AUSTRALIAN AUTHORS MARKETPLACE – BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH

Each month, the team at AAM recommends eight books, by genre, from the featured books gallery. Please enjoy.

 

(Click the book cover to purchase).

HISTORICAL FICTION
ABOUT THIS BOOK

Galway, Ireland. 1841. The Thornton family faces a decision which will put their lives on the line.

The Thorntons are in debt to their wealthy landlord, and their dream of owning land of their own seems an impossible one; while across the world, the colony of New South Wales calls for farmers to work the rich plains west of Sydney.

Mick and Cate and their two young boys survive 12,000 miles of treacherous seas, gales and sickness, but that’s just the start of a rollercoaster ride through dangerous territory; prison bars, crooked cops, bushfire, outlaws, and the gold rush, to name just a few.

Wide Sky People is a gripping tale of adventure in an untamed world where the price of success is hard work, a will of iron and a little luck. Two generations of Thorntons will take you on a journey of action, suspense, sadness, love and laughter. Join the people who saw a wide sky full of promise, and turned a colony into a country.

This is the first volume of the Thornton series. The second, ‘Breaking Lucky’, is out now on Amazon.

 

CRIME – SCIENCE FICTION
ABOUT THIS BOOK

Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper the Whitechapel serial killer whose identity remains a mystery to this day.
But what if there is more to this mystery than meets the eye? What if the identity of the murderer is more than
human? A fugitive from another world who joins forces with Scotland Yard is soon to discover that past and future
events have created a monster, which ignites fear and outrage on the streets of the East End.
To stop the murderous rampage in 1888, Professor Orlando Delbrotman must solve one of the most brutal mysteries of the 19th century…without changing history…

SHORT READ – RURAL CRIME
ABOUT THIS BOOK
In this North Queensland Coastal Crime ‘Short Read’, Journalist Lilly Crafter is thrown into partnership with her estranged husband, Detective Sergeant Jackson Crafter when she witnesses a brutal murder involving corrupt police. On the run for their lives as a massive cyclone bears down on the coast, they must navigate a storm of violence and betrayal to expose a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top.
 
 

THRILLER
ABOUT THIS BOOK

Ex-Captain of Royal Marines turned investigative writer, Harry Mills’ life is torn apart when his wife Bernadette, a journalist, is brutally murdered as she is investigating under age sex trafficking across Europe. Harry has no desire to follow her investigation but this changes when he is contacted by a girl who had been interviewed by Bernadette and who gives him information on her killers. Helped by an ex-German senior police officer with the Bundespolizei, Günther Wolff, Harry is introduced to a group who help trafficked women. Harry’s involvement deepens to an explosive ending and in the journey he deals with his grief, finds new love and enacts revenge on Bernadette’s killers.

HISTORICAL FICTION
ABOUT THIS BOOK

Margeret “Mags” McClement grew up amid sawdust and the harsh rhythms of the Australian bush, struggling under a mother who saw her as a “bad seed.” In the remote Eastern Dorrigo plateau, the sawmill became both refuge and proving ground, where Mags learned resilience from her devoted father and the watchful care of Old Natty.

As the Great Depression and World War shaped her world, Mags transformed ambition into action, mastering the Canadian saw and dreaming of building her own timber enterprise. Along the way, she confronted bitter rivalries, devastating losses, and family secrets that threatened everything she had worked for.

The Sawmillers Daughter is a sweeping saga of grit, loyalty, and determination. It tells the story of a woman who carved a place for herself in a man’s world, built a lasting legacy in Australia’s timber industry, and ensured that her family—and their mill—would endure for generations to come.

FANTACY
ABOUT THIS BOOK

The kingdom of Valloria has fallen. Its king executed. The royal bloodline believed erased. Or so the conquerors thought. A lone prince survived – hidden, raised in secrecy by a thief, far from the throne stolen from him. Thalian has never sought power. But when rumours of the lost heir begin to spread, the hunt begins. Steel alone cannot defeat what is coming. To reclaim his kingdom, Thalian must become more than a survivor – before Shadowbane devours not only Valloria, but every living thing in its path.

SHORT READ – META PHYSICAL
ABOUT THIS BOOK

He wanted to end his pain. Instead, he detached from reality.

Shattered by the sudden death of his wife, Robert Warner makes a desperate choice to end his life. But instead of darkness, his consciousness fractures.

Hovering on the thin, vibrating line between life and death, Robert finds himself propelled onto the astral plane. In this realm of pure energy, he is met by two familiar souls: his late father and his departed wife.

As the silver cord pulling him back to Earth begins to fray, they reveal cosmic truths about his purpose, his grief, and the true nature of existence. Robert is faced with the ultimate choice: cross over into eternity, or return to a broken physical world with a newly awakened soul?

A profound, 20-minute metaphysical short read exploring love, the afterlife, and what lies beyond the physical body.

 
 

HISTORICAL FICTION
ABOUT THIS BOOK

History remembers the victors. Fiction honours the hearts that made it possible.
From Royal court to battlefield honour—and finally, the court of law—his fate hangs on a remarkable seven-hour testimony–his own.
In 1534 AD, William, 3rd Baron Dacre, and 7th Baron Greystoke, nobleman and seasoned statesman, stands accused of treason.
The charge: Accused of secret dealings with Scotland.
The penalty: Death.
Lord William will defend himself. No counsel.
His voice and his faith, alone, against the crown.
Just 7 hours to defend his life.
How did he learn to turn suspicion into acquittal?
What gave his voice the power to sway a court and king?
Who stood by him and who turned away?
A true story of eloquence, resilience and survival in Tudor England’s most perilous hour.

BUT his story and the forging of alliances BEGAN TWO DECADES EARLIER, which is where our journey begins…
William learned to love fiercely, defy evil and shape his legacy.
My Heart My Blood is a non-spicy, historically faithful Tudor adventure, romance.
Set in the shadow of the Battle of Flodden, 1513 AD—where Scottish valour met English might in tragic collision— Lady Elizabeth Talbot and William Dacrae, heir to the baronies of Greystoke and Dacrae, are entwined within the vibrantly artistic court of dowager Queen Margaret Tudor. Balancing loss, hope, friendships, loyalty, duty and love with courage, faith and humour.
Sparkling and witty banter, tender moments, and vividly drawn personalities, invite readers into a world where character is forged.
Adventure, laughter, intrigue, and mischief are woven through the harsher realities of war, fragile peace, and personal sacrifice, as allegiances and the underpinnings of faith, shift across the Anglo‑Scottish borderlands.
Meticulously researched and grounded in history, this fascinating work of historical fiction brings to life the stories of the forebears—plausible yet wholly fictional—set against the turbulent backdrop of Tudor England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.