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

Beneath Still Waters

 Beneath Still Waters

Daughters of the Darling #4

Annie Seaton

Reviewed by Helen

Another fabulous story in this series that I am loving, this is Shea O’Byrne’s story the fourth of five daughters and also the story of Catherine O’Byrne from the 1870’s and one that had me turning the pages.

Shea is a veterinarian nurse a caring and loving woman who feels for people in so many ways but when a relationship goes wrong and a loss brings her heartbreak Shea takes off from the job she loves in Broken Hill and makes her way to Melbourne where she can hide she keeps thing from her family and sisters and that is not like her, but Melbourne brings her hope when she meets Eliza and Heath and takes on a new career in counselling leaning towards woman who have lost babies, and Heath is breaking down walls that she has built around her heart.

Catherine loves travelling the paddle steamers along the Murray and Darling Rivers with her father the country opens her heart better than Melbourne but when she makes a decision that leaves her pregnant and single Catherine takes her future in her hands and moves to Wentworth here she makes her life as a healer and her and her daughter live a rewarding life.

Shea and Heath are both living in Wentworth now and she feels the pull of the rivers and with her father’s search into the history of their family they find a link to Catherine in Wentworth the missing daughter they have been looking for and Shea feels a connection with this ancestor, and for the first time in a while Shea is feeling like her old self and the closeness with her family is back and her heart is filled with love for Heath.

This is a fabulous story that I loved, and I am now ready to dive into book five Bridget’s story, I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a good romance with a duel timeline one that has wonderful characters, it is moving and will keep you turning the pages.

5 stars

November 20, 2025 by ASA

Home to the Cowboy

Home to the Cowboy

The Westons of Montana #5

Elsa Winckler

Reviewed by Helen

 We are back in Marietta for another lovely story about The Weston’s now that the cousins have come together and re-joined the ranch, Dylan and brother Carson are settling in with their cousins and getting used to the intuition that seems to run through some of them, but will their match-making see Dylan find the love of his life?

Dylan can’t see himself ever falling in love after his early years with his mum and dad but when he finds a woman walking into town from her broken down car in the pouring rain there is some feeling, pull that is something that he has no idea about but rescue her he does and from then on in she stays in his mind as they spend more and more time together.

June Kincaid who we have met before is returning to Marietta, she visited once and maybe it is time for a holiday she will be working as well as her publishing career is important to her and she really wants to write that children’s book that has been in her mind for sometime but looking or finding love was never on the cards that is until she meets Dylan Weston.

The pull between them is too hard to ignore as their together time heats up and with the match-making Weston’s around there is not much they can do except go with it all and lose their hearts to each other, this one is a steamy and moving romance that I would recommend to any lover of romance.

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

4 stars

May 5, 2026 by Tule Publishing

May Day Magic

 May Day Magic

The Enchanted Village #6

Annie Seaton

Reviewed by Helen

We are back in Lower Thistlewick for another magical and enchanted story this time teacher Patrick Doyle has arrived to take on a new position at the high school in the English department, teaching has always been what he wanted to do even if his family thought he could have excelled at another profession, life had been good at his last school in Bristol until it wasn’t, an incident changes everything, resigning he takes this new job hoping that he will become himself again.

As soon as he arrives in the town and moves into Lavender Cottage he can feel the peace the cottage oozes, he meets Lily Morrison and as friendship grows Patrick can feel himself returning to what he knows he was once, Lily helps him by listening and then there is one of his students, Emma she too is a help and she knows that Lily and him could be more than just friends.

Another heart-warming and up-lifting story in this series, the village works its magic again, the characters are wonderful and I loved catching up with friends that I had already made, this is one that I do recommend to any reader who loves a story that will leave them smiling.

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

5 stars

May 20, 2026 by ASA

By the Billabong

 By the Billabong

Daughters of the Darling #3

Annie Seaton

Reviewed by Helen

I am loving this series and catching up is so good, visiting Ceann Mara a property that has been in the O’Byrne family for over one hundred years is so good and this time Erin has arrived home alone without her husband Jack, will they overcome their separation and what of the story from the past that Tom O’Byrne is researching Gilbert and Matilda, two stories one from the past and this one had me turning the pages.

Erin arrives home broken hearted and worried about Jack, he left on a photographic assignment to Africa and for nearly three months there has been no contact with him, he promised to be home for Cat and Logan’s wedding but it appears that he is not coming, she is camping in the motorhome by the billabong when another camper Miles McKenzie arrives his booking was supposed to have been cancelled but he appears quiet and easy company for the lonely Erin.

Erin’s father Tom is a real history buff and has been researching the family history for many years with Cat’s help and they have hit a road block with Gilbert O’Byrne they know he went to war in 1916 but after that there is nothing about him, not even a notice from the government about him missing in action, there must be something and when Erin on a walk around the billabong discovers a stone deep in the ground this appears to me something that has been put there by their neighbour Matilda Ellis all those years ago and this may just give them a new lead to follow up and find the answers they have wanted?

Erin is not sure if her marriage is over still no news from Jack and with Logan and Tom both wary of the camper Miles it appears that they are correct when things turn on a visit to neighbour, Reg Erin finds herself in danger she has confidence that her family will be there for her and save her and Reg but will they get there in time and what of Jack.

This is a fabulous story both timelines are moving and pulled me in, wonderful characters I love the O’Byrne family the strength that they share and the love they give and after all that Jack has been through will their love be strong enough to last? Gilbert and Matilda’s story was so moving and beautiful.

I loved this one and highly recommend it, I am looking forward to Shea’s story next.

5 stars

April 18, 2025 by ASA