Honour They Father

 Honour Thy Father

Yarragon Series #1

Susan Mackie

Reviewed by Helen

WOW MS. Mackie you have left me speechless, what an awesome story I don’t know where to start, I loved it so much thank you now let’s see if I can do it justice with my review.

2026 Abigail Cameron has been through so much lately, miscarriage broken marriage and mental health issues, she knows she needs a break and to find something that makes Abbie happy something that brings her joy but will she find it in a trip to stay with her beloved grandmother, Sylvia in Yarragon, hopefully it will help. Sylvia has just been diagnosed with dementia but her past memory is still there and soon for Abbie it is like watching a favourite TV show as Gran unravels the family past, secrets, lies and betrayal things that have shaped the generations of her family.

1911 Isabel Robertson is eleven years old when her family sets sail from Scotland, her Da, Ma and three brothers James, Ernest and younger Frank, they are going to open up a new bakery in a small country town in Victoria a meeting with another Scott, Mr. Cameron on arrival sees them move to Yarragon, Isabel is very mature for her age and her father is very stern and rules the family, her mother also is strong but not loving even though Isabel knows that love is there.

As Abbie hears the story of Isabel who was Sylvia’s mother in law her heart opens and breaks with the story that takes in the years of World War one the loss of family and the forbidden love that Isabel finds and what of the shame that comes to the family, the choices that Isabel must make to go on.

And for Abbie she is finding things that bring her joy, making friends and starting to feel like a member of the community and then there is Mal, her giant man, Yarragon is the place that Abbie wants to stay, she loves being with her gran and the happiness is growing will she find love with Mal?

This story is brilliant, it has so much in it, awesome characters a fabulous setting it is filled with emotion, every emotion there is and I felt every one of them while reading it, I loved Abbie and Sylvia as well as Mal and Maeve, this is one that I highly recommend, the start of a new series woohoo, I am now eagerly awaiting book two. Don’t miss this one Susan Mackie is an author who makes her readers feel part of the story, I never miss one of her stories.

My thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

July 9, 2026 by Small Town Publishing

The Windmill in the Silver Gums

 The Windmill in the Silver Gums

Leonie Kelsall

Reviewed by Helen

Another awesome visit to Settlers Bridge, I do love coming here it is like a visit with family and friends and this one is a duel time story and I loved it.

2025 Indie Jaensch has lived all of her life in Settlers Bridge the land is in her blood, the family farm which has sheep and crops has been in the family for over one hundred years and no matter what happens Indie is determined to keep it that way, through hard times and good. Life is hard at the moment after an accident, the drought is not breaking and the debt is rising can Indie keep the property going?

Blake Robertson is a farm worker trying to find what he really wants in life and he is drawn to Indie, her strength shines through and he is determined to help were ever he can, Indie is not one for accepting help but when a shared farm contract she has turns upside down Blake finds himself caught in the middle will he be able to convince Indie to trust him and of his love?

1915 Rose Lehmann is a young girl who wants adventure in her life but with the war things are hard in her small German based community in South Australia and a visit to her aunt sees her meet Kurt Jaensch and love blooms the letters Rose receives are filled with love and so much more but Kurt is determined to sign up for the country and Rose has other ideas but when he is taken into a camp and Rose heart-broken as their marriage will have to wait but she is pregnant but living on the Jaensch property will Rose find her way to adventure or will she see what she has?

Indie finds Rose’s journals and is soon Indie feels what she went through and is more determined than ever to keep the farm going as was Rose’s dream all those years ago and as for Blake he is a good man and she has never had these feelings for anyone before could this be love, could they be heading for a HEA?

This is another fabulous story, well written, moving and filled with emotion as we get to know Indie and Rose and share with them the hardships of two different times, love is there and these woman are both strong and determined, I loved this one and I do highly recommend it, thank you MS< Kelsall for another beautiful story in my favourite place.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin AU for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

June 30, 2026 by Allen & Unwin AU

Under Darling Skies

 Under Darling Skies

Daughters of the Darling #5

Annie Seaton

Reviewed by Helen

We are back on The Darling River at Ceann Mara were the youngest daughter Bridget has come to after everything that has happened with her ex, Antony Saar, the technology business that has turned into a nightmare, but will Bridget find herself again at home on the river that has meant so much to her growing up?

Bridget has arrived home a shell of the person she was, her confidence is shattered and her mum Laura and Dad Tom are doing their best to help her, her sisters are all worried but she needs time, time to re-coup and find herself again and maybe that just might start when she takes herself off to the river for a camping weekend and meets someone from her childhood past Danny Walsh he was her best friend through primary school could he be the rock she needs to become herself again?

Another story is unfolding as Tom and Cat researches the O’Byrne family and uncovers the mystery of Roisin O’Byrne who went missing when she was fifteen from her family home in Toorak, Melbourne in the 1880’s her story is a sad one but taught her survival and showed the strength she had during such hard times a story that led her to the river. This one is very moving and so good.

This is another fabulous story in this series and one that I highly recommend it takes in some issues of control and manipulation but shows how Bridget with the help and love of her family and Danny and the river helped her make her way back to herself, I loved it, it was a fabulous ending that left me smiling all five daughters with their HEA and history uncovered and I am very excited that there will be another one in the series that of Laura O’Byrne.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

April 24, 2026 by ASA

Charlie's Last Angel

 Charlie's Last Angel

Maggie Christensen

Reviewed by Helen

A new story from Maggie Christensen, this one is a standalone and I thoroughly enjoyed it, well written and wonderful characters MS. Christensen knows how to bring her older characters to life and make her stories real and honest, come along and meet Harri and Charles.

Harriet (Harri) Caldwell is fifty one and headmistress at the prestigious girls school Lilian Cooper College in Brisbane she is strong and capable and loves her single life and her little house in a great suburb, she gets on well with her work colleagues and has a very good friend Amber.

Charles Kaye is a QC Barrister, he is divorced and the father of three adult daughters and two granddaughters, he is used to being in the limelight and since his divorce has spent is time dating young woman who his daughters call Charlie’s Angels but nothing permanent.

Harri and Charles meet at an art gallery opening and life changes for them both their relationship grows quickly which neither expected but they appear to be perfect for each other. Unfortunately Charlie’s daughters or really one of them Nicole is not happy and with his ex-wife hanging around and then their relationship goes public the media arrive and Harri is feeling very uncomfortable. Her quiet life seems to be over and Harri is having second thoughts about her future and the marriage that Charles wants so much, will they work through this?

I loved this story Harri and Charles are such wonderful characters and I felt their emotions through the words on the pages the daughters are a big part of the story Nicole being the hardest to get on with and she had me yelling at her but this is a fabulous story and one that I highly recommend, especially if you enjoy older couples.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

June 9, 2026 by Cala Publishing

Tides of Belonging

 Tides of Belonging

Saltwater Romance #4

Rhonda Forrest

Reviewed by Helen

Another fabulous story in the wonderful series this one is very moving and emotional as Eileen MacCullagh arrives on Stradbroke Island for a holiday with her sisters Kat and Grace after a symposium in Brisbane, Eileen is the sister who has her life mapped out and very well planned she is a very ambitious woman and is determined to make her way in the medical world and the symposium she was just at opened some doors for her and maybe her eyes as well she has three weeks to relax before her life will move back into work-mode.

When Eileen arrives to a very happy family she also finds Jock the man she had such a great evening with at Kat and Lachie’s wedding nearly one year ago she let herself run free that night dance and one kiss that has stayed with her all this time and now this handsome Scottish wanderer is here as well and Eileen still feels that pull towards him but nothing can ever come of it, it is not in her plans. And then the offer that she has been wanting for years comes through the job that was part of her plan but instead of jumping in Eileen seems to be panicking, what is happening?

Jock has come back to Australia to finally do something that his grandfather wanted him to do and that is trace back all those years ago to when he first met his grandmother and they left Queensland and travelled to Scotland to make a new life, Jock has some drawings and a journal and is determined to retrace their steps in a van, but planning is not something that he is good at, and then Eileen is there the woman he has never forgotten and soon they are working together on this trip but will he be able to help Eileen de-stress and find out what she really wants.

The journey starts and what a journey it is two different people one meticulous at planning and one who just goes with the flow will they get through this trip up north following the steps of Jock’s grandparents will Eileen find what she truly wants and what will Jock uncover about his grandparents?

I loved this one so much I was up late last night finishing it, I love Eileen and Jock and of course being back on Stradbroke Island with the friends that I have made with the other books in the series was awesome and that road trip is the best so descriptive I felt I was with them on the journey. Rhonda Forrest is one of my favourite authors her stories are real and so easy to fall into and make friends with her characters and I do highly recommend this one and the series, I loved it.

My thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

May 28, 2026 by Valeena Press

Sunrise at Sunny Cross Farm

 Sunrise at Sunny Cross Farm

Maya Linnell

Reviewed by Helen

I loved this one so much Maya Linnell never disappoints me with her stories they are filled with so much heart and awesome characters and beautiful settings and the food is always good, it was just so good being back on the Limestone Coast catching up with friends we have met before and meeting new ones, throw in a reality TV show and this is one that is sure to keep you turning the pages.

Spencer Hawkins loves his job as an English teacher and being a bee-keeper he is a widower and stays close to the farm where he lives with his in-laws but a promise made to his wife sees him before the cameras as a contestant on Love on the Land will Spencer find love again?

Clem Crossley is a divorced mother of two little girls she is putting everything she has into running her Farm Gate Café at the gates of Sunny Cross Farm where she grows sunflowers, Clem has been through a lot and finding love or even looking for it is not on the cards but when she is called to do the catering for the TV production she soon sees a side of Spencer that she has never seen before.

When her daughter Harriet signs up for the Penwarra Players annual play and Clem also volunteers to help on the school camp, Clem and Spencer are spending more time in each others company and are drawn to each other in ways neither really though would happen again, could there be a chance for love for both of them or will things in their past and the TV show put a stop to what could be?

This is a beautiful story, moving and emotional, yes there were tears from me as they open up about their pasts and the author has taken on some issues that are deeply emotional and she has done it so well with care and empathy, I loved the characters who are in this one Harriet and Indie Clem’s daughters they are the best and they made me smile, I do highly recommend this one, a truly beautiful story, thank you MS Linnell.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin AU and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

June 2, 2026 by Allen & Unwin

Winter on the Mountain

 Winter on the Mountain

Scenic Rim Romance #1

Rhonda Forrest

Reviewed by Helen

This is such a fabulous story a duel time line a romance that lasted forever and a new one that grows after a meeting in a cemetery, come along and meet Sally, Tom and Sally’s nana Iris.

Sally Andrews is a writer of historical fiction with added romance and has taken her ninety six year old Nana for a visit to the cemetery, not for the reason you would think and during their antics she meets Tom Schilling an historian and writer Tom is there researching a family member who went to New Guinea during World War 2 and never returned and there is no information on what happened to him this has been a worry for the family for three generations, Nana insists on a coffee and soon Sally and Tom are deep in research mode doing all they can to trace Tom’s long lost great uncle.

They are spending lots of time together as friends but there is more than friendship there and as they uncover facts along the way this brings them to trace the missing ship that had been bombed by the USA and never found, will they finally find the resting place of Tom’s uncle?

Sally is also writing Iris’s story along the way and what a love story that started in Papua during the war, oh the tears that I shed while Tom’s uncle’s story is uncovered and Iris’s story as well but there are laugh out loud moments with Iris, she is the best and Sally and Tom their love grows in one of the most beautiful settings, I fell in love with everything about this story and cannot recommend it enough, with true facts running throughout the story, really is beautiful, moving, emotional and witty with smiles as well, don’t miss this one, thank you Rhonda Forrest for another brilliant story.

The authors note at the end was moving, this story is linked with her family and the missing ship it was a heartbreaking time for many families back then, thank heavens for research.

My thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

May 17, 2026 by Valeena Press

The Sugeon's Surprise Baby

 The Surgeon's Surprise Baby

Montana Made #5

Eve Gaddy

Reviewed by Helen

Surgeon Ryan Hunter had a lot happen when he was in the Middle East and when he left and came back home he made a life of moving around and not staying too long in one place but when he was in Denver he met Aria DeLuca he stayed for two years with this beautiful woman but suddenly left he felt his growing love for her and that was not what he felt he deserved, so he found a new place in Marietta with his best friend Connor.

Aria had grown up with just her Mum when her father left when she was seven and is a very independent and strong woman her two years with Ryan were supposed to be no strings but her heart had fallen for Ryan and then he hurt her when he left but she then discovered she was pregnant and a mother she was going to be, but she felt Ryan needed to know so a big change in her life her and baby Sophie moved to Marietta to start a business and introduce Sophie to her father but she wants Ryan to be a good father not one that leaves again and there is a pull and push relationship.

Once they meet up again Ryan knows that he loves Aria and his daughter but can her prove to Aria that she can trust him, for Aria trust is hard to come by and they have a very rocky journey to a HEA and at times Aria was extremely hard on Ryan but Ryan was ever the caring and loving man and father. This is a lovely romance that I enjoyed very much.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

4 stars

May 12, 2026 by Tule Publishing

The Crofter's Song

 The Crofter's Song

Outback Skye #3

Heather Reyburn

Reviewed by Helen

Book three in this awesome series, this time we get to know Roslyn and it was a joy getting to know her and meeting Dan and of course catching up with Lucy and Fergus and another visit to Skye and it was fabulous, I really loved my trip and the story.

Roslyn Bryant is a physiotherapist, she is nearing sixty and has been divorced for many years she has been living on the family property with her aging father since the death of her mother and now that her father has passed she discovers some things while cleaning up and is stunned to find a letter that looks like it will change things for her she always felt a little different from her two brothers and two sisters although always loved but it appears now that she has a mystery to uncover and plans a trip to The Isle of Skye to visit her friend Lucy and uncover the mystery.

Dan Bailey was once a talented musician part of a band from the 1960’s with his brothers but that was years ago and now after an accident has left him unable to play his guitar running his farm in Tenterfield NSW is not easy but when a his family inherits a rundown croft in Scotland he goes to get it ready to sell, could this be the trip that will change his life for the better when he meets another Australian searching for answers.

When on a walk Roslyn hears someone singing that brings back so many memories she must find out who it is and soon her and Dan are fast friends with a love growing between them as they both search for answers and become tourists in one of the most beautiful places, will they get the answers they are both searching for and will they find a chance at finding the love that both of them deserve?

This is a heartwarming, moving and beautiful story, fabulous characters and an awesome trip the Hebrides in Scotland MS. Reyburn has pulled me in and made me feel part of the story and tip, I do highly recommend this one and the series, it is a beautiful story and I loved it.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

June 3, 2026

Out of the Blue

 Out of the Blue

Penelope Janu

Reviewed by Helen

Another totally awesome story from one of my favourite authors, Penelope Janu’s stories are always filled with emotion, they are moving with strong caring and for her male heroes somewhat arrogant characters and her story lines involve the environment and the care it should be having and this one takes us to the sub-Antarctic, come along for a story that is sure to keep you turning the pages.

Felicity “Flick” Atherton has had a somewhat emotionally troubled past but has moved on and is an ornithologist who studies the migratory patents of birds and she also shares the care of her late brother’s daughter Matilda and has to contend with her uncaring and demanding mother, she has had many jobs and at present is at the Dubbo Zoo but that job is coming to an end and she needs something else to help pay the bills when an offer comes from UN Environmental team funding to take on an assignment on Morrison Island in the sub-Antarctic Flick is challenged because of her past but needs must but the UN representative Sebastien Thorsen comes across arrogant and she will not let a man tell her what to do but she will do her job efficiently.

During the flight and ship crossing Seb stays by Flick’s side but, Sebastien is not sure in the end that Flick is the right person for the job and their relationship is one battle after another this is a very close knit community and Flick has been making friends and they can see the tension that is there between them and Flick is so determined to her job and more if she can to prove Seb wrong about her but the feelings between them grow and get more complicated and then when Nate arrives and asks Flick to do more danger arrives and Seb is determined to keep Flick safe but will he be able to?

Flick arrives home to her life with plans to change some things for the better, but can she truly leave Seb out of her life forever?

This is such a brilliant story I loved it from start to finish and of course it is always great catching up with characters that I have gotten to know from other stories and to finally see Nate get his story was so good, this is a story that I do highly recommend Penelope Janu’s tenth and they just get better, her take on environmental issues and the research she does makes the stories not only wonderful but you learn so much from them as well, the characters, Nate, Angelina, Robin added so much to the story and the setting what can I say it was the best I felt like I was there with the penguins, the albatross and the seals, yes don’t miss this one, and I would really love to see Fin get his story now. Thank you, MS. Janu, for another awesome story.

My thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

May 26, 2026 by HQ Fiction