Showing results by narrator "Taryn Ryan" in All Categories

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.

Adelaide, 1931: Telephone switchboard operator Frances’ life is difficult as sole provider for her mother and adopted uncle. But it’s thrown into turmoil when she overhears a suspicious conversation on the phone, planning a murder. If a life is at risk, she should tell the police; but that would mean breaking her confidentiality clause and would cost her the job. And Frances soon begins to doubt the evidence of her own ears - it was a very bad line, after all. She decides to put it behind her and meets slightly dangerous nightclub owner Jack.

Crime fiction is the single most popular genre in international publishing, and Australia has some of the finest practitioners when it comes to walking the mean streets and nailing the bad guys. Australia's best crime writers - Michael Robotham, Kerry Greenwood, Shane Maloney, Peter Corris, Tara Moss and more - share the secrets to their success, their best-ever writing tips and their favourite 'must reads'. An ideal guide for aspiring writers and crime fiction fans alike.

Angela and Nellie plan to live with a family friend in Western Australia. When their ship from England docks, they learn that she has died in a tragic accident. What will the future hold for the young sisters?

When tragedy brings biological sisters Jessica Williams and Reeve Elliot together, the initial shock of learning of each other’s existence is quickly replaced by a commitment to be there for each other. As the bond between the two women deepens, their relationship is tested in ways they’d never have imagined. When Jess’s past comes back to haunt her, the nightmare that is Reeve’s present intensifies.

When first-year music student Amalia stumbles into her Oxford college bar, she has no idea that everything is about to change. Seated across from her is Alex, a velvety-voiced fellow Australian with eyes the colour of her native sky. They strike up a friendship that is immediate - its intensity both thrilling and terrifying. As the days and weeks go by, they spend more and more time together: philosophising, hypothesising, questioning everything.

If you think you weren't born with confidence, it's time for a reframe. Step beyond imposter syndrome, a crisis of self-belief or a deficit of bravery with this empowering and practical guide to making friends with your fear and building the skills of confidence in every aspect of your life. Human behaviour and performance specialist Mel Schilling walks you step by step through taking control of your relationships, career and life, demonstrating that confidence, resilience and self-esteem are skillsets to be learned and are essential to helping you thrive.

When Amber Jones wakes up in her sister Sage's speeding car, with no idea how she got there (though the hangover is a clue), all she wants to do is go home. But Sage is convinced a road trip to Alice Springs will finally answer the burning question: who is Amber's father? Because nine months before Amber's birth, her late mother Goldie made the same trip . . . Armed with just a name and Goldie's diaries, Amber agrees to search for a man she's never met in one of the world's biggest deserts.

When Julia Hudson is involved in a near-fatal accident, the lives of her children – nurse Flo and her twin sister, high-flying lawyer Ari – are sent into freefall. As they sit vigil by their mother’s bedside, the sisters discover that Julia, who has always preached unwavering principles and integrity, has been keeping a terrible secret. A secret that shatters everything they’ve ever believed about their family. But the twins have each other… or do they? Because Julia is not the only one keeping secrets…

Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds. The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength and the ability to walk between one world and the other as a couple of her talents. A rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden. But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale—and in the hands of those who hold to old, dangerous ways—and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane.

Space Captains Star Girl, Supernova 1, Comet XS, Asteroid, Galactic 6, Star Cluster and others are sent on action-packed rescue missions in this thrilling collection: Dark Secrets, Sticky Tricks, Good vs Evil and Make or Break.

Spilling Secrets: Planet Catlabrator is awash with water and the catralabs are drowning. When Space Agent Star Girl is sent to investigate with SA Asteroid she learns that some mission buddies are more trouble than they're worth. Can she work with Asteroid to save the planet and its alien catralabs?

The Kane family, Lorcan, Naiyana and their young son, relocate from Perth to Kallayee, an abandoned mining town in the Great Victoria Desert to start over again, free from their chequered past. The town seems like the perfect getaway: peaceful, quiet, remote. Somewhere they won’t be found. But life in Kallayee isn’t quite as straightforward as they hope. There are noises in the earth, mysterious shadows and tracks in the dust, as if the town is coming back to life. But the family can’t leave. No one can talk sense into them. And now, no one can talk to them at all.

Dee Nichols is a free-spirited yoga teacher, albeit a broke one. But she's not interested in money or possessions or thinking too far into the future. After surviving a terrible car accident, she's just happy to be breathing. Then Dee meets Ethan Roxburgh at a Christmas party. As the head of Roxburgh Holdings, and a regular in the social pages, he's the opposite of what Dee wants in her life. Until a job modelling yoga in a TV commercial turns Dee into an overnight celebrity.

Riga, 1943. Cycling the streets to deliver fresh loaves, Zenta passes empty houses, curtains open, doors unlocked, their occupants forced out by Russian or German hands. Above the newly built town hall, a Nazi flag waves in the breeze. Since her brother became a soldier and her sister joined the resistance, Zenta is all her parents have left. Then one morning her sister returns. Tired, worn, with a newly rounded belly, Estere is as determined as ever to fight for their freedom.

To overcome her tragic past and move on, Bingun school teacher Tilly Schroder longs to love again, but her yearning lies neglected. Instinct tells her there is more behind the accidents five years ago, but how to uncover the truth? When a stranger returns to the district, change rustles into the small country town. New information comes to light, the catalyst for long hidden revelations. Can Tilly resist his mysterious appeal to finally break free and leave the past behind?

Sometimes you have to fall apart so that you can start again... After five years stuck in the wrong marriage, 33-year-old Emma is finally free. Her husband has moved out, her son Freddie is making friends, and her parents are finally trying to stop micro-managing her life. On a celebratory night out with her three best friends, Emma meets Finn. Young, dimpled and irresistibly Scottish Finn. Between landing her dream job, stolen moments with Finn, and precious time with Freddie, Emma is happier than she has ever been. Then one accident changes everything and Emma's life.

It’s a dream come true for Frances Palmer: a voyage from Australia to England on the Empress of the Sea, together with her fiancé, Jack Sullivan, and her uncle Sal, a.k.a. ‘Salvatore the Magnificent’. They’ve been hired to entertain the passengers with magic tricks and daring stunts. But all is not well below deck, with jealousy and larceny ruffling the cheerful atmosphere. Frances and Jack soon find themselves in stormy seas, together with newfound allies.

Paige and Nick are happy. They have a beautiful home, a loving family, and most importantly, they would do anything for each other. Now, they are having a baby, and it feels like all their dreams are coming true. But joy turns to despair when they discover that Paige has a rare, life-threatening heart condition and they lose their longed-for child. Heartbroken, the couple must accept the reality that they may not become parents after all. Just as they begin to come to terms with their loss, Paige unexpectedly falls pregnant again.

Verity Fassbinder thought no boss could be worse than her perfectionist ex-boyfriend—until she agreed to work for a fallen angel. The angel is a jealous—and violent—employer, so she's quit working for the Weyrd Council and sent her family away. The angel has tasked Verity with finding two lost treasures. That would be hard even without a vengeful Dusana Nadasy on her heels. And Inspector McIntyre won't stop calling: the bodies of Normal women who disappeared decades ago are turning up, apparently subjected to Weyrd magics.