Review: Home at Last

Title: Home at Last

Author: Meredith Appleyard

Publisher: 18th March 2019 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 416 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: contemporary romance

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Flying solo can be harder than it looks ... A warm-hearted rural romance about finding your way home. Flying solo for the first time had been the greatest high of Anna Kelly's life. So when the chance of a dream job as a pilot with the Royal Flying Doctor Service comes up she takes it, even though she has to leave her home in Adelaide and move to remote Broken Hill - a place she had hoped she would never see again.

The bad memories the town provokes remind Anna why she keeps men at arm's length but as her work proves fulfilling, her housemate becomes a friend and a warm community grows around her, Anna is surprised to discover that Broken Hill is starting to feel like home.

But there is no such thing as plain sailing and with errant mothers, vengeful ex-patients and determined exes on the prowl, life is becoming increasingly complicated. More than that, the distractingly attractive Flight Nurse Nick Harrison seems keen to get to know her better, and he has a way of finding a path through her defences. But will he still want her if the truth comes out?

My Thoughts

An engaging and heartwarming rural medical romance is what you will discover with this book. It is an enjoyable women's fiction tale, with themes of general living, family, friendships, romances, life choices and the challenges of living in a small rural town. I especially appreciated witnessing the life of a shift worker and the challenges that ensue.

This story also highlighted a number of important issues such as mental health, especially when associated with remote and isolated living situations; aged care and assisting aging parents; homelessness for a range of ages - adolescent boarding school to medical shift workers, to estranged marriages, to aged care - important issues that I felt were dealt with in an appropriate and enlightening way.

At its heart, however, this is a medical rural romance, set in and around Broken Hill (NSW - Australia) with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). It was above average as far as romance goes but, at times, was a little repetitive and prolonged in sorting out the relevant issues for both major parties. What I did appreciate and wish was investigated further, was the gender role reversal of a male nurse and female pilot - I wish more had been attributed to this significant aspect. The plot is simple but engaging with regards to the various relationships and there are some good secondary characters.

The highlight of this book would have to be the fascinating insights into RFDS culture and traveling the vast regions of the Australian landscape. I understood but never really appreciated the difficulties of not only dealing with providing medical assistance to remote areas, but also the pressure it brings to those who provide such services eg. insufficient staffing, long shifts and available expertise. The cases themselves are dealt with in realistic ways, that bring about true empathy for all involved.

If learning of such true to life situations appeals to you, then I recommend you go on a journey to the heart of Australia and discover how life is for the teams who provide such valuable services.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release