Billie Masterson is a down on her luck waitress with a drop kick boyfriend, when she learns of the death of her estranged father. Inheriting his run dBillie Masterson is a down on her luck waitress with a drop kick boyfriend, when she learns of the death of her estranged father. Inheriting his run down Kentucky horse farm, and the debts with it, Billie's first instinct is to sell everything. When billionaire businessman Reese Ryker offers her a good price she almost takes it, then she learns of Ryker's obsession with her father's unraced colt, Cactus Jack.
So Billie and her horse, along with a cast of odd bods, take on the establishment, with no money and very little hope. Will Cactus Jack rise to the occasion? Or will Ryker get his way and claim the horse? With everything against them our crew are determined to rise to the top.
I found Cactus Jack to be a classic rags to riches horse racing novel. It is enjoyable enough, even if some of the scenarios seem implausible, and most of the characters cliched. I found it to be easy and quick to read, and did find myself invested in Cactus Jack and his racing career. Lovers of horses and sports will enjoy this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
I read this book as I needed a bit of light fluff, but this was too fluffy for me. Chloe is a photographer who is sent on assignment to Estonia for a I read this book as I needed a bit of light fluff, but this was too fluffy for me. Chloe is a photographer who is sent on assignment to Estonia for a shoot. Everything that could possibly go wrong did, and she gets promoted! Plus she has a habit of running into her ex boyfriends, and shagging them. Don't bother with this one, there's much better chick lit around....more
A pleasant novel about a grumpy old man who finds redemption at the hands of a ten year old girl and a ninety year old woman. It's not my usual readinA pleasant novel about a grumpy old man who finds redemption at the hands of a ten year old girl and a ninety year old woman. It's not my usual reading material, however it's easy to read and has charm. Worth a read....more
An engaging novel in which newly single Rosa follows her mum to Malta to be her assistant while her mum writes the latest in her cookbook series. Her An engaging novel in which newly single Rosa follows her mum to Malta to be her assistant while her mum writes the latest in her cookbook series. Her mum is trying to push her towards their handsome neighbour Zach, but neither Rosa or Zach is ready for a relationship. Or are they?
Summer On A Sunny Island is a delightful read, full of engaging characters and with a wonderful setting. I found it to be extremely easy to read, in fact I had a hard time putting it down. It was just the mood booster I needed during this Easter break of lockdown and quarantine, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who's looking for a bit of fun and romance.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
An interesting premise for a book, translator Laura is drawn to a job in England where an old manuscript needs to be translated. Staying in the ownersAn interesting premise for a book, translator Laura is drawn to a job in England where an old manuscript needs to be translated. Staying in the owners mansion in Cornwall, Laura starts her work, only to find the manuscript has explosive historical consequences, and not everyone will want the results published. Drawn to the owner's married son James, Laura and he start to prepare the manuscript for publication, aware that their lives will probably never be the same again.
Honestly this book wont be for everyone. The contents of the manuscript, though fiction, will shock and outrage many readers. So will the actions of the mainly weak minded characters. The best character by far is the manuscripts owner, Camilla, a feisty seventy year old, the others were mainly dull or nasty. So while I did enjoy this book, I advise caution on the part of the reader going forward.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
An enjoyable novel, set in the high stakes world of underwater archaeology, we have Tate, a marine archaeologist reluctantly teaming up with treasure An enjoyable novel, set in the high stakes world of underwater archaeology, we have Tate, a marine archaeologist reluctantly teaming up with treasure hunter Matthew. As the team search the waters off the Caribbean island of Nevis, searching for a famed, yet cursed, amulet that went down on a Spanish galleon centuries before, they find that sharks aren't the only danger they face, and things are certainly turning deadly. And Tate also has to worry about how to shield her heart from Matthew, the man who broke it many years before. Will they find the amulet? Will Matthew break down the wall she's formed around her heart? Or are things totally against them?
I really did like this book, though the plot was quite predictable. I found the insights into marine archaeology and treasure hunting intriguing. With some excellent characters and easy to read format, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all lovers of adventure and romantic suspense....more
A beautifully written book for children, complete with gorgeous illustrations, Yatandou is the tale of an eight year old girl growing up in Mali. YataA beautifully written book for children, complete with gorgeous illustrations, Yatandou is the tale of an eight year old girl growing up in Mali. Yatandou can't go to school with the boys, she has to spend the day grinding millet kernals with a pounding stick. It's hard work for a young girl. The women of the village wish to purchase a machine to do the work for them, and reduce their daily toil, but how will they ever afford to buy one?
A lovely tale about a child growing up in a different culture, we learn how they live, what they do in their lives. This book woud be an eye-opener for children of modern western society, who have everything they want handed to them on a plate. I recommend this book to all children, so they can see how kids in other lands live, and how different life there is to our own....more
In Five Years is a wonderful book, both heart warming and heartbreaking at the same time. We follow Dannie, a lawyer on the rise in NYC, who at the stIn Five Years is a wonderful book, both heart warming and heartbreaking at the same time. We follow Dannie, a lawyer on the rise in NYC, who at the start of the book gets engaged, and following the celebrations falls asleep. When she wakes everything is very different. She is in a different apartment, with a different man, and realises it's five years in the future.
When she eventually wakes up back in her own timeline, she thinks it's a dream, though a very realistic one, and puts it behind her. Until one day, after four and a half years have passed, she sees the man from her dream on the street.
This book then goes on to tell the tale of how Dannie gets to that point five years in the future. It covers life, love and grief, and is full of surprises. At times it was a little slow, and got bogged down a bit, but all in all it's a moving tale, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to readers.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
Nana is a stray cat who, when injured by a car, is taken in by a kind man Satoru. Nana and Satoru live together happily for five years, then somethingNana is a stray cat who, when injured by a car, is taken in by a kind man Satoru. Nana and Satoru live together happily for five years, then something changes, and Nana finds himself in Satoru's van travelling around Japan visiting friends from his owners past. Unsure why they're on the road Nana reacts to Satoru's friends in different ways, and slowly the story unwinds, the story of Satoru's past, and their future.
A poignant book, both happy and sad at times, I found The Travelling Cat Chronicles a compelling tale of love, loyalty and friendship. Wonderful characters and richly told, I have no hesitation of recommending this book to animal lovers everywhere....more
Another addictive entry in the Mad Love series, showing again why Clayton Sinclair is so compelling. In this book he even shows some human tendencies!Another addictive entry in the Mad Love series, showing again why Clayton Sinclair is so compelling. In this book he even shows some human tendencies! Sophie has spent the last month trying to get over Clayton since their doomed affair in the Maldives. Her work as an artist takes her to the south of France, to paint a portrait of a socialite bride-to-be, with her best friends Erik and Orie in tow they head to Avignon to a historic chateau, only to find it's been a set up...
These books are as delicious as Clayton himself, just what I needed for an afternoon of escapism. Recommended....more
Another wonderful book from the pen of TM Clark. Set in South Africa it follows the story of Lily, a doctor with the World Health Organisation. She haAnother wonderful book from the pen of TM Clark. Set in South Africa it follows the story of Lily, a doctor with the World Health Organisation. She has been sent to South Africa after the murder of a colleague. As she delves into his cases she finds that things are not adding up. Cases of meningitis are occurring where they shouldn't, and patients are not responding to medications as they should.
Was her colleague murdered because he found this out and was onto the culprits? Or was he covering something up? Ad Lily and her team investigate she finds that things are more dire than even she hought, and soon her own life, and those of her friends, are at risk.
I must say this is a thought-provoking read. (view spoiler)[It brings to light the power that pharmtaceutical companies do have. (hide spoiler)] Yet as always the power of the African land, the animals and the people is to the fore. With wonderful, realistic characters, this book is worthy of being on anyone's to read list. Recommended.
My thanks to Harlequin/Mira for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own....more
The Bass Rock is an account of the lives of three women, separated by time, whose lives revolve around a small town in Scotland. The three timelines aThe Bass Rock is an account of the lives of three women, separated by time, whose lives revolve around a small town in Scotland. The three timelines are woven around them, detailing their lives, but I found that they jumped about a bit too much and was sometimes confused as to where I was up to. The consequence of this was that I didn't feel a connection with any of the women, and I didn't receive a great deal of satisfaction from it. It's not a bad book by any means, just not my cup of tea.
My thanks to Better Reading and the publisher for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review....more
Maggie's life is a train wreck, she has no job, has been dumped by her boyfriend, and been disinherited by her mother for being a no-hoper. So with thMaggie's life is a train wreck, she has no job, has been dumped by her boyfriend, and been disinherited by her mother for being a no-hoper. So with the last of her mother's money she buys an old caravan so she doesn't have to live on the street, and gets a volunteer job in a charity shop through Centrelink. The job has perks in the form of Reuben, hot ex-crim guitarist and IT expert, and Maggie spends most of her time trying to seduce him instead of trying to get her life back on track...
While this book doesn't have a lot of substance it's light and easy to read, and I found myself chuckling, and cringing, at Maggie's antics all the way through. As she plummets further and further, you can't help but admire her optimism, and uselessness, while she rides roughshod over everyone around her. Will she get back into her mother's will? Will she pay off her debts? Will she get the guy? I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to read this book yourself to find out. Recommended for all lovers of chick lit and women's fiction.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
My thanks to Better Reading Preview and Penguin Random House Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own....more
It took me forever to read this book, mainly because the first three quarters of it was so freaking boring. Too much politics and not enough story. I It took me forever to read this book, mainly because the first three quarters of it was so freaking boring. Too much politics and not enough story. I really don't enjoy reading about politics, though I don't mind if it's relevant to the story. In this case it was the only thing we read about. The last quarter of the book did pick up and was quite good, but by then I was over it.
2.5 stars rounded up.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own....more
A lovely coming of age tale, coyote style. Pica and Scruff are two young coyotes growing up in an urban area. Pica is from a strong, fortunate family A lovely coming of age tale, coyote style. Pica and Scruff are two young coyotes growing up in an urban area. Pica is from a strong, fortunate family whereas Scruff is an orphan, taken in by lone male coyote Jagger. Pica and Scruff try to be friends, but there is tension between their packs, and soon a tragedy happens that drives them apart. Will Pica and Scruff ever find each other again and be friends?
I really enjoyed this story. It highlights so well the plight of wild animals, facing the destruction of their territories, and having to live amongst, but vilified by, humans. Claire Gilchrist has done marvellous job of outlining these details. Her characters have lovely human qualities, but remain, as they should, wild coyotes, beautiful, and determined to survive. This is a book aimed at children and young adults, but I have no hesitation recommending it to all lovers of animals.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
A tale of obsession, deceit and betrayal, The Arrangement looks at the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies. It's a subject that most people are awA tale of obsession, deceit and betrayal, The Arrangement looks at the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies. It's a subject that most people are aware of, yet don't know or care to know the full details of. We have Natalie, a struggling art student in New York, getting by on bar jobs and copious amounts of alcohol, until one day a friend introduces her to the lucrative world of sugar babies.
Soon Natalie meets Gabe, a handsome, and older, financial lawyer, and they soon come to an arrangement, as long as Natalie realises his daughter and his work will always come before her. Natalie is sucked in to a seductive world of theater trips, high class restaurants and weekends in the country. Then suddenly Gabe puts his family first and ends the arrangement, leaving Natalie devastated and heart broken...and determined to get Gabe back. And she will stop at nothing...
An eye-opening book, The Arrangement is a look into the life of a working class girl who is swept up in a life of glamour, then finds it crashing down on her. The plot sucks you in, as seductive as the world itself, and you'll find yourself unable to put this one down. The short chapters give thoughts to 'just one more' and you find yourself reading long into the night. Though the end did show some serious plot holes, it was still satisfying enough. I recommend this book to all who want to have a look into this glamourous lifestyle, albeit one that will always be judged harshly.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own....more
Maeve Donnelly is living her dream life, as a marine biologist, travelling around the world studying her beloved sharks. After being bitten by a sharkMaeve Donnelly is living her dream life, as a marine biologist, travelling around the world studying her beloved sharks. After being bitten by a shark as a child Maeve has now given her life to studying and rescuing them, trying to raise public awareness to the plight of these much maligned creatures, with eighty million a year being slaughtered. With a budding romance with colleague Nicholas, and an eminent trip to Mozambique to study whale sharks, Maeve's life is looking rosy.
A couple of months between trips sees her heading back to her hometown, where the grandmother who raised her owns a popular hotel, with Maeve's twin brother working there as manager. But all is not as it should be there. Someone is killing the local sharks for their fins, and Maeve goes on a crusade to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Added to that Maeve's ex fiancé turns up with his young daughter in tow. A girl who was conceived while Maeve was on one of her trips leading up to their wedding, a betrayal she has never gotten over, and Maeve finds herself struggling with old feelings.
A quick, enjoyable read, The Shark Club truly brings the plight of sharks to the reader, added with romance and a suspenseful subplot of shark finning, it adds up to a lovely way to spend the afternoon. A great beach read, just watch out for sharks......more
I wasn't sure about this book when I started it, but I needn't have worried as I soon became totally immersed in it. It's a look into the life of a noI wasn't sure about this book when I started it, but I needn't have worried as I soon became totally immersed in it. It's a look into the life of a normal everyday farming family in South Australia, and how people can become totally overwhelmed by busy lives.
Our MC is Natalie, farmer's wife, teacher, and mother to three grown daughters, two of which have left home. The third lives and works on the family property, and will eventually take it over one day. Natalie has recently had an anomalous reading in her breast scan and that, on top of all the housework and cooking at the farm, an overbearing mother in law, and a husband who's so wrapped up in his work he wont listen to her. Adding to this is her teaching job, and a new young principal who seems to think her way of doing things is outdated. When one night her other two daughters both converge on the farm with their own personal problems, and an old betrayal comes back to haunt her, Natalie finds everything is too much for her, and what follows is how she deals with it.
This is a soul searching look at one woman's struggle to find herself in a busy world where she has been taught to put everyone else's needs before her own. Natalie is looking after everybody in her life, but no one seems to be looking after, or listening to her. Overwhelmed, Natalie deals with it in the only way she can, and leaves a bewildered family behind, who suddenly have to deal with life themselves.
A timely book, The Model Wife looks at the ways life can become too much for some, and the varied way people have with dealing with stresses. The characters in this book are all realistic, all with their own stresses and personalities, and we follow them over the course of a few weeks while they deal with their problems. But don't get me wrong, this is not a depressing book, there are light moments to counteract all the trauma, and Tricia Stringer has done a great job of setting the scene, and drawing this family. I did really enjoy this book and have no hesitation in recommending it to other readers.
My thanks to Harlequin Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own....more
In North Queensland there is a network of caves formed from lava flows, these spectacular underground tubes are in a region known as Undara. Close to In North Queensland there is a network of caves formed from lava flows, these spectacular underground tubes are in a region known as Undara. Close to the tourist haunts entomologist Dr Emlyn Rees is headed to a private cattle station, where, with a team of scientists, she will be conducting research on the insect life in the tubes, and looking for new species.
Emlyn is recovering from a terrible tragedy, one that has her estranged from her husband David, and this trip looks like just the thing for her to bury herself in her work and to try to put the past behind her. Unfortunately the family who owns the property don't want her there, and make their feelings known, but money is tight on huge cattle stations, and struggling farmers must do what they can to make ends meet.
As the search for bug life is looking promising Emlyn forms a tenuous friendship with station owner Travis Carlyle, who is suffering from his own personal problems having separated from his wife. As the two look into a plan that could make the station more profitable, a series of incidents starts to occur, and start to escalate in nature. Somebody really doesn't want the research team there. But who? And why? And what really did happen to the two children who went missing on the property all those years ago?
I found Undara to be a gripping unputdownable story of suspense and intrigue. The developing relationship between Emlyn and Travis is sympathetically and subtly done. And why it's quite easy to figure out who is trying to stop the team and why, this doesn't detract from the story at all. A first class read.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
A teaser of a prequel to Beneath The Parisian Skies, we follow Lily as she leaves her home in Australia to go to Paris to dance. Her success, however,A teaser of a prequel to Beneath The Parisian Skies, we follow Lily as she leaves her home in Australia to go to Paris to dance. Her success, however, is having a negative effect on her relationship with Aiden, then there is a tragic accident. I'm really looking forward to reading the main event now....more
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