Book picks similar to
Outback Roads: The Nanny by Annie Seaton


annie-seaton
aussie-authors
contemporary-fiction
dsdu-books

Broken Threads


Maggie Christensen - 2015
    She finds herself ousted from the family home and separated from their remaining son, Andy.As Jan tries to cope with her grief and prepares to build a new life, it soon becomes known that Simon has left behind a bombshell, and her younger son seeks ways of compensating for his loss, leading to further issues for her to deal with.Can Jan hold it all together and save her marriage and her family?

The Avoidable Orphan


T.M. Clark - 2015
    He’s a man of the African bush, and coping with ‘girlie feelings’ was always Helene’s department, not his. When an orphaned baby elephant is found, Rodger sees an opportunity that might help him reconnect with his children. But interfering with the orphan goes against his usual conservation methods. It will require a new approach to save both the baby and his family.

Kick the Dust


Rhonda Forrest - 2019
    When I open them, I think it might really be there in front of me.’ After three tours of duty in Afghanistan, Liam Andrews is home safe in Queensland. His weekly life drawing class, full of colourful local artists, helps him manage his post-traumatic stress disorder. But he’s struggling to open up about a past that still haunts him. Belourine ‘Billy’ is an Afghan refugee who lost everything before arriving in Australia as a child. She finds joy in her daily swims in the lake. After years of upheaval, she’s still searching for a place to call home. But her past makes it hard to trust people. When Liam and Billy meet, they form an instant connection. But will they ever overcome the past? And will it be together? ‘Rhonda is one talented Aussie author….’ Chapterichi.com ‘When I read Rhonda’s work, I think "authentic". There is no pretence. No fakeness. Just raw, honest and beautifully crafted characters and dialogue.” The MadHatter Book Reviewer

Your Every Move


Vanessa Garbin - 2022
    So when she finds a bag of money under a bush after dropping her kids off at school, she’d be forgiven for thinking her luck has changed for the better.Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse. She starts getting threatening letters. They claim to be from her “number one fan”, referring to a time when she was a popular actress on an Australian soap opera. The person writing them knows about the money.Unsure what to do, and wishing she’d never found the cash, paranoid and suspicious, Dana is forced to comply with her fan’s ever more demanding and bizarre requests.But when her kids are threatened, she’ll have to dig deep to turn the tables on her stalker. Yet putting her life on track will mean confronting her own murky past.

Prodigal Daughter


Jane Carter - 2017
    Now, following her husband’s fatal accident and unable to find respite from the barrage of guilt-inducing and heartrending memories at every turn, she runs to the one place she feels Charlie’s ghost can’t follow her: Mog’s Hill, the Crawford farm in New South Wales. There, among the smell of lanolin, the dust of the sheep yards and the beauty of the land, Diana hopes she can regain her strength and put her life, as well as those of her three shell-shocked kids, back on track. But home isn’t as she remembers, and her return cracks open old family wounds.Stella has longed for her prodigal daughter’s return for years. Now if she can convince Diana to open up and let them back into her heart, she might just be able to keep her grandchildren close by and find the family peace she craves. But Stella already has her hands full trying to hold everything together, and now the Crawford family is a hair’s breadth from shattering forever. Can Stella keep the peace? Can she make Diana see the strength in relying on family, or will Diana leave them behind once again?‘A heartwarming story of family, love and loss with characters you won’t want to leave.’ — Tricia Stringer, Australian bestselling author.Praise for PRODIGAL DAUGHTER:‘A heartwarming story of family, love and loss with characters you won’t want to leave.’ - Tricia Stringer, Australian bestselling author"The characters were believable and I enjoyed getting to know them" — NetGalley"A rural contemporary novel, Prodigal Daughter is recommended" — NetGalley"Prodigal Daughter was a perfect title for this novel.... The novel is a light read with the drama kicking in the latter part of the book when big decisions need to be made and children considered." — NetGalley

Misconception


Rebecca Freeborn - 2019
    And now she was walking towards him, about to become his wife, and there was nothing in the world that could sever that thread.'Ali and Tom are the perfect couple. They both have successful careers and are still madly in love after ten years. But when they are told their unborn baby has died, their picture-perfect life is shattered.Faced with an empty room, the prospect of catching up with friends and returning to work, Ali feels her control over the reality she wanted slipping further and further away.But when Ali's irresponsible mother re-enters her life, Ali discovers secrets from a past she'd forgotten ever existed. Will Ali and tom ever be able to find their way back to each other? And will Ali find a way to move forward without letting go of her memories?

Seven Year Itch


Lyndsey Gallagher - 2019
    The last thing she expected was to fall in love with a complete stranger at the hen weekend. Which wouldn’t be a problem apart from the teeny tiny fact that she’s already married to somebody else… Is it a case of the Seven-Year-Itch or could it be the real deal? Lucy needs to decide if she is going to leave the security of her stale marriage in order to find out if the grass is indeed greener on the other side, or whether it’s worth having one more go at watering her own garden. Could this party-loving, city girl really leave the country she loves for a farmer from the West of Ireland? Is there such a thing as fate? What about karma? Is John Kelly all that he seems?

Call & Response


J.J. Salkeld - 2014
    Set in Carlisle - on the border between England and Scotland and much else besides - Call & Response introduces DS Samantha 'Pepper' Wilson and her North Division CID team. In this first episode Pepper struggles to cope with the madness and sadness of everyday policing, whist covering for an absent boss and adapting to a new Superintendent who's come straight from a supermarket's supply chain to British policing's chain of command. And matters take a serious turn when a case of 'revenge porn' is reported, involving members of a minority ethnic group, and one of Pepper's young DCs is assaulted, within spitting distance of Carlisle's shiny new Police HQ. Both cases are delicate and potentially inflammatory, and Pepper's short fuse is trimmed still more by the return to Carlisle of a dangerous career criminal with whom Pepper grew up, and whose reappearance could have dangerous implications for her, the city, and its now almost vanishingly 'thin blue line'.

The Weight of Birds


Amanda Lewis - 2020
    

Broken Little Rich Girl 2 (Broken Little Rich Girls)


Dominique Thomas - 2018
    To regain their sanity and find their joy these four women will have to face the problems in their life. Miko’s world came crashing down when she had to reveal to Zyir that Enika was not only her child but that he was the father. In doing so it changed everything in her world. Miko must learn how to gain control of her rebellious daughter and finally decide if Zyir is the man for her, while trying not to lose her mind in the process. Nelly lost control of herself and did things to Jannero that she couldn’t take back. When she finds herself alone, it's then that she realizes that her anger is really a problem. Only changing isn’t that easy and Nelly isn’t sure if its something she can do on her own. Rumer’s health continues to deteriorate as her world falls apart right before her eyes. After facing the hardest day of her life, she decides with the help of her mom to take a break from it all. Her getaway trip leads to revelations and possibly a new love. However, once Rumer returns home, she’s faced with Kritt and the stress from her life once again and finds herself questioning what's real. The new man that’s making her smile or Kritt, a man that she’s always known. Jerzey’s world was turned upside down when she realized that the man who shot her was none other than Snowden’s brother. After leaving Philly she’s determined to be a happier Jerzey. Unlike her friends, she’s ready to be happy and live her best life. A big move along with new ventures place her in new crowds. A sexy, local guy finds himself smitten with her and she can’t deny he’s attractive as well still her heart yearns for Snowden. Jerzey feels Snowden is running from the love they share, and she wants to hold out for him but what she won't do is wait too long. In the finale of the Broken Little Rich Girls series, you see more pain, anger then finally healing. To become whole these women will have to pick up their broken pieces and put themselves back together again. While it won’t be easy, it’s necessary because you can't be happy and be broken. It just doesn’t work that way.

The Currans and The Quinns: The Currans, Book Three (The Manhattan Stories 7)


Donna Foley Mabry - 2017
     On the Manhattan, Kansas frontier of the 1870s, D’Arcy Curran, her adopted son, Dan, and her new husband, Royce Quinn, want nothing more than to raise a family and live in peace. Their plans are waylaid when the renegade Jayhawker who killed D’Arcy’s father returns from prison looking for revenge. Human treachery isn’t the only thing D’Arcy and Royce battle on their prairie home. As Dan grows from a boy to a man and more children arrive, they struggle against the forces of nature, animals that are not as tame as expected, and disease. When Dan meets Kathleen O’Malley, he’s only sixteen but is convinced she’s the girl for him. He sets out to win her heart, but he wonders, can the pampered daughter of a New York millionaire learn to love a rough-hewn cowboy?

Found Love in a Rider


Monica Walters - 2020
    However, trying to get his life on track from his self-destructive past has taken time. Finally embarking upon what he really wants in the rodeo arena while receiving help from the best to do it, he realizes some things in his love life have to change as well. In the midst of those changes, he meets the woman that he feels he’s supposed to do life with. Before even getting to know her, he believes they are meant to be. Convincing Danica of that seems to be a slight task, though. With the help of a loving family, his career is on track, but what will it mean without someone to share it with?Danica Collier is in love with love. She’s fascinated by everything it encompasses, which is why she’s confused as to why it eludes her. As a Senior in college, she’s preparing to enter her career field and feels a relationship with the right man would complete her. However, when she meets Malachi Henderson, despite the initial attraction to him, she wonders if getting to know him would be worth her time. Wasted energy is something she has no patience to endure anymore and she wants to be sure that a relationship with him is something she can handle. Doubt is the enemy when it comes to going for what you want. This proves to be true for Danica and Malachi when moving forward. Can Danica accept all of Malachi and his country quirks? Can Malachi stomach what he has to endure to make Danica his?

Chasing Down the Night (Crater Lake Series Book 3)


Francis Guenette - 2015
    Nothing could be further from the truth. Long-time resident, Izzy Montgomery juggles the stress of a new job with her burgeoning home life. Family dynamics go into overdrive when Alexander and Cynthia launch plans to build a home nearby and Liam’s sister, Fiona shows up to do an internship with the local doctor. Lisa-Marie and Justin are back for the summer and sparks fly. While crusty, old Reg keeps sawmill production booming, Beulah runs the organic bakery and plans the First Annual Caleb Jenkins Memorial Ball Tournament. Bethany discovers her own hidden talents working with young people at Micah Camp. As a nine-year-old’s dreams reflect a dangerous reality, many encounter issues from the past. This is a novel for all those who work at building family ties by strengthening the traditional and creating the new. Chasing Down the Night explores a wide-ranging emotional landscape while highlighting the many aspects of day-to-day, rural life. Tears and laughter are inevitable.

Forward Pass (A Forde Family Short Story)


Nikki Blaire - 2018
    Sonesia Fields is a small-town homebody, and when it comes to love, she would rather pass. In this short spin-off from the Forde Family Series' first book "Fortunate," you will find out if Quentin and Sonesia's love is a touchdown or a false start.

Summer's Reunion


Dora Hiers - 2020
    Beer and bitterness destroyed his marriage to his high school sweetheart, but he’s a changed man now. Solid, stable and sober, he’s finally ready to start a family of his own. But the only woman he can imagine spending his forever with filed divorce papers on him eight years ago.When Rowan Albright faces her groom at the end of the aisle, this time they’re not the ones getting married. She never stopped loving Mannix, but his weekend beer binges to mask the deep-rooted grief tore at the very fabric of her soul, especially since alcoholism decimated her family. But Aunt Ellie says he’s clean now, so when Mannix’s beloved Gramps offers her a job in the family business, she jumps on it. Working together will reveal her ex-husband’s change of heart, right? Or destroy hers…Is faith, hope and love strong enough to rebuild what was lost? Will God give them a second chance at love and a future, or will both their hearts be shattered once again? Will theirs be a summer reunion or a summer to forget?