Showing results by publisher "Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd" in Contemporary

Once upon a time, Natasha believed in love. At nineteen, her heart was captivated by a man who promised her the world, only to vanish, leaving her to carry the weight of shattered dreams—and the child she never expected. A decade later, Natasha is focused on providing love and stability for her daughter, determined to break the cycle of poverty and trauma that haunted her own childhood. As they settle into the peaceful rhythms of Settlers Bridge, Natasha is drawn to the local mechanic, Hamish, whose quiet strength stirs feelings she hadn't expected to ever experience again.

Romance in rural Australia, three captivating Woodlea novellas from best-selling author Alissa Callen.

At twenty-nine years old, single, living in a very small country town, and working in the same job she'd had since she left school, some would say Bel Buckley's life was mediocre at best. But life had sort of panned out that way. She'd always planned to leave - she just hadn't gotten around to it.

Flushed with triumph on the evening of the best rodeo in the town's history, Amelia is driving the bags of cash into town when she becomes the victim of a terrifying smash and grab. Injured and distraught after her ordeal, Amelia must convince a skeptical detective that her account of what happened does add up and that he must help her track down the real culprits

Since inheriting Nambina, the property that's been in her family for generations, Laura Murphy has worked wonders. Rather than just focus on farming she has set up a successful school teaching women the basics of managing a property—from fencing and mustering to handling the financial side of the business. But the notoriously self-reliant Laura is lonely and still scarred by a tragedy from her past. She's also grappling with the hostility of her nearest neighbor and former best friend, Meghan Hunter. The fact that Laura's ex-boyfriend Josh is Meghan's brother only makes things worse.

The last time Lauren Green saw Jamie Sultana, they were seventeen and he'd just shredded her heart like a bad first draft. Back then, Lauren was a frizzy-haired bookworm who dreamed of becoming the next Margaret Atwood. Jamie was the impossibly charming boy who thought Margaret Atwood was a type of cheese. Still, they were hopelessly in love. Until, out of nowhere, they weren't. Twenty years later, Lauren is the vice principal of North Caulfield Primary. She's buried her old heartache and big, bold writing dreams under a stack of responsibilities and big, bold colourful dresses.

Charity Farrugia is too sensible to believe she'll find love in a paddock. After all, at thirty-four, she's the one with the secure career and the mortgage. The one who took on the job of raising her two sisters when Mom got sick. Everyone knows she's the practical one. The responsible one. Yeah, the boring one. But it would be neither safe nor prudent to let Faith and Hope spend a weekend in the country without her, would it?

Anna was never going to have an easy time at her best friend's wedding. She's the bridesmaid; her ex, Joel, is a groomsman. But she's determined to get through the festivities with a smile on her face. Despite the fact that Joel is bringing his new partner, Bianca. Despite the fact she's stuck sharing a house with the newly in-love couple. And despite the fact Anna has just turned thirty and her life is not exactly where she thought it would be by now. Anna has all her feelings completely under control—right up until the moment Joel drops a bombshell that rocks her to her core.

Friday Woolfe is in London's notorious Newgate gaol, awaiting transportation for prostitution and theft. There she meets three other girls: intelligent and opportunistic thief Sarah Morgan, naive young Rachel Winter, and reliable Harriet Clarke. On the voyage to New South Wales, their friendship becomes an unbreakable bond - but there are others onboard who will change their lives forever. And in the land behind the sun, the only thing they have is each other....

It's 1830. Convict girls Friday Woolfe, Harriet Clarke and Sarah Morgan have been transported to Sydney from London. Each of them is struggling to forget the brutal crime she committed, but their fates are no longer theirs to control. Vicious underworld queen Bella Jackson holds the girls' futures in the palm of her hand, biding her time. Once again the girls must join forces to save one of their own.

Recently divorced mother-of-two Samantha Murphy agrees to house-sit for her parents for a few weeks - but when the house involves several hundred acres of farming and livestock, it's a little more involved than the usual job. Sam left the family farm years ago for a more exciting, glamorous life on the Sunshine Coast, but now that her kids have grown up and moved out, she's at a crossroads.

Lucie Tamberlani had it all: a business manager with a passion for naturopathy, she was set to take over the bookwork at the family strawberry farm in South Australia. But the unexpected fallout from a relationship sees her flee to Melbourne, raising her daughter alone. Jack Schenscher is doing it tough: caring for his aged grandparents and managing their wheat farm while simultaneously pursuing his passion of sustainable eco-farming on his own acreage leaves him with little time and even less money. Both Lucie and Jack must discover that home is wherever the heart is.

Twenty years ago, Grace wanted nothing more than to be with Trent—a boy with a guitar and a lot of promises. Twenty years ago, Dorothy wanted nothing more than for her daughter to fulfil her potential. In a moment of heartbreak and fury, Grace makes a split-second decision to board a plane to London and put an ocean between them. There, Grace takes a job answering calls for a wannabe music mogul and sends her life on a dazzling trajectory.

Single mother Lucy Parker loves the quiet historical charm of her hometown of Bundah. But raising her teenage daughter, Belle, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business is challenging. Troubled Hugh Thompson arrives in town and buys a run-down pub with big plans for a fresh start. But soon after a spate of teenage drug overdoses starts to divide the locals, and there are whispers they might be connected to this newcomer who has a dark and mysterious past.

Maggie West has worked her entire adult life to prove herself, establishing a successful cattle stud instead of following her father into the crayfishing industry, though it's never enough to stop local speculation about her family's holdings. And with her teenage daughter close to veering off the rails, she knows all too well that money doesn't provide immunity against heartache or hardship.

When marketing executive Tessa Mathison leaves London to attend her great-aunt's funeral in Australia, her life is in turmoil. An indiscretion during a boozy night out has resulted in Tessa's name being mud in London's cliquey marketing scene, and soon after she arrives in her homeland she discovers she's been sacked. Tessa's childhood home, Danjar Plains, is an isolated station which holds some bad memories for her. She plans to escape it as soon as the funeral is over, but then an unusual request in her Aunt Violet's will makes it impossible for her to leave.

One chaotic hip-hop dancer with no direction in life. One outrageously handsome scientist who is determined to go back to the Antarctic. Over a shared interest in beekeeping, things start to heat up. But can the path to true love ever flow as smoothly as honey?

It's 1831. Assigned to a good family in Sydney town and now learning the art of tattoo, convict girl Harrie Clarke is still haunted by the horror of the brutal murder she, Friday Woolfe and Sarah Morgan committed the previous year. Powerful and vindictive criminal Bella Jackson continues to demand money in exchange for her silence regarding their crime. And when things go from bad to much, much worse for Harrie, she is left teetering on the brink.

Forced away from the Outback she both loves and loathes, bush pilot Amelia Fraser has lost everything—except her compassion. Running from tragedy, she finds herself in Settlers Bridge, determined to never let anyone get close to her again… because accepting love might mean she is ready to replace her memories. And she'll never let that happen. Widower Heath Brennan has learned to channel his grief into anger and self-recrimination. Haunted by the tragic accident that claimed his wife, he is a recluse, grappling with guilt and a heart full of unresolved anguish.

Moving back to her hometown in country NSW, single, jobless, pregnant was never Poppy's plan. With her best friend living hundreds of kilometres away and an ex who refuses to pick up the phone, she doesn't know who to turn to for help. There's definitely no point asking her midwife, James, because he's the worst. Sure, he held her hand through the birth, but that's only because it was his job.