Friday, October 14, 2016

Book: Feels Like Home


Summary: When celebrity novelist Johanna Morgan surprises everyone by arriving back in Linden Gully three weeks early for her best friend’s wedding, she’s shocked to find her ex-boyfriend Ryan Galloway is back too and well-integrated in the community as the local vet.

Jo’s maid-of-honour duties are not the only thing that’s brought her home. The family homestead of Yarrapinga is now her responsibility, and Jo needs to decide whether to keep it – and replace old memories with new ones – or sell it and cut off all ties to her childhood and her home.

Ryan has brought his young daughter home to Linden Gully to provide stability after the death of her mother. The last thing he needs is Jo’s return, and all of the emotional turmoil that she brings with her.

Thrown together as attendants at their best friends’ wedding, Jo and Ryan have no choice but to grin and bear all the tension. But it’s not only resentment lingering between them. The attraction is still there, and the heat and the memories.

They say you can’t come home again, but maybe, for Jo and Ryan, home is not just a place, but a state of the heart.

What I Thought: Another nice rural romance - so many out there!

Book: Bluegrass Bend



Summary: Ivy Tucker was a gifted musician with big dreams but the night she was viciously attacked took all that away from her. Without the intervention of a mystery man she would have been killed. She has no idea what her protector looks like and though she wrote to him, he never responded. She can’t blame him wanting to forget the past, she feels the same. To survive, she focuses on the healing work she does alongside her aunts at Healing Hills –working with horses to help people rebuild their shattered lives. But her home, her life and her business are under threat...

Ronny Sinclair is finally free after eight years in prison. He regrets ending a life, but in the heat of the moment it was the only way to save another. The young woman he protected was worth every second he spent locked up, and her face and angelic voice are etched in his heart and mind forever. A bittersweet twist of fate gives him a new start in her hometown, Bluegrass Bend. Would she recognise him? Could she, after the terrible state she’d been left in?

Fate intervenes, pushing Ronny and Ivy together at a fundraising event. When Ivy needs Ronny to help her save Healing Hills, he knows he should keep his past hidden, that he should stay away from her, but their love of the country, horses and music brings Ivy and Ronny closer –- dangerously so. As feelings build their fragile trust is threatened by Ronny’s secret. Will his determination to leave the past behind him cost them their chance at love?

What I Thought: A sweet little rural romance book.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Book: Healing Season



Summary: Dulili is suffering a people drought. Over the years more people have moved away than have arrived to stay in this old New South Wales farming town, and now only a handful of young families and elderly residents are left. The locals put a plan into action to entice newcomers: offering the town’s empty houses to newcomers from anywhere in Australia.  Who could resist renting a beautiful homestead for a dollar a week?
Alicia used to know exactly what her life would look like: marry her best friend, manage her home town agricultural store, and live in her grandparent’s old house. But life never goes to plan, and Alicia is left with nothing more than the store to keep her going. Until a new employee walks through her door and offers a new friendship – and potentially something more.
Lachlan has spent his life running, and Dulili is just far enough away for a new start. But small towns have few secrets, and running from the past is a surefire way to guarantee no hope for a future.


What I Thought: The last in the trilogy - a nice story but I loved the first two a little more.

Book: Reach for the Dream



Summary: Sometimes life takes you on a journey you never expected . . .
Alice Ferguson is eight years old when a savage bushfire tears her family apart and she is sent to live with her aunt in the tiny town of Billabrin.  Lost and lonely, Alice finds comfort in the beauty of the outback.  As her confidence grows she dreams of creating her own home and of one day breeding the best wool in the country.
Alice's strength and spirit take her far from her roots and the land she loves.  As tragedy strikes again, Alice must summon every ounce of her will to keep her dream alive, but nothing can prepare her for the treachery of her jealous cousin or the betrayal of the only man she ever loved.

What I Thought: Definitely a "saga" but one I enjoyed. 

Book: Falling Fast



Summary: When River auditions for a part in an inter-school performance of Romeo and Juliet, she finds herself smitten by Flynn, the boy playing Romeo.  River believes in romantic love, and she can’t wait to experience it.  But Flynn comes from a damaged family – is he even capable of giving River what she wants? The path of true love never did run smooth…


What I Thought: I enjoyed this teen book which had a little more depth. Must read the sequel.

Book: Remix



Summary: Two girls test the strength of their friendship—and their hearts—over the course of a summer weekend in this contemporary novel perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Rainbow Rowell.

Ruby and Kaz’s friendship has always worked like a well-oiled machine. Ruby is loud and acts impulsively, while Kaz is quiet and plans ahead for every scenario. Together, they are two halves of a whole. But when the girls run into their ex-boyfriends at a music festival, they suddenly find themselves acting out of character and navigating unchartered territory. Afraid of letting each other down, both girls start keeping secrets—with disastrous consequences.


What I Thought: Loved it - a great teen read. Scared for my little boys though! The world has changed from when I was a teen!

Book: Honey Hill House



Summary: Dulili is suffering a people drought. Over the years more people have moved away than have arrived to stay in this old New South Wales farming town, and now only a handful of young families and elderly residents are left. The locals put a plan into action to entice newcomers: offering the town’s empty houses to newcomers from anywhere in Australia.  Who could resist renting a beautiful homestead for a dollar a week?
Newly divorced Bea Elliot needs Honey Hill House for more than just a quaint project – restoring a ramshackle old farm house to a successful B&B will prove to her family – and herself – that she is strong enough to make a go of things on her own. She doesn’t need anyone to help her, even if the guy next door is remarkably obliging, delightfully generous, and terribly charming.
A city girl won’t last six months in the country, but Callum ‘Mitch’ Mitchell has good manners and loves his town, so he’ll be neighbourly, but keep his distance. Experience has taught him not to get involved with out-of-towners. Even if this out-of-towner is surprisingly resilient, unexpectedly tough, and unpredictably fond of local football.
Good fences make good neighbours, but in Dulili, it seems like barriers might instead be breaking down…


What I Thought: Loved loved loved it!

Book: A heart stuck on Hope



Summary: Dulili is suffering a people drought. Over the years more people have moved away than have arrived to stay in this old New South Wales farming town, and now only a handful of young families and elderly residents are left. The locals put a plan into action to entice newcomers: offering the town’s empty houses to newcomers from anywhere in Australia.  Who could resist renting a beautiful homestead for a dollar a week?
There’s nothing left for Adele Devereux in Sydney: no job, no relationship, no hope, and no diagnosis for her shy, uncommunicative daughter Ali. So she packs her bags, takes her meagre savings, and moves her small family to the country. She never expects to meet Tom Wade, a man facing his own hopeless situation, but whose kindness reaches her daughter in an unexpected friendship. As the small town of Dulili attempts to regenerate itself, Adele finds herself drawn further in to the community – and into her attraction to Tom.
Tom is not back in Dulili to build a relationship. He’s there to heal wounds, help his grandmother, and make new plans. Plans that don’t come with his grandmother’s new tenant, part of the Dulili dollar scheme. But as Adele and Ali effortlessly work their way into his thoughts and his heart, he realises that there are two crucial elements that he left out of his long-term plans – the chance to find love and renewed hope for the future.


What I Thought: Absolutely loved it - sucked in big time to this trilogy!

Friday, August 26, 2016

Book: Leaving Time


Summary:  For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe she was abandoned, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals. A scientist who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts.

Desperate to find the truth, Jenna enlists two unlikely allies in her quest: Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons, only to later doubt her gifts, and Virgil Stanhope, the jaded private detective who’d originally investigated Alice’s case along with the strange, possibly linked death of one of her colleagues. As the three work together to uncover what happened to Alice, they realize that in asking hard questions, they’ll have to face even harder answers.

What I Thought: Wow - I loved this one and did not for a minute pick the twist - I was hooked!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Card Swap 1 2016





















Book: Second Chance Town






Summary: Single mother Lucy Parker loves the quiet historical charm of her hometown of Bundah. Raising her teenage daughter Belle can be challenging and, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business, it's even more daunting than usual.

Newcomer Hugh Thompson is determined to put his chequered history behind him. Excited by the potential he sees in Bundah, he buys a rundown pub with big plans for a fresh start. But not long after Hugh's arrival, a spate of teenage drug overdoses starts to divide the locals and there are whispers they might be connected to the reclusive new publican who has a somewhat dark and mysterious past.

When Belle suddenly starts hanging out with the wrong kids and experimenting with alcohol, Lucy becomes fearful that drugs will be next. The very last thing she needs is for a man like Hugh to come along and disrupt her life. But it seems fate has other ideas . . .

What I Thought: Loved this one - so many books - so little time. 

Thursday, August 04, 2016

Book: April's Rainbow

Summary: When shy farmer Tristan Blake is given free rein to manage iconic local property Rainbow, he soon finds himself living his dream. Even more so once the farm’s dark-haired artist owner April Tremayne arrives. April is mysterious and slightly wild, with an air of tragedy, and Tristan is captivated. The more involved he becomes with April and her eccentric projects, the harder he falls for her. April might believe the price of love is pain, but Tristan vows that is one thing she’ll never experience with him.
But even the sweetest dream can turn dark. April is haunted by the very heartbreak she’d come to Rainbow to heal, and as her demons tighten their grip, Tristan is torn between keeping his promise or betraying the woman he loves. And the risk of either choice is losing her forever.

 What I Thought: This didn't quite flow for me but I could see what the author was trying to get across so enjoyed it but it just lacked something...

Book: The Doctor Calling

Summary: What Laura was about to do wasn't easy. To become embroiled in a family's turmoil, their grief, their anger, their secrets, wasn't safe, or clever.    
Rebuilding her life again after unexpected tragedy, GP Laura O'Connor flees Adelaide, and her medical career, for a quiet life in rural Potters Junction. She's looking to escape her own family dramas. The last thing she expects is to become caught up in another's.
 
Jake Finlay is a man with a troubled past and a passion for risk-taking. After years away from his small home town, he's hell-bent on keeping his distance. But his father is dying and this could be the last chance they have to make amends.
 
As Laura and Jake come together over the care for the frail man, they experience an irresistible attraction. Will facing death help them both to grab hold of life? And might love be just what the doctor ordered?

What I Thought: I enjoyed this - dragged a little in places but still a nice read. 

Book: Legacy of Hunter's Ridge

Summary: Successful horse trainer Alissa Morgan-Jones has the world at her feet, until a tragic fire destroys everything. Widowed, in debt and under suspicion for arson, Alissa’s life is in tatters. Her mother-in-law’s isolated farm gives her the opportunity to pull her life back together and get herself back on her feet. Four years after fleeing the city and the scandal that ruined his career, disgraced lawyer Cameron Blakely has a successful new business and a new life. When his neighbour, Mavis Littleton is diagnosed with a terminal illness he volunteers to handle her affairs – and her farm until her daughter-in-law arrives to take over. When Alissa finally shows up, he’s drawn to her immediately. But there’s more to his new neighbour than her big blue eyes and lost expression. If only she’ll open up and let him in.
But there are secrets in both Alissa’s past and Hunters Ridge – secrets that jeopardise far more than Cameron’s fledgling feelings. Lurking in the isolated wilderness is a danger that neither anticipates – but one that threatens everything: the town, their love, and their lives.

What I Thought: Loved this one! Looking forward to reading the next one is the series - completely hooked!

Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Book: Indigo Storm



Summary: When Ashleigh decides to flee her controlling husband, Dominic, she knows he'll hunt her down. The only way to escape is to disappear and reinvent herself.

Changing her name to Eliza and driving by night, she is drawn to the tiny rural town of Blinman. There she begins the long road to healing and regaining her self-confidence.

Then one day, on an excursion to a ruined homestead in the area, Eliza becomes fascinated by a family who lived there during the nineteenth century. But just as she begins to unlock the secrets of her own past, Dominic arrives in town, determined to punish her ...


What I Thought: Hooked from page one! Loved this one :)

Book: The Farmer's Perfect Match


Summary: Gorgeous farmer Adam Armstrong loves his life — he owns and runs his own piece of heaven, a successful pearl farm, and spends his days outdoors in Australia’s stunning Kimberley. There’s just one thing missing: someone to share it with, but when you live in one of the most uninhabited places on Earth it’s not easy to meet the perfect woman.
Enter Evangeline Sinclair, PA for hot new reality show Perfect Mate — smart, funny, passionate and determined to help him find his ideal partner. What could go wrong, right?
Adam has signed a contract to pursue a relationship with one of the contestants and he’s a man of integrity, but Evie, with her very personal interview questions, is opening him up in unexpected ways. Can he stay true to his agreement to find love in front of the cameras rather than behind?
For Evie, a year in professional wasteland after an on-air debacle has left her desperate to salvage her career and Perfect Mate’s success will ensure this. But can she stand by while the man she’s falling in love with is ruthlessly exploited?


What I Thought: Another new author - enjoyed this - looking forward to more. 

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Book: Wildwood Sisters






Summary: Ten years ago, Renee’s twin sister Scarlet went missing. In the threatening aftermath, seventeen-year-old Renee was forced out of her home at Wildwood Acres, leaving her family and her boyfriend behind. Although the case has long gone cold, every day Renee hopes the person responsible will be found. She has since made a new life for herself in the city but fate intervenes when a family emergency forces her to face up to her fears and her painful memories. But can she go back to Wildwood Acres, the one place her heart yearns to be but where her life may be in grave danger?

Dylan Anderson has never quite got over the loss of his first love, Renee Wildwood, who left him without a word. He’s now a single father trying to make it on his own after the tragic death of his wife, and his cattle property is struggling financially. Against all odds he’s taking steps to get his life back on track, starting with a new job. But how will he feel when he finds Renee, the girl who stole his heart, is back at Wildwood Acres? Will he ever be able to forgive her?



What I Thought: Loved this one - hooked from the start :)

Book: Patterson Girls

Summary: When the Patterson daughters return home to Meadow Brook to be with their father after their mother’s death, they bring with them a world of complication and trouble.
The eldest sister, obstetrician Madeleine, would rather be anywhere but her hometown, violinist Abigail has fled from her stellar career, while teacher Lucinda is struggling to have the children she and her husband so desperately want. The black sheep of the family, Charlie, feels her life as a barista and exercise instructor doesn’t measure up to that of her gifted and successful sisters.
Dealing with their bereft father who is determined to sell the family motel, their loves old and new and a series of troublesome decisions doesn’t make life any easier, but when they go through their mother’s possessions and uncover the shocking secret of an old family curse, they begin to question everything they thought they knew.


What I Thought: A great little read here - I like how it wasn't all happy endings as I thought it might be! LOL

Book: Rose River

Summary: Housesitting in rural Burdekin's Gap, high up in the East Gippsland mountains, is not an obvious career move for a PR executive like Jaime Hanrahan. But, hey, retrenchment is a kicker.

Plus she's determined not to spend Christmas in Melbourne with her friends, who still have company cars and six-figure salaries, or with her mother, Blanche, who has remarried too soon after her father's death.

However, it turns out that Burdekin's Gap is a little more remote than Jaime had anticipated, the house is in the middle of a cattle station, and the handsome manager, Stirling McEvoy, doesn't appreciate a new farmhand in Jimmy Choos and Sass & Bide cut-offs.

Soon Jaime is fending off stampeding cows, town ladies wielding clipboards, sheep who think they are goats, nude sportsmen and one very neurotic cat. So why does she feel like she's falling in love . . . with the life, with the breathtaking landscape, and with one infuriating cowboy …?

What I Thought: It took me ages to read this ojne as it was adapted from a novella that I had read and that annoys me...  But with a big gap in between I gave this a go and loved it :)

Book: Emergency Response


Summary: Running away didn't solve anything ...at least, not the first time. Intensive care nurse Mackenzie Jones is no stranger to running. As a teenager she fled her family home, leaving tragedy and loss in her wake. Now, after fifteen years alone in Sydney, with the strain of working in a city hospital wearing her thin, she's tempted to run again. Mackenzie jumps at the chance to work in a mining town in the Western Australian desert - anything to lift her spirits. Though she barely dares to hope, she wonders if she might find the kind of love that can ease her loneliness. In the outback, Nathan Kennedy is at a loose end. He's been making money in the mines for years, and pressure from his family to return to the east coast, settle down and get married is reaching fever pitch. The problem is, he hasn't met the right woman. When Mackenzie turns up in town, there's an instant attraction between her and Nathan, maybe even true love. But tragedy's not done with Mackenzie Jones - the past is about to catch up with her in more ways than one. Can Nathan convince Mackenzie to stop running, or is this just another tragedy in the making?

What I Thought: Loved this one - rural medical romance! LOL. My kinda thing :)

Wednesday, June 01, 2016

Book: December's Wish






Summary: Christmas Creek is a small town struggling to stay alive but December Doyle has a plan that will breathe life back into the rural community once more. Seth Hunter holds nothing but contempt for Christmas Creek. After being framed and sent to jail in his youth, he returns to town a wealthy businessman with plans of his own for the town… he plans to destroy it along with everyone that ever looked down on him, including, December’s father, Jack Doyle. Revenge brought him back, but he soon discovers that old insecurities die hard in a place that holds so many painful memories, and all the years he’d spent orchestrating his big plan hadn’t taken into account that December still owned his heart. A story of lies, betrayal and revenge in the Australian high country.


What I Thought: A nice little novella.

Book: Burnt






Summary: Sebastian Taylor and Rebecca Whiteman were country town high school sweethearts dreaming of a future together when an accident one night forever changed their destiny...

Eighteen years after the tragedy, newly divorced Rebecca returns to the small town she left behind, to start a new life. Seb, now an elite SAS soldier in the Australian Army, arrives home to his farm, injured and grieving, to face a town that hasn’t forgotten and a father who has never understood him.
Rebecca has enough problems of her own without adding Seb Taylor to the mix: a failed marriage, two children to support and a persistent mysterious caller. The last thing she needs is her first love making a sudden reappearance in her life. Seb doesn’t want to get mixed up in Rebecca's life. He came home to heal his wounds, both old and new, but can he do it without getting burnt?




What I Thought: I enjoyed this - it got a bit lost at the end but still a great read :)

Book: Cherry Season


Summary: Dan Faraday is too busy for love. With the long hours running the family orchard, he doesn't have time to go on dates, and if he did, he would be looking for someone who fits into his ten-year plan. Someone traditional, reliable and dependable - someone just like him. Someone the total opposite of beautiful drifter Lucy Marino. A free spirit who chases the moment, she's in town for the fruit-picking season. The only certain thing in her life is constant change and while she's tempted to see how cute Dan might be if only he smiled, she's not the type of girl to wait around. But as the cherry trees blossom, Lucy and Dan are increasingly drawn to one another. In spite of their differences, each begins to wonder if maybe they have a future after all. With the weight of Dan's family legacy on his shoulders and Lucy afraid of losing the only life she's ever known, can Dan give Lucy a reason to put down roots before the seasons change?


What I Thought: Hooked - loved this! Devoured it in days. Looking forward to her next book.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Book: From Eskimo Point to Alice Springs



Summary: In the early 1960s, Anne Watts was a newly qualified nurse, eager to use her skills. Her father expected her to work locally, not too far from North Wales, where Anne had grown up, and to then settle down and have children. However, Anne was a 'chip off the old block' who had inherited her father's adventurous spirit and at the first opportunity she set sail for Canada, to work in the remote stations in the frozen north of the country. She found a placement easily, one of only a couple of women to work among the indigenous peoples who, in those days, were called Eskimos. With the whole world to explore, Anne later headed for Alice Springs in the Australian outback. She speaks eloquently about what it was like to be a nurse and midwife among a tough cattle-ranching community who lived, not always harmoniously, in close proximity with Australia's Aboriginal people. Working with native peoples, Anne's eyes were opened to their skills at surviving the harshest of environments, but also to the prejudices they suffered. Forty years later, Anne returned to both countries to see how life has changed in Eskimo Point and Alice Springs, and what has become of its people and landscape.


What I Thought: I enjoyed this one - some people really get out there and live and adventure all over the world! I feel boring in comparison! LOL

Book: Hartley's Grange





Summary: In one short day Lily Beckett's life falls apart when she loses her dream job in fashion and finds out her boyfriend is having an affair. Totally devastated, she ends the relationship and flees the city. Lily heads to the country town where she grew up to seek sanctuary with her big sister, Violet, and niece, Holly. But bad luck hits her yet again when she crashes her car on the way. Fortunately a local grazier, Flynn Hartley, arrives on the scene to find her dazed but uninjured. Gradually Lily's life picks up and she decides to stay put for a while, helping out her sister and renovating the beautiful old shop she inherited but has never had time to focus on. Meanwhile, Flynn showers her with attention, but Lily is aware of his bad-boy ways and isn't willing to risk heartbreak by becoming his next conquest. And yet, he won't give up and insists he's turned over a new leaf.


What I Thought: Loved this - great follow up tot h first book and I was just hooked straight away - looking forward to reading more from this author.

Book: Sycamore Row


Summary:  Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County’s most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.
The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

What I Thought: Another great Grisham read - loved it. was concerned as I couldn't remember everything bout the first book but it wasn't required. Top read - hooked straight away!

Book: Summer and the Groomsman



Summary: After yet again nearly colliding with an escaped horse while driving home to the family farm, Harry Argyle comes face-to-face with its pretty owner, and doesn’t hold back his disapproval.
Confronted by a bad-tempered giant on a dark country road, beautician and new arrival in town Summer Taylor doesn’t know who to be more afraid for: herself or her darling horse Binky. It’s not her fault Binky keeps escaping. The alcoholic owner of the paddock she rents won’t fix the fence and Binky can be sneaky when it comes to filling his stomach. But no matter how big and muscled the bully, she refuses to be intimidated.
When Harry’s wedding party book a session at the day spa where Summer works, both she and Harry are horrified to be paired together. Grudgingly, they agree to make the most of it – only for the session to spiral into disaster. Realising he’s made a dill of himself in front of sweet Summer yet again, Harry vows to set things right.
Summer isn’t about to easily forgive the man who called her horse stupid, no matter how brave and kind, but with everyone on Harry’s side, even fate, resistance is hard. Can these two find love or will Summer’s wayward horse put his hoof in it again?




What I Thought: A quick read - nothing too special though! Love her full length novels better.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Book: Kakadu Sunset

Summary: Helicopter pilot Ellie Porter loves her job. Soaring above the glorious Kakadu National Park, she feels freed from the heavy losses of her beloved family farm and the questions around her father's suicide. But when a search-and-rescue mission on the boundary of the older property reveals unusual excavation works, Ellie vows to investigate.

The last thing she needs is her bad-tempered co-pilot, Kane McLaren, interfering. The son of the current owners of the farm, her attraction to him is a distraction she can't afford, especially when someone threatens to put a stop to her inquiries - by any means necessary. Ellie will have to trust Kane if she is to have any hope of uncovering the truth of what is really going on. Between Ellie's damage and Kane's secrets, can they find a way to open up to each other before the shadowy forces shut her up... for good?
 
What I Thought: Really enjoyed this - like many a little far fetched but a great little read - looking forward to more from yet another new author!

Friday, March 18, 2016

Book: Tallowood Bound

Summary: When Erin Macalister leaves the city to take care of her beloved grandmother, she's relieved to be escaping the remnants of her broken marriage.

Arriving in the small rural community she grew up in, Erin finds nothing much has changed - including Jamie McBride, who is still as ridiculously good looking as he was when they were seventeen and madly in love.

Leafing through old photo albums evokes vivid memories for her grandmother of a soldier she once loved. Erin's curiosity about this mysterious soldier deepens when she finds an engagement ring he once gave her grandmother.

Meanwhile, Jamie seems intent on rekindling his relationship with Erin, even though she's not at all sure she wants to risk heartache again.


What I Thought:  A nice book although it was very similar (Townsville/war etc.) to another one released at the same time from a different publisher. Would've loved it more if I read them further apart...

Bookgroup: Bereft


Summary: It is 1919. The Great War has ended, but the Spanish flu epidemic is raging across Australia. Schools are closed, state borders are guarded by armed men, and train travel is severely restricted. There are rumours it is the end of the world. In the town of Flint, Quinn Walker returns to the home he fled ten years earlier when he was accused of an unspeakable crime. Aware that his father and uncle would surely hang him, Quinn hides in the hills surrounding Flint. There, he meets the orphan Sadie Fox — a mysterious young girl who seems to know more about the crime than she should.

What I Thought: This started off really well and was really intriguing - but then it turned a bit weird... It was ok...

Friday, February 26, 2016

Book: My Wild Ride


Summary: Fiona Johnson was born a city girl. But she was always drawn to horses. Aged 10 she saved all of her pocket money to buy a saddle at a garage sale. Eventually, after months of nagging her parents, she persuaded them to buy her a horse to go with the saddle. And so began a life-long love affair with horses and Rodeo.

Fiona eventually moved from city to country when she met the love of her life Matt. Sadly tragedy struck shortly after they were married. Fiona was diagnosed with Leukaemia, a rare form of cancer. She wasn't given very long to live.

But Fiona is a fighter. She was determined to beat her illness. And determined to fulfill her dream of participating in Rodeo events. Shortly after her release from seven months in hospital, Fiona decided now was the time to finally learn how to rope. She desperately wanted to be part of the Rodeo world. After many failed practice sessions, she eventually got the hang of it and went on to win the rookie title for ladies breakaway roping in 2005. Now ten years later, in remission and with two children, she can look back at the most difficult time in her life and revel in her triumph over near tragedy.


What I Thought: A nice story - very courageous. We need to appreciate the everyday xoxo