When crisis counsellor Morgan Harris returns to his home town of Mindalby after the town's cotton mill closes, he has a hard time breaking through the townsfolk's tough exterior and getting them to accept the help that he is offering. Mental health services are few and far between out in the bush, and Morgan has to fight ingrained prejudices before he will really be able to engage with the people who need him the most. However, he has no problems engaging with Hannah Burton, the younger sister of his high school best friend. Their attraction is instant and insistent, and very inconvenient. Morgan is here to work, and Hannah is fighting battles of her own – trying to save the family farm from going under in the face of the mill's closure. Mindalby, a small town, a community, a home. But when the mill that supports the local cotton farmers and employs many of the town's residents closes unexpectedly, old tensions are exposed and new rifts develop. Everyone is affected and some react better than others, but one thing is certain: living on the edge of the outback means they have to survive together, or let their town die.

Oliver has helicopter parents—they love him, but they seriously cramp his style. He decides to fill an old wooden box with souvenirs from some of his outrageous and daring exploits. That way, he'll never forget the zombies, the killer dogs and the crazy cows, and his parents will never know that he once jumped from a bridge with the police in hot pursuit. But the biggest shock comes when Oliver realizes that the most terrifying things of all can't be controlled or contained.

Arlo thinks his mother is crazy for taking a job in a small town, far away from his old home and his good friends. To make matters worse, the students at his new school are crazy—hockey crazy. Arlo has never laced up a pair of skates in his life, and he's not about to start. To avoid making a complete fool of himself in front of his classmates, Arlo joins a group of misfits called the Dumpster Dudes, who set him a series of wild initiation tests that unleash mayhem on the school. Broken windows in the classrooms, angry ants in the hallways, bicycles in the library and monsters in the air ducts—can East Bend Elementary survive Arlo? And will Arlo survive East Bend?

A warm and witty multi-generational romantic comedy, set in a coastal Australian farming community, from international bestselling romance author Marion Lennox. Dr Jennifer Kelly has reached the pinnacle of her career as a successful Manhattan obstetrician, complete with ambitious, blue–blooded fiancé. After a desolate childhood with a distant grandmother, life seems everything she's ever wanted. When a grandfather she's never heard of leaves her a dairy farm on an isolated Australian island – plus one depressed dog, thirty geriatric cows and a bunch of ancient surfboards – she plans a quick trip to put the farm up for sale. Her aloof, socialite grandmother Muriel is appalled, yet insists on accompanying her. Once there, Jenny finds herself caught, by cows, by turtles – and by Jack McLachlan, the overworked island doctor who desperately needs her help. Muriel's caught too, with ghosts of her wartime past threatening to crack the shell she's built with such dedication and care. But isn't Manhattan their home? How can two women give up the perfect world they've worked so hard for by taking a chance on...life? 'Joyous and breathtaking, a story to touch your heart, make you smile and see the world as a better place.' – Barbara Hannay

He'll never come back to stay, unless someone asks him to... Funerals can bring people together who are best kept apart. Ethan Foster, home to mourn his sister–in–law, finds himself as unwelcome as ever in the town that once meant the world to him. For more than a decade he's been saddled with a bad reputation – a drunk, a deserter – and he's lived with it, will keep living with it, because the only way to clear his name is to share his secrets. But the secrets are not his to tell and their telling would destroy the family he loves and the woman he's never forgiven himself for leaving behind. Samantha O'Hara once loved freely, but now she doesn't. Now she leaves before she's left and keeps her vulnerabilities tucked away. But when Ethan Foster walks back into town, finally looking at her the way she always wanted him to, she finds her hard–won armour developing chinks. She can't – won't – have anything to do with any reinvention Ethan is going through. But maybe this isn't a new Ethan... Maybe he's the same Ethan she fell in love with all those years ago. And maybe, just maybe, this time their love will be strong enough to make him stay. *Originally published as Ask Me To Stay. Expanded and revised edition.

Four heartwarming stories from four bestselling Australian authors

Blue lights in the red dust... Echo Springs on the edge of the outback - a town where everyone knows your name, and your business. But the wholesome country living and welcoming community aren't what they used to be. Echo Springs has a dark underbelly, and it is seeping ever outward. Brilliant forensic pathologist, Erika Hanson, fled from Echo Springs as a teenager, leaving behind a past of tragedy and pain. But when local police announce they've found her beloved brother's body in a meth lab explosion, she knows she must return to clear Peter's name and find out what really happened. Because Peter would never get involved with the drug tag sweeping across the small town of Australia and destroying lives. Hartley Cooper has a past with Erika Hanson, but that's not going to keep him from doing his job. He's seen what grief can do, and denial is only the first step. But Erika is convinced that Peter can't be involved, and her meticulous, professional skills start to convince Hartley as well. When Erika's digging and questions get too personal, the town turns against them, Hartley knows Erika might run again. But this time he's ready. And he's not going to let her go. Echo Springs, book 1