Penelope Janu: The Summerfield Saddler

Join the small community of Summerfield in this warm-hearted, charming romance about trying not to fall in love - and failing - from an award-winning Australian author.

Mackenzie Henry is happy enough with her life in the small town of Summerfield. She loves her work as a saddler, the bushland surrounding her home, and the feeling of safety her beloved grandfather brings her. She doesn't want anything-or anybody-else.

So when her grandfather asks her to lead the fight to rehabilitate land destroyed by an open-cut mine, and work in front of the camera with a Norwegian documentary-making team, Mackenzie fears her life will be tipped on its axis. And she's right.

The documentary not only reignites old resentments but unearths secrets that threaten her family's reputation and her own safety. To make matters worse, the enigmatic scientist, filmmaker and adventurer Kit Thorsen is a threat to the heart Mackenzie has kept safe.

Handsome, arrogant and infuriating (read: Viking), Kit is in equal parts as fascinated and frustrated by Mackenzie's mix of independence and vulnerability as she is by his. Given the demons in both of their pasts, they should run a mile. Will the compulsion that brings them together unite them or tear them apart?

Books available for sale & signing at the talk thanks to Book Den, Cessnock.

About the author : Penelope Janu resides in the Southern Highlands of NSW. A former lawyer, Penelope has a passion for creating stories that explore social and environmental issues, but her novels are fundamentally a celebration of Australian characters and communities. The Summerfield Saddler is her ninth novel.

Penelope enjoys horseback riding, exploring the Australian countryside, and envisioning hiking adventures, finding joy in her readers falling in love with her clever, complex and adventurous characters.

Host or Publisher Cessnock City Library