For readers of Holly Wainwright and Nina Kenwood, a life-affirming, uplifting and emotionally layered story of love, family, community, and what home really means.

In an earthquake of a day, single mother Libby becomes a reluctant empty-nester, her rented Melbourne home goes on the market, and she finally tells her nightmare boss exactly where to stick her job. Like the icing on a pretty dismal cake, she then discovers her estranged father has died. Having heard nothing from him since she was two, she's shocked to have inherited his cottage in a postcard-perfect village in England's Lake District. It's a well-timed life raft, but there are a couple of major snags: it needs a hefty renovation, and Libby's not the only person he's left it to.

Enter Tom Whelan, an easy-on-the-eye Englishman who's been living abroad since the death of his young son. He's good with his hands and knows his way around a house, but his inclusion in the will is a mystery to everyone.

As the locals become their friends and the village begins to feel like home, Libby and Tom work together to renovate the cottage. As its potential is revealed, so too are long-hidden truths and unexpected possibilities for the future-including a midlife romance neither of them were looking for.

Praise for Better than the Real Thing

'So romantic, so sexy, so fun. I devoured it.' -Toni Jordan, author of Tenderfoot

'A bittersweet, tender, funny story of loss and love and all the messiness in between. I was hooked from the start.' -Tricia Stringer, author of The Road Trip

'Heartfelt, authentic and irresistibly sexy, Brooke Crawford's debut novel has all the ingredients of a surefire hit. With captivating characters, a page-turning plot, and an ending that lingers long after the final sentence, this is a story readers will fall in love with.' -Kate Horan, author of The Inheritance

Good Bones

Good Bones