Home is where the heart is, but will his secret change everything?

Set in the heart of the Australian countryside comes a gorgeous romance about the power of fate from bestselling author Mandy Magro.

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What happens when fate gets a little helping hand?

Sienna Lewis knows firsthand about being an Aussie battler, but she has her beautiful daughter, Zara, to keep fighting for. One day she dreams of giving Zara the life and big family she deserves. For now, Sienna can only focus on her work at the hospital. But when she connects with a new patient who has driven away nearly everyone in his life, she is astounded when he leaves her his sprawling Far-North Queensland property.

Mason King has worked tirelessly to follow in the footsteps of his beloved cattleman neighbour, Max, by raising ethically farmed cattle – despite the stream of disapproval from his old-fashioned father. Little does he know that Max, having seen sparks fly between Mason and Sienna, has set up his own plan to bring Sienna to town.

As new neighbours, Mason and Sienna discover they cherish similar things in life and are drawn to each other. Although, there’s a secret between them that could ruin everything… When all seems lost, will fate then have another twist in store for them?

Read an excerpt and read Mandy’s answers to The 5 Big Questions

Buy Home Sweet Home

What happens when fate gets a little helping hand?

Excerpt from Home Sweet Home
by Mandy Magro

PROLOGUE

‘I love you, so much, my gorgeous wife.’ Zachary’s voice was a soft whisper. His English accent was still strong, even though he’d called Australia home for almost half his life. Her heart buoyant, Sienna Lewis met the eyes of the man who had been by her side for twelve beautiful years.

‘I love you too, Zach, with all my heart.’ Resting her head back, she hummed softly to the Adam Brand song playing on the radio—it wasn’t often she heard country music in the big smoke of Brisbane. But then again, it had been a week filled with wonderful surprises, so what was one more? Life couldn’t get much better. Squished up beside her in the taxi, Zach was looking at her with nothing but love in his eyes. Smiling from her soul, she brushed a kiss over his cheek as she cuddled their daughter to her other side. All their dreams were about to come true. Finally, after countless emails and mountains of stress, their loan had been approved—they were soon to be proud owners of a twenty-acre property on the outskirts of Port Douglas in Far North Queensland. And after trying for what had felt like forever, they were going to be parents again. The home pregnancy test had been positive, and Sienna’s doctor had confirmed it. They couldn’t be happier.

The impromptu dinner at their favourite Italian restaurant had been a wonderful way to celebrate the news they’d prayed to hear. Pleasantly exhausted, she rested her head on Zack’s shoulder. The taxi driver manoeuvred through the traffic, a little too fast for her liking, but given the tetchy mood he appeared to be in, she wasn’t about to ask the man to slow down. Fingers entwined with her husband’s on one side, and her seven-year-old daughter’s on the other, she begrudgingly untwined them when her phone’s message tone chimed from the depths of her handbag on the floor of the taxi. She unclipped her seatbelt to reach her bag, but Zach beat her to it. With a grin, he dug out her phone and passed it to her, and taking it from his hand, she glanced down to read the message from her cousin Kirra. It was one of congratulations, with a line of emojis beneath.

Her gaze was torn from the screen when the car swerved. Sudden brightness had her glancing to her left to see headlights careering straight for them. A sharp breath caught in her throat. Instinctively, she turned to Zara … went to reach for her, to protect her. A long moment passed. Metal struck and crushed. Glass shattered. Suddenly, she was lurching through midair, her body jarring with crushing impact as her skin shredded against the bitumen. Something landed beside her. She tried to call out, but words refused to form. She fought to blink away the haziness blurring her vision, but before she could focus, the mayhem and noise, the wail of distant sirens, swirled, echoed and then stopped, as she tumbled into suffocating blackness.

CHAPTER
1

Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

Her heart heavy, Sienna read the cheery saying printed on the coffee mug in her hand. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. She hated the saying, especially today. Today was her thirtieth birthday—the age she’d envisioned she’d have all that she longed for, all that she needed. It was hard to accept that, in a split second, those dreams had been turned upside down. That she’d lost both her husband and their unborn baby, that fateful day, and her life was never going to be the same again. She knew she should be grateful for the fact that she and Zara still had their lives. But it was a tough task. The passing of time had taught her many things—how the deep ache of loss didn’t seem to lessen, how the bottomless pit of loneliness only intensified, how the grip of fear in the dark of night stole her breath as she tried to make herself believe she wasn’t failing as a mother because she was drowning in her heartache. She wondered if there was a heaven, and if there was, had their unborn baby gone with Zach there, that fateful night? She could already feel Zach becoming more and more a part of her past, and not her future.

The worn tiles were so cold upon her bare feet that for the umpteenth time she considered grabbing her slippers, but once again found herself distracted. The warmth from the bright sunlight pouring through the window and flooding the room sent a skitter of goosebumps all over her. Closing her eyes to block out her dreary view of the neighbouring apartment block, she allowed herself the luxury of envisaging herself standing on the property she was meant to be calling home—a seemingly never-ending paddock, with nothing and nobody to be seen for miles, the earthy scent of the land she so longed to own encompassing her. Since she was a little girl, she’d wanted this. She longed to go back to her roots. With Zach by her side, becoming a country dweller once more had once seemed a reachable dream, but now it was a fantasy. One she needed to find a way to let go of.

Mandy Magro

Bestselling Australian Author
Using experiences and adventures from outback and country Australia in my stories

Read more about Mandy and her books and discover where to follow her on social media

Mandy answers The 5 Big Question

1. How long did it take you to write the book? 

About 6 months

2. What was the most difficult or complex aspect of writing your book?

Finding the time to devote to writing, amongst life. And I never like the structural edit, although I have to admit it always makes the book so much stronger. Copious amounts of wine are needed during this process! 🙂

3. What gave you the most pleasure when writing your book?

Delving into my hero and heroine’s minds.

4. Are you nervous when a new release comes out?

I’m always more excited, than nervous.

5. What’s the best thing a reader could do if they enjoyed your book?

Tell a friend, shout it out on social media, tell me, climb a mountain and shout it from there too! 🙂

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