Cirrus@Austlit

'Two families escape the rat race to holiday at a remote coastal retreat, but what lies are they telling themselves and each other? The new family drama by beloved Australian storyteller Fiona Palmer

'Western Australia, 2019: The Bennets are a farming family struggling to make ends meet. Lizzy, passionate about working the land, is determined to save the farm. Spirited and independent, she has little patience for her mother's focus on finding a suitable man for each of her five daughters.

'When the dashing Charles Bingley, looking to expand his farm holdings, buys the neighbouring property of Netherfield Park, Mrs Bennet and the entire district of Coodardy are atwitter with gossip and speculation. Will he attend the local dance and is he single? These questions are soon answered when he and Lizzy's sister Jane form an instant connection on the night. But it is Charlie's best friend, farming magnate Will Darcy, who leaves a lasting impression when he slights Lizzy, setting her against him.

'Can Lizzy and Will put judgements and pride aside to each see the other for who they really are? Or in an age where appearance and social media rule, will prejudice prevail?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

"Bill feels left behind after the death of his wife. He relies heavily on his only daughter, Sarah.

"Sarah, career woman and homemaker, struggles to keep up with the Joneses. As her husband grows distant, she has no support network.

"Emma, a down-to-earth nurse and busy mother, always dreamed of having a sister ... but nothing prepares her for the results of a routine blood test.

"Adam, a florist, was raised by his mother. As his dreams start to fall into place, he can’t stop thinking about the father he never had.

"Michelle is trying to build cake-making into a career. But at 46, has she left her run too late to fall in love, have children and find her birth parents?

"These five very different people — all connected by secrets from the past — could be facing their futures together. Friends will come and go but sisters and brothers are forever..."

Source: Publishers blurb.

'Life was about living, experiencing and emotions. The good and the bad. You had to laugh to cry. You had to love to hurt. You had to jump to fall or fly.

'Best friends Abbie, Jess and Ricki are setting sail on a cruise ship, rekindling the excitement of a school excursion they took ten years earlier to the historic port town of Albany, the oldest city on the stunning turquoise coastline of Western Australia. But are they truly prepared for what this voyage will reveal?

'Ricki, a dedicated nurse, harbours a dream she hasn't chased. Is she actually happy or stuck in a rut?

'Jess, a school teacher and single mother to little Ollie, had a tough upbringing but found her way through with the help of her closest male friend, Peter. But Peter has bought an engagement ring and is ready to propose to Ricki . . .

'Abbie had it all: a career, a loving boyfriend and a future, but a visit to the doctor bears scary news. Her world is tumbling down and she feels adrift at sea.

'Secrets Between Friends is a poignant novel of romance, family dynamics and friendship. Through her highly relatable, sympathetic characters, beloved Australian storyteller Fiona Palmer writes about issues, experiences and emotions we have all faced while posing the ultimate question: What is really important in this life?' (Publication summary)

'Jaz risks everything to save the love of her life in the latest instalment of Fiona Palmer’s series about the young spies of the MTG Agency.

'Recruited by the agency less than a year ago, Jaz has had her life turned upside down by a shocking revelation and the death of a friend. Now Ryan, the sexy, dangerous man who recruited and trained her, has gone MIA while out on an undercover mission. And on top of all this, she’s sitting exams and finishing school.

'With the help of her friends, Jaz is going to have to risk her own life to save Ryan, even if it means walking on the dark side. But can she work alongside the bad guys she’s been trying to take down if it means seeing Ryan again?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Kim Richards is a creative woman of the land, a rural ambassador who’s renowned for her contribution to her community. But deep down, she’s lonely. She’s already watched the man she loves falls for someone else, and her dream of starting her own family feels like it’s slipping through her fingers.

'Enter Charlie McNamara, an older man who’s arrived in Lake Grace on business. Sparks fly between Kim and Charlie, but he seems to have a hidden agenda and a past life he’s trying to hide.

'They’re both drawn to local hermit Harry, a Vietnam veteran who’s haunted by memories from the war. What ties these three lost souls together? Can they solve a long-held family mystery and heal fractures of the heart?' (Publication summary)

'Jaz is back in another explosive mission – but her hardest task is keeping her secret from her friends...

'Jaz's last mission for the Agency had unforeseen consequences, and she is only now beginning to understand that the hardest part isn't the physical training. Her ongoing mission involves an undercover operation – pretending to be the girlfriend of the son of one of the Agency's most wanted.

'What starts out as a chance to prove herself soon becomes a lesson in emotional detachment, as her pretend boyfriend starts to feel too real. Factor in Ryan, still sexy, still dangerous, and still irresistible, and Jaz is discovering that her love life is more treacherous than anything the Agency can throw at her. ' (Publication summary)

'School teacher Natalie has always been a city girl. She has a handsome boyfriend and a family who give her only the best. But she craves her own space, and her own classroom, before settling down into the life she is expected to lead.

'When Nat takes up a posting at a tiny school in remote Western Australia, it proves quite the culture shock, but she is soon welcomed by the inquisitive locals, particularly young student Billy and his intriguing single father, Drew.

'As Nat's school comes under threat of closure, and Billy's estranged mother turns up out of the blue, Nat finds herself fighting for the township and battling with her heart. Torn between her society life in Perth and the rural community that needs her, Nat must risk losing it all to find out what she's really made of – and where she truly belongs. ' (Publication summary)

'Recruited into the secretive, shrouded MTG Agency, Jaz dives headfirst into her training, regretting nothing about her decision to help save the world at the age of 17. Now she’s ready and anxious for her first mission — to prove she has what it takes...and to start making a difference.

'The only thing that stands in her way is Ryan, the dangerous and sexy agent who first recruited her, and is now guiding her. He doesn’t want Jaz to sink too deeply too quickly into his world of secrets and lies, but his inability to trust her to know her own mind only makes Jaz furious.

'When a job comes along that only Jaz can do, Ryan has to let go, and Jaz soon learns that she can swim with sharks, but she’ll come away with scars.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Mothers' Day has always been a special day for Sandi, because her beloved kids spoil her rotten. But this year won't be the same. Her daughter, Gracie, has joined her brother Jack at boarding school and Sandi dreads waking up to a quiet house. Even her husband, Paul, seems distant and preoccupied with farm work. So she never could have guessed what the day has in store . . .' (Publication summary)

'Three generations of Stewart women share a deep connection to their family farm, but a secret from the past threatens to tear them apart.

'Widowed matriarch Maggie remembers a time when the Italian prisoners of war came to work on their land, changing her heart and her home forever. Single mum Toni has been tied to the place for as long as she can recall, although farming was never her dream. And Flick is as passionate about the farm as a young girl could be, despite the limited opportunities for love.

'When a letter from 1946 is unearthed in an old cottage on the property, the Sunnyvale girls find themselves on a journey deep into their own hearts and all the way across the world to Italy. Their quest to solve a mystery leads to incredible discoveries about each other, and about themselves. ' (Publication summary)

'From one of Australia’s Queens of Romance comes the debut in a brand new YA series about secrets, strengths, and what lies beneath the surface.

'Jasmine Thomas may not be completely normal, but she’s a pretty typical seventeen-year-old girl. She hates the rich mean kids, loves her best friends, and can’t wait to get out of school each day. Her spare time is spent at The Ring — a boxing gym where she practically grew up — learning karate, boxing and street fighting. So, yeah, Jaz can kick some major butt.

'Life seems pretty normal until the day Ryan Fletcher enters her gym…mysterious and hot with heaps of bad boy charm. Sure, she checks him out. Who wouldn’t? But what doesn’t show on his gorgeous abs are secrets and lies that dominate his very grown-up world. Now Jaz has to figure out just how far she is willing to go to know more. Could Ryan really be offering the life-fulfilling life path she’s always dreamed of?' (Publication summary)

'Jonelle Baxter is a young woman in a man's world - a tough, hardworking motor mechanic from an idyllic country family. But lately things in her perfect life have been changing, and her workshop isn't the only local business that's struggling.

'Daniel Tyler is new in town, posted from the city to manage the community bank. As he tries to rein in the spiralling debts of Bundara, he uncovers all sorts of personal dramas and challenges.

'The last thing Jonny and Dan need is an unwanted attraction to each other. She has enough problems just keeping her livelihood going and he's fighting pressures that stretch all the way to Perth. It's going to take more than a good drop of rain to break the drought and bring change in love and in life.

'A moving and heartwarming story about the beauty that's found in the bush, especially in the most trying of times.' (Publisher's blurb)

'The most heartfelt and moving novel yet from favourite Australian rural romance writer and bestselling author of The Family Farm.

'Indianna Wilson is a country girl through and through. She'll do anything she can to save her beloved home town from disappearing off the map – even if she has to die trying. She brings Troy Mitchell to her tiny outback town, with hopes that he can bring a breath of fresh air to the Saints football club and lift the wider farming community.

'He's just the spark they need in Hyden but it's the fire that he ignites in Indi's heart that takes her by surprise. She knows he's feeling something too – why, then, does he insist on pushing her away? What is it from his dark past that's preventing them from sharing a future?

'As the town rallies together and their fighting spirit returns, Indi and Troy discover that sometimes life offers up a second chance – you just have to be brave enough to take it. ' (Publisher's blurb)

'When your life is at a crossroads, how do you find the road home?

'Lara Turner has a boyfriend, a nice house in the city and a chance at a big promotion. So when her brother calls asking her to come home, she hesitates. Can she face the memoires that inhabit the beloved place of her childhood? And how does she feel with the news it's to be sold? Could she be the answer to saving the family farm?

'Jack Morgan has memoires of his own to contend with. A falling out with his family and a bitter end to a past relationship have left a big chip on his shoulder. When his best mate's beautiful sister arrives on the scene, he finds himself deeply conflicted.

'Lara and Jack have a powerful attraction but are constantly at odds. Will their love of the same land keep them apart, or grow into a love of a different kind?' (From the publisher's website.)

'Catherine-Jean Wishart - or CJ as she prefers - is a hardworking young country girl with a heart of gold but a tough and challenging life. She works long, strenuous days in the male-dominated world of the shearing sheds, but at home things are even harder. Her father has never recovered from a car accident years earlier and his violence is tearing the family apart.

'When strong, handsome Lindsay arrives on the scene, he brings fun and laughter into CJ's life. He even teaches her to shear, and they look set for a bright future together. But then tragedy strikes again, and CJ has to dig deeper than ever before. With help from her best mate Irene and a dear old farmer called Burt, CJ learns that when you stay true to yourself and open your heart, anything can happen.' (From the publisher's website.)