After some last minute gifts for Mother’s Day? Jeff Popple recommends three romance novels for mum. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog, murdermayhemandlongdogs.com

The Lost Lover by Karen Swan

Macmillan, $34.99

Romance and historical drama are skilfully combined in Karen Swan’s The Lost Lover. Set in 1930, the book is the third in Karen’s Wild Isle series and opens with the dramatic evacuation of the small Scottish Island of St Kilda. Flora MacQueen hopes for a new life with her distant lover after the evacuation, but when tragedy strikes, she finds herself adrift and caught up in a world of deception and scandal.

Containing the right mixture of drama, romance and fascinating historical detail, The Lost Lover is a very engaging read that will please many mums.

The Rivertown Vet by Jennifer Scoullar

Penguin, $34.99

Mothers who enjoy rural romances with a strong conservation theme will appreciate Jennifer Scoullar’s heart-warming The Rivertown Vet. Located in South Australia’s gorgeous river country, it follows Jana Malinski, a local vet who is struggling to keep her much loved wombat sanctuary afloat. When an old flame returns to town, she is confronted with new opportunities, but mysterious events soon threaten to derail her plans for the sanctuary and a local zoo.

A touching and enjoyable romance, The Rivertown Vet is also brimming with the author’s intimate knowledge of native wildlife and exotic animals, such as endangered sun bears. Recommended.

The One That Got Away by Karly Lane

Allen & Unwin, $32.99

Also featuring a vividly described small country town is Karly Lane’s The One That Got Away.

Alex Kelly is settled into her life in England with a dream job and plans to buy a cute cottage. Reluctantly she returns to Australia to sell the family home that her father left her in the small coastal town of Rockne Heads. It is supposed to be a quick trip back to the place she hates, but her return opens up old grudges and secrets, and sets her on a collision course with her former love, Sully McCoy. A great after lunch read for mum!