Seasoned author Jill Shalvis sets her newest contemporary romance in a small, sunny, and slightly sleepy airport near the Californian surf. Twenty-six-year-old Mel Anderson runs the North Beach airport in her boss, Sally’s, absence. In addition to keeping the customers satisfied, the employees content, and her charter business afloat, Mel must also keep hidden the fact that she doesn’t quite know Sally’s whereabouts. She’s handling it with a good deal of style, grace, and finesse, until a certain Australian someone from her past shows up asking questions she’s not sure she wants to know the answers to…

Bo Black first came to North Shore beach ten years ago when his father fell in love with the owner, Sally. After his father’s suspicious death, Bo buried his grief and enlisted in the army. Now that he’s been discharged, he has gone through his father’s belongings and found a deed to North Beach airport Sally seemingly gave his father. He has also found that his father’s expensive antique plane and a half-million dollars has gone missing. He has come to North Beach to track down his father’s money and beloved plane and collect on the deed. And if he can collect on some kisses from the sexy Mel Anderson, all the better. But Mel’s evading his questions and when she does answer she equivocates. What is Mel hiding? And where, exactly, is Sally?

As Bo and Mel spend more time together, both running the small airport and hunting for the elusive Sally, they begin to realize she was hiding more than they ever imagined. Nor did they ever imagine that they’d be able to move past their rocky beginning and fall in love.

Aussie Rules is a light and fun contemporary romance that’s perfect for the summer. Shalvis does a wonderful job of creating a realistic airport setting and populates the story with memorable secondary characters. Oftentimes contemporary romances have suspenseful subplots that detract from the main romance, but this fast-paced romance is thoroughly enjoyable, and the mystery surrounding Sally kept this reader intrigued until the end!

While Aussie Rules is a stand-alone novel, Jill Shalvis also has a new series planned revolving around a group of friends who run a luxurious jet service. The first in the series, Fly Me, will be published in April 2007.