Publisher: 27th October 2021 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA
Pages: 380 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: romance, Australia, women’s fiction
My Rating: 5 cups
Synopsis:
Keeping secrets comes naturally to him ... but will it ruin his chance at love?
Liam Castle knows the secrets of everyone in Bunyip Bay. As the owner of the pub, he's heard it all - from marriage proposals and farming disasters to family rifts and everything in between. The locals love to confide in him, but no one knows he's hiding a tragic past.
And he wants to keep it that way.
Agricultural pilot Henrietta Forward lives for her job, choosing work over romance. But when an incident in the air brings Henri home to Bunyip Bay earlier than planned, she finds herself questioning everything she believes about herself.
But Henri's secret isn't her only problem.
Her mother will stop at nothing to have her settled down back in the Bay, and while Henri had always known domesticity wasn't the life for her, now she wonders what her future holds. So when Liam - always the first to lend a hand to those in need - agrees to play along with Henri's scheme to ward off her mother, she has mixed feelings. What happens when a pretend romance starts to feel like the real thing?
Will Henri's demons and Liam's traumatic past prove too great a barrier to love?
My Thoughts
Ahh … Rachael … you had us with your take on the good ol’ cuppa ….
‘Tilley all but collapsed into a seat next to Henri and sighed when her mum poured the tea and placed a china cup in front of her. ‘Ah, there’s just something about tea that soothes the soul,’ she said as she lifted the cup to take a sip.’
Along with a soothing cuppa there is much else to be praised for Outback Secrets. It is the fifth book in the Bunyip Bay series by Aussie author Rachael Johns - I have not read the others and had no problem easily reading this as a standalone. Bunyip Bay (fictional) on the west coast of Australia is certainly a place I would want to visit as Rachael made it sound picturesque and the town itself full of interesting characters.
‘She stood in the doorway frozen, feeling like she was lingering between two worlds and she didn’t want to be in either of them.’
I really enjoyed this book. Rachael’s books are like a big cosy blanket that allows you to have all the feels by getting lost in a great story. What she does best is capture the heart of outback Australia with her down to earth writing style and characters that are engaging and relatable. On this occasion the two leads, Henri and Liam, have fabulous character arcs with the back story that each of them bring, really providing that extra layer of depth and engagement. The cast of secondary characters are fabulous with a bit shout out to Rex on his bar stool!
‘… life isn’t a Danielle Steel novel. It just doesn’t work that way for everyone, and I don’t want to sacrifice who I am to get it.’
Outback Secrets takes you into small town living with its family dramas and some hot romance. Yet, kudos to Rachael for really bringing her ‘A’ game to this story with the inclusion of themes such as family pressures, bereavement, the problem of keeping secrets and learning to face life’s challenges. This book is a definite read for all of Rachael’s many fans and indeed anyone who needs a breath of fresh outback air and is looking for a romantic getaway to brilliant Bunyip Bay!
‘Next year she’d make sure she was as far away as possible. Timbuktu was looking good.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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