AUTHOR: Stella Quinn GENRE: Rural Romance PAGES: 443 RELEASED: 6 July 2022 SERIES: Northern Rivers #1 SYNOPSIS: They say change is as good as a holiday. Joey Miles is hoping so after leaving the city behind, his stockbroking career in flames, to embrace a brand-new challenge: farming. But while returning to his hometown somehow feels right, he's got a long way to go to get back on his feet financially and the last thing he needs is the townsfolk meddling in his love life (or lack thereof). To the townsfolk of Clarence, Joey has always been the ultimate tragic romantic hero - and it's time this hero had a happy ever after... But Kirsty Fox is only in Clarence to dig up information about a World War II figure from her family's past - she has no intention of sticking around and finding out if Joey is as adorable as he seems. Kirsty doesn't stick around. Ever. But when the locals of Clarence spy the chemistry between these two, a secret item gets added to the agenda of the next town committee meeting: matchmaking. This warm-hearted community will pull every trick in the book to show Joey and Kristy everything they've unwittingly been searching for is right under their noses... What could possibly go wrong? Welcome to Clarence, where the locals will set you up with the woman who’s just arrived in town…
Since she was a child, Kirsty Fox’s mother has instilled the family motto and into her - bad shit happens to Fox’s - as they moved from town to town, never staying in one place for too long because of the family curse. As an adult, it’s something Kirsty has continued to do, until she finds a job with Mediflight and stays in Port Douglas longer than she has anywhere else. But after a minor crash-landing on a callout, she starts to think that the curse may finally be catching up with her. When her mother delivers a letter from her late paternal grandmother, who bequeathed her a trunk of heirlooms, Kirsty decides to hightail it to the northern NSW town of Clarence to collect her inheritance, which turns out to be more than she bargained for. As she learns about her late father’s family and their connection to World War II, she crosses paths with Joey Miles, who recently returned to Clarence to take up farming after going bust on the stock market. Joey fleed to the city after high school to escape the nosiness of small-town life and the responsibilities of being the eldest sibling. With debt up to his eyeballs, the bank breathing down his neck and a farmstay to get up and running, Joey doesn’t have time for romance, even though he is drawn to this new arrival in town. Kirsty, meanwhile, has no intention of staying in Clarence, but as she begins to discover her roots and connect with the locals, it starts to feel like the place she belongs… Stella once again reminding me how much I LOVE a good rural romance! I thoroughly enjoyed The Vet From Snowy River, and Stella followed that up with another sweet romance with a fun cast of small-town characters. As someone who lives in, and has grown up in, a small rural community, Stella has once again perfectly capture the intricacies of small-town life, from the crazy and nosey but loveable cast of characters, to the sense of support and family that comes with living in a tight-knit community. And while it took a little bit to warm up the people of Clarence (their insistence to find Joey a wife despite Joey telling them to leave his love-life alone was a little infuriating), it’s so easy to recognise these people in people I know IRL, and I felt like I kind of knew everyone already, despite this being the first time meeting them all. My inner genealogist absolutely LOVED Kirsty’s journey to discover her family history, which for her was more than just a general interest in learning about her ancestors, but was a journey to discover who she is and connect with the family she had been denied being apart of. That history and genealogy was super interesting to follow, and I need more authors to include a sprinkling of genealogy in their books because that shit in my jam. I also loved museum and historical society volunteer Carol - that is 100% going to be me when I’m old and gray. When it comes to the romance, Kirsty and Joey were all about that slow burn. Both had their own issues to deal with and no time to focus on falling in love, but that romance was slowly bubbling below the surface as they worked together and got to know one another more. It was super sweet, a little bit swoony, and full of so much heart. I especially loved seeing Kirsty slot so effortlessly into the Miles family, particularly her relationship with Joey’s niece Amy, who was a whole world of fun all on her own. As much as this book is a romance, Stella also puts a lot of focus on family, friendship and community, which is just as fun and enjoyable as the love story. I’m excited to return to Clarence in the future with the next Miles sibling to get their happily ever after - Stella has set the whole Miles family up as fun characters with their own interesting story, so I can’t wait to reacquaint myself with the nosiness of Clarence in the future. In the meantime, I’m going to continue devouring all of Stella’s other rural romance romps! Rural romance is one of my favourite romances to pick up, and Stella has once again delivered a must-read. If you’re yet to dip your toe in the rural romance pond, or you’ve only read American cowboy romances, this is the place to start! |
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