Cirrus@Austlit

'An unexpected inheritance is most people’s dream, but not for Paula. Having put bad times behind her, she is now happy and secure in Western Australia with her own business. This is a complete contrast to her rootless childhood, and she has little interest in the minor stately home in the English countryside of which she is apparently now the owner.

'Persuaded to visit the property in Wiltshire, Paula travels to England, but she has to confront complications both romantic and financial that will test the old adage that home is where the heart is.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In Western Australia, Sarah chuckles as she signs her final will and testament which will throw the metaphorical cat among the family pigeons. She dies a month later at the age of 94, laughing over a glass of wine with her 'young' neighbour Thomas, who is only 75, as they sit on the terrace of her luxurious waterside home built on a canal development in the city of Mandurah.

'Sarah's been married and widowed three times and has had a great life, been successful in business on her own account too. Her only regret is that she never had children, but you can't have everything, can you? Now, she's left her Australian house to two of her female descendants in the UK on condition they live in her Australian home together for a year. After that they can sell it and split the money between them. If either of them doesn't last the full year, the next person on the list will be invited to try for the inheritance, but will still have to last a full year before the house can be sold.

'Will these two women succeed? Will the experience do as Sarah had hoped and shake them out of their ruts? And when they find another surprise bequest from Sarah, what will they do with it?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'An uplifting and delightfully bookish memoir about an 89-year-old woman who reclaims her life by re-reading each of Jane Austen's novels.

'As she approached the age of seventy, Ruth Wilson began to have recurring dreams about losing her voice. Unable to dismiss her feelings of unexplainable sadness, she made the radical decision to retreat from her conventional life with her husband to a sunshine-yellow cottage in the Southern Highlands where she lived alone for the next decade.

'Ruth had fostered a lifelong love of reading, and from the moment she first encountered Pride and Prejudice in the 1940s she had looked to Jane Austen's heroines as her models for the sort of woman she wanted to become.

'As Ruth settled into her cottage, she resolved to re-read Austen's six novels and rediscover the heroines who had inspired her; to read between the lines of both the novels and her own life. And as she read, she began to reclaim her voice.

'The Jane Austen Remedy is a beautiful, life-affirming memoir of love, self-acceptance and the curative power of reading. Published the year Ruth turns ninety, it is an inspirational account of the lessons learned from Jane Austen over nearly eight decades, as well as a timely reminder that it's never too late to seize a second chance.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'From the gentle romance of "Kissing Emily Baker", to the trials and tribulations of a young English family setting out for a new life in 1920s Australia in "The Group Settler''s Wife", this collection contains fifteen stories of love, second chances and new beginnings that will enthral Anna Jacobs' many fans and new readers alike.

'Who would think a pelican could act as matchmaker? Enjoy a "bachelors and spinsters" ball in the outback. Live with settlers to Western Australia in the 1920s. Ever thought where those personal advertisements might lead? An attempt to avoid Christmas leads to another sort of celebration.

'Have you ever wondered what sparks an idea for a story? Well, Anna explains that with each of these tales.'

'When a new feature on Pete Newbury's popular TV programme shows his adult image digitally transformed to that of a young child, Beth is shocked to realize that he's her 'baby' brother, who vanished without trace thirty-eight years ago. But bringing their family back together after so much heartache isn't going to be easy, and she may lose the man she loves in the process . . .'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

' When novelist Sophie Carr rescues a man hiding in her garden from a group of paparazzi, she finds that her new neighbour is ageing pop star Jez Winter. She's loved his music for years and knows he's had a tough time lately, with an intruder slashing his face, then a car accident putting his ability to play music at risk.

'Sophie hasn't had it easy, either, losing her husband just as she was taking off as a novelist, and having difficulties with her control-freak son William and her daughter Andi, who is into recreational drugs and has lost her way in life since her father’s death. And Sophie has a secret to hide, a secret that makes her wary of getting involved with Jez, a man who’s already had two failed marriages.

'But they can’t help falling in love, even though their families continue to complicate their lives. Jez’s illegitimate son Tom turns up suddenly in London, meeting his father for the first time and bringing his own problems. Money hasn’t made Jez happy but people can, if he’ll only trust them.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Meet the Corrigans. Childless Maeve, though rich and successful, is dying of cancer. She wants to leave her business empire to one of the offspring of her two estranged brothers, Des and Leo. But which young relative should she choose?

'Des has four children. His second wife Judith has just left him and he’s over-stretched financially. HIs brother Leo is the unambitious owner of a hardware store in a remote Australian town and has two children. Leo's daughter, suffering from ME/chronic fatigue syndrome, defies him to accept her aunt’s invitation to be treated in England.

'Des's wife Judith has met another man, Cal. But it’s bad timing because Cal has just found out he’s not the biological father of his beloved daughter and his ex-wife wants to take Lily away from him.

'As the younger generation begin to gather around Maeve, old secrets are revealed, new allegiances made, and there are surprises for every member of the family—because the Corrigan Legacy isn’t what it first seems.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Abigail Beadle has given two decades of her life to first caring for her father who has developed Parkinson’s, then, at his request as his health fails completely, looking after the centuries old family home Ashgrove House. In order to do that she has to put up with being ordered around by her stepmother Edwina, who is not a pleasant person.

'Abigail has never married because Lucas Chadwick, the man she loved when she was young, left the village suddenly with his family. This was due to her stepmother’s machinations and threats, but as Edwina also intercepted his letters to Abigail afterwards, the relationship was broken up. When her stepmother dies suddenly, Abigail is glad to be released from the woman’s nagging and bullying, but doubts she’ll manage to keep her beloved home, because of the need to pay inheritance tax.

'Various people start plotting to help Abigail put together enough money to pay the inheritance taxes and keep her family’s home. Will they succeed or will she lose everything?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When Mara Gregory receives a letter from the father whom she believed to have died when she was a child, her world is turned upside down. Aaron Buchanan only discovered that he had a daughter a couple of years ago and now he's desperate to play a part in her life.

'In the face of her mother's opposition, Mara arranges to go to Australia to meet her father and his family. Will she find him the disappointment that her mother promises? And when Australia brings another man into her life, she's faced with some huge decisions and some heartrending choices.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'On beautiful Fraser Island in 1882, the population of the Badtjala people is in sharp decline following a run of brutal massacres. When German man Louis Müller offers to sail eighteen-year-old Bonny to Europe, along with twenty-two year old Jurano and his fifteen-year-old niece, Donordera, the proud and headstrong Bonny agrees.

'Accompanied by Müller’s bright and grieving daughter, Hilda, the group begins their journey to perform in Hamburg, Berlin, Paris and eventually London in the hope of seeking help from the Queen of England.

'While crowds in Europe are enthusiastic to see the unique dances, singing, fights, and pole climbing from the oldest culture in the world, the attention is relentless, and the fascination of scientists intrusive. Bonny is not a passive victim, and starts to earn money from mocking the crowd, but when disaster strikes, he must find a way to return home.

'A story of love, bravery, culture and the fight against injustice, Paris Savages brings a little-known part of history to blazing life, from one of Australia’s most intriguing novelists.' (Publication summary)

'Their relationship didn't get off to the best of starts...but who can tell what the future will bring? As a longstanding fan of bestselling author Jivan Childering, aspiring young novelist Jessica Lord is dismayed on encountering the man himself to find him aloof, arrogant and stand-offish. But, some months later, many thousands of miles away in Western Australia, Jessica's path is destined to cross with Jivan's once more - and she begins to see a different side to this talented yet reserved and private man. For his part, Jivan finds himself increasingly drawn to the unpretentious Jessica, and impressed by her single-minded determination to follow her dreams of becoming a successful writer. But following a bitter divorce, Jivan has vowed never to get romantically involved with a woman again. Can Jessica break down his emotional barriers? What's more, Jivan's vengeful ex-wife is determined to stop him embarking on a new relationship - and is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve her aim.' (Publication summary)

'Seduced by her employer's son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to "the land beyond the seas," Van Diemen's Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land.

'During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazel--a skilled midwife and herbalist--is soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors.

'Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled, and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by white colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen's Land.

'In this gorgeous novel, Christina Baker Kline brilliantly recreates the beginnings of a new society in a beautiful and challenging land, telling the story of Australia from a fresh perspective, through the experiences of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity: for redemption, for a new way of life, for unimagined freedom. Told in exquisite detail and incisive prose, The Exiles is a story of grace born from hardship, the unbreakable bonds of female friendships, and the unfettering of legacy.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'On the other side of the world, Russ has just taken possession of his new house and wants only peace and quiet after a serious injury and months of rehab. Can Simone and Russ help one another avoid meddling friends and relatives, and build new lives?'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'When the teenage girl who’s been hanging around near the house knocks on the door and tells her she’s her granddaughter, Cassie is shocked rigid. There’s only one way this can be true: if Evie is the daughter of the baby Cassie gave away for adoption when she was herself a troubled teenager. Is this a trick? Or is Evie’s tale true? When she finds out why the girl has come to find her, it brings a tangle of other problems that she can't ignore. This was the last thing she expected to be dealing with as she moves into her new home in a leisure village in Wiltshire.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'This is a story of change, and how different people within the same family react to it.

'If you take a devoted wife and mother and push her out of her cosy home in Australia into a whole series of crises in England, you can’t expect her to be unmarked by the experience. Rosalind has made a career out of caring for her family, but now the last of her three children is starting university and her husband Paul insists on her spending the summer in England with him, as a prelude to the changes he’s intending to make in all their lives.

'But Paul’s careful plans go awry and Rosalind is left to face life in a strange country on her own. The friends she makes are not the ones he would have chosen for her. The choices she makes are not the ones he was hoping for. And she has to deal not only with the serious problems of her three grown-up children, but also the discovery of her husband’s philandering, her own sudden success as an embroidery artist and her attraction to a very different kind of man . . .

'In fact, no member of the Stevenson family remains unmarked by this summer’s events.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Christmas is fast approaching but for some people living at the top end of Peppercorn Street, the mood is far from festive. Luke Morgan is not getting on with his teenage daughter, who has recently returned to live with him. In a nearby village Claire Small is trying to avoid her sadistic ex who is stalking her. When Claire and Luke are thrown together by a car accident caused by her dog, it’s obvious that she is in danger and he impulsively invites Claire, her delightful small daughter and their lovable dog to take refuge in his home.

'Can the presence of strangers help to rebuild the relationship between Luke and his own daughter? And will this Christmas give them the best present of all: a new family – or will Claire’s ex again cause trouble?'

(Source: publisher's blurb)