120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

The Way Back

A new contemporary outback romance for 2026 from a bestselling and award-winning author, perfect for readers of Virgin River and Karly Lane
Brief Description
Award-winning author Janet Gover returns with a standalone romance about grief and redemption, of family, love ... and a dinosaur called Rufus. Perfect for readers of Karly Lane. The outback isn't for the faint of heart... Joe Hamilton is struggling to run Red Rocks, his family... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3699
Pre-order
Releases 1st December 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "The Way Back" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Award-winning author Janet Gover returns with a standalone romance about grief and redemption, of family, love ... and a dinosaur called Rufus. Perfect for readers of Karly Lane.

The outback isn't for the faint of heart...

Joe Hamilton is struggling to run Red Rocks, his family cattle station in the Kimberley, after a mustering accident left his father in a wheelchair, and Joe overwhelmed with guilt.

When a cyclone exposes a rare dinosaur fossil, Joe may have found a way to save the failing property.

Dr Natasha Gray fled a promising career as a palaeontologist in London to escape a scandal. Joe finds her working in a tiny local museum and enlists her help. As they work together at the isolated dig, she wonders if this harsh land holds the promise of a better future.

When they discover that the fossil hides a secret worth millions, accusations of theft and broken trust threaten her reputation all over again ... will she stay and fight this time?

With family and love on the line, can Joe get to the truth and earn redemption? And can he convince Natasha that she doesn't have to return to England to find the peace she craves?

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781038985620

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 December 2026

Country: Australia

Imprint: HQ Fiction

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 0g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Janet Gover grew up in outback Australia, surrounded by wide open spaces, horses ... and many, many books. When her cat lets her actually sit in her chair, she writes stories of strong women, rural communities and falling in love. Her novel Little Girl Lost won the Epic Romantic Novel of the Year Award presented by the Romantic Novelists' Association in the UK, and she has won or been shortlisted for awards in Australia and the USA. As Juliet Bell, in collaboration with Alison May, she rewrites misunderstood classic fiction, with an emphasis on heroes who are not so heroic. Her favourite food is tomato. She spends too much time playing silly computer games, and is an enthusiastic, if not always successful, cook. Janet loves to hear from readers—so do drop her a line. http://janetgover.com/ www.facebook.com/janetgoverbooks/ Twitter: @janet_gover

Also by Janet Gover

View all
  • Close to Home
    A delightful small town story of community and family with shades of Romeo and Juliet and The Dressmaker. Two households, both alike in dignity... Aunt Alice Dwyer loves her small Australian town. She's rarely left its comforting embrace. She knows everyone in it; in fact, she's related to most of them. All she wants is to keep her family safe...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Safe Haven at Wagtail Ridge
    The matchmakers of the Wagtail Ridge Knitting Club return with a new couple in their sights. A moving story about finding and accepting love from the award-winning author of The Library at Wagtail Ridge. Anna Prentiss, the town vet, keeps herself emotionally distant from everyone. Badly scarred in an accident, she believes she will never be loved. But the matchmakers...
    Paperback
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Knitting Club at Wagtail Ridge: The best feel-good romance for 2025 from an award-winning and bestselling Australian author. Perfect for reader
    A heartwarming story of second chances, baby alpacas, and knitting a fractured family back together. From the 2023 RuBY award-winning author of The Library at Wagtail Ridge. These ladies know a perfect match when they see one... Bree Johnston has given up trying to be the perfect lawyer. It's time to focus on her own dreams, so she decides to...
    Paperback
    $3500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Lawson Legacy: the new story about the Lawson Sisters. Feel-good family drama and romance from an award-winning Australian author. Perfect for
    Beloved key characters from The Lawson Sisters return in a standalone rural romance about motherhood, family traditions and having the courage to chart a new future. A new novel from award-winning romance author Janet Gover. Kayla Lawson believes nothing is good unless it's perfect. This search for perfection has made her a successful high-end wedding planner. But all that comes...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Library at Wagtail Ridge: the new small-town romance and 2023's Ruby award winner. A heartwarming novel about family, belonging and love, perfect for readers of Karly Lane.
    An unexpected and unusual inheritance sets a young woman on the road to discover her mother's deepest secret. A charming and heartfelt rural romance perfect for readers of Rachael Johns and Karly Lane. When Lou Taylor inherits a quaint country cottage and a mobile library full of books from her birth mother, she heads to the small town of Wagtail...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Lawson Sisters
    Family, fortune and holding on to what counts... A compelling story of family, secrets and second chances from an award-winning new voice in Australian fiction. For many years Elizabeth Lawson has battled single-handedly to run the family's historic horse stud in memory of her beloved father. But a devastating loss puts her dreams at risk. With no options left, Liz...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Romance

View all
  • My Dreadful Darling
    New Release
    My Dreadful Darling
    My darling, it is you who is dreadful. Reverie Adams has only one goal in life: to keep her head above water with her father's sinister legacy weighing on her shoulders. But she's no stranger to drowning—it is her very first memory, after all, and if her demons have their way, it will also be her last. Even with the...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Midnight Curfew
    New Release
    Midnight Curfew
    The Jaeger family return in the brand new queer, dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas, in which two rivals must fight their forbidden and burning attraction to one another. Summertime is quiet in southern Florida. In the humidity, the streets are empty, and the nights are still—perfect for a little mischief while the police aren't looking....
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Eldritch
    New Release
    Eldritch
    From the author of Nocticadia comes the sequel to Anathema, a spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm's forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures. In the grimly captivating sequel to Anathema, Maevyth and Zevander must navigate the perilous mortal lands to deliver Zevander from the clutches...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Psychotic Obsession
    From USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation comes the steamy, emotional dark romance spin-off that everyone is talking about!'Filled with TENSION, HEARTBREAK and ELECTRIC CHEMISTRY. This one will tear your heart right out of your chest before tossing it back in and sewing you up' No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver'Leigh Rivers is THE QUEEN OF...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Taming The Heart
    New Release
    Taming The Heart
    Taming The Heart is a steamy, forbidden-love cowboy romance and the third book in the CRIMSON RIDGE series by internationally bestselling author Elliott Rose. Being hired by a ranch for the summer sounds picture-perfect, right? Except your new boss is your every fantasy come to life—oh, and he's already accidentally seen your favourite "toy." I've always been a free spirit....
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Shield of Sparrows
    Accolades: AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Feature film now in development at Amazon MGM Studios with John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad attached - Amazon Best Romantasy Books of the Year 2025 - Apple Books Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Novel Best Sellers 2025, #27 - Audible Top Ten Best Romantasy Listens of 2025 - Indigo Best Fantasy Books...
    Paperback
    $6499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Love Hypothesis
    The Love Hypothesis is the global phenomenon and debut novel from TikTok sensation, Ali Hazelwood. It is now available in a beautiful movie tie-in collector's edition featuring exclusive artwork from the Amazon movie starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, plus two bonus chapters from Adam's point of view. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Deal
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Deal now for the perfect fake-dating romance! She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy . . . Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell
    New Release
    I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell
    What could go wrong on a road trip to Hell? ⭐ corporate hell vibes ⭐ only one bed ⭐ a road trip through the underworld ⭐ forced proximity ⭐ slow burn romance 'A delirious, clever romp of a book. Best time I've had with a book in ages!' JENNA LEVINE Brie Benson lives life in survival mode, right down to...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Foxx
    New Release
    Foxx
    The third in a motorcycle dark romance series from self-published sensation and author of the beloved Silver Pines series, Paisley Hope. Aiden Foxx runs the Disciples of Sin motorcycle club with strict control and zero tolerance for weakness. A former Navy SEAL turned outlaw king, he lives by one rule - trust no one. Then Mia Tyler walks into his...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Someday Garden
    On Sale
    15% off
    New Release
    The Someday Garden
    The BRAND-NEW magical rom-com from Ashley Poston, bestselling author of The Seven Year Slip, now!💖 ‘Ashley Poston writes really beautiful love stories with just a sprinkling of magic’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Proud to say that I've never met an Ashley Poston book that wasn't a five-star read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ * Sophie Drear never expected to fall in love. But over a summer in...
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Restitution
    From USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation comes the gripping, steamy dark romance series that everyone is talking about!'Filled with TENSION, HEARTBREAK and ELECTRIC CHEMISTRY. This one will tear your heart right out of your chest before tossing it back in and sewing you up' No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver'Leigh Rivers is THE QUEEN OF...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.