Happiness has a way of catching up with you, even when you've given up trying to find it.
Tilly doesn't believe she can ever be happy again
Fourteen-year-old Tilly's world is torn apart when her single mother dies suddenly and she is sent a million miles from everything she has ever known to a small country town and a guardian who's a total stranger.
Kate is sure she will be happy just as soon as she achieves her dream
In the picturesque mountains of Far North Queensland, Kate is trying to move on from a failed marriage by renovating a van and making plans for an exciting travel escape. The fresh start she so desperately craves is within reach when an unexpected responsibility lands on her doorstep.
Olivia thinks she's found 'happy enough' until an accident changes everything
Ageing former celebrity actress, Olivia is used to winning all the best roles in her local theatre group, but when she's injured while making a grand stage exit, she is relegated to the wings. Now she's determined that she won't bow out quietly and be left alone with the demons of her past.
When these lost souls come together under the roof of the Burralea Amateur Theatre group, the countdown to opening night has already begun. Engaging with a diverse cast of colourful characters, the three generations of women find unlikely friendship - and more than one welcome surprise.
From the bestselling author of The Garden of Hopes and Dreams comes a heartwarming and uplifting story about the joys of new beginnings
Can love and friendship blossom on a rooftop?
The residents in Brisbane's Riverview apartment block barely know each other. They have no idea of the loneliness, the lost hopes and dreams, being experienced behind their neighbours' closed doors.
Vera, now widowed, is trying her hardest to create a new life for herself in an unfamiliar city environment. Unlucky-in-love Maddie has been hurt too many times by untrustworthy men, yet refuses to give up on romance. Ned, a reclusive scientist, has an unusual interest in bees and worm farms. Meanwhile, the building's caretaker Jock has all but given up hope of achieving his secret dream.
When a couple of gardening enthusiasts from one of the apartments suggest they all create a communal garden on their rooftop, no one is interested. Not at first, anyway. But as the residents come together over their budding plants and produce, their lives become interconnected in ways they could never have imagined.
From award-winning novelist Barbara Hannay, The Garden of Hopes and Dreams is a timely and uplifting story about the importance of community and the healing power of connection.
Two sisters, one baby and the best of intentions...
As a vibrant, young woman with a lifetime of possibilities ahead of her, Freya grants her sister, Pearl, the ultimate gift of motherhood. However, this comes at a hefty price - an unexpected rift in her family and the loss of the man she loves.
Decades later, Freya is divorced, childless and homeless, at rock bottom after losing everything she's worked for. When her estranged niece, Billie, offers sanctuary, managing the family restaurant on beautiful Magnetic Island, Freya can hardly refuse.
Billie has never understood the tension between her mother and her aunt and now, with a newly broken heart, she is nursing a family secret of her own. All three women come together under the tropical Queensland skies, but can they let go of past regrets, or will old tensions tear them further apart?
By the bestselling author of Meet Me in Venice, this is a moving and inspiring novel in a stunning setting about choices and consequences and the redemptive power of love.
A year after her husband Leo's death, widow Daisy invites her three adult children to join her for a holiday in beautiful Venice. It will be wonderful, having them under one roof again in their father's birthplace. But is it possible to recapture the past?
Her son Marc's marriage is in jeopardy, but for his mother's sake he convinces his wife to keep up appearances. Anna is trying to hide the truth about the dismal state of her London acting career; and Ellie, enjoying a gap year and uncertain about her future choices, wants to avoid family pressure to conform.
Despite the magic of Venice, family ties are tested to the limit, especially when a shocking secret from Leo's past is revealed. Now everything they value about love, family, commitment and trust must be re-examined.
A moving and heartfelt family drama about difficult choices and finding happiness in the most unexpected places.
Sydney journalist Chloe Brown is left devastated when her long-term boyfriend finally admits he never wants children. Impulsively, she takes a job on a small country newspaper in Queensland's far north to escape disappointment. But she soon realises that no place is free from trouble or heartache. The grouchy news editor, Finn Latimer, is a former foreign correspondent who has retreated after a family tragedy. Emily, the paper's elegant, sixty-something owner, is battling with her husband's desertion. Meanwhile, the whole town is worried when their popular young baker disappears. As lives across generations become more deeply entwined, the lessons are clear. Secrets and silence harbour pain, while honesty and openness bring healing and hope. And love. All that's needed now is courage...
Flora's teenage crush, Mitch, is standing at the altar when his bride has a sudden change of heart. Decades earlier, in the same church, a similar story of heartbreak played out. From the rolling green hills of the Tablelands to the crowded streets of Shanghai on the eve of the Second World War, this beautiful romantic saga asks the question - do we ever get over our first love, and is it ever too late to make amends?
For three generations of Australian women, becoming a grazier's wife meant very different things. For Stella in 1946, it was a compromise in the aftermath of war. For Jackie, it was a Cinderella fairytale with an outback prince. While for Alice now, it is the promise of a bright new future. From glamorous pre-war Singapore to a vast cattle property in Queensland, this sweeping, emotional saga follows three strong women as they learn how to live and love.
When Lucy Hunter stumbles upon her grandfather's World War II memorabilia, she finds a faded photograph of a stunning young woman and a series of heartfelt letters. They are clues about the secret years, a period of Lucy's family history that has been kept a mystery . . . until now. From the wild beauty of the Australian bush to England's rugged south coast, this is a deeply moving story of heartbreak, heroism and homecoming by a beloved, multi-award-winning author.
Best-selling RITA Award recipient Barbara Hannay's novels have been translated into 20 languages. In Rancher's Twins: Mom Needed, Holly O'Mara steps in to care for her late cousin's young twins until their estranged father can take over. But when Australian cattleman Gray Kidman finally arrives, Holly senses that Gray is out of his element. Soon, she's enamored with Gray-but for some reason, he keeps pushing her away. Can Holly help this handsome rancher open up his heart to love again?
Nanny Holly O'Mara has formed a close bond with her late cousin's little twins. When their estranged father, rugged Australian cattleman Gray Kidman, arrives to take his children to the Outback Holly senses that he is out of his depth! Holly is already in love with Gray's adorable twins, and she's soon falling for the mysterious man himself.
She can tell Gray is far from indifferent to her, but something is making him push her away...
