Offering escape to readers and its heroines, The Augathella Girls, an Australian outback-set romance series has austere landscapes, strong characters to root for, and fish-out-of-water tensions aplenty. This 8-book series by Annie Seaton is perfect for fans of small-town romances and sagas like Virgin River. Let’s take a look at the first 5 books in the series.
Book 1, Outback Roads: The Nanny – Fleeing heartbreak after being dumped live on-air by her boorish fiancé, TV news weather presenter Callie takes an unlikely job as a nanny for a cantankerous widowed rancher, Braden. Naturally, sparks fly before too long and Callie just might find a life to adore, not endure.
Book 2, Outback Roads: The Pilot, shifts focus, with Braden and family receding into the periphery, to introduce another seemingly odd couple: Fallon, a self-reliant bush pilot and Jon Ogilvy, a stressed cattle station manager, who clash when Fallon returns home to help manage the family business. Naturally, neither approves of the other’s approach to work, land and relationships.
Outback Escape: The Sister, book 3, returns to Kilcoy station and one of The Pilot’s managers, Mason Kent. He contends here with the return of his ex, Sophie, once a wild child, sister of Braden. Can Sophie settle into a different kind of life? Can Mason forgive?
Book 4 in the Kilcoy-set series (Outback Winds: The Jillaroo) inverts the women seeking escape theme established in the last 3 stories: heroine Amelia wants nothing more than to return home and to the outdoor life for good, after an abortive high-flying city career. She’s set in contrast and conflict to the man she loves, Ben, who can’t wait to leave.
By the opener of book 5, Outback Dawn: The Visitor, an impending wedding brings the mysterious Laura home to Kilcoy, to visit a family she rarely sees (Braden and his sons) and much to the chagrin of local doctor Harry. Both must navigate secrets, family resentments, and old hurts to find happiness.
