Due South (Small Town Romance): 5 Sexy New Zealand Beach Romances

Tracey Alvarez

Nov 2015 · Icon Publishing Limited

About this ebook

The Stewart Island bundle contains Tracey Alvarez’s best-selling series set against the stunning backdrop of Aotearoa, New Zealand. If you like Jill Shalvis, Marie Force, or Bella Andre, then you’ll enjoy diving into these heart-warming, sexy & seductive small-town romances with authentic men and women struggling to find their special someone.

All 5 Stewart Island books (over 1500 pages) are included in this bargain priced bundle:

In Too Deep (Book #1)

Two hearts. A second chance. Everything on the line…

To save her brother from financial ruin, police diver Piper Harland does the one thing she swore she’d never do—return to the tiny island hometown on Stewart Island where Ryan “West” Westlake crushed her heart. 

Melting Into You (Book #2)

They’ll either melt or raze their lives to the ground…

Kezia Murphy plays her widow card well. If you don’t trust people, you don’t get hurt. Ben Harland doesn’t do emotional home and family stuff. So when his surprise eight-year-old daughter suddenly arrives, he’s a D-minus student struggling to pass a crash-course in parenting.

Ready To Burn (Book #3) 

Watch the sparks fly as they burn it up in the kitchen…

Shaye Harland desperately wants the role of Due South’s head chef, but the far too sexy Del Westlake muscles in and steals it. A reality TV show plans to feature Del at his estranged father’s restaurant—jump-starting his ruined reputation and career in the States—but will the sparks flying in the kitchen burn his chances of ever becoming Shaye’s Mr. Perfect? 

Christmas With You (Book #4)

The Kiwi barbecue isn't the only thing sizzling this summer...

Carly Gatlin doesn’t want to spend another holiday alone so she’s come to New Zealand to be with her step-family. Kip Sullivan’s big, boisterous family have also arrived en-masse—please shoot him before the match-making gets out of hand. Kip wants to make Carly’s first Kiwi Christmas special, but will he gain more than mistletoe kisses from the woman who threatens to claim his heart?

My Forever Valentine (Book #5) 

Love small town romance and Happily Ever Afters? 

Dive into the Due South world to find out what your favourite characters are doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day with these four short and sweet romance stories. 

Intended for mature 18+ aged readers.

ALL Tracey's books are stand-alones with no cliffhangers except My Forever Valentine which are fun short stories. You’ll love meeting your favourite returning characters again and again in these heart-warming stories set in New Zealand.

Praise for the Stewart Island series!

"A gem of a small town romance set in gorgeous New Zealand. Heartfelt and romantic, I was rooting for Piper and Ryan all the way!"
 ~ USA Today Bestselling Author, Kylie Gilmore

 "It’s official…I’m hooked on this series! I want to jump on a plane and fly to this island, because apparently they grow them big and HOT in New Zealand…men that is!!!" ~ Swept Away By Romance

"Perfection comes in many shapes and forms, and Ms Alvarez delivers in her contemporary voice and quirky character traits that make a distinctive difference between average and stellar storytelling." ~ InD’Tale Magazine

"Just as the must-read series of Donna Kauffman (The Bachelors of Blueberry Cove), Jill Shalvis (Lucky Harbor), Terri Osburn (Anchor Island), Marie Force (The McCarthys of Gansett Island), Sherryl Woods (Chesapeake Shores) have entranced me with their seaside settings and caring communities - so has Tracey Alvarez - and I'm adding her series to my must-read shelf too." ~ Fab Fantasy Fiction

Don’t miss any of the Stewart Island books!

Book 6: Playing For Fun. Featuring Holly and Ford. 
Book 7: Drawing Me In. Featuring Bree and Harley.  
Book 7.5: Kissing The Bride. A Due South short story. 
Book 8: Saying I Do. Featuring MacKenna and Joe.
Book 9: Home For Christmas. 
Book 10: Bending The Rules. Featuring Tilly and Noah.

Keywords: small town romance, romance series, romance bundle, boxed set romance, New Zealand romance, contemporary romance, sexy romance, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, reunion, second chance romance, small town romance, single mom, single dad, single parent, secret baby, workplace romance, beach romance, coastal romance, romance with kids, family saga, boy next door, heart-warming, sensual, escape down under, friendship, workplace relationship, family life, short reads, happily ever after, heartwarming romance, island romance series, sweet and sexy romance, exotic foreign romance, vacation romance, beach reads, summer reads

Ratings and reviews

Cannot get enough of this series – more please! I bought these books individually, to be able to get them all together in one box-set is a complete no brainer! If you are looking for a new series to make your kindle sizzle, melt your panties, make you laugh, cry and shout out loud then this is the series for you. In too deep: West and Piper meet again after 9 long years and there are plenty of sparks when they reconnect and verbally ‘spar’, sizing each other up and both trying to convince themselves that there is nothing between them, these sparks become a raging inferno when they finally give in, with plenty of hot, dirty sex. There are plenty of tears and emotion to go with the hot sex, we get to meet some fantastic ‘support’ characters who will get their books later in the series....Ben, Shaye, Kezia, Holly, Erin, Ford and many more. We also get to meet some lovely quirky characters such as Mrs Taylor, Glenna and Bill who as the older generation take great pleasure in interfering and lighten the book with their antics and fun. Melting into you: A sweet, although frustrating love story, Ben and Kezia are 'helped' along by two very mischievous daughters Jade & Zoe! A little emotional I even had to break out the tissues at one point, I loved every page of this book – even when I wanted to beat sense into Ben for being dense! Ready to burn: Shaye and Del are fun, fiesty, fiery, damaged, passionate, loyal, in denial and completely perfect for each other. Both are terrified of love and letting go......not that that means there can't be plenty of hot dirty sex....on the counter.... in the kitchen.....in the store cupboard..... in the shower....with frosting and without! But they both shy away from commitment, looking for faults and believing themselves unlovable long term. As with all the books in the Due South series this one is laugh out loud funny, steam your kindle up sexy, heart wrenchingly sad and beautifully sweet. It is not only the interactions between Shaye and Del that keep the pages turning, but also the support characters both old and new who are witty, interfering and completely outrageous. Once you start you cannot put this book down, you have to keep going to see just how bumpy and full of fireworks their road to a HEA is. Christmas with you: When they are together there aren't just smoldering looks and sparks but fireworks each and every time. Will Kip have the confidence in Carly to hand over his love and his heart, will he come to his senses and realise that whilst she brings him to his knees she then helps him back to his feet and they stand taller and stronger together or will his past cause him to tuck tail and run? My forever Valentine: A quirky valentines novella to catch up with the four Due South couples so far. I loved the style of this book, although different to the first four it is a great way to 'check in' with each couple! As with all the series so far there is plenty of laughs, tears, fun, sex, plot twists, family interference, more sex and men doing stupid things because they thought they were a good idea and hadn't really thought them through! If you have read the first four books you have to read this, it has some fantastic twists that will have you gasping out loud and more to have you cheering, even as the happy tears fall. It is only a novella, but a fantastic page turner of one!

Five, well written, full length romances that can be read as standalones (My Forever Valentine ideally needs to be read after the other 4), with no cliffhangers and a HEA. Once you start reading, you will be hooked! All books are written from dual POV’s. I would rate each book 5 stars. Definitely recommend you read this series! … In Too Deep… is a second chance romance between Piper and West. Piper’s heartbreaking history starts to have an impact on her present and Tracey Alvarez’s development of Piper tugs at your heart strings, at times, with how torn she is, especially when throwing her history with West into the equation. I liked how the author was able to carry their tension through the story, while also capturing their chemistry, and actually dealing with their issues, rather than just sweeping them aside. The location descriptions were very vivid and enhanced this story further. In Too Deep was well paced, with a unique storyline on what could be seen as a ‘typical second chance romance’ story; I definitely couldn’t predict where the story would end up. … Melting into You… Melting into You will tug at your heart strings almost from the get go and throughout, with different characters getting you at one point or another. This to me was a clear indicator of Tracey Alvarez’s ability to develop believable characters with real emotions. The challenges that are faced by all aren’t easy to deal with but the way they are handled is with sensitivity, delicacy and fittingly at times, humour. With a great writing style that draws you in, Melting into You definitely gives different take on single parent romances. … Ready to Burn… I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story, especially with Del being more unknown, but let me tell you, it definitely blew my expectations out of the water. The writing, as always by Tracey Alvarez, is witty, funny and smoking hot; the chemistry between Del and Shaye quite literally simmers between the two from the get go, when they meet again in a rather embarrassing situation but sets the tone so well, until it boils over and you get to see just how ‘perfect’ these two are for each other, despite their own personal issues and preferences. Definitely one of my favourites. … Christmas With You… I was relatively surprised by this little treat of a story. Kip and Carly are relatively unknown other than brief mentions previously, Kip more so than Carly. Christmas with You is a sweet, heartfelt romance set during the festive period where things heat up between a naughty sexy bartending santa and his horny little lost elf. I liked how Kip’s family were introduced and used throughout, adding depth to Kip’s character in a subtle way, especially regarding his surprising childhood and teenage years that you would not have expected. I also liked the added dimension of the story with West and Carly; it was quite a poignant way of reinforcing Carly’s emotions and struggles aside from her relationship with Kip. The story is relatively drama free but with enough tension that it wasn’t overly sweet and false feeling. … My Forever Valentine… This is such a teasing and sweet glimpse into the futures of our favourite couples. It gives just enough to whet your appetite. Warning, ideally you do have to have read the other books first to fully understand these 4 short stories as they do contain spoilers, especially in Shaye and Del’s. I won’t say too much but Shaye’s story was the most shocking - who would of thought that our sweet and innocent little Shaye could get up to such ninja style antiques! Ben and Kezia’s twist I didn’t see coming and Kip and Carly’s story was funny with the situation they ended up in; definitely not the most romantic place. My favourite has to be Piper and West’s story but that is personal preference as they were the first couple I read about and made me fall in love with this Due South series. I received a free copy of these books in exchange for an honest review.

I've read and enjoyed all the books in this boxed set, although the first one In Too Deep will always be my favorite (I'm a little partial to a certain handsome pub/hotel owner/free diver named West). If you're a fan of sexy, small-town romance, this boxed set is a great deal to spend a few hours on a small island in the southern emisphere, with lots of funny characters, handsome heroes and sassy heroines. You will want to move to New Zealand and go looking for the island. All novels include adult content and some sexy, very steamy scenes, but I assure you there is more than that in each story: there's humor, tension, a bit of angst sometimes, and a lovely happy ending that will leave you warm and fuzzy. And after you've finished one book, you'll be happy you won't have to wait for the next one to be available but you'll be able to dive right in and enjoy the next story.

About the author

Tracey Alvarez is a USA Today Bestselling Author living in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand). Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.

Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.

When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found with her nose in her e-reader, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.

Follow Tracey on Twitter as @TraceyAlvrezNZ or Facebook as http://www.facebook.com/TraceyAlvarezAuthor 

Her website is http://www.traceyalvarez.com and don't forget to sign up to her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/JR3Asu