Lisa Ireland

'An endearing novel about one gutsy, smart and inspirational woman. I want to be Shirley when I grow up.' Rachael Johns 'Elderly. Is that how the world sees me? A helpless little old lady? If only they knew. I allow myself a small smirk.' When Shirley Sullivan signs her 83-year-old husband, Frank, out of the Sunset Lodge Nursing Home, she has no intention of bringing him back. For fifty-seven years the couple has shared love, happiness and heartbreak. And while Frank may not know who his wife is these days, he knows he wants to go home. Back to the beach where they met in the early 1960s . . . So Shirley enacts an elaborate plan to evade the authorities - and their furious daughter, Fiona - to give Frank the holiday he'd always dreamed of. And, in doing so, perhaps Shirley can make amends for a lifelong guilty secret . . . 'With both humour and heart, The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan takes the reader on a (literal) journey - in a Kombi van! - following one couple's unconventional love story, and examining the lengths a person will go to to right the wrongs of a lifetime. This is Lisa Ireland's breakout novel for sure.' Sally Hepworth 'Lisa Ireland's writing is simply magical, and Shirley's charming and heartfelt story brought me to tears again and again. The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan is one of my favourite books, ever.' Kelly Rimmer 'This moving story, celebrating ageing and all types of love, will leave you with a smile on your face and warmth in your heart.' Rachael Johns

Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan, The

We all expect our friendships from childhood to last forever... Libby and Kit have been best friends ever since the day 11-year-old Kit bounded up to Libby's bedroom window. They've seen each other through first kisses, bad break-ups and everything in-between. It's almost 20 years since Libby moved to Sydney, but they've remained close, despite the distance and the different paths their lives have taken. So when Libby announces she's moving back to Melbourne, Kit is overjoyed. They're best friends - practically family - so it doesn't matter that she and Libby now have different...well, different everything, actually, or so it seems when they're finally living in the same city again. Or does it?"STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND READ THIS BOOK." Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Family Next Door"Lisa Ireland gets right to the heart of female friendship, exploring topics every woman can relate to." Rachael Johns, author of The Greaest Gift

The Art of Friendship

Shape of Us

When a smooth–talking, sophisticated city girl comes striding into town on her stiletto heels, he's the last person who wants to notice... When Jenna McLean gets roped into attending a matchmaking ball in a small country town, she holds no illusions of meeting the man of her dreams. A no–nonsense magazine editor, Jenna doesn't believe in leaving love to chance, which is why she's developed Marriage Material – a fool–proof framework for husband hunting. Shearers and farmhands need not apply. Sheep grazier Luke Tanner has met women like Jenna before, and knows not to waste his time. With the drought dragging on and bushfire season around the corner, the last thing he needs is a spoiled city girl like Jenna adding to his problems. He'll help out with the ball because it's good for the community, but he won't dance, he won't flirt, and he definitely won't be matched. It's been a long dry season, but everyone knows when it rains, it pours.

Breaking The Drought

Jennie Jones

Catherine Evans

Move to the country for a dollar a week! Dulili is suffering a people drought. Over the years more people have moved away than have arrived to stay in this old New South Wales farming town, and now only a handful of young families and elderly residents are left. The locals put a plan into action to entice newcomers: offering the town's empty houses to people from anywhere in Australia. Who could resist renting a beautiful homestead for a dollar a week? Three people, eager for a new chance at life, take up the challenge. Adele, newly retrenched and with a daughter in tow, is living on hope; while newly divorced Bea has a point to prove both to herself and her family. For Lachlan, a farmhouse for a buck, a job and a town to call his own seems perfect. But can he keep his secret in such a close-knit community? Are the newcomers prepared for the revelations, disruptions and distractions of love? Featuring stories by bestselling authors Jennie Jones, Lisa Ireland and Catherine Evans, Last Chance Country is a collection of small town dreams, second chances and the healing power of hope. Includes the stories: A Heart Stuck On Hope, Honey Hill House and The Healing Season

A Heart Stuck on Hope / Honey Hill House / the Healing Season

Last Chance Country

Lisa Ireland, a brilliant new voice in rural romance, invites you to Linden Gully and the wedding of the year... When celebrity novelist Johanna Morgan surprises everyone by arriving back in Linden Gully three weeks early for her best friend's wedding, she's shocked to find her ex-boyfriend Ryan Galloway is back too and well-integrated in the community as the local vet. Jo's maid-of-honour duties are not the only thing that's brought her home. The family homestead of Yarrapinga is now her responsibility, and Jo needs to decide whether to keep it – and replace old memories with new ones – or sell it and cut off all ties to her childhood and her home. Ryan has brought his young daughter home to Linden Gully to provide stability after the death of her mother. The last thing he needs is Jo's return, and all of the emotional turmoil that she brings with her. Thrown together as attendants at their best friends' wedding, Jo and Ryan have no choice but to grin and bear all the tension. But it's not only resentment lingering between them. The attraction is still there, and the heat and the memories. They say you can't come home again, but maybe, for Jo and Ryan, home is not just a place, but a state of the heart.

Feels Like Home

Move to the country for $1 a week. Dulili is suffering a people drought. Over the years more people have moved away than have arrived to stay in this old New South Wales farming town, and now only a handful of young families and elderly residents are left. The locals put a plan into action to entice newcomers: offering the town's empty houses to newcomers from anywhere in Australia. Who could resist renting a beautiful homestead for a dollar a week? Newly divorced Bea Elliot needs Honey Hill House for more than just a quaint project – restoring a ramshackle old farm house to a successful B&B will prove to her family – and herself – that she is strong enough to make a go of things on her own. She doesn't need anyone to help her, even if the guy next door is remarkably obliging, delightfully generous, and terribly charming. A city girl won't last six months in the country, but Callum 'Mitch' Mitchell has good manners and loves his town, so he'll be neighbourly, but keep his distance. Experience has taught him not to get involved with out–of–towners. Even if this out–of–towner is surprisingly resilient, unexpectedly tough, and unpredictably fond of local football. Good fences make good neighbours, but in Dulili, it seems like barriers might instead be breaking down...

Honey Hill House

"A wonderful story, full of emotional depth and heart." Rachael Johns FOUR DIFFERENT WOMEN. THE SAME BIG PROBLEM. ONE MAGICAL SOLUTION? Mezz is overweight and overworked: she's convinced it's only a matter of time until her husband starts to stray. Jewels is fat and fabulous, but if she wants the baby she craves, the Tim Tams have to go. Ellie's life looks perfect to her London friends on Facebook: she keeps her waistline out of the photos and her loneliness to herself. Kat will do anything to keep her daughter Ami happy and safe. If she can just lose that baby weight, she's sure Ami's dad will stick around. In this heartwarming, heartbreaking story, four women who meet online in a weight loss forum learn that losing weight might not be the key to happiness, but believing in the ones you live - and yourself - just might be. MORE PRAISE FOR THE SHAPE OF US 'Lisa Ireland gets right to the heart of female friendship, exploring topics every woman can relate to.' Rachael Johns, author of The Art of Keeping Secrets 'Every so often a book comes along which captures your thoughts so well it could have been written with you in mind. The Shape of Us is a thought-provoking and perceptive glance into the lives of women (and men) grappling with confidence and self-image problems and the impact it has on their lives.' Queensland Times 'The Shape of Us is a heart-warming, heart-breaking tale of women's friendship.' Daily Examiner 'Will make you both laugh and cry...Lisa Ireland believes people are worth so much more than numbers on a scale or what clothing they can fit into - and her book shows how important that is.' The Weekly Times 'A highly relatable story on many levels...ultimately, a book about friendship and support.' Beauty & Lace

The Shape of Us

Tricia Stringer

Shirley Wine

A collection of captivating rural stories from three bestselling Australian authors. Queen of the Road by Tricia Stringer For struggling single mum Angela Ranger, a job driving trucks in small town Munirilla is a lifeline. But Munirilla may not be the godsend it seemed. Her accommodation is dingy, her fellow truckies are less than happy to see her, and the locals are reluctant to use her services. As much as he likes Angela, farm-manager Coop has problems of his own - sheep are going missing, his neighbours are acting strangely and the demons of his past are urging him to move on again. Put to the test, will they follow reason and leave? Or follow their hearts and build a home...together? Honey Hill House by Lisa Ireland Newly divorced Bea Elliot needs Honey Hill House for more than just a quaint project - converting the ramshackle farm house to a successful B&B will prove to her family, and herself, that she is strong enough to go it alone. Callum 'Mitch' Mitchell will be neighbourly to the new city girl. But experience has taught him not to get involved with out-of-towners - even if they're surprisingly irresistible. Good fences make good neighbours but, in small town Dulili, it seems like barriers might instead be breaking down... Ask Me No Questions by Shirley Wine Returning to Darkhaven after ten years, Logan is greeted with suspicion and distrust. Cambridge residents have long memories and he quickly discovers he can't escape the ghosts of his past, Piper - the woman he left behind - or the grief that threatens to bring him to his knees... He's heard it said often enough that you can never return home...and it looks like they were right. Will learning his secrets push Piper further away, or will he get a second chance at love?

A Small Town Heart/Queen of the Road/Honey Hill House/Ask Me No Questions

'An endearing novel about one gutsy, smart and inspirational woman. I want to be Shirley when I grow up.' Rachael Johns 'Elderly. Is that how the world sees me? A helpless little old lady? If only they knew. I allow myself a small smirk.' When Shirley Sullivan signs her 83-year-old husband, Frank, out of the Sunset Lodge Nursing Home, she has no intention of bringing him back. For fifty-seven years the couple has shared love, happiness and heartbreak. And while Frank may not know who his wife is these days, he knows he wants to go home. Back to the beach where they met in the early 1960s . . . So Shirley enacts an elaborate plan to evade the authorities – and their furious daughter, Fiona – to give Frank the holiday he’d always dreamed of. And, in doing so, perhaps Shirley can make amends for a lifelong guilty secret . . . 'With both humour and heart, The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan takes the reader on a (literal) journey – in a Kombi van! – following one couple’s unconventional love story, and examining the lengths a person will go to to right the wrongs of a lifetime. This is Lisa Ireland’s breakout novel for sure.' Sally Hepworth 'Lisa Ireland’s writing is simply magical, and Shirley’s charming and heartfelt story brought me to tears again and again. The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan is one of my favourite books, ever.' Kelly Rimmer 'This moving story, celebrating ageing and all types of love, will leave you with a smile on your face and warmth in your heart.' Rachael Johns

Lisa Ireland

Books

Your next favorite book is out there