Karly Lane Books in Order
See all Karly Lane books and series in order, with reading lists, short summaries, series background and tips on where to start her rural Australian fiction.
Last updated: December 24, 2025
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Publication Order
30 books
Needle in a Haystack
by Karly Lane
2025
Antique dealer Lottie Fairchild lives for the stories behind old objects and the legends surrounding gentleman bushranger Jack McNally. As Banalla prepares a history festival, visiting professor Damian Loxley arrives to investigate a colonial cold case, drawing Lottie into buried secrets, lingering curses and an unexpected attraction.
The One That Got Away
by Karly Lane
2024
London-based Alex Kelly returns to the seaside town of Rockne Heads only long enough to sell the house her father left her, determined not to look back. Seeing former love Sully McCoy and facing the scandal she once ran from makes closing the door on the past far more complicated.
Time After Time
by Karly Lane
2023
Alice Croydon has everything mapped out a close country family and a wedding to her high school sweetheart Finn, even if her fashion-design dreams feel out of reach. A surprise job in a London couture house catapults her overseas, where success, heartbreak and time itself test what home really means.
For Once In My Life
by Karly Lane
2023
Fifty-year-old nurse and grandmother Jenny Hayward is certain romance is behind her, until her meddling daughters secretly sign her up to a dating app. Awkward dinners at the local pub keep ending badly, yet the much younger barman, Nick, might be the one person who truly sees her.
Wish You Were Here
by Karly Lane
2022
Reggie Macleod once swore she would escape her family's New England cattle farm for good, but a car accident drags her back to help her injured parents and support her brother's new farmstay. Long-term guest Tim Warbois brings his own scars, challenging Reggie to imagine a different future.
Accidentally Working Class
by Karly Lane
2022
Party-loving heiress Quinn Appleton has always relied on her famous biscuit dynasty surname, until her exasperated grandmother cuts off the entire family. Forced to work incognito at the factory, Quinn swaps designer heels for hairnets and discovers what ordinary work, friendship and pride really look like.
A Stone’s Throw Away
by Karly Lane
2022
Investigative journalist Phillipa Davenport retreats to her uncle's drought-stricken property to work on a book, only to uncover a long-buried body in a dried-up waterhole. Drawn into an eighty-year-old murder and a guarded detective's case, she exposes secrets the town would rather forget.
Take Me Home
by Karly Lane
2021
When Elle Kinnaird loses her job and apartment, her grandmother's will sends her from a rural Australian town to the Scottish Highlands in search of a crumbling family castle. Long-lost relatives and buried secrets push Elle to redefine what home and happiness truly mean.
Something Like This
by Karly Lane
2021
Ex-soldier Jason Weaver wants solitude, not entanglements, when he drifts into a quiet country town. Horse-mad widow Tilly Hollis juggles two jobs and a fragile dream of starting an equine therapy program, and their connection forces both to face grief, fear and the chance of a new future.
Once Burnt, Twice Shy
by Karly Lane
2021
Recently divorced Sam Murphy agrees to mind her parents' farm, swapping a coastal city life for dust, cattle and memories she thought she had left behind. As old flame Jack Cameron reappears and bushfires bear down, Sam must decide what and who she is willing to fight for.
The Lions Prey
by Karly Lane
2020
Now king of his grandfather's realm, Donovan Van Boudin is still driven by the man who once sentenced him to death, Burk, the ruthless ruler of Pairyon. As war gathers and grieving queen Brica is asked to sacrifice herself yet again, duty, vengeance and forbidden desire collide.
Reign of Secrets
by Karly Lane
2020
Three months after waking from an accident with no memory, Lucy is rebuilding her life in a secluded cottage, yet strange dreams stalk her nights. When royal guard Burk arrives insisting she is a vanished princess, she is torn between the safe life she knows and a destiny she cannot remember.
Fool Me Once
by Karly Lane
2020
Ambitious cattle farmer Georgie Henderson works herself ragged on Stoney Creek, saving every dollar to one day buy back her lost family property. A whirlwind romance with polished businessman Michael Delacourt seems like a dream, until a devastating secret forces Georgie to question everything she thought she wanted.
Blood of Kings
by Karly Lane
2020
Wynter has spent years trying to ignore the prophetic dreams and obligations tied to her royal blood. A body unearthed near her cottage brings detective Van Boudin and warrior protector Garrick into her life, dragging her toward a looming war where love and loyalty rarely align.
Someone Like You
by Karly Lane
2019
After catching her husband with her best friend, bestselling author Hayley Stevens flees the city for a riverside cottage and a much-needed fresh start. Between a wayward donkey and her unsettlingly familiar neighbour Luke, vivid visions suggest that some connections might stretch beyond one lifetime.
Return to Stringybark Creek
by Karly Lane
2019
High-profile journalist Hadley Callahan slips back into Stringybark Creek alone, hiding the truth about her crumbling celebrity marriage. After a friend's death, she teams up with childhood mate Ollie on a rural mental health campaign and is forced to confront where her loyalty and her heart truly lie.
Mr Right Now
by Karly Lane
2019
Griffin Callahan never understood why Olivia Dawson ended their teenage romance the day he left for agricultural college. Years later Liv is back on her family farm for harvest, and old sparks reignite amid meddling relatives, buried hurts and the risk of trusting first love again.
Third Time Lucky
by Karly Lane
2018
After a disastrous marriage, December Doyle heads back to Christmas Creek determined to rebuild both her life and the struggling town. Bad boy turned businessman Seth Hunter returns with a score to settle, but their shared past and undeniable chemistry make revenge a dangerous game to play.
The Wrong Callahan
by Karly Lane
2018
Restless ex-soldier Lincoln Callahan returns home to Stringybark Creek for his sister's wedding, expecting only family chaos, not temptation. Cash Sullivan is supposed to be his brother's girlfriend, yet their instant spark complicates an already fragile family and forces hard choices about loyalty and love.
Six Ways to Sunday
by Karly Lane
2018
Naturopath Rilee Summers dives headfirst into marriage and country life when she weds easygoing farmer Dan Kincaid. Her outspoken views and new clinic rile conservative locals, and as small-town tensions rise, Rilee must decide how far she will go to stand by her beliefs and her marriage.
If Wishes Were Horses
by Karly Lane
2017
Still reeling from her husband's death and a traumatic call-out, paramedic Sophie Bryant accepts a posting in remote Hilsons Ridge. An old farmhouse, a wounded horse and a World War I diary draw her into the town's past, while guarded local vet Zac Conway offers an unexpected chance at healing.
Second Chance Town
by Karly Lane
2016
Single mother Lucy Parker loves the historic charm of Bundah, even if raising a teenager under everyone's watchful eye is exhausting. When enigmatic newcomer Hugh Thompson buys the rundown pub just as a spate of teen overdoses hits town, Lucy must decide whether he is trouble, salvation or something in between.
Tallowood Bound
by Karly Lane
2015
Fresh from divorce, Erin Macalister retreats to her grandmother's country home, hoping small-town familiarity will help her reset. As she reconnects with first love Jamie McBride and uncovers clues to her grandmother's secret wartime romance, Erin is forced to weigh past hurts against the possibility of a new beginning.
Gemma's Bluff
by Karly Lane
2014
Reliable Gemma Northcote has always done what her family expects, right down to joining the firm after university. A working holiday on a remote station with her free-spirited best friend Jasmine upends everything she thought she wanted and makes her question which future will truly make her happy.
Poppy's Dilemma
by Karly Lane
2013
Successful city accountant Poppy Abbott appears to have it all until her beloved grandmother dies, leaving a silence she cannot shake. Discovering an old diary and love letters draws her back to the family home in the country, where the past reshapes her ideas about love and contentment.
December's Wish
by Karly Lane
2013
Christmas Creek is fading fast, but December Doyle is determined to breathe life back into her hometown. When Seth Hunter returns, wealthy and bent on payback after a wrongful conviction, December must face old betrayals, her father's choices and a love she never quite let go.
Burnt
by Karly Lane
2013
Seb Taylor and Rebecca Whiteman were inseparable teenagers until one terrible night shattered their plans. Eighteen years later Rebecca returns to their hometown with her kids and a failed marriage, while injured soldier Seb comes home to heal, only to find that danger and old feelings are waiting.
Morgan's Law
by Karly Lane
2012
Burned out by her high-powered London advertising job, Sarah Murphy returns to Australia to honour her grandmother's request to scatter her ashes beneath a special wishing tree. In the riverside town of Negallan, family secrets and a wary attraction to a local farmer upend Sarah's neat plans.
Bridie's Choice
by Karly Lane
2012
Bridie Farrell grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, juggling family duty with quiet dreams of escape. Shaun Broderick is heir to prestigious Jinjulu, but his powerful parents will never accept Bridie. When love collides with class and obligation, both must decide what they are willing to sacrifice.
North Star
by Karly Lane
2011
After a bitter divorce, Kate Thurston drags her shell-shocked children from the city to North Star, the neglected family property she has unexpectedly inherited. Turning the homestead into a bush retreat offers hope and healing, but a new romance and the return of her ex test her fragile fresh start.
Where should I start?
If you want her small-town rural romances: North Star → Morgan's Law → Bridie's Choice
If you like family sagas and interconnected stories: The Wrong Callahan → Mr Right Now → Return to Stringybark Creek
If you prefer contemporary women's fiction journeys: Take Me Home → Time After Time → For Once In My Life
If you enjoy rural stories with mystery and suspense: Fool Me Once → Once Burnt, Twice Shy → A Stone’s Throw Away
If you want fantasy with romance and royal intrigue: Reign of Secrets → Blood of Kings → The Lions Prey
Author bio
Karly Lane writes the kind of stories she grew up wanting to read, grounded in small Australian towns where everyone knows your grandparents and the past is never as far away as it looks. She lives on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and has built a career telling rural and women's fiction that feels close to home for many readers.
Karly spent her childhood in country communities and on her grandparents' farm, soaking up the rhythms of paddocks, showgrounds and main streets that close early on weeknights. That quiet familiarity with rural life shapes the settings, families and communities that keep turning up in her books.
As a young woman she moved to the city, found herself lonely in a new place, and turned to second-hand romance novels for company. When she eventually ran out of the stories she loved, she decided to try writing one herself. The first attempt stayed in a drawer for years, but the itch to tell stories never really went away.
For a time Karly worked as a pathology collector and juggled writing around raising four children. Joining Romance Writers of Australia gave her craft, contacts and the nudge to take writing seriously. After experimenting with military romantic suspense under the name Karlene Blakemore-Mowle, she submitted a rural manuscript to a publisher's slush pile and was picked up just as Australian rural fiction was taking off.
Her breakout rural novels such as North Star, Morgan's Law and Bridie's Choice helped set the tone for a wave of contemporary stories about women returning to small towns, dealing with family secrets and deciding whether to stay or go. Books like If Wishes Were Horses and Poppy's Dilemma weave in wartime diaries, light horse history and the lingering impact of earlier generations, blending everyday romance with threads of Australian history.
Karly's later novels continue to stretch what rural fiction can hold. In stories like Six Ways to Sunday, Fool Me Once and Something Like This she explores issues such as teenage pregnancy, corporate pressure on family farms and the challenges of returning veterans, without losing the warmth, humour and hopeful endings her readers look for. The Callahans of Stringybark Creek trilogy centres on a big farming family, while books such as Once Burnt, Twice Shy, Take Me Home, Wish You Were Here and A Stone’s Throw Away tackle bushfires, travel, mental health and cold cases alongside slow-burn love stories.
Alongside her rural novels, she lets her imagination roam further afield with fantasy romance in the Guardians of the Crossing series and earlier romantic suspense titles written as Karlene Blakemore-Mowle. Whatever the setting, her focus stays on people finding courage, connection and a sense of belonging.
When she is not at her keyboard, Karly is usually with her horses, dogs and other rescue animals, or out supporting rural communities at library talks, festivals and book-club events. She often says she accidentally fell into writing about the bush, but it is clear from her books that country towns, their landscapes and their people are where her storytelling feels most at home.
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