Close To Home : A Heartfelt Women’s Fiction Novel About Family, Forgiveness and Finding Your Way Back

Orphaned at 13, Charlie Anderson has been on her own for half her life. Not that she minds – she has her work as a vet and most days that''s enough. Most days. But when she''s sent to a small town on the New South Wales coast to investigate a possible outbreak of the deadly Hendra virus, Charlie finds herself torn between the haunting memories of her past, her dedication to the job and her attraction to a handsome local.Travelling to Naringup means coming face to face with what is left of her dysfunctional family – her cousin Emma, who begged Charlie not to leave all those years ago, and her aunt Hazel, who let her go without a backwards glance. But it also means relying on the kindness of strangers and, when she meets local park ranger Joel Drummond, opening her heart to the possibility of something more...As tensions in the country town rise, can Charlie reconcile with the past and find herself a new future in the town she left so long ago?

Returning home might save the town—but could cost her everything. Orphaned as a teenager, veterinarian Charlie Anderson built a life on her own terms—far from the fractured family she left behind in the rural town of Naringup. But when a suspected Hendra virus outbreak draws her back to Naringup, Charlie is forced to face the very past she thought she'd escaped. Returning means confronting the people she walked away from: a cousin she left behind, an aunt whose choices shattered her world, and a tangle of grief and resentment she’s kept buried for years. As panic over the outbreak grows, Charlie teams up with local ranger Joel Drummond—whose easy warmth and unruly family offer a glimpse of the connection she’s longed for. When tensions reach breaking point, Charlie must decide: will she find the courage to heal old wounds, or walk away for good—and risk losing the only family she has left? Close to Home is a standalone novel in The Homecoming Collection – an emotionally layered, page-turning story of family, resilience, and the ties that pull us back home. _______________________________________ Praise for Close to Home: ????? Couldn’t put it down. ????? Brilliant. ????? A wonderful story. ????? A heartfelt story about family, forgiveness, healing the past and hoping for the future. ????? Well written and researched. ????? Pamela Cook has raised the bar …. A must read!