes to my house, completely terrified, and tells me someone has left a menacing message at her house and she fears for her life.

'Everywhere I turn, my world seems to be falling apart. It’s clear someone is coming after my family and oldest friend… Someone that knows us intimately and will stop at nothing to destroy us. But can I stop them before it’s too late?' (Publication summary)

'This dyed-in-the-wool country girl will do anything to protect the home she loves... A fast-paced, heartwarming rural romance from a USA Today bestselling Australian author.

'Entrusted with running her grandfather's real estate business, Karlana Vogel's determined to make it thrive. Pop raised her in small-town Acacia Haven after her parents died, so the family legacy is her pride and joy. When the competition, a cocky city mogul, breezes into town with a deal to take over, she's incensed.

'Hudson Grenville came from less than nothing and has worked nonstop to turn it all around. But he's only a hard-nosed salesman on the outside - acquiring the Vogels' agency is the linchpin he needs to make his housing project for homeless kids work. Unless he's willing to let down all those counting on him, he has no choice but to stick around town and try to persuade Karly to sell.

'Despite being on opposite sides of the boardroom, the deal is complicated by the chemistry that keeps bringing them back to the table. Both parties will have to assess what they want out of life. And what they're willing to give up...'(Publication summary)

'Numbness floods my body as I stumble up the steps leading to my house. Inside I know my five-year-old’s bed is empty, her dresser is ransacked, her overnight bag is gone. I can see her dolls lying untouched through the window of our perfect family home – in the place where I thought I could protect her forever. My daughter is missing.

'You’d think my first instinct would be to call the police.

'But I know who’s taken my daughter.

'And I know that the police can’t help me.

'Only I can convince the woman who has my baby to give her back. She thinks she knows my secrets… but she has no idea.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A slick city boy with a mission. A free-spirited country girl with a cause. Fireworks are guaranteed...

'Upstanding principal Jay Atherton dreads the next four weeks. As punishment for crossing his bosses, he's been lumped with the inglorious task of assessing Acacia Haven's tiny school with its, dare he say, 'hippie' curriculum. With the lowest test scores in the state, it's no wonder shutting it down is practically a forgone conclusion. But then he crosses paths with a spitfire who knocks him for six - pity he's already public enemy number one...

'Teacher Summer O'Reilly loves her small town nestled along the beautiful coast. Returning was the best decision she ever made. The intentional living community of Serenity is thriving, and the children are its future. No way will she allow a jumped-up suit - no matter how good-looking - to close the school her precious students need.

'For Rayne O'Reilly, Acacia Haven has always been serene on the surface, but there's a dark secret she's kept from everyone for decades, including her daughter, Summer. But after reviving old friendships and reconnecting with the past, will she finally have the courage to tear down the walls that have kept her trapped?' (Publication summary)

'When you swear off men for the foreseeable future, that means no dating. Hookups don’t count, right?

'Harper Ryland has been on a self-imposed man ban for the last twelve months, after a particularly horrible breakup. Instead, she’s focusing on the one thing she can control: her career as an up-and-coming food stylist. Harper’s latest gig is her best friend’s wedding, and she receives glowing praise throughout the night. When the Best Man, Manny Gomes, belittles her hard work, she wants to stab him with skewers from the buffet table, but she can think of something much better: to lead him on the entire wedding and then humiliate him in sweet revenge.

'When the handsome Anglo-Indian doctor shows up in New Zealand a week later, while Harper’s on her first international job, it’s the last thing she needs. Everything about him rubs her the wrong way, but when suave Manny steps in to help after an unfortunate disaster, his chivalry gets under her skin a little, and Harper discovers lifting her ban while overseas is exactly what the doctor ordered.

'Manny isn’t looking for anything but fun either–especially not marriage, like his grandmother Izzy keeps pushing on him. But there’s something about Harper that makes him want more, even though she keeps her distance, and they’re about to discover how far he’s willing to go to be with her...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Hardworking Kara Roberts will do anything to help save her surrogate mother’s dating agency stay afloat…including agree to pose as her first crush’s fake girlfriend!

'The guy she kissed and ditched at eighteen is now a successful, sexy lawyer. But Matt Byrne’s playboy reputation is threatening his quest for partnership and he needs an image overhaul. Matt proposes a deal to his idea of the perfect woman: be his public girlfriend for secret benefits.

'Bohemian, free-spirited Amber Lawrence owes her father, big time. So when he’s on the verge of losing the family’s carnival, she agrees to an outlandish proposal from the shark trying to rip apart her father’s dream.

'She’ll marry the uptight lawyer, in exchange for enough money to save the carnival and open her dream aromatherapy shop.

'Kate Hayden will do whatever it takes to secure her dream job as chief editor at a hip LA magazine. Including bid for her ex at a bachelor auction!

'Tyler James walked away from Kate and their engagement six years ago, a Navy SEAL at the top of his game. Now, Tyler has secrets he must protect.

'So what’s an honorable guy to do, when he’s bound to Kate as her PA for a week, all in the name of charity?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Tamara Rayne is on a mission: travel to India, the land of her mother’s birth, and rediscover her identity. But the food critic doesn’t expect to run into Ethan Brooks, the one man who’s a potent reminder of a past she’d rather forget.

'Ethan, a wealthy restaurateur, has wanted Tamara since he met her. And he’s waited long enough.

'As the couple travel on the luxurious Palace on Wheels through Rajasthan, and spend a decadent week in Goa, can the magic of India and their burgeoning relationship be sustained back in Melbourne?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'For almost a decade, successful 37-year-old Samira Broderick has used her bustling LA practice as an excuse to avoid a trip home to Australia. She still resents her meddling Indian mother for arranging her marriage to a man who didn't stick around when the going got tough, but now with a new job Down Under, she's finally ready to reconnect with her. And while she's there, a hot international fling might be just what she needs to get out of her recent funk.

'Aussie stuntman, Rory Radcliffe, has been hiding his stutter for years by avoiding speaking roles. When a job he can't refuse comes up as a reality show host, he knows he'll need some help for the audition: a dialect coach. But he finds himself at a loss for words when he discovers it's the same sexy woman with whom he just had a mind-blowing one-night stand...

'Samira can think of many reasons why Rory is completely wrong for her: he's ten years her junior, for one, and he's not Indian—something Samira's mother would never approve of. Even if things were to get serious, there's no reason to tell her mother ... is there?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The sunroom at the back of the house is just as I remember. I can't taste homemade lemonade or smell oatmeal cookies without thinking of home, of the beautiful cliffs of Martino Bay, and I feel welcomed. But all thoughts of a happy family reunion are destroyed the moment I see him...

'He's as handsome as I remember: broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, hair the colour of burnt toffee.

'The man who once meant the world to me. The reason I fled eleven years ago. I've never told anyone the terrible mistake I made that night. The secret we share. I'm still haunted by the crashing waves at the bottom of the cliffs, the blood...

'But what is he doing at my sister's house?

'And then I see her. My baby sister. She smiles, she tips her hand so I can see the ring. And his arm slides around her waist, pulling her close...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.