Book picks similar to
The Velodrome by Liam Davison


australian
20thcentury
australia
novella

Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church


Peter Fox - 2019
    A police officer with 36 years' service in the Hunter region, he rose to national prominence in 2012 for his major role in speaking out for the victims of abuse within the church. He had been at the coalface fighting these heinous crimes for decades. He had worked with the victims and supported their families. He knew an enquiry was long overdue. His decision to become a whistle blower helped trigger Prime Minister Julia Gillard's historic decision to establish a far-reaching Royal Commission into the sexual abuse of children in institutions.He had no idea what speaking up would unleash. Peter's dedication and focus cost him his career, his health and also affected his wife's health. He and his family were threatened. Former friends shunned him. But the victims and the families that he supported consider him their champion. To them he is a hero.Walking Towards Thunder details the cumulative horrors our police face every day, it reveals the cover ups and the way sexual predators were moved around. It shows the backlash he faced and the lengths those in power will go to avoid facing the truth. Confronting and inspiring, this is an unforgettable story.

Educating Alice: How a City Girl Found Love and a New Life in the Outback - Then Nearly Lost It All


Alice Greenup - 2013
    First comes the mates, then the ute, then his hat, dogs, horses and last of all the girlfriend. Get that right and you might just stick around. Try to jump the queue and you′re history." The lips smiled at me, but his eyes meant business.′Well then, I′ll just have to be his mate.′′Girls can′t be mates, Alice.′′We′ll see.′A footloose city backpacker who couldn′t tell a bull from a cow was hardly the ideal candidate to answer an ad for a governess on a Mackay cattle station. But Alice Greenup was game for anything, until she was bowled over by a handsome young jackeroo with a devastating smile. It was the start of a whole new way of life as Alice gave up her city-chick persona to embrace the bush and all that came with it: horses, cattle, the obsession with rain - and the correct way to wear a hat.After overcoming more than a few obstacles, the unlikely couple eventually married, moving to Rick′s family farm near Kingaroy. Determined to make their own future, they gambled their dreams on a vast property called ′Jumma′. It was a huge risk but with a lot of love, blood, sweat and tears, they were on their way.But one morning they almost lost it all. When Alice′s horse bucked her out of the saddle in remote bushland, she was gravely injured. Rick was forced to leave her lying alone, drifting in and out of consciousness, to gallop home for help. Flown by emergency helicopter to Brisbane, Alice had serious liver and brain damage. What followed would test their love to the limit.

Issa Hood Love Story: Tokyo & Greek


Princess Diamond - 2018
    He was handsome and rich. Being a drug dealer afforded him the lap of luxury. His birthday was coming up and his wife Tokyo didn’t have the slightest clue what to get him. He already had jewelry, expensive cars, designer clothes, lavish homes, and exotic vacations. Tokyo kept pondering the question: what should I get for a man who had it all? That’s when she thought back to a conversation that she overheard between Greek and his brother Greg. Greek confessed that he had never been with another woman before. That was it, she thought. Giving her husband a pass to be with another woman would make the perfect gift. He would have her permission to be intimate with another woman for one night. Tokyo was warned that bringing another woman into her bedroom wasn’t a good idea, but she was dead set on giving this present to her husband anyway. Easily, Tokyo found a woman named Ocean who Greek would be pleased with. Greek had a type and Ocean was perfect. Tokyo sealed the deal and Ocean was waiting for Greek once the guest left. The only problem was Ocean had ulterior motives. She wanted Greek for herself. This jaw-dropping read is fast-paced, full of surprises, and unpredictable. Travel this journey with Tokyo and Greek as they explore a threesome that challenges their marriage, trust, and threatens their lives. By the end of this book, the happy couple will never be the same. One night of passion turned into a lifetime of pain.

The Amish Bishop


Samantha Bayarr - 2018
    The Bishop is hiding a horrible secret that could expose his sins if he defends his son's sinful acts. For Eva, getting shunned for their sins could be the answer to her prayers.Lily can't forget what she saw; the community thinks she's making things up. When she suffers a breakdown after witnessing her mother's death from what is being called a freak accident, the Bishop says he has no choice but to shun her and her father, claiming it's for the good of the community, but what Lily knows could cause her to become the murderer's next target.

Fallin for a Jamaican Boss


Tina Marie - 2018
    In his world it was murder or be killed and he planned to stay alive. Zadda walked through life emotionless, never learning how to love or respect anyone until he met Neffi. She tested his patience, had him breaking all his rules but will she push him to the edge? Being the cousin of a Jamaican Don Neffi wasn’t used to hearing the words, no, stop or can’t. But when her baby father’s secrets are revealed some of hers come tumbling out as well. Leaving her single and for the first time without her cousins support. Meeting Zadda she soon finds out she wants more than he can give. Will their love survive murder, secrets and tragedy? Or will Neffi be left alone once again?

If Only You Knew


Trenae' - 2018
    The only problem was, while Passion secretly loved the man behind the music, Skillz barely noticed anything besides her amazing voice. Fear of rejection and the realization that they were from two completely different backgrounds was enough to keep Passion secretly proclaiming her love for him through her lyrics. Emotions run high and there is nowhere to hide when the two are forced together for an impromptu tour. Sparks will fly, and secrets will be revealed in this sweet love story.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Brown (The Harold Brown Series, #2)


Mishana Khot - 2015
    He’s never had any friends or family to celebrate with him. There’s never been anyone to share his Christmas dinner. He’s never had anyone, except Thomas Cat, for whom he could buy presents. Nonetheless, December has always been his favourite month. But this year, things are going to be different. This year, Harold and Faith Springer-Brown celebrate their first Christmas together as man and wife. And it’s just started snowing in Limberlost, so it looks like it’s going to be a perfect white Christmas. But there’s trouble brewing in the Springer-Brown household.

Syx Thirty Sevyn (Situationships Book 3)


Grey Huffington - 2018
    After the rash decision to relocate and join her sister in New York City, she’s forced to adapt to the new environment while - simultaneously - adapting to newfound heartache. The two proves to be complicated, especially when the culprit is still on the loose and hunting her every waking minute. Sevyn Rouge, the heart-stopping brown beauty, freelance writer, and sister of Syx, finally finds her voice. Smitten by the likes of Ace Mallard, the blandness of her life is altered the minute he steps foot into her world. His intriguing persona keeps her up at night long after her computer is shut off and projects are completed. It isn’t until his absence that she realizes commitment may have been a bit far-fetched and it was foolish of her to even consider Ace settling. His flee from Sevyn’s web of sappy Romance novel based fantasies come to a screeching halt only when he accepts and admit that she could possibly be everything that he never knew he wanted.

Issa Hood Love Story: Bailey & Bash


Anna Black - 2018
    He had a rule not to marry or fall in love while he was in the game but, now that that was all behind him, he was ready and looking for a life partner and, from the very first moment that he laid eyes on Bailey Burnett, he knew instantly that she was the one. Bailey, young, smart and beautiful, belongs to Andre and she is no longer happy being his live-in girlfriend. The fact that he lies and is never home is evident that he’s entertaining another woman, but Bailey is in no position to leave him. She gave up her career to play house wifey to a man that still hadn’t proposed in over eight years. Fed up and tired of being misused, she meets her new neighbor Bash and is instantly attracted to him, and it doesn’t take long for her to desire him. An absent Andre gives Bailey an open invitation to get to know Bash and it doesn’t take the two long to discover the chemistry that they share. No matter how much the two of them try to keep their feelings at bay, they can’t resist falling in love with each other. The heart wants what the heart wants and Bash decides to give his heart to Bailey and, in the end, they both decide to be together by any means necessary.

Heart Of Stone: A Domestic Violence Novella


Mz. Lady P. - 2020
    

Hack in a Flak Jacket


Peter Stefanovic - 2016
    Sure, they have a purpose, and if one ever stopped a bullet or piece of shrapnel from spearing into my vital organs, I would kiss it, hang it up, and frame it. But that hasn't happened, yet.'For almost ten years Peter Stefanovic was Channel Nine's foreign correspondent in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. During that time he witnessed more than his fair share of death and destruction, and carried the burden of those images - all while putting his own personal safety very much in the firing line.From flak jackets to tuxedos. From celebrity funerals, to war zones and natural disasters. This is a thrilling account of a life lived on camera, delivering the news wherever it happens, whatever the risk.

The Lost Boys


Sam de Brito - 2008
    He and his friends while away their days smoking dope, trying to root chicks and surfing at Maroubra. Ned's life is only just beginning – tomorrow, some time.Ned is 35. He and his mates drift through the days snorting cocaine, trying to root chicks, clinging to the pub and surfing at Bondi. For Ned, this is it – tomorrow never came.What happens when life passes you by? When the drugs no longer work and the promise of the future has become the wreckage of the past? What happens when a generation of men lose their way?Confrontingly honest, blackly funny, The Lost Boys is a compelling look at the dark side of being a 21st century man from a powerful new voice in fiction.

The Summer of '82


Dave O'Neil - 2016
    The Summer of ’82 is the hilarious and heartfelt story of a boy becoming a man in suburban Australia.Dave O’Neil is one of our most loved comedians. He has been performing stand-up for over twenty-five years, has been part of some of Australia’s most successful FM radio teams, and is a regular on our TV screens, where he holds the honour of having the most guest appearances on ABC’s iconic Spicks and Specks (over fifty!). He is also a successful writer, columnist and actor. The Summer of ’82 is his fifth book.

Sutherland Downs


Peter McKelvie - 2020
    She finds herself both loving and being terrified by all the Australian outback has to offer, the country, the wildlife, but mostly the people. She meets the love of her life, but she must fight against an undercurrent of evil just to survive, let alone live happily ever after.Tom's a young jackeroo and heir to a large station. His first love was mysteriously murdered, and he's spent two years rebuilding his life and relationships, after spiralling into depression, drinking, fighting and risking being locked up for good. Could Maysa be his saviour?Tom and Maysa's romance is haunted by their recent past. When old demons re-emerge for Tom after a violent assault at the shearers camp, can he keep it together long enough to stay out of jail, to protect the woman he loves, and be the man he knows he can be.This is a dramatic outback romance in a real setting with colourful characters.

Outback Secrets


Suzanne Brandyn - 2021
    When bones are recently discovered near his abandoned ute, her mother informs her of the details surrounding that devastating day. Now, Lily is determined to find out what happened.Under the alias of Abby O’Brien, she leaves her job with the police force in the city and accepts a position as a personal nurse to care for Nathaniel and Matthew Kinsley’s mother.Arriving at the cattle station, Lily thinks she has a foolproof plan until she catches the eye of the elder Kinsley brother and sparks fly.Secrets are revealed, and the sordid past of the Nobles and Kinsleys comes to a head when Lily discovers a family she didn’t know existed.Will this news be the glue to hold her to a place she once called home, and can she learn to trust Nathaniel and accept his marriage proposal?