Showing results by narrator "Olivia Beardsley" in All Categories

In the small town of Matfield in outback Queensland, Elsie embarks on a fresh chapter of her life, leaving behind the shadows of a tough upbringing and a challenging neighbourhood. As she steps into her role as a teacher, the complexities of her past give way to the promise of exciting new beginnings. When she meets Matt, a rugged fencing contractor, a connection forms and a tentative friendship unfolds. Both carry responsibilities towards their families, and soon find they share similar interests.

It is 1941. Eighteen-year-old Ruby leaves behind the family farm, her serious mother and roguish father and heads for Adelaide. After a brief courtship, she enters into a hasty marriage with a soldier about to go to war - who returns a changed man. With an eyebrow pencil in one hand and gardening shears in the other, Ruby navigates the years doing her duty as a woman, contending with her damaged husband and eccentric in-laws, allowing marriage and motherhood to fill her with purpose and pleasure - and only occasionally wondering, is this all there is?

Two years after a family tragedy, and still consumed by her grief, Willa receives a strange letter from halfway across the globe. She has inherited a house in Australia, in a town she’s never heard of, from a woman she doesn’t know.... Following the mystery to the inviting shores of Sisters Cove, Willa is entranced by the dilapidated old Chapel House she now owns, perched high on a windy cliff within the grounds of Merrivale Estate.

As she approaches thirty, dedicated nurse Ellie Sutton's life is how she wants it—well, almost. Her younger sister, Carrie, seems to have it all sorted though: a successful hair business, a devoted new boyfriend and a rosy future together. Even Ellie's brother, Bodhi, is settled with his petite, super-chill chef girlfriend, Ingrid. So why does Ellie suddenly give up her career and family for the red dust and toil of an outback cattle station? She's never run from anything before—it's new territory in more ways than one.

Ten years ago, 15-year-old Darren Davies was shot dead at the river mouth. The killer was never found. Now, Darren's mother Sandra receives a visit from the police. Her best friend, Barbara Russell, has also been found dead, out in the bush. And Barbara's DNA matches the DNA found under Darren's fingernails. When the investigation into Darren's murder is reopened, Sandra begins to question what she knew about her best friend. As she digs, she discovers that there are many secrets in her small town - and that her late son had his own, too.

When entomologist Emlyn Rees arrives at Hidden Valley she wants nothing more than to escape her marriage breakdown by burying herself in the research team's hunt for new species of insects in the depths of the dramatic Undara lava tubes. Travis Carlyle is initially resistant to letting some city folks tramp over his cattle station, though the researchers' findings bring opportunities to turn around his struggling farm. But when things start going wrong for the farm and around the dig site, Emlyn and Travis are at a loss to understand why.

Kindergarten teacher Jacinta Mason is horrified when she attends the hen's night at the local pub for Sophie Cartwright, her future sister-in-law. Meeting Ryder Francesco again leaves her reeling. His new career is a far cry from his past studies in medical research. Jacinta is the last person Ryder expected to encounter on the outback tour with his male dance troupe. Circumstances have changed his life drastically since he had to leave her. Jacinta is torn. The hurt from her past tells her to steer clear of Ryder, but her heart wants to dig deeper and find why he really left

She's the victim. But is she so innocent? Sophie McCarthy is known for her determination, ambition and brilliance at work. She's tough, but only because she wants to get the best out of people. Aidan Ryan is strong, honourable and a family man. He's tough, too; the army requires it. When these two strangers are brought together in a devastating incident, Sophie's life is left in ruins. Her family wants to see Aidan pay for what he did. Aidan's prepared to sacrifice everything - including his marriage and his child - to fix the mess he's made.

At age fifteen, Evie is uprooted from the familiar embrace of her small-town life, leaving behind her father and childhood sweetheart, Chris. The year is 1977, and her new home in North Queensland becomes the canvas for her rebellious awakening, a place where the mixture of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll paints the backdrop to her newfound independence.

Coming together for a writing workshop with bestselling author Jan Goldstein, four strangers converge upon a luxury forest retreat. But along with their notepads and laptops, each of the participants has brought some emotional baggage. Beth is a solo parent and busy career woman haunted by a tragic car accident. Simone, the youngest at 26, is a successful Instagram star but she's hiding behind a façade. Jamie is the only man. He's a handsome personal trainer - but he looks out of place with a pen in his hand. Finally, Alice is a wife and mum recovering from post-natal depression.

As the owner of the art gallery at Noosa Heads, Jack Montgomery comes strolling back into the life of sculptor Sienna Sacchi. Her plan to buy the gallery is ruined, yet Sienna refuses to let him interfere with the most important thing - her debut exhibition. But Jack's not only taking over her workplace. He's also intruding on her art studio, her home...and maybe even her heart.

Bestselling author Liam Wyndham needs an escape. Noosa, with its small-town charm and beautiful ocean, is the perfect place to hide out from the scandal surrounding his estranged dead wife. Georgie wants an adventure, and she has a plane ticket that promises her everything: excitement, independence, and a way to escape the memory of her last ruined relationship. Still, she has one last job to complete before she can leave the country. And the last thing she needs is a recalcitrant author distracting her from her plans.

Cait is a bookshop owner and book nerd. Her social life revolves around her mobile bookselling service, which hand-picks titles for elderly clients, particularly the grandmotherly June. After a tough decade, Book Fiend is the last bookshop in the central business district and the last independent retailer on a street given over to high-end labels. Profits are small, but clients are loyal. When James breezes into Book Fiend, Cait realises life might hold more than her shop and her cat.

Blake Buchanan and Ana Delaney lived in a shared house at university and could never see eye-to-eye about anything. Except for one night of passion...before Ana left without a word, never expecting to cross paths with Blake again. Years later, Blake has made his millions. He comes to Noosa to manage a corporate takeover that will close down the home-flipping business Ana has poured her heart and soul into. The fiery Ana is determined to convince money-minded Blake of her company's worth - but when a family emergency throws them together, their walls come tumbling down once again.

Ignited by a lightning strike in a remote forest, the Currowan fire was one of the most terrifying episodes of Australia's Black Summer. It burnt for 74 days, consuming nearly 5,000 square kilometres of land, destroying well over 500 homes and leaving many people shattered. In the aftermath, there were questions. Why were resources so few that many faced the flames alone? Why was there back-burning on a day of extreme fire danger? Why weren’t they better prepared?

They were best friends who never meant to fall in love - but for one of them, it was already too late. Willow 'Banjo' Paterson and Tom Forrest were raised on neighbouring cattle stations in the heart of the Kimberley. But as young adults, something came between them that Willow cannot forget. Now 10 years have passed since she's spoken to Tom. When her father falls ill, Willow is called home to run the family property - but her vision for a sustainable organic cattle station is proving hard to achieve. She needs Tom's help, but is it too late to make amends?

As a vulnerable 17-year-old, Beth Paterson gave a fellow student private tutoring. She didn't expect to fall deeply in love with him and have her life changed forever in just a couple of months. And she didn't expect him to vanish without even saying good-bye. Now an accomplished businesswoman and doctor, Beth's life is thrown into turmoil when Charlie Campbell comes back to town to help his family. He's a big star on the alternative rock scene these days - but he remembers Beth and seems just as mad at her as she is at him.

Freya ‘Free’ Paterson has finally come back home. She’s landed the job of her dreams working on an art project with the local school, but she hadn't planned on meeting the man of her dreams as well. With his irresistible Irish accent, Constable Finn Kelly is everything Free wants - genuine, kind...and handsome as hell. He's also everything Free isn’t - stable and dependable. Yet despite the passion simmering between them, he just wants to be friends. What is he trying to hide?

When a man is found gruesomely murdered in the local pub, all fingers point to the backpackers working behind the bar that night—two American girls who skipped town before the body was discovered. Despite all the evidence against them, rookie cop Tara Harrison knows there must be more to this case than a pair of sorority sisters who couldn't take a joke. She's determined to uncover the truth, and is soon on the trail of a devastating secret that could tear her hometown apart.

After a year apart, Maryanne returns to her husband, Roy, bringing their eight-year-old son, Daniel, and his teenage sister, Freya, with her. The family move from Sydney to Newcastle, where Roy has bought a derelict house on the coast. As Roy painstakingly patches the holes in the floorboards and plasters over cracks in the walls, Maryanne believes, for a while, that they can rebuild a life together. But Freya doesn't want a fresh start - she just wants out - and Daniel drifts around the sprawling, run-down house in a dream, infuriating his father, who soon forgets the promises he has made.