Showing results by publisher "Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd" in Women's Fiction

Meet Celia Stone, the ultimate hyper-organised, journal-obsessed thirty-something with a life that is perfectly planned out and running like clockwork. From her promising writing career to her devoted partner and rigorous fitness routine, Celia has it all–and she's right on track with her early retirement plan. But when her husband suggests it's time to start a family, Celia begins to question whether a new addition might just throw off-course everything she's worked so hard to achieve.

Meg's life is woven into the fabric of St. Stephens. It's a tapestry made of two precious children, a hidden truth, and a husband whose ideas of a perfect wife do not match her own. When Meg puts her foot down on a third kid, gets a job, and is empowered by the same book group that was meant to keep her in her place, her marriage begins to disintegrate. Set in a tiny Mormon community, this is a novel about resilience and courage – the fierceness of mother-love and the power that comes with never forgetting who you really are.

Nessa keeps the world at arm's length. It's easier that way, for everyone. Her orbit is no bigger than her sister, her parents and a solitary work colleague with a penchant for dying wishes. But even these people don't see the real Nessa. Saddled with her father's impossible gift, a rundown homestead in the middle of nowhere, Nessa reluctantly develops a wellness retreat of sorts–a no-frills escape for women. All too quickly, keeping her distance becomes a trickier dance, even for someone so good at it.

When Esther wakes with a breathing tube down her throat, she has no idea where she is or how she got there. In terrible physical condition, Esther is tended to by Grace, the only other person in the building. In the half-consciousness of her recovery, Esther is desperate to get back to her young kids and grapples with the events of her life as they come flooding back: a childhood spent between warring parents; the demise of her marriage; the struggles she faced when her children were born.

Set in 1995 against the backdrop of Auckland's burgeoning party scene, Golden Days is the story of an intense late-teens friendship between bookish Becky and star-dusted Zoe Golden, and what happened when one terrifying night changed their lives and destroyed their friendship forever. After finding out that her husband has been cheating on her, Becky is mourning the end of her picture-perfect marriage at the bottom of a bottle. She thought she'd left that summer far behind, but the trauma of her present day brings back memories of the horrific night her brother died.

Mattie Cameron thinks she's got it all figured out: she's got an impressive career in London, a gorgeous boyfriend and brilliant friends....

It is the winter of 1985. Hope Farm sticks out of the ragged landscape like a decaying tooth, its weatherboard walls sagging into the undergrowth. Silver's mother, Ishtar, has fallen for the charismatic Miller, and the three of them have moved to the rural hippie commune to make a new start. But here, at just 13, she is thrust into an unrelenting adult world, and the walls begin to come tumbling down, with deadly consequences.

With her heart in tatters, Rose Bennett swaps her hometown of London for sunny Australia, but arrives to find the Shingle Valley shrouded in winter. As the weather improves, Rose starts to unlock the secrets of the valley - from bonfire ceremonies and wine-making traditions, to eccentric locals and their histories.... And soon, Rose falls in love with the valley, the wines, the two children she’s caring for and with the handsome and brilliant Mark Cameron, owner of the troubled Kalkari Wines estate.

You don’t become a notorious British comedian without rubbing a few people the wrong way. Ben Martindale has decamped to Australia until the media frenzy surrounding his latest scandal dies down.

When he meets Amy, a perky blonde barber who dresses like a 1950s pin-up, he knows he’s hit gold in terms of material for his weekly London column. Little does it occur to him that Amy might be just a little bit upset when she finds out what he’s been writing....

Having brokered a fragile peace with his demons at last, ex-Afghan War pilot Mitch Stuart isn't in the market for redemption. But when he steps outside his comfort zone to help a stranger in a country pub, he inadvertently opens the door to the ghosts of a woman and a white dog he thought he'd left behind him. Veterinary specialist Lennie O'Donnell and her beloved dog, Pesh, are taking a break from big-city life to help Lennie's grandfather sell his old-fashioned rural clinic. Lennie has dedicated her career to healing those unable to tell her what's wrong, but Mitch is a puzzle even she struggles to solve - or completely let go.

After months working on an oil rig, engineer Jo can’t wait to get home. But when she finds an unexpected man in her house, she’s tempted to head straight back out to sea. Stephen convinces Jo to let him stay and by the time she leaves for her next shift, they’re both eagerly anticipating her return. But balancing life when you’re never around is tricky... Jo begins to wonder if her fly-in fly-out lifestyle is really worth it after all.

Lucy Muir is leaving her husband. It's complicated. They're joint owners and chefs at one of the best restaurants in town, but a woman can take only so much cheating, recipe stealing and lack of good grace. Despondently driving around the backstreets of Woolloomooloo one night, Lucy happens upon an old, empty terrace that was once the city's hottest restaurant: Fortune.

It’s the 1980s, and in their small coastal town, Ali and her best friend, Jessie, are on the cusp. With The Golden Book, a journal of incantation and risk-taking as their record, they begin to chafe at the restrictions put on them by teachers, parents, each other. Then Jessie suffers a devastating accident, and both their lives are forever changed. When Ali is an adult, with a young daughter herself, the news of Jessie’s death brings back the intensity of that summer, forcing her to reckon with her own role in what happened to Jessie so many years ago.

English dog trainer Beth Poole is having trouble getting her life back together after beating a life-threatening illness and divorcing her husband. When her Aussie-soap-obsessed grandma sends her Down Under to recover, it seems a great opportunity for rest while she figures out what's next. But when Beth arrives in Australia things get off to a rocky start. On the wrong coast, there are deadly creatures everywhere. And if that weren't enough, her neighbours are driving her crazy....

It's 1982. The Knighton women, all living under one roof are about to be struck with dance marathon fever....

When troubleshooting manager Tess Drummond arrives to take the reins of Broken Creek, she's faced with some nasty surprises. For starters, her head stockman, Nate McAdam, happens to be the same gorgeous stranger she hooked up with - and ran out on - a few weeks before. Determined not to give in to her attraction to Nate, Tess sets out to do her job. But it turns out that Nate and his men aren't going down without a fight.

Rosie Larson doesn't trust people - and with good reason. Her violent ex-boyfriend, Joel, is out of jail and she's determined he won't find her or their 11-year-old son. For Isobel Hutchins, the cost of success is beginning to prove too high. Her impressive career and comfortable lifestyle can't protect her from the news her mother is dying or the need to face her past. When tragedy strikes, Rosie and Isobel are thrown together despite their differences. In this difficult space, they draw strength from each other and form an unlikely friendship that may just see them through.