Western Australia, 1890. Fourteen-year-old Sarette Maitland is orphaned when her father dies of a snake bite on the goldfields. Left to fend for herself by her father’s villainous partner, she is rescued by a wealthy adventurer, John Kern, and takes the place in his heart of his own dead daughter.

Several years later, he reluctantly sends her back to England, to the manners society expects of a beautiful young woman.

1840: Miranda Jarvis would do anything to protect her sister - so when Lucy comes down with a fever, she thinks nothing of stealing a loaf of bread from a local landowner. After all, things can't get much worse. Miranda doesn't count on being nearly brained by the cook's rolling pin...but nor does she count on the house's owner himself. The respectable shipowner Sir James, known for his philanthropy, takes a keen interest in Miranda and her sister.

Raised in the slums in 1850s London, Celia Laws is a rarity, an educated young woman whose creative skills have attracted notice. But with family to care for, circumstances have driven her to pickpocketing. In Celia's harsh world, it's a small step from picking pockets to prostitution. When a young man offers her a fortune to spend a week with him, she takes the money and runs. But Celia's conscience can't allow her to forget the money she stole, and she is soon brought face-to-face with her past…

1812. Clever, strong-willed Vivienne Fox is unexpectedly endowed with riches beyond her wildest dreams when a distant cousin dies, leaving her his fortune. Unwed at 24, Vivienne still hopes the right man is out there, but she despairs of ever finding him, and she is determined that rumours of her new-found wealth be quashed, lest she be courted for her purse rather than her heart. Renowned rake Lord Alex LeSayres comes to an unpleasant decision after the death of his father.

1815. Having fallen on hard times, doctor's daughter Grace Ellis serves as a lady's companion. But on Lady Florence's death, Grace discovers that she's been left an unexpected legacy by her former mistress. There's just one catch. In order to claim her inheritance, Grace must wed Lady Florence's disreputable nephew, a gruff army brigadier more than three times her age. She is offered a way out by family friend Dominic LeSayres, who determines to marry Grace himself in order to save her from a grim fate.

Sir Thomas Devere and Eleanor Hadrian have loved each other most of their lives - but sometimes love doesn't conquer all. Their chance at happiness was ruined by Tom's hasty marriage to someone else. Heartbroken, Nell left home, finding a new life as a teacher at a school for the blind. But when one of her supernaturally gifted students, Charlie, is kidnapped, Tom reappears, and her worlds collide. Tom claims he hasn't seen his wife since the day of their marriage...yet he fears the missing student could be his son.

New Zealand, 1866: the gold rush is on. Left to fend for herself, Lady Guinevere Stanhope is determined to do whatever it takes to rescue her ancestral home. Forced out of his native Ireland, Quinn O’Donnell dreams of striking gold. When a flash flood hits, Quinn is compelled to rescue Guinevere. Will they realise in time that all that glitters is not gold? Though a most inconvenient attraction forms between them, both remain determined to pursue their dreams whatever the cost.

Six long years ago, Captain Reynolds Macy sailed away from his bride, looking forward to the day when he would return to Nantucket Island with a ship's hold full of whale oil. But when that momentous day finally arrives, Ren soon discovers that everything has changed in his absence. Everything. "Is nothing on this island as it appears to be?" he whispers in despair. Unlike most islanders, bold and spirited Daphne Coffin doesn't defer to Ren as an authoritative whalemaster, but sees through his aloofness to the aching heart beneath. She encourages him to return to his Quaker roots and "mind the Light"....

When 18-year-old Kitty Carlisle's father dies in 1838, her suddenly impoverished mother hopes her beautiful daughter might at least find a good husband. But then, Kitty is compromised by an unscrupulous adventurer, and she is banished in disgrace to the colonies. In the infamous whaling port of Kororareka - known as the Hell-Hole of the Pacific - Kitty falls in love with Rian Farrell, a mysterious sea captain with secrets of his own. Shocking events force her to flee the Bay of Islands for Sydney, but her independent heart leads her into a web.

In 1875, 18-year-old would-be poet Jack Brennan runs away from home to avoid being pushed into the priesthood. Life soon looks rosy for Jack when he lands the teaching job he's always dreamed of and meets the love of his life, Eliza Hewlett. But his world is shattered when Mary Ellen, his landlord's daughter, falsely accuses him of fathering the child she is expecting. Jack and Eliza decide to escape to America. As they are about to sail, Jack is arrested and dragged from the ship, leaving Eliza alone en route to New York with only a few shillings in her pocket. 

Sussex, 1881. Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy's marriage to Sir Justin Whitcombe, three years before, gave new purpose to a life almost destroyed by the death of Lady Helena's first love. After all, shouldn't the preoccupations of a wife and hostess be sufficient to fulfill any aristocratic female's dreams? Such a shame their union wasn't blessed by children...but Lady Helena is content with her quiet country life until Sir Justin is found dead in the river overlooked by their grand baroque mansion. 

If you like Poldark, you'll love Gloria Cook! In the small mining village of Meryen, a dark secret lurks.... Amy Lewarne finds her life changed forever when she finds her brother, Toby, dead. And troubles follow when Titus Kivell, the head of a powerful yet belligerent family, puts his son, Sol, in Toby's place. Despite his wild and formidable nature, Amy is inexplicably drawn to Sol, as he is to her. But will his family ties be the ruin of her?

East Kent, 1876. With doting parents and siblings she adores, 16-year-old Rose Cheevers leads a contented life at Willow Place in Canterbury. A bright future ahead of her, she dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming a teacher. Then one traumatic day turns the Cheevers’ household upside down. What was once a safe haven has become a place of peril, and Rose is forced to flee with the younger children. Desperate, she seeks refuge in a remote village with a long-lost grandmother who did not know she existed. 

There are worse things than being spectacularly jilted. Losing a leg, for instance, or getting shot - well, perhaps not: The bullet Alistair took fighting in the peninsula never landed him in London's scandal sheets. Captain Alistair Beaumaris never dreamed he'd be tossed over by Lord Fairchild's bastard daughter, losing both her and her fortune - a singular humiliation that should have taught him a lesson. But when your luck is out, you do foolish things, like quarrel with your oldest friend. Or mistake a perfectly respectable widow for a lady of easy virtue.

Battered by the sea, Adam remembers nothing of his past, his ducal rank, nor of the shipwreck that almost claimed his life. However, he's delighted to hear that the golden-haired vision tending his wounds is his wife. Mariah's name and face may not be familiar, but her touch, her warmth, feel deliciously right....