Home to the Heart Country

A heartfelt small-town romance exploring themes of belonging, social anxiety and neurodivergence from a delightful new Australian voice. Perfect for readers of Rachael Johns and Mandy Magro.

ARRA Winner of Favourite Debut Romance Author of 2025

She's in town to claim an inheritance - but will she be strong enough to claim her future?

Beth dreams of putting down roots and finding a place to belong, and with a steady job in Townsville, she's on her way to achieving that dream. But when the cute little cottage she's rented for the past four years is put on the market, the stability she's always craved is threatened.

News of a life-changing inheritance takes her across the country to a small town in Western Australia, where she discovers that the rundown old house her aunt left her might just be her saving grace. With plans to sell it so she can buy her beloved cottage, she hires Noah, a farmer-slash-wannabe-renovator, to help fix it up. But thanks to her self-preserving tendencies, she's otherwise determined to keep her distance from everyone in town.

Despite her best efforts, Beth starts to form meaningful connections, and in Noah, she discovers a man who sees beyond her awkward shyness to the woman she is on the inside. Then, just as she finally feels at home in Karlup, she uncovers a shocking family truth that unravels her sense of identity and forces her to re-evaluate her biggest dreams and deepest desires.

PRAISE:

'Not only a wonderful love story but a moving story of discovery … Libby Iriks's debut is refreshing and romantic.' Penelope Janu, author of The Summerfield Saddler