Kylie's bookshelf: aussie-author en-US Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:54:17 -0700 60 Kylie's bookshelf: aussie-author 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Spite Game 42405639
Mercilessly bullied in high school, Ava knows she needs to put the past behind her and move on, but she can’t — not until she’s exacted precise, catastrophic revenge on the people who hurt her the most.

First, she watches Saanvi. Flawlessly chic and working hard at a top architectural firm, Saanvi has it all together on the surface. But everyone does bad things when they think no one is watching and Ava only wants what’s fair — to destroy Saanvi’s life the way her own was destroyed.

Next, she watches Cass. She’s there as Cass tries on wedding dresses, she’s there when Cass picks out a cake, she’s there when Cass betrays her fiancé. She’s the reason Cass’s entire future comes crashing down.

Finally, Ava watches Mel. Mel was always the ringleader and if anyone has to pay, it’s her. But one tiny slipup and Ava realises the Mel knows she’s being watched, and she’s ready to play Ava’s games to the bitter end.



PRAISE

'A story of high school grudges and revenge wrapped up as a crime thriller, Snoekstra's latest will appeal to fans of The Trap and Gone Girl.' - Books + Publishing

'The Spite Game by Anna Snoekstra is a clever, gripping tale of the demons that we carry throughout our lives, and the damage they can cause if we fail to let them go. ' - Better Reading]]>
319 Anna Snoekstra 1489270639 Kylie 4
I really enjoyed this book, coming fully invested in Ava's little games. It jumps around a bit, which can be a bit disconcerting, but this doesn't ultimately distract from overall gratification. It's not totally polished, but then, being from Ava's point of view it shouldn't be. She's a flawed character, not really likeable, but her story drags you in. If you like psychological dramas from an imperfect characters point of view, this book might suit you.

3.5 stars rounded up.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.82 2018 The Spite Game
author: Anna Snoekstra
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/28
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: netgalley-2018, aussie-author, psychological-thriller, monthly-challenges
review:
Well, that was an interesting book! Ava was bullied in high school by her "friends" and slowly, over the years, she's determined to get revenge for herself, make them pay. It starts off with little things, just to throw them, but it starts to escalate into something a lot more. And then there's no going back...

I really enjoyed this book, coming fully invested in Ava's little games. It jumps around a bit, which can be a bit disconcerting, but this doesn't ultimately distract from overall gratification. It's not totally polished, but then, being from Ava's point of view it shouldn't be. She's a flawed character, not really likeable, but her story drags you in. If you like psychological dramas from an imperfect characters point of view, this book might suit you.

3.5 stars rounded up.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Hangman (Timothy Blake, #1) 37547529
Enter Timothy Blake, codename Hangman. Blake is a genius, known for solving impossible cases. He's also a sociopath - the FBI's last resort.

But this time Blake might have met his match. The kidnapper is more cunning and ruthless than anyone he's faced before. And Blake has been assigned a new partner, a woman linked to the past he's so desperate to forget.

Timothy Blake has a secret, one so dark he will do anything to keep it hidden.

And he also has a price. Every time he saves a life, he takes one…

Already sold into five territories, Hangman is a mesmerising dissection of the criminal mind and a bulletproof thriller.]]>
384 Jack Heath 1760633879 Kylie 4
Timothy Blake is a consultant for the FBI in Houston, Texas. Smart and observant, he is an expert at finding kidnapped victims. This time he is called in after the kidnapping of a fourteen year old boy, but everything is not as it seems, and Timothy is pulled into a confusing web that even he gets lost in. And during it all Timothy is nursing a dark, dark secret...

Prepare yourselves for a rollercoaster ride like no other. Hangman is an amazing, original thriller, and Timothy Blake is like no other character you've ever met before. I could easily find myself addicted to this series. Highly recommended.]]>
3.89 2018 Hangman (Timothy Blake, #1)
author: Jack Heath
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/02
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
OMG! What a cracker of a book.

Timothy Blake is a consultant for the FBI in Houston, Texas. Smart and observant, he is an expert at finding kidnapped victims. This time he is called in after the kidnapping of a fourteen year old boy, but everything is not as it seems, and Timothy is pulled into a confusing web that even he gets lost in. And during it all Timothy is nursing a dark, dark secret...

Prepare yourselves for a rollercoaster ride like no other. Hangman is an amazing, original thriller, and Timothy Blake is like no other character you've ever met before. I could easily find myself addicted to this series. Highly recommended.
]]>
The Boy in the Photo 44779433 She becomes aware of the silence at the other end of the line. A prickling sensation crawls up her arms, her heart rate speeds up. ‘Found who?’ she asks, slowly, carefully, deliberately.
‘They found Daniel.’

Six years ago

Megan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As children come and go, the playground emptying, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found.

According to his teacher, Daniel’s father, Greg, has picked up his son. Except Greg and Megan are no longer together. After years of being controlled by her cruel husband, Megan has finally found the courage to divorce him. Hands trembling, she dials his number, but the line is dead.

Six years later

Megan is feeding baby daughter, Evie, when she gets the call she has dreamt about for years. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away. Her son is alive – and he’s coming home.

But their joyful family reunion does not go to plan. His room may have been frozen in time, with his Cookie Monster poster and stack of Lego under the bed, but Daniel is no longer the sweet little boy Megan remembers.

Cold and distant, Daniel is grieving the death of his father, blaming Megan for his loss and rejecting his family. And as Megan struggles to connect with the son she no longer recognises as her own, she begins to realise that Daniel has a secret. A secret that could destroy their family and put them in terrible danger.

A heartbreaking, emotional drama about a family in turmoil, with a jaw-dropping twist that will blow you away. Fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Lisa Wingate – this moving and poignant novel is for you.]]>
334 Nicole Trope 1786818647 Kylie 3
Megan has been looking for her son Daniel ever since he wasn't there when she went to pick him up from school. There is no trace of him, or her ex-husband. Her media and online appeals have come to nothing. Then one day she gets the call, Daniel has been found. Her relief and excitement are soon tempered by the realisation that Daniel is no longer the happy child she once knew. He is traumatised and damaged, having been fed a pack of lies by her now deceased ex. Daniel is uncommunicative and distant, though he shows glimpses of the child he once was. She knows Daniel knows more about his fathers death than he is letting on, but doesn't realise that his secret could well destroy the whole family!

I did enjoy this book. It was quick and easy to read. However I really failed to connect fully with the characters, and found the plotline predictable. It was clear what was going on very early in the piece, and therefore there were no surprises in it for me. I like a thriller with twists and turns I don't see coming, and sadly, for me, that wasn't this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Merged review:

What would you do if your abusive ex-husband stole your son? What if you couldn't find him for years? What do you do when suddenly, six years later, he turns up?

Megan has been looking for her son Daniel ever since he wasn't there when she went to pick him up from school. There is no trace of him, or her ex-husband. Her media and online appeals have come to nothing. Then one day she gets the call, Daniel has been found. Her relief and excitement are soon tempered by the realisation that Daniel is no longer the happy child she once knew. He is traumatised and damaged, having been fed a pack of lies by her now deceased ex. Daniel is uncommunicative and distant, though he shows glimpses of the child he once was. She knows Daniel knows more about his fathers death than he is letting on, but doesn't realise that his secret could well destroy the whole family!

I did enjoy this book. It was quick and easy to read. However I really failed to connect fully with the characters, and found the plotline predictable. It was clear what was going on very early in the piece, and therefore there were no surprises in it for me. I like a thriller with twists and turns I don't see coming, and sadly, for me, that wasn't this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
4.10 2019 The Boy in the Photo
author: Nicole Trope
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/06/29
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-2019, psychological-thriller, seasonal-challenges
review:
What would you do if your abusive ex-husband stole your son? What if you couldn't find him for years? What do you do when suddenly, six years later, he turns up?

Megan has been looking for her son Daniel ever since he wasn't there when she went to pick him up from school. There is no trace of him, or her ex-husband. Her media and online appeals have come to nothing. Then one day she gets the call, Daniel has been found. Her relief and excitement are soon tempered by the realisation that Daniel is no longer the happy child she once knew. He is traumatised and damaged, having been fed a pack of lies by her now deceased ex. Daniel is uncommunicative and distant, though he shows glimpses of the child he once was. She knows Daniel knows more about his fathers death than he is letting on, but doesn't realise that his secret could well destroy the whole family!

I did enjoy this book. It was quick and easy to read. However I really failed to connect fully with the characters, and found the plotline predictable. It was clear what was going on very early in the piece, and therefore there were no surprises in it for me. I like a thriller with twists and turns I don't see coming, and sadly, for me, that wasn't this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Merged review:

What would you do if your abusive ex-husband stole your son? What if you couldn't find him for years? What do you do when suddenly, six years later, he turns up?

Megan has been looking for her son Daniel ever since he wasn't there when she went to pick him up from school. There is no trace of him, or her ex-husband. Her media and online appeals have come to nothing. Then one day she gets the call, Daniel has been found. Her relief and excitement are soon tempered by the realisation that Daniel is no longer the happy child she once knew. He is traumatised and damaged, having been fed a pack of lies by her now deceased ex. Daniel is uncommunicative and distant, though he shows glimpses of the child he once was. She knows Daniel knows more about his fathers death than he is letting on, but doesn't realise that his secret could well destroy the whole family!

I did enjoy this book. It was quick and easy to read. However I really failed to connect fully with the characters, and found the plotline predictable. It was clear what was going on very early in the piece, and therefore there were no surprises in it for me. I like a thriller with twists and turns I don't see coming, and sadly, for me, that wasn't this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Under The Spanish Stars 28633292
But the mystery surrounding the painting deepens, reaching back in time to the war-torn Spain of the 1940s and Charlotte discovers her grandmother’s connection to the Spanish underground. Who is her grandmother, really? What is Mateo’s connection to her family history? And why is finding answers to a family mystery turning into a journey of self-discovery for Charlotte?

Weighed down by secrets, betrayals and shattered relationships, Charlotte finds herself questioning the true meaning of heritage, family and love.
]]>
324 Alli Sinclair 1760374180 Kylie 5
We have workaholic Charlotte travelling to Spain for her ailing grandmother to look into a painting that was given to her by her father. The painting was unsigned and her gran really wants to solve the mystery of it before she passes. In Spain Charlotte receives help from dashing guitarist Mateo, who introduces to the world of gypsies and flamenco. As the search for the answers to the mystery painting are revealed, Charlotte starts to uncover secrets from her grandmothers past, and ends up finding much more than she bargained for!

This book had me hooked from the start, staying up late into the night to finish it. Charlotte is a refreshing heroine, it was lovely to see the transformation as she realises her life could be so much richer, and I have a bit of a crush on Mateo. Though not my usual genre I'll definitely be reading more of Alli Sinclair's books. Highly recommended.]]>
4.18 Under The Spanish Stars
author: Alli Sinclair
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/28
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: seasonal-challenges, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction
review:
I just loved this novel! It has everything you want in a book, mystery, enchanting setting, handsome stranger!

We have workaholic Charlotte travelling to Spain for her ailing grandmother to look into a painting that was given to her by her father. The painting was unsigned and her gran really wants to solve the mystery of it before she passes. In Spain Charlotte receives help from dashing guitarist Mateo, who introduces to the world of gypsies and flamenco. As the search for the answers to the mystery painting are revealed, Charlotte starts to uncover secrets from her grandmothers past, and ends up finding much more than she bargained for!

This book had me hooked from the start, staying up late into the night to finish it. Charlotte is a refreshing heroine, it was lovely to see the transformation as she realises her life could be so much richer, and I have a bit of a crush on Mateo. Though not my usual genre I'll definitely be reading more of Alli Sinclair's books. Highly recommended.
]]>
Matryoshka 42038638
Sara, a geneticist, also longs to know the identity of her father, and Helena won’t tell her. Now, estranged not only from her mother, but also from her husband, Sara raises her daughter, Ellie, with a central wish to spare her the same feeling of abandonment that she experienced as a child.
 
When Sara meets an Afghani refugee separated from his beloved wife and family, she decides to try to repair relations with Helena – but when a lie told by her grandmother years before begins to unravel, a darker truth than she could ever imagine is revealed.
 
Matryoshka is a haunting and beautifully written story about the power of maternal love, and the danger of secrets passed down through generations.
 ]]>
265 Katherine Johnson 1925384640 Kylie 3
I'm really not sure what to make of this book. It definitely raises some important issues, the wait time for visas for refugees and the public perceptions of them. Katherine Johnson has some salient points to make and some of the characters are well drawn, the friendship between Sara and Abdhul is particularly sympathetic. However other characters seemed stereotypical and the love interest was like a cardboard cut-out. I did start out invested in this story, but found my interest waning the further into it I got. It's not a bad book by any means, it just didn't hit the mark for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.54 2018 Matryoshka
author: Katherine Johnson
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/09/19
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, netgalley-2018, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges
review:
A thought-provoking novel that sees Sara, a geneticist, separate from her husband in Brisbane and move back to her childhood home in Hobart with her young daughter. Her grandmother, a Russian immigrant, has recently died and left her little cottage to her. Sara is estranged from her mother, a doctor in Sydney, and she doesn't even know who her father is. As Sara and young Ellie settle back into Tasmania Sara soon befriends a young Afghani refugee, Abdhul, who has arrived in Australia by boat, but has left his wife and children behind in Pakistan. There are two distinct story lines here, the plight of the refugees in this country and the story of Sara herself, her family and their secrets.

I'm really not sure what to make of this book. It definitely raises some important issues, the wait time for visas for refugees and the public perceptions of them. Katherine Johnson has some salient points to make and some of the characters are well drawn, the friendship between Sara and Abdhul is particularly sympathetic. However other characters seemed stereotypical and the love interest was like a cardboard cut-out. I did start out invested in this story, but found my interest waning the further into it I got. It's not a bad book by any means, it just didn't hit the mark for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Parisian Dreams 34816837 When Australian Lily Johansson earns the opportunity to dance for the prestigious Bohème Ballet in Paris, she fulfils a lifelong dream and continues a family legacy — but it comes at a cost.

While Lily falls in love with the City of Light and her professional life catapults her into fame, her personal life suffers as the relationship with her fiancé deteriorates. On a stormy night, an argument sends Lily racing across the road and a speeding car tragically changes her life forever. Lily’s heart, once full of love and hope, is smashed to pieces and her career crumbles into a hopeless mess. Stumbling into a solitary future she’d never planned, Lily must learn to live with the grief of losing the man she loved and find her way in an unfamiliar world.

]]>
49 Alli Sinclair 1489247009 Kylie 4 I'm really looking forward to reading the main event now.]]> 3.97 Parisian Dreams
author: Alli Sinclair
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/26
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019
review:
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.
]]>
Zambezi 20620240 A heart-racing thriller from the master of adventure. New novel Vendetta out soon.

Paradise is about to erupt

News of the death of a research assistant, killed by a man-eating lion in Zimbabwe, reaches those closes to her. Jed Banks, a Special Forces soldier serving in Afghanistan; Professor Christine Wallis in South Africa; and Hassan bin Zayid, a hotel magnate in Zambia. The victim was respectively their daughter, protegee and lover.
Driven to find out what exactly happened, Jed, accompanied by Christine, travels to the banks of the Zambezi to investigate. Not only does Jed learn some shocking truths about the daughter he thought he knew, he begins to suspect Christine is withholding crucial information.

Meanwhile, Hassan's grief is dangerously volatile...

Fans of David Baldacci, Wilbur Smith and Ken Follett will love Tony Park.



PRAISE FOR TONY

"Gripping action thrillers...never disappoints as a storyteller" Daily Telegraph

"Tony Park is a master storyteller. I love his work." Deon Meyer

"Park once again shows why he is one of Australia's preeminent thriller writers. Cleverly utilising multiple timelines to tell an outstanding story across Africa's history, this is an amazing novel. Highly recommended." Canberra Weekly

"Australian author Park knows his subject intimately" The Guardian

"Australian author Park, who spends much of his time living in South Africa, writes in the vein of Wilbur Smith and Bryce Courtenay, with a deep love for the African bush and wildlife." Sunday Age]]>
0 Tony Park 0330404431 Kylie 4
While I found this book well-plotted and hard to put down, I really didn't connect with any of the characters, finding them unlikeable for the most part. While this didn't detract from the book it did rankle a bit. However this wont stop me looking out for more of Tony Park's work, and I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all lovers of action-adventure.]]>
4.00 Zambezi
author: Tony Park
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/30
date added: 2020/09/18
shelves: action-adventure, annual-challenges, atwi80b-2020, aussie-author, thriller-suspense
review:
An enjoyable action adventure novel, we have bereaved father Jed, a special forces soldier, travelling to Zimbabwe after the death of his daughter Miranda, who was studying lions in the bush. Desperate for answers, Jed meets up with Miranda's boss Chris, who seems to have her own agenda. As Jed gets closer to finding out what happened to Miranda, he finds he has more questions than answers. What is Chris hiding? Where is Miranda's mysterious lover? What really happened that day in the bush? Jed is in for some answers that will shock him to the core.

While I found this book well-plotted and hard to put down, I really didn't connect with any of the characters, finding them unlikeable for the most part. While this didn't detract from the book it did rankle a bit. However this wont stop me looking out for more of Tony Park's work, and I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all lovers of action-adventure.
]]>
The Long Shadow 52730936 Write down something about yourself, as a mother, that worries you.

Psychologist Isabel Harris has come to the outback town of Riley because her husband Dean is assessing the hospital—the hub of the community—with a view to closing it down. Isabel, mostly occupied with her toddler, will run a mother–baby therapy group. But on the first day she gets an anonymous note from one of the mothers:

The baby killer is going to strike again. Soon.

Then a series of small harassments begins.

Is it an attempt to warn Dean off? Or could the threat be serious? A child was murdered in Riley once before.

As Isabel discovers more about the mothers in her group, she begins to believe the twenty-five-year-old mystery of a baby’s death may be the key to preventing another tragedy.]]>
318 Anne Buist 1922268704 Kylie 4
Psychologist Issy, with toddler Noah in tow, starts up a woman's group for new mothers, and soon finds it's not just the hospital situation that's causing a simmering tension in the town. Someone has sent an anonymous letter to the police that a baby killer is going to strike soon. And it's not the first time they have killed...

With intriguing, yet mostly unlikeable characters, and a plot driven with local tensions, I found The Long Shadow to be a mostly absorbing read. I did find it bogged down a bit during the group therapy sessions, but soon picked up as it wound up all the threads in an excellent ending. A worthwhile read for all lovers of psychological dramas and small town secrets.

My thanks to Text Publishing for an uncorrected copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.42 2020 The Long Shadow
author: Anne Buist
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/07
date added: 2020/06/16
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, aussie-author, psychological-thriller, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges
review:
When Isabel and Dean Harris move to Riley for Dean's work, Isabel gets the feeling the town doesn't want them there. Dean is investigating the finances of the local hospital, and the viability of keeping it open. With jobs in the balance, the local's livelihoods are being threatened, and they soon let their anger at the situation shine through.

Psychologist Issy, with toddler Noah in tow, starts up a woman's group for new mothers, and soon finds it's not just the hospital situation that's causing a simmering tension in the town. Someone has sent an anonymous letter to the police that a baby killer is going to strike soon. And it's not the first time they have killed...

With intriguing, yet mostly unlikeable characters, and a plot driven with local tensions, I found The Long Shadow to be a mostly absorbing read. I did find it bogged down a bit during the group therapy sessions, but soon picked up as it wound up all the threads in an excellent ending. A worthwhile read for all lovers of psychological dramas and small town secrets.

My thanks to Text Publishing for an uncorrected copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
In Darkness Visible 52832585
In Sydney, Anna Rosen, a freelance journalist, is emailed photos of a man she knows to be dead - gunned down in a brutal ambush in Bosnia over a decade ago. A man she'd once loved but who had betrayed her. Is it possible that the photos really are of Marin Katich? And if so, what the hell had happened in 1992?

From Croatia to The Hague to Bosnia and Herzegovina to Sydney, Anna and Marin's intertwined history fuels her determination to tear apart, piece by piece, his secrets, while continuing to keep her own.

In a dangerous pursuit of justice and revenge, navigating the murky world of national and international secret agencies and those who would still be warlords, Anna fights for what she believes in and for those she loves.]]>
468 Tony Jones 1760295019 Kylie 4
Sydney journalist Anna Rosen gets an email from a friend and colleague in the Netherlands, containing photos of a man she had once loved and now believed to be dead. Marin Katich has been incarcerated for war crimes, and Anna finds her self on a plane to see him with her own eyes.

Look I could describe the plot to you, but we'd be here all day. Let's just say In Darkness Visible is an intriguing follow up to Tony Jones' previous book The Twentieth Man. We learn more of Anna and Marin's complex relationship, and what caused Marin's downward spiral to the killer he became. This book is not always an easy read, but I urge anyone who loves a good complex thriller to pick it up and give it a go. You'll be glad you did.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.88 2019 In Darkness Visible
author: Tony Jones
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/25
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, atwi80b-2020, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, thriller-suspense
review:
This is a book I've had sitting on my shelf for a while, daunted by the size of it, yet telling myself I must get to it soon. I'm so glad I finally did!

Sydney journalist Anna Rosen gets an email from a friend and colleague in the Netherlands, containing photos of a man she had once loved and now believed to be dead. Marin Katich has been incarcerated for war crimes, and Anna finds her self on a plane to see him with her own eyes.

Look I could describe the plot to you, but we'd be here all day. Let's just say In Darkness Visible is an intriguing follow up to Tony Jones' previous book The Twentieth Man. We learn more of Anna and Marin's complex relationship, and what caused Marin's downward spiral to the killer he became. This book is not always an easy read, but I urge anyone who loves a good complex thriller to pick it up and give it a go. You'll be glad you did.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
<![CDATA[Darkness, Be My Friend (Tomorrow, #4)]]> 71870
Five months into World War III, Ellie and her four remaining friends have barely escaped the Australian town of Wirrawee with their lives and their sanity intact.
But as the next step becomes clear, they realize they must once again sacrifice their hard-won comfort and safety. A group of soldiers has recruited the kids to guide the way to the Wirrawee air base.
What could possibly motivate Ellie and her friends to return? This risky sabotage mission may be their only hope of rescuing their families, too.]]>
259 John Marsden 043985802X Kylie 4
This is such a good series, written for young adults, but with an appeal that crosses generations. Powerful characters, an excellent setting and astounding, action packed plotlines mark this series, one I have no hesitation in recommending to everyone, not just lovers of dystopian fiction.]]>
4.11 1996 Darkness, Be My Friend (Tomorrow, #4)
author: John Marsden
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/16
date added: 2020/05/29
shelves: action-adventure, annual-challenges, aussie-author, monthly-challenges
review:
Another wonderful entry in John Marsden's award winning Tomorrow series. In Darkness, Be My Friend, Ellie and her friends find themselves back in Hell, against their wishes. When something goes wrong they make their way to Wirrawee, looking for their allies. What they find is danger around every corner, so, against the odds, they embark on their most daring mission yet.

This is such a good series, written for young adults, but with an appeal that crosses generations. Powerful characters, an excellent setting and astounding, action packed plotlines mark this series, one I have no hesitation in recommending to everyone, not just lovers of dystopian fiction.
]]>
The Hunted 49110167 Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide Frank is a service station owner on a little-used highway who just wants a quiet life. His granddaughter has been sent to stay with him to fix her attitude, but they don't talk a lot.

When a badly injured young woman arrives at Frank's service station with several cars in pursuit, Frank and a handful of unsuspecting customers are thrust into a life-or-death standoff.

But who are this group of men and women who will go to any lengths for revenge? And what do they want? Other than no survivors ...?

A ferociously fast-paced, filmic, visceral, tense and utterly electric novel, unlike anything you've read before. Set on a lonely, deserted highway, deep in the Australian badlands, The Hunted is white-knuckle suspense matched to the fast-paced adrenaline of a Jack Reacher novel and the creeping menace of Wake in Fright. This is unmissable reading.]]>
288 Gabriel Bergmoser 1460758544 Kylie 5
When an injured girl drives into a service station in outback Australia, little does the owner know that his life, and the lives of those around him, are about to get very interesting. And that's an understatement. I'm not going to say anymore as I don't want to give anything away.

This is a book for all action, thriller and suspense lovers, so do yourself a favour and grab a copy!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.74 2020 The Hunted
author: Gabriel Bergmoser
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/06
date added: 2020/05/18
shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-2020, monthly-challenges, annual-challenges, thriller-suspense
review:
Well that's certainly what I call an unputdownable novel! It comes out of the boxes running, and doesn't let up until the finishing post is reached.

When an injured girl drives into a service station in outback Australia, little does the owner know that his life, and the lives of those around him, are about to get very interesting. And that's an understatement. I'm not going to say anymore as I don't want to give anything away.

This is a book for all action, thriller and suspense lovers, so do yourself a favour and grab a copy!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
The Twentieth Man 35106645
In September 1972, journalist Anna Rosen takes an early morning phone call from her boss at the ABC telling her about two bombings in Sydney’s busy CBD. It's the worst terrorist attack in the country's history and Anna has no doubt which group is responsible for the carnage. She has been investigating the role of alleged war criminals in the globally active Ustasha movement.

High in the Austrian Alps, guided by starlight and a crescent moon, Marin Katich is one of twenty would-be revolutionaries who slip stealthily over the border into Yugoslavia on a mission planned and funded in Australia that will have devastating consequences for all involved.

Two and half years ago Anna and Marin had become lovers at university, but his sudden and mysterious disappearance brought their relationship to an abrupt end. Now the Sydney bombings will draw their lives back together.

With Croatian extremists under suspicion and a power struggle erupting between ASIO and the federal police, events suddenly reach a trigger point with the impending arrival of Yugoslavia’s prime minister.

This intricate political thriller provides a modern take on real-life events that have particular resonance in today's fraught political climate.]]>
482 Tony Jones 1760295000 Kylie 4
Political thrillers are not usually my cup of tea, but I found this one to be well written, and quite gripping, especially as it was based on fact. While it's definitely not light entertainment, it's still well worth reading.]]>
3.52 2017 The Twentieth Man
author: Tony Jones
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/24
date added: 2020/05/01
shelves: annual-challenges, atwi80b-2020, aussie-author, historical-fiction, thriller-suspense
review:
An intriguing political thriller, set in the early seventies, and the historical events surrounding a visit to Australia from the Yugoslav Prime Minister. A blend of historical fact and fiction, with real characters mixing with the made up.

Political thrillers are not usually my cup of tea, but I found this one to be well written, and quite gripping, especially as it was based on fact. While it's definitely not light entertainment, it's still well worth reading.
]]>
Silver (Martin Scarsden, #2) 51285060
He's making little progress when a terrible new crime starts to reveal the truth. The media descend on Port Silver, attracted by a story that has it all: sex, drugs, celebrity and religion. Once again, Martin finds himself in the front line of reporting. Yet the demands of deadlines and his desire to clear Mandy are not enough: the past is ever present.

An enthralling and propulsive thriller from the acclaimed and bestselling author of Scrublands.]]>
576 Chris Hammer 1760632996 Kylie 5
Martin Scarsden has returned to his hometown, with his partner Mandy and her son Liam, only to find his childhood best friend murdered in the living room. And all the evidence points to Mandy. Martin immediately starts investigating to clear her name, yet he finds that this is no straight forward murder. As he faces old friends, and foes, he finds that old memories don't die, and the past has a way of coming back to haunt him.

Even though this is set in a fictional town Chris Hammer has totally brought it to life. It has a great setting, wonderful characters and an intriguing plot. What more can you ask for? So do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this book, I highly recommend it!

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.92 2019 Silver (Martin Scarsden, #2)
author: Chris Hammer
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/18
date added: 2020/04/25
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, aussie-author, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
I must admit I put off reading this novel, it's been sitting on my shelf for months, probably because of the size of it, at well over 500 pages. Now I'm kicking myself! Chris Hammer has woven an intricate tale, with offshoots going off everywhere. Fast paced and gripping, you'll find yourself glued to the pages, until it comes to it's power packed ending, where all the offshoots combine.

Martin Scarsden has returned to his hometown, with his partner Mandy and her son Liam, only to find his childhood best friend murdered in the living room. And all the evidence points to Mandy. Martin immediately starts investigating to clear her name, yet he finds that this is no straight forward murder. As he faces old friends, and foes, he finds that old memories don't die, and the past has a way of coming back to haunt him.

Even though this is set in a fictional town Chris Hammer has totally brought it to life. It has a great setting, wonderful characters and an intriguing plot. What more can you ask for? So do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this book, I highly recommend it!

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
<![CDATA[Best Bush and Beach Walks of the Gold Coast]]> 52513010
In his choice of the best walks, he includes not only the popular walks in the main tourist areas, but also many quieter tracks that few know exist. Each walk includes a detailed description, trek rating, full-colour map and full-colour photos.

The book includes a range of walks from 30-minute strolls to 6-hour full-day walks, and is full of suggestions for walkers of differing experience.

The 33 walks reveal a side to the Gold Coast that few tourists get to know: Rainforests resonating to the sound of whipbirds, waterfalls and quiet creeks, not to mention long stretches of deserted coastline.]]>
222 Alan Ernst 1921683295 Kylie 5 5.00 Best Bush and Beach Walks of the Gold Coast
author: Alan Ernst
name: Kylie
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/13
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: aussie-author, non-fiction, annual-challenges, monthly-challenges
review:
An extremely useful guide to local walks on the Gold Coast, covering both beach and hinterland walks. It includes walk grading and distance, many colour photos, and lots of helpful information about local flora and fauna. It has well detailed maps, and covers parking and local transport. I can't wait to try them, if we ever get out of Coronavirus lockdown...
]]>
<![CDATA[The Fatality at the Funeral (Getaway Bay #6)]]> 44792232
Besides the one in the casket, that is.

The beach house occupants have welcomed their new boarder, elderly mystery writer Henry Farrelly, with open arms. But when Henry’s sister-in-law dies, and Addison and Mrs Jones accompany him to the funeral, an unexpected death shatters the mourners all over again.

And this time the police have only one suspect – Henry.

Convinced his favourite writer and new friend is innocent, Adam insists he and Addison investigate to clear Henry’s name. But they’re getting no help from Isaac, whose hands are tied. And Henry himself isn’t talking.

Did Henry commit murder? Or is he covering for someone?

Does the answer lie in a fifty-year family feud?

The Getaway Bay cozy mysteries have everything you love – suspense to keep you guessing, twists you don’t see coming, and characters you want to have a cup of tea with – plus an added dose of Aussie flavour.

Getaway Bay: Come for the murder, stay for the cake!

Series order:
Arson at the Art Gallery
The Body in the Beach House
The Corpse at the Carnival
Death at the Dog Show
Evil at Echo Point
The Fatality at the Funeral]]>
165 Grace York Kylie 4
A quick and easy to read mystery, the Getaway Bay characters are fast becoming old friends. I enjoy the banter between them, and their camaraderie. Add this to some interesting plots and we have a fun series that I have no hesitation in recommending to all lovers of cozy mysteries.]]>
4.65 The Fatality at the Funeral (Getaway Bay #6)
author: Grace York
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.65
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/04
date added: 2020/04/11
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime
review:
I really do like Grace York's Getaway Bay Mystery series. The Fatality At The Funeral is the sixth installment, and it sees Addison and her friends going in to bat for Henry, one of the boarders at her beach house. Henry is accused of murdering his estranged brother at his sister-in-law's funeral, and with all the evidence pointing towards him Addison has her work cut out to prove his innocence. As old secrets come to light, and the police convinced they have the right man, will Addison be able to save her friend? Or is he really guilty?

A quick and easy to read mystery, the Getaway Bay characters are fast becoming old friends. I enjoy the banter between them, and their camaraderie. Add this to some interesting plots and we have a fun series that I have no hesitation in recommending to all lovers of cozy mysteries.
]]>
<![CDATA[Death by Tradition: Fiji Islands Mysteries 2]]> 40956497
Only 5 more days… Horseman can’t wait for Melissa, his American girlfriend, to join him in Fiji. This time, he wants love to last.
So, when a young activist is murdered at Tanoa in the remote highlands, Horseman sets a deadline to crack the case. Too close a deadline, for Tanoa is beyond radio reach. What’s more, the villagers are steeped in the old ways and cannot be hurried. To get anywhere, Horseman and his partner DS Susie Singh must navigate both the back roads and the minefield of Fijian custom with care.
But the villagers have their own deadline: their chief has decreed Tanoa must atone for an ancient crime that still haunts the present.
As Horseman counts the hours to Melissa’s touch down, he has no idea of the dangers looming through the mountain mist.

Death by Tradition is the second book in the Fiji Islands Mysteries series. Crime fans who enjoy discovering exotic places will love B.M. Allsopp’s insight into contemporary Fiji.

Praise for B.M. Allsopp’s Death on Paradise Island
“superb debut novel” Sisters in Crime Australia
“gripping murder mystery” Debbie Young, author of Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries]]>
327 B.M. Allsopp Kylie 4
A quick, easy read, Death By Tradition is the second in the Fiji Islands Mystery series by Aussie author BM Allsopp. With wonderful characters, and a great sense of place, this intriguing mystery and it's exotic location is well worth a read. I would happily read more of this author's work.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.]]>
4.53 Death by Tradition: Fiji Islands Mysteries 2
author: B.M. Allsopp
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/04
date added: 2020/04/10
shelves: annual-challenges, atwi80b-2020, aussie-author, mystery-crime, monthly-challenges
review:
An enjoyable mystery set in the highlands of Fiji, we follow former rugby star turned detective Joe Horseman and his team when they are called to investigate the murder of a young man in a remote village. Joe wants to wrap up the investigation quickly, as his American girlfriend is due to fly in, but local customs dictate taking things slowly, and the clan chiefs will not be rushed. Is Joe putting himself, his team, and even his girlfriend, in danger?

A quick, easy read, Death By Tradition is the second in the Fiji Islands Mystery series by Aussie author BM Allsopp. With wonderful characters, and a great sense of place, this intriguing mystery and it's exotic location is well worth a read. I would happily read more of this author's work.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
]]>
River of Salt 42315429 256 Dave Warner 1925591565 Kylie 4
I found River Of Salt to be an enjoyable, quick read. With believable characters and setting, and an intriguing plot, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of this author's work.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.]]>
3.86 2019 River of Salt
author: Dave Warner
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/03
date added: 2020/04/09
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, historical-fiction, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
Former Philadelphia hitman Blake Saunders escapes the mob after the death of his brother, and winds up on the New South Wales north coast. Spending his time surfing and in his bar The Surf Shack life is idyllic, until a woman is murdered, and some local goons start to try to strongarm Blake. When his friend is arrested for the woman's murder, Blake finds all his skills from his mob days coming back to him.

I found River Of Salt to be an enjoyable, quick read. With believable characters and setting, and an intriguing plot, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of this author's work.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
]]>
The Strangers We Know 53053509
When Charlie sees a man who is the spitting image of her husband Oliver on a dating app, her heart stops. Her first desperate instinct is to tell herself she must be mistaken – after all, she only caught a glimpse from a distance as her friends were laughingly swiping through the men on offer. But no matter how much she tries to push her fears aside, she can’t because she took that photo. On their honeymoon. She just can’t let it go.

Suddenly other signs of betrayal begin to add up and so Charlie does the only thing she can think of to defend her position – she signs up to the app to catch Oliver in the act.

But Charlie soon discovers that infidelity is the least of her problems. Nothing is as it seems and nobody is who she thinks they are ...]]>
336 Pip Drysdale 1925685845 Kylie 4
As she digs into Oliver's life she is stunned to find that he, and others around her are hiding secrets, big secrets, and she isn't the only one being betrayed.

In 'The Strangers We Know' Pip Drysdale has a more than worthy follow up to 'The Sunday Girl'. It sucks you in at the start and spits you out at the end. Though I did have my suspicions who was behind it all, and I was right, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, which I read quickly in a day. I recommend this book to all lovers of psychological fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.68 2019 The Strangers We Know
author: Pip Drysdale
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/28
date added: 2020/04/08
shelves: aussie-author, psychological-thriller, netgalley-2019
review:
What would you do if you found out that your husband was cheating on you? What would you do if you found your whole life was a lie? Charlie's world collapses when quite by accident she finds her husbands profile on a dating site. When she confronts him he laughs it off, but things aren't adding up. She finds more signs of extra marital affairs, and then everything implodes, and she turns to her girlfriends for help.

As she digs into Oliver's life she is stunned to find that he, and others around her are hiding secrets, big secrets, and she isn't the only one being betrayed.

In 'The Strangers We Know' Pip Drysdale has a more than worthy follow up to 'The Sunday Girl'. It sucks you in at the start and spits you out at the end. Though I did have my suspicions who was behind it all, and I was right, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, which I read quickly in a day. I recommend this book to all lovers of psychological fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Cilka's Journey 52779019 The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the author tells the story, based on a true one, of a woman who survives Auschwitz, only to find herself locked away again.

Cilka Klein is 18 years old when Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by Soviet soldiers. But Cilka is one of the many women who is sentenced to a labor camp on charges of having helped the Nazis--with no consideration of the circumstances Cilka and women like her found themselves in as they struggled to survive. Once at the Vorkuta gulag in Sibera, where she is to serve her 15-year sentence, Cilka uses her wits, charm, and beauty to survive.]]>
440 Heather Morris 1760686042 Kylie 4
Cilka was obviously an extraordinary young woman, only sixteen when first sent to Auschwitz, she did what she could to survive, and found she had to pay for it through the years that followed. We first met Cilka in the author's fantastic book The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, whereas Cilka's Journey is a fictional tale about her time spent in the gulags. Conditions in the camp come to the fore, Cilka having to cope with rape, coercion, and the bitter cold of Siberia. Yet through it all hope shines, hope that she will one day be free and be able to find love.

I found Cilka's Journey to be a compelling, yet harrowing read. A wonderful heroine, yet a hard subject, it leaves the reader feeling uneasy, the fact that this book is based on real life. However I have no hesitation in recommending it to all lovers of historical fiction.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for a copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
4.30 2019 Cilka's Journey
author: Heather Morris
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/26
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: arc, aussie-author, historical-fiction, monthly-challenges, netgalley-2019, seasonal-challenges
review:
A wonderful book about one woman's amazing tale, Cilka's Journey is a book where you struggle to come to terms with man's inhumanity to man. I mean, how much can one woman go through in one lifetime? Based on the true story of Cecilia Klein, first incarcerated in Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, when the camp is finally freed by the allies she finds herself arrested for collaboration with the Nazis, and sent to a Soviet gulag above the Arctic Circle.

Cilka was obviously an extraordinary young woman, only sixteen when first sent to Auschwitz, she did what she could to survive, and found she had to pay for it through the years that followed. We first met Cilka in the author's fantastic book The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, whereas Cilka's Journey is a fictional tale about her time spent in the gulags. Conditions in the camp come to the fore, Cilka having to cope with rape, coercion, and the bitter cold of Siberia. Yet through it all hope shines, hope that she will one day be free and be able to find love.

I found Cilka's Journey to be a compelling, yet harrowing read. A wonderful heroine, yet a hard subject, it leaves the reader feeling uneasy, the fact that this book is based on real life. However I have no hesitation in recommending it to all lovers of historical fiction.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for a copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
<![CDATA[Disguising Demons (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #4)]]> 42107429 From an Amazon bestselling author comes a classic whodunit with twists and turns and secrets that must be revealed...

The dead body of a Buddhist monk is found at the bottom of a cliff early one morning in a small town in Australia’s Far North Queensland. Four months later with the killer still at large, Dusty Kent, investigative journalist renowned for her ability to solve cold cases, is called in.

Dusty’s heart goes out to the humble monk who lived quietly in a forest community, nurturing the garden and volunteering to read books to elderly residents of a retirement village. Why would anyone want to kill such a gentle soul? Is the killer a fellow monk with psychopathic traits? Had small town prejudice against the forest community manifested into violent hatred?

Dusty’s determination to unmask the murderer is spurred on by her sympathy for the dead monk, her determination to bring him justice and her fury at the cold-hearted killer. One by one, secrets are uprooted and motives unearthed. What Dusty discovers in her quest to find the truth shocks and saddens her and has her Irish assistant questioning whether they should continue with the case.

This 4th book in the Dusty Kent murder mysteries following Murder in Murloo, A Devious Mind and Rippling Red is certain to captivate you.

Brigid George is the pen name of JB Rowley, author of Amazon best sellers Whisper My Secret and Mother of Ten.

**It is not necessary to read the Dusty Kent books in sequence. Each one is a different stand-alone story with new characters except for the two main characters who feature in all the stories. In other words, the books constitute a series of stories NOT a serial.]]>
221 Brigid George Kylie 4
I'm really enjoying this series. Good, relatable characters, wonderful settings and excellent plots will always keep me coming back for more, and Brigid George achieves this and more with this series. I'll be looking forward to the next installment, to find out what Dusty and Sean get up to next. Recommended to all lovers of cozy mysteries.]]>
4.25 2018 Disguising Demons (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #4)
author: Brigid George
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/13
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: annual-challenges, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, aussie-author, seasonal-challenges
review:
Another intriguing entry in the Dusty Kent series, in this book Dusty and her assistant Sean head off to Port Douglas in North Queensland to investigate the death of a monk. Who would want to murder a mild mannered, gentle monk? It seems there is a few people who could be harbouring grudges against the monk and the monastery. As Dusty and Sean dig further, uncovering some surprising revelations, Dusty realises that there is far more to this case that meets the eye.

I'm really enjoying this series. Good, relatable characters, wonderful settings and excellent plots will always keep me coming back for more, and Brigid George achieves this and more with this series. I'll be looking forward to the next installment, to find out what Dusty and Sean get up to next. Recommended to all lovers of cozy mysteries.
]]>
<![CDATA[Evil at Echo Point (Getaway Bay #5)]]> 44406114
A body on the rocks at a popular surfing spot is bad enough – but when the surfer’s identity is revealed, the media once again descend on Addison’s seaside sanctuary.

Did the surfer accidentally fall to his death off Echo Point? Or was he pushed?

As Addison and the Beach House Murder Club help the police investigate, it seems everyone close to the victim has something to hide.

A few locals have some explaining to do, as well.

Can Addison and Isaac crack the case with the eyes of the country upon them?

The Getaway Bay cozy mysteries have everything you love – suspense to keep you guessing, twists you don’t see coming, and characters you want to have a cup of tea with – plus an added dose of Aussie flavour.]]>
159 Grace York Kylie 4
Another fun. light read in the Getaway Bay series. This series is a breath of fresh air. A quick, easy read with likeable characters and a wonderful setting. Recommended.]]>
4.36 Evil at Echo Point (Getaway Bay #5)
author: Grace York
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/16
date added: 2020/03/11
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime, monthly-challenges
review:
The small coastal town of Getaway Bay is the scene of another murder, this time a visiting surfer has been found dead at the bottom of a coastal cliff. Addison and her murder club team are soon on the case. When it turns out the surfer is heir to a mining company, with several people with motives hanging around, Addison has to go into overdrive to get to the truth.

Another fun. light read in the Getaway Bay series. This series is a breath of fresh air. A quick, easy read with likeable characters and a wonderful setting. Recommended.
]]>
<![CDATA[Scrublands (Martin Scarsden, #1)]]> 37655505
A year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals about the priest and incidents leading up to the shooting don't fit with the accepted version of events his own newspaper reported in an award-winning investigation. Martin can't ignore his doubts, nor the urgings of some locals to unearth the real reason behind the priest's deadly rampage.

Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking new development rocks the town, which becomes the biggest story in Australia. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is now the one in the spotlight. His reasons for investigating the shooting have suddenly become very personal.

Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to discover a truth that becomes darker and more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.

A compulsive thriller that will haunt you long after you have turned the final page.]]>
496 Chris Hammer 1760632988 Kylie 5
A wonderful book, with believable characters and great descriptions of a town in crisis, Chris Hammer delivers a plot so twisty and turny that you wont see what's coming from one page to the next. A true page turner, I can't wait to see what the author has for us next. Highly recommended.]]>
3.87 2018 Scrublands (Martin Scarsden, #1)
author: Chris Hammer
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/21
date added: 2020/03/02
shelves: aussie-author, annual-challenges, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime
review:
Riversend is a town on the edge. Plagued by drought, fires, and a priest that opened fire on his parishioners, killing five before being shot dead by police. A year after the tragedy tormented journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in town to write an article about how the town is recovering from the tragedy, only to find that delving into the past has consequences, possibly fatal ones, and the townspeople are hiding more than what was uncovered in the original investigation.

A wonderful book, with believable characters and great descriptions of a town in crisis, Chris Hammer delivers a plot so twisty and turny that you wont see what's coming from one page to the next. A true page turner, I can't wait to see what the author has for us next. Highly recommended.
]]>
The Wife and the Widow 51896004
Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and the Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?]]>
338 Christian White Kylie 3
The Wife And The Widow is a good quick read, and yes it has one hell of a twist, but all in all I wasn't completely riveted to it. It does have an interesting premise, and is worth reading. One for a rainy day maybe?]]>
4.04 2019 The Wife and the Widow
author: Christian White
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/10
date added: 2020/02/28
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime, psychological-thriller, seasonal-challenges
review:
I was looking forward to reading this book after loving The Nowhere Child, and while I did enjoy it, I don't think it's as good as the author's previous work. We have two women brought together on the island off the coast of Victoria, one grieving the death of her husband, the other wondering what has gotten into hers. As their lives entwine we are brought closer to the truth of what happened, in a place where nothing is as it seems.

The Wife And The Widow is a good quick read, and yes it has one hell of a twist, but all in all I wasn't completely riveted to it. It does have an interesting premise, and is worth reading. One for a rainy day maybe?
]]>
<![CDATA[The Good Turn (Cormac Reilly #3)]]> 50820573 The unputdownable new novel from the bestselling author of The Ruin and The Scholar. Police corruption, an investigation that ends in tragedy and the mystery of a little girl's silence - three unconnected events that will prove to be linked by one small town.

While Detective Cormac Reilly faces enemies at work and trouble in his personal life, Garda Peter Fisher is relocated out of Galway with the threat of prosecution hanging over his head. But even that is not as terrible as having to work for his overbearing father, the local copper for the pretty seaside town of Roundstone.

For some, like Anna and her young daughter Tilly, Roundstone is a refuge from trauma. But even this village on the edge of the sea isn't far enough to escape from the shadows of evil men.

]]>
400 Dervla McTiernan 1460756797 Kylie 4
With his career on the line, yet again, Cormac finds himself fighting for himself and his team, while his enemies in the ranks are out for his blood.

An unputdownable read, I found The Good Turn to be full of surprising twists and turns. With memorable characters, and a well thought out plot, it is well worth adding to your reading list. Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
4.25 2020 The Good Turn (Cormac Reilly #3)
author: Dervla McTiernan
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/15
date added: 2020/02/27
shelves: annual-challenges, atwi80b-2020, aussie-author, mystery-crime, netgalley-2020
review:
What a wonderful series this is turning out to be. In The Good Turn, the third book in the Cormac Reilly series, Cormac is left to investigate the abduction of a young girl with a woefully inexperienced and understaffed team, while officialdom puts all their resources into a potential drug bust. When a tragedy happens Cormac and his team are sitting ducks, and left as scapegoats.

With his career on the line, yet again, Cormac finds himself fighting for himself and his team, while his enemies in the ranks are out for his blood.

An unputdownable read, I found The Good Turn to be full of surprising twists and turns. With memorable characters, and a well thought out plot, it is well worth adding to your reading list. Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Daughter of Victory Lights]]> 51822720 An enthralling story of one woman's determined grab for freedom after WW2 from a talented new Australian voice. 'PART CABARET, PART BURLESQUE, AND LIKE NOTHING YOU'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE! GENTLEMEN, AND LADIES IF YOU'VE DARED TO COME, WELCOME TO ...'

There was a pause, and Evelyn sensed those around her leaning forward in anticipation.

'THE VICTORY!'

1945: After the thrill and danger of volunteering in an all-female searchlight regiment protecting Londoners from German bombers overhead, Evelyn Bell is secretly dismayed to be sent back her rigid domestic life when the war is over. But then she comes across a secret night-time show, hidden from the law on a boat in the middle of the Thames. Entranced by the risque and lively performance, she grabs the opportunity to join the misfit crew and escape her dreary future.

At first the Victory travels from port to port to raucous applause, but as the shows get bigger and bigger, so too does the risks the performers are driven to take, as well as the growing emotional complications among the crew. Until one desperate night ...

1963: Lucy, an unloved and unwanted little girl, is rescued by a mysterious stranger who says he knows her mother. On the Isle of Wight, Lucy is welcomed into an eclectic family of ex-performers. She is showered with kindness and love, but gradually it becomes clear that there are secrets they refuse to share. Who is Evelyn Bell?


PRAISE FOR KERRI TURNER

'Beautiful, daring, deceptive and surprising.' The Australian Women's Weekly on The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers]]>
362 Kerri Turner 1489256725 Kylie 4
Years later an unwanted and unloved young girl is taken from her dreary life in London and finds a new home amongst former members of the Victory crew on the Isle Of Wight. She finally finds the love that has been denied her for years, but also gets the feeling that there are secrets that her new found family aren't telling her.

Another winner from Kerri Turner, with wonderful characters and a great sense of time and place. I was soon sucked in by the drama and escapism of the Victory, and it kept me turning the pages long into the night to find out what had happened. The angst felt by a young girl is particularly vivid and heart wrenching. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all lovers of historical fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
4.31 2020 The Daughter of Victory Lights
author: Kerri Turner
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/17
date added: 2020/02/27
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, historical-fiction, netgalley-2020
review:
After spending the war years as a searchlight operator in an all-female crew, Evelyn Bell finds the post war years dull. Her sisters want her to find a husband and be a perfect wife, but to Evelyn being cooped up in an unfulfilling life is just not for her, and she longs for escape. Enter the Victory, a boat that offers risque shows to any who want to come and watch. Evelyn soon becomes part of the rag tag crew, and adventure awaits.

Years later an unwanted and unloved young girl is taken from her dreary life in London and finds a new home amongst former members of the Victory crew on the Isle Of Wight. She finally finds the love that has been denied her for years, but also gets the feeling that there are secrets that her new found family aren't telling her.

Another winner from Kerri Turner, with wonderful characters and a great sense of time and place. I was soon sucked in by the drama and escapism of the Victory, and it kept me turning the pages long into the night to find out what had happened. The angst felt by a young girl is particularly vivid and heart wrenching. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all lovers of historical fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Charlotte Pass 48647342 A shocking discovery deep in the Snowy Mountains. A killer who will do anything to keep secrets buried.

When ski patroller Vanessa Bell discovers human bones high on Mount Stilwell at Charlotte Pass ski resort, Detective Sergeant Pierce Ryder of the Sydney Homicide Squad is called in to lead the investigative team.

Arriving in the isolated, snowed-in village with Winterfest celebrations underway, Ryder soon determines that the bones are those of Celia Delaney, a young woman who disappeared from the ski resort in 1964 during the biggest winter storm in Australian alpine history.

When a second murder takes place, Ryder suspects that the deaths are related, and that the person responsible is still in the village. Amid the escalating tension, Ryder is desperate to make an arrest before the stakes rise even higher.

Set within the stunning Snowy Mountains, this intriguing mystery uncovers deadly, long-buried secrets in the valleys and mountains of this iconic area.]]>
320 Lee Christine 1760877298 Kylie 4
I really enjoyed this book. I found it quick and easy to read, and even though I guessed the perpetrator early on, this didn't detract from the book at all. It has some wonderful characters, and a marvellous setting in the Snowy Mountains, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to lovers of crime and mysteries.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
4.08 Charlotte Pass
author: Lee Christine
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/02
date added: 2020/02/15
shelves: aussie-author, mystery-crime, arc, annual-challenges
review:
When the bones of missing woman Celia Delaney are found in the Snowy Mountains by ski patroller Vanessa Bell, Sydney detective Pierce Ryder is called to the scene. Surprisingly all the suspects from the time she went missing are present at Charlotte Pass ski village for the Winterfest celebrations, even though over fifty years have gone by. Ryder quickly determines murder, then has to sort the wheat from the chaff when interviewing suspects, hard after so much time. Ryder thinks the culprit is in the village, which is confirmed when another murder takes place, but everyone has something to hide, and stories are changing. So who did kill Celia Delaney? Ryder has his work cut out for him.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it quick and easy to read, and even though I guessed the perpetrator early on, this didn't detract from the book at all. It has some wonderful characters, and a marvellous setting in the Snowy Mountains, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to lovers of crime and mysteries.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
Boy Swallows Universe 37558445
Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crime for a babysitter. It's not as if Eli's life isn't complicated enough already. He's just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a good man, but life just keeps throwing obstacles in the way - not least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer.

But if Eli's life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He's about to fall in love. And, oh yeah, he has to break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day, to save his mum.

A story of brotherhood, true love and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe will be the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novel you will read all year.]]>
474 Trent Dalton 1460753895 Kylie 5
It's the coming of age tale of Eli, growing up in Brisbane's western suburbs, raised by drug dealers. We follow Eli and his brother August, through all the bad things life could throw at them, yet there are a lot of positives in their lives too. Living in Brisbane I'm familiar with many of the locations in this book, and knowing that it is semi-autobiographical, it really comes to life. Totally absorbing, I lost a day reading this book!

This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is simply magnificent. Thankyou Trent Dalton!]]>
4.31 2018 Boy Swallows Universe
author: Trent Dalton
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/03/13
date added: 2020/02/10
shelves: aussie-author, signed-copy, annual-challenges, contemporary-fiction, seasonal-challenges, monthly-challenges
review:
Well, what can I say, but Trent Dalton, you have left me speechless! I've had Boy Swallows Universe on my shelf for several months now, not wanting to pick it up, afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype. It lives up to it, and more!

It's the coming of age tale of Eli, growing up in Brisbane's western suburbs, raised by drug dealers. We follow Eli and his brother August, through all the bad things life could throw at them, yet there are a lot of positives in their lives too. Living in Brisbane I'm familiar with many of the locations in this book, and knowing that it is semi-autobiographical, it really comes to life. Totally absorbing, I lost a day reading this book!

This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is simply magnificent. Thankyou Trent Dalton!
]]>
The Girl in the Painting 51141028 The True Story of Maddie Bright, The Woman in the Green Dress and The Birdman's Wife comes this atmospheric and richly detailed Australian historical mystery from a bestselling Australian author.

Maitland 1913. Miss Elizabeth Quinn is something of an institution in Maitland Town. For longer than anyone could remember she and her brother, businessman Michael, have lived in the impressive two-storey stone house next to the church. When she is discovered cowering in the corner of the exhibition gallery at the Technical College the entire town knows something strange has come to pass.

Was it the prehistoric remains or perhaps the taxidermy exhibition that had reduced the whale-boned encased pillar of society to a quivering mess? Or is there something odd about a striking painting on loan from the National Gallery?

Mathematical savant Jane Piper is determined to find out. Deposited on the doorstep of the local orphanage as a baby, she owes her life and education to the Quinn's philanthropic ventures and Elizabeth has no one else to turn to.

As the past and the present converge, Elizabeth's grip on reality loosens. Can Jane, with her logical brain and penchant for puzzles, unravel Elizabeth's story before it is too late?

Ranging from the gritty reality of the Australian goldfields to the grand institutions of Sydney, the bucolic English countryside to the charm of Maitland Town, this compelling historical mystery in the company of an eccentric and original heroine is rich with atmosphere and detail.]]>
352 Tea Cooper 1489270728 Kylie 4
One day at a local art exhibition Elizabeth is found cowering on the floor in a right state and Michael, along with his mathematical genius ward Jane, are determined to get to the bottom of the problem. What has reduced Elizabeth to such a state? Is it one of the paintings, or taxidermied birds on display? And why? As Michael and Jane investigate it becomes clear that not everything is as straight forward as they believe it to be, and as the mystery deepens long hidden secrets come to the fore.

The Girl In The Painting is an immensely readable book, full of historical detail, and with well-meshed, believable, characters. From the gold fields, to the Hunter Valley, the reader is immersed in the lives of Elizabeth, Michael and Jane, and the conclusion is both surprising and satisfying. Recommended for all lovers of Australian historical fiction.

My thanks to Harlequin Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.93 2020 The Girl in the Painting
author: Tea Cooper
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2019/12/14
date added: 2020/02/10
shelves: arc, aussie-author, historical-fiction
review:
Another enjoyable novel by Tea Cooper, The Girl In The Painting is a dual timeline account of brother and sister Michael and Elizabeth Quinn, who arrived in Sydney by boat in the 1860s. The first timeline is set in the gold mining town of Hill End, where their parents have settled, and Michael and Elizabeth are to join them from Ireland. The second timeline is set years later in Maitland, where Michael and Elizabeth have settled after the gold rush.

One day at a local art exhibition Elizabeth is found cowering on the floor in a right state and Michael, along with his mathematical genius ward Jane, are determined to get to the bottom of the problem. What has reduced Elizabeth to such a state? Is it one of the paintings, or taxidermied birds on display? And why? As Michael and Jane investigate it becomes clear that not everything is as straight forward as they believe it to be, and as the mystery deepens long hidden secrets come to the fore.

The Girl In The Painting is an immensely readable book, full of historical detail, and with well-meshed, believable, characters. From the gold fields, to the Hunter Valley, the reader is immersed in the lives of Elizabeth, Michael and Jane, and the conclusion is both surprising and satisfying. Recommended for all lovers of Australian historical fiction.

My thanks to Harlequin Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
Deadline 49475833
Journalist Jonno Bligh is headhunted to London by Russian media mogul Borya Bolshakov to be editor of his flagship tabloid UK Today.

When Jonno and ace reporter Shiv O’Shea investigate the murders of a high-profile activist and a princess by jihadi terrorists, Jonno is threatened with deadly reprisals after a controversial editorial.

Then he uncovers Bolshakov’s shady links to a plot to rid Russia of crippling sanctions – and the billionaire’s plan to use UK Today as a mouthpiece.

When Jonno uncovers a murderous conspiracy reaching into the very heart of Downing Street and democracy itself, he must decide whether to risk everything -- his reputation, his family, his life – by publishing the truth.]]>
384 Terence J. Quinn 192564006X Kylie 4
In this book Johnno and his wife Annie have moved to London so Johnno can take over as editor of a major tabloid, at the request of the paper's owner, a Russian oligarch. After a couple of major scoops in quick succession after his arrival, Johnno finds himself and his family in grave danger from several angles, including from the newspaper's hierarchy itself. As things escalate, he finds himself onto a story so huge things are about to go nuclear, and the danger closes in...

So yes, although this book is not in the same vein as the first book I did really enjoy it, and read it in just a couple of sittings. Johnno is a great character, the people he surrounds himself are very real, and the plot is gripping. I recommend this book to all lovers of thrillers.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.33 Deadline
author: Terence J. Quinn
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/27
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, netgalley-2020, thriller-suspense
review:
I picked this up because I really loved Terence J Quinn's debut thriller The Scoop, and expected more of the same here in the second book in the series, but this book is totally different. I was ready for more action and adventure, as that was the genre of the first book, but this book is more a journalistic thriller, with a political edge. I was a bit put out at first, but reading through I soon found myself completely invested.

In this book Johnno and his wife Annie have moved to London so Johnno can take over as editor of a major tabloid, at the request of the paper's owner, a Russian oligarch. After a couple of major scoops in quick succession after his arrival, Johnno finds himself and his family in grave danger from several angles, including from the newspaper's hierarchy itself. As things escalate, he finds himself onto a story so huge things are about to go nuclear, and the danger closes in...

So yes, although this book is not in the same vein as the first book I did really enjoy it, and read it in just a couple of sittings. Johnno is a great character, the people he surrounds himself are very real, and the plot is gripping. I recommend this book to all lovers of thrillers.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Cry of the Firebird 51026266 In the badlands of Africa, a resourceful doctor fights to save her patients' lives. Australian thriller writer T.M. Clark returns with a vivid, action-packed adventure in the tradition of Wilbur Smith.

South African-born Doctor Lily Winters, a consultant with the World Health Organization, has been in the thick of some of the worst humanitarian disasters across the globe. But when she's posted back to South Africa following the suspicious death of an ex-colleague, she faces the biggest medical mystery she's ever seen.

The resettled Platfontein San People population is exhibiting a higher than average HIV epidemic, and their people are dying. The cases Lily takes over are baffling and despite her best efforts the medicine doesn't seem to be helping.

To save this unique community, Lily and a policeman from the Kalahari, Piet Kleinman, join forces to trace the origins of the epidemic and uncover the truth. Their search drags them into the dangerous world of a corrupt industry driven by profit while the authorities meant to protect their community turn a blind eye. In a race against time Lily and Piet will put not only their careers but their lives on the line...]]>
352 T.M. Clark 1489260927 Kylie 4
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. [spoilers removed] 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.]]>
4.05 Cry of the Firebird
author: T.M. Clark
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/12/24
date added: 2020/02/06
shelves: arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
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 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. [spoilers removed] 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.
]]>
The Bass Rock 49201980 The lives of three women weave together across four centuries in the dazzling new book from Evie Wyld, winner of the Miles Franklin Award.

Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has for centuries watched over the lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And across the centuries the fates of three women are linked: to this place, to each other.

In the early 1700s, Sarah, accused of being a witch, flees for her life.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Ruth navigates a new house, a new husband and the strange waters of the local community.

Six decades later, the house stands empty. Viv, mourning the death of her father, catalogues Ruth’s belongings and discovers her place in the past – and perhaps a way forward.

Each woman’s choices are circumscribed, in ways big and small, by the men in their lives. But in sisterhood there is the hope of survival and new life. Intricately crafted and compulsively readable, The Bass Rock burns bright with anger and love.]]>
368 Evie Wyld Kylie 3
My thanks to Better Reading and the publisher for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.79 2020 The Bass Rock
author: Evie Wyld
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/17
date added: 2020/02/05
shelves: arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, historical-fiction
review:
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 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.
]]>
<![CDATA[Rippling Red (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #3)]]> 34938303 The head of a crocodile ripples the water’s surface. Its deadly eyes look straight at you. What would you do?The headline Jerry Lewis killed by killer croc! A gruesome way to die. The newspaper article claimed Jerry had been snatched from his boat by a crocodile. But is that what really happened? Is there a link between his death and the suicide of his friend?Behind the laid-back facade of Darwin where an albino crocodile roams the waterways, evil ripples in the hearts of humans.But cold case warrior Dusty Kent is tenacious in her fight against murderous villains. She will not rest until she has achieved a resolution for Jerry’s family and friends. Her investigation strips away layer after layer to reveal twists, surprises, shocking truths and dark secrets that lie beneath still waters.All the while a fiendish killer, as stealthy as a submerged crocodile, skulks in the shadows. Dusty’s life is in danger, but she refuses to abandon her investigation.If you like Agatha Christie, Elizabeth George, Anne Cleeves or Arthur Conan Doyle, you must read Rippling Red, the third book in this Australian murder mystery book series.

Don’t delay. Download TODAY!]]>
247 Brigid George Kylie 4
I really had no idea what the outcome of this investigation was going to be, and I love to be surprised by a book. I certainly was by this one, my guesses were all wrong. I happily read this book in a day, when I was supposed to be doing other things. Oh well, it was worth it, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Recommended.]]>
4.08 2017 Rippling Red (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #3)
author: Brigid George
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/07
date added: 2020/01/17
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
Gee, I'm enjoying this series, it has great characters and a great sense of place, plus the mysteries are good too! In this 3rd instalment Dusty and Sean head to Darwin to investigate the death of a young man named Cody, who by all accounts has committed suicide. However his distraught parents don't agree, saying he was murdered. Cody had been suffering from depression since his friend Jerry, who had been killed by a crocodile a year before. But was there more to Cody's death than depression? Or was it suicide like the police believe? As Dusty and Sean investigate they find there's much more to the matter than meets the eye.

I really had no idea what the outcome of this investigation was going to be, and I love to be surprised by a book. I certainly was by this one, my guesses were all wrong. I happily read this book in a day, when I was supposed to be doing other things. Oh well, it was worth it, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Recommended.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Third Day, the Frost (Tomorrow, #3)]]> 11546759
It has been six long months since Ellie and her friends returned home from a camping trip to find their families and friends imprisoned by an enemy that threatens to steal Australia's freedom. Only they can stop this. Like seasoned soldiers, their methods have become extreme, even involving terrorism.

When she's not gathering food and supplies or running like prey to survive, Ellie wonders at what they've become: Are they now ruthless terrorists? The more involved and vicious it gets, the higher the stakes are raised. Everyone is fighting for their lives.]]>
278 John Marsden 0330403826 Kylie 4
Be prepared for shocks, thrills and heartbreak in this book. John Marsden has certainly set a high bar with this series, and I'm looking forward with great anticipation to the next one. Wonderful characters, that we really feel for, being thrust into a situation so far from their normal life. We watch them as the grow, and harden, into new people. I can't recommend this series enough.]]>
4.12 1995 The Third Day, the Frost (Tomorrow, #3)
author: John Marsden
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/04
date added: 2020/01/15
shelves: action-adventure, annual-challenges, atwi80b-2020, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges
review:
Another excellent book in the Tomorrow series, with Ellie and her friends setting their sights on their next target. We follow them as they start to prepare their for the onslaught, on what will prove to be their most dangerous mission yet.

Be prepared for shocks, thrills and heartbreak in this book. John Marsden has certainly set a high bar with this series, and I'm looking forward with great anticipation to the next one. Wonderful characters, that we really feel for, being thrust into a situation so far from their normal life. We watch them as the grow, and harden, into new people. I can't recommend this series enough.
]]>
Maggie’s Going Nowhere 49506659
In one day, she’s dumped by her boyfriend, disinherited by her mum, and kicked off the three-year degree she’d stretched to a decade. And that was before she received the letter saying she owed the government $70,000.

But that’s no reason to grow up, is it?

With a decrepit 1960s caravan to call home, Maggie has to prove to her mother she can survive without a safety net, stop her loyal best friend Jen from marrying a scumbag, and convince her sexy workmate Rueben that she’s not a walking disaster. For someone who’s spent her life avoiding hard work, she sure can move mountains when she’s got a little motivation – just don’t ask her to move the caravan.
]]>
352 Rose Hartley 0143795481 Kylie 4
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.]]>
3.74 2020 Maggie’s Going Nowhere
author: Rose Hartley
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2019/10/18
date added: 2020/01/06
shelves: arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, seasonal-challenges
review:
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 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.
]]>
The Jade Lily 37830992
1939 : Two young girls meet in Shanghai, also known as the “Paris of the East”. Beautiful local Li and Jewish refugee Romy form a fierce friendship, but the deepening shadows of World War II fall over the women as they slip between the city's glamorous French Concession district and the teeming streets of the Shanghai Ghetto. Yet soon the realities of war prove to be too much for these close friends as they are torn apart.

2016: Fleeing London with a broken heart, Alexandra returns to Australia to be with her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm. Her grandfather is dying, and over the coming weeks Romy and Wilhelm begin to reveal the family mysteries they have kept secret for more than half a century. As fragments of her mother's history finally become clear, Alexandra struggles with what she learns while more is also revealed about her grandmother's own past in Shanghai.

After Wilhelm dies, Alexandra flies to Shanghai, determined to trace her grandparents' past. Peeling back the layers of their hidden lives, she is forced to question what she knows about her family—and herself. 

The Song of the Jade Lily is a lush, provocative, and beautiful story of friendship, motherhood, the price of love, and the power of hardship and courage that can shape us all.]]>
437 Kirsty Manning 1760294799 Kylie 3
We follow Romy and her friend's lives as they try to survive the war in a hostile climate, their loves and alliances. Meanwhile in a second timeline Romy's granddaughter Alexandra is in Shanghai, searching for her family's history. The two timelines intertwine as Alexandra gets ever closer to the secrets that Romy is so reluctant to let go of.

I did find this book to be a bit slow, and was never really riveted to it. To me it lacked a focal point of interest and was just another war story. It's an ok read, but I'll probably find it to be forgettable.]]>
4.16 2018 The Jade Lily
author: Kirsty Manning
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/08
date added: 2019/12/21
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, historical-fiction, seasonal-challenges
review:
An enjoyable enough novel set in Shanghai during WW2, it sees Romy flee Vienna with her Jewish family after the Nazi's have taken over, only to have her new home in China suffer the same fate when the Japanese arrive.

We follow Romy and her friend's lives as they try to survive the war in a hostile climate, their loves and alliances. Meanwhile in a second timeline Romy's granddaughter Alexandra is in Shanghai, searching for her family's history. The two timelines intertwine as Alexandra gets ever closer to the secrets that Romy is so reluctant to let go of.

I did find this book to be a bit slow, and was never really riveted to it. To me it lacked a focal point of interest and was just another war story. It's an ok read, but I'll probably find it to be forgettable.
]]>
Gravity Is the Thing 42117622
Twenty years ago, Abigail Sorenson’s brother Robert went missing one day before her sixteenth birthday, never to be seen again. That same year, she began receiving scattered chapters in the mail of a self-help manual, the Guidebook, whose anonymous author promised to make her life soar to heights beyond her wildest dreams.

The Guidebook’s missives have remained a constant in Abi’s life—a befuddling yet oddly comforting voice through her family’s grief over her brother’s disappearance, a move across continents, the devastating dissolution of her marriage, and the new beginning as a single mother and café owner in Sydney.

Now, two decades after receiving those first pages, Abi is invited to an all-expenses paid weekend retreat to learn “the truth” about the Guidebook. It’s an opportunity too intriguing to refuse. If Everything is Connected, then surely the twin mysteries of the Guidebook and a missing brother must be linked?

What follows is completely the opposite of what Abi expected––but it will lead her on a journey of discovery that will change her life––and enchant readers. Gravity Is the Thing is a smart, unusual, wickedly funny novel about the search for happiness that will break your heart into a million pieces and put it back together, bigger and better than before.]]>
416 Jaclyn Moriarty 0062883739 Kylie 4
Abigail goes, somehow convinced that 'The Guidebook' and her brothers disappearance are connected, yet what she finds is something entirely different indeed. She finds herself going to a series of seminars connected to 'The Guidebook', finds new friends and really starts to find herself.

Gravity Is The Thing is a lovely, witty tale, beautifully written and original. Jaclyn Moriarty will make you laugh, and she'll make you cry. A compelling storyline that you wont want to put down, you'll find yourself neglecting what you're supposed to be doing. Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.60 2019 Gravity Is the Thing
author: Jaclyn Moriarty
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/15
date added: 2019/12/20
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, netgalley-2019, group-read
review:
A wonderful, heartwarming book, yet heartbreaking at the same time. Abigail, a single mum to five year old Oliver, has had some tragic times in her life. First her brother disappeared when she was a teenager, then she broke up with her husband, "the love of her life" and gone through her parents divorce. During all these times she's been receiving mysterious help through chapters of 'The Guidebook', a self help manual she started receiving about the time her brother disappeared. Now, twenty years later, she's been invited to an all-expenses paid retreat, to finally learn the truth of 'The Guidebook.'

Abigail goes, somehow convinced that 'The Guidebook' and her brothers disappearance are connected, yet what she finds is something entirely different indeed. She finds herself going to a series of seminars connected to 'The Guidebook', finds new friends and really starts to find herself.

Gravity Is The Thing is a lovely, witty tale, beautifully written and original. Jaclyn Moriarty will make you laugh, and she'll make you cry. A compelling storyline that you wont want to put down, you'll find yourself neglecting what you're supposed to be doing. Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
<![CDATA[Force of Nature (Aaron Falk, #2)]]> 39284185
When a group of colleagues are forced to participate in a team-building exercise in the Giralang Ranges, they reluctantly start walking down the muddy track.

But Alice Russell doesn't appear at the other end. Her last phone call was to Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk.

Alice is the whistleblower in his latest corporate fraud case and as he pursues the investigation, Falk uncovers a tangled web of suspicion and betrayal.

How well do we know the people we work with?

WINNER OF THE READERS' CHOICE DAVITT AWARD 2018
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 SPECSAVERS (UK) NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS INTERNATIONAL AUTHOR OF THE YEAR


PRAISE FOR FORCE OF NATURE

"Force of Nature bristles with wit; it crackles with suspense; it radiates atmosphere. An astonishing book from an astonishing writer" A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window


"I loved The Dry. Force of Nature is even better. Brilliantly paced, it wrong-foots the reader like a rocky trail through the bush" Susie Steiner, author of Missing, Presumed and Persons Unknown


"Lord of the Flies in the Australian outback, with grown women in place of school boys. I loved every chilling moment of it. A blistering follow-up to The Dry from one of the best new voices in crime fiction" Sarah Hilary, author the DI Marnie Rome series


"...once again Harper manages to touch on something mythic in the Australian experience of the land" The Age


"The narrative is finely constructed, with perfectly measured pace and suspense. So much so that it reminded me of another master of form, Liane Moriarty. As with Moriarty, Harper has that rare touch that manages to cross the genre divide and appeal more widely to general readers" The Saturday Paper


"Harper's mastery of pace makes Force Of Nature one of 2017's best thrillers" Elle Magazine


"Gripping thriller will have readers hooked" The Sunday Telegraph


"Force of Nature proves Jane Harper, author of The Dry, is no one-hit wonder. Its premise is instantly gripping" The Herald Sun]]>
384 Jane Harper 1760554766 Kylie 4 3.91 2017 Force of Nature (Aaron Falk, #2)
author: Jane Harper
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2019/12/05
date added: 2019/12/08
shelves: annual-challenges, mystery-crime, aussie-author, seasonal-challenges
review:
A worthy follow up to "The Dry", not quite as good as the first, but still worth reading. In this novel five women are forced to go bush on a corporate retreat, but only four make it out. What happened to the fifth? Aaron Falk is soon on the scene, as the missing woman was a whistleblower on a money laundering case he is working on. So is her disappearance because of the case he is working? Or something else entirely? You'll have to read it to find out. Recommended.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Dead of Night (Tomorrow, #2)]]> 71864 264 John Marsden 0439829119 Kylie 4
Another quick, unputdownable read that I highly recommend. This series should be read by teenagers everywhere.]]>
4.13 1994 The Dead of Night (Tomorrow, #2)
author: John Marsden
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/15
date added: 2019/12/04
shelves: action-adventure, aussie-author, seasonal-challenges
review:
The compelling second installment in John Marsden's Tomorrow series sees our protagonists growing up far too quickly as they continue to fight the enemy. They should be hanging out in shopping malls, going to the movies and dodging homework, however our friends here are blowing things up and trying to hide, trying to survive, and it's taking it's toll.

Another quick, unputdownable read that I highly recommend. This series should be read by teenagers everywhere.
]]>
<![CDATA[A Devious Mind (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #2)]]> 29361746 A callous killer taunts Dusty Kent

It was a silent death. One blow to her head was all it took. The killer struck Marcia Hamilton, a sixty-year-old grandmother of slim build, from behind. Marcia’s status as a distinguished author could not save her. The killer rolled her body, ‘like a piece of discarded junk’, down into a gully where it remained for almost two weeks.

This murder is the most heinous crime the crime of matricide. Dusty Kent is sure of that. But which of Marcia’s four offspring would be capable of such a deed? Dusty is determined to expose the murderer no matter who it is. Can she do it before the killer strikes again? Someone who’s already killed their mother would have no qualms about ‘bumping off’ a mere sibling in order to avoid exposure.

A Devious Mind is an enthralling whodunit awash with mystery and atmosphere — from the message seemingly sent by the murder victim after her death, to the intrigue of family dynamics, to the ambling lifestyle of Byron Australia’s famous beach town.

This is Book 2 of the Dusty Kent murder mysteries following Murder in Murloo.]]>
260 Brigid George Kylie 4
Dusty thinks the police have it all wrong, she thinks the killer is a member of the victim's family, but which one? They all seem to have something to hide. So Dusty goes about investigating in her inimitable way, unearthing secrets, with Sean's help, and getting to the heart of the mystery as only Dusty can do.

A Devious Mind is a good quick read, I easily read it in a day. It's set in Byron Bay, and knowing the area and it's environs well I could easily picture the action in my head. Realistic characters, a wonderful setting, and a confounding mystery all add up to a satisfying novel. I'm becoming very fond of Dusty and Sean. Recommended to all mystery lovers.]]>
4.23 2016 A Devious Mind (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #2)
author: Brigid George
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/07
date added: 2019/11/30
shelves: aussie-author, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
Famous author Marcia Hamilton has been killed on her daily walk, struck on the back of the head and rolled into a gully. Her grief stricken family want answers, but the police are having trouble finding evidence against their main suspect. Enter investigative journalist turned author Dusty Kent and her trusty sidekick Sean O'Kelly.

Dusty thinks the police have it all wrong, she thinks the killer is a member of the victim's family, but which one? They all seem to have something to hide. So Dusty goes about investigating in her inimitable way, unearthing secrets, with Sean's help, and getting to the heart of the mystery as only Dusty can do.

A Devious Mind is a good quick read, I easily read it in a day. It's set in Byron Bay, and knowing the area and it's environs well I could easily picture the action in my head. Realistic characters, a wonderful setting, and a confounding mystery all add up to a satisfying novel. I'm becoming very fond of Dusty and Sean. Recommended to all mystery lovers.
]]>
<![CDATA[Capturing the World: The Art and Practice of Travel Photography]]> 29214783
This is not your regular photography tips book – this is about how to take the best photos in real-world situations. Having been a professional photographer for the last 30 years, Nick has taken every genre of travel photo, from people and architecture, to landscapes and nature. Nick takes you through the process of taking a successful travel photo from beginning to end, using his own spectacular images as examples. These examples demonstrate how it's not just about technical skill; the best photographers put huge effort into getting themselves into a position where the potential for great images is maximized, including researching, planning where to be and when, and thinking about potential shots in advance. This gloriously illustrated book will show you how to take your best travel photos – and capture your world through your lens!]]>
208 Nick Rains 1741175046 Kylie 4 aussie-author, non-fiction 4.33 Capturing the World: The Art and Practice of Travel Photography
author: Nick Rains
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/23
date added: 2019/11/22
shelves: aussie-author, non-fiction
review:

]]>
Quota 28508232
HIS HONOUR: Mr Jardim, withdraw that comment immediately.

MR JARDIM: Your Honour, I’m not withdrawing it because it’s got nothing to do with the merits of this case, just as your small-minded treatment of my client has got nothing to do with the merits of the case. I mean, could you have cocked this thing up any worse? Bloody helpless kid and you know she’s back out on the street now. You’re known throughout the state as a heartless old prick and a drunk, and seeing I’ve gone this far, your daughter-in-law’s appointment to the court is widely viewed as a grubby political payoff. Today’s pretty much the lowest I’ve seen you stoop but it’s been a rich field of excrem—

HIS HONOUR: Senior, will you have Mr Jardim removed?

Charlie Jardim has just trashed his legal career in a spectacular courtroom meltdown, and his girlfriend has finally left him. So when a charitable colleague slings him a prosecution brief that will take him to the remote coastal town of Dauphin, Charlie reluctantly agrees that the sea air might be good for him.

The case is a murder. The victim was involved in the illegal abalone trade and the even more illegal drug trade. And the witnesses aren’t talking.

And as Dauphin closes ranks around him, Charlie is about to find his interest in the law powerfully reignited.]]>
272 Jock Serong 1925355055 Kylie 3
I'm glad this book was short as I lacked focus when reading it, I just wasn't sucked in to the narrative. It was okay, just not gripping or unputdownable.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.22 2014 Quota
author: Jock Serong
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.22
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/25
date added: 2019/11/14
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019, seasonal-challenges
review:
I must say, for an award winning novel, I expected more of this book.. It wasn't bad, but it seemed to ramble a bit and to me it lacked sharpness. It sees disgraced lawyer Charlie being sent to the boondocks to try to get a witness in a murder trial to change his obviously bogus statement. You would think Charlie would be out to prove himself and atone for his errant ways when given a second chance, yet all he seems to do is succumb to alcoholism.

I'm glad this book was short as I lacked focus when reading it, I just wasn't sucked in to the narrative. It was okay, just not gripping or unputdownable.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
You Don't Know Me 44527858 He’s guarding a dark secret, but so is she.

Lizzie Burdett was eighteen when she vanished, and Noah Carruso has never forgotten her. She was his first crush, his unrequited love. She was also his brother’s girlfriend.

Tom Carruso hasn’t been home in over a decade. He left soon after Lizzie disappeared, under a darkening cloud of suspicion, and now he’s back for the inquest into Lizzie’s death – intent on telling his side of the story.

As the inquest looms, Noah meets Alice Pryce on holiday. They fall for each other fast and hard, but Noah can’t bear to tell Alice his deepest fears. And Alice is equally stricken – she carries a terrible secret of her own.

Is the truth worth telling if it will destroy everything?]]>
353 Sara Foster 1925685365 Kylie 3
All is not going well at home though, the inquest into Lizzie's disappearance is quickly coming up, and his estranged brother will be turning up for it from wherever he ran off to after he lost Lizzie.. Noah's parents are making more and more demands of him at the restaurant, selfishly not allowing him to have his own life. Then he hears from Alice, she's back in Sydney for family reasons.

Noah is feeling totally overwhelmed, not in control of his own life, and his relationship with Alice could be a blessing, or not. For Alice is hiding a secret of her own...

I did enjoy You Don't Know Me, It was easy and quick to read, yet I never felt really sucked in and invested in the plot. Alice's secret I found quite transparent, and though I wasn't entirely sure what happened to Lizzie, I narrowed the suspects down early on. I found the relationship between Noah and Alice to be realistic, yet the family situations they found themselves in simultaneously, not so much. Having said this I recommend this novel as a good beach/holiday read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.69 2019 You Don't Know Me
author: Sara Foster
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/21
date added: 2019/11/13
shelves: aussie-author, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019, seasonal-challenges
review:
When Noah meets Alice in Thailand he is stunned, swept off his feet not only by the stunning girl, but by how much she looks like his brother's girlfriend Lizzie, who disappeared in mysterious circumstances twelve years ago. However holiday romances must come to an end, and Noah reluctantly leave Alice behind teaching English in Bangkok and return to his family's restaurant in Sydney.

All is not going well at home though, the inquest into Lizzie's disappearance is quickly coming up, and his estranged brother will be turning up for it from wherever he ran off to after he lost Lizzie.. Noah's parents are making more and more demands of him at the restaurant, selfishly not allowing him to have his own life. Then he hears from Alice, she's back in Sydney for family reasons.

Noah is feeling totally overwhelmed, not in control of his own life, and his relationship with Alice could be a blessing, or not. For Alice is hiding a secret of her own...

I did enjoy You Don't Know Me, It was easy and quick to read, yet I never felt really sucked in and invested in the plot. Alice's secret I found quite transparent, and though I wasn't entirely sure what happened to Lizzie, I narrowed the suspects down early on. I found the relationship between Noah and Alice to be realistic, yet the family situations they found themselves in simultaneously, not so much. Having said this I recommend this novel as a good beach/holiday read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Bruny 46194329
A right-wing US president has withdrawn America from the Middle East and the UN. Daesh has a thoroughfare to the sea and China is Australia's newest ally. When a bomb goes off in remote Tasmania, Astrid Coleman agrees to return home to help her brother before an upcoming election. But this is no simple task. Her brother and sister are on either side of politics, the community is full of conspiracy theories, and her father is quoting Shakespeare. Only on Bruny does the world seem sane.

Until Astrid discovers how far the government is willing to go.

Bruny is a searing, subversive, brilliant novel about family, love, loyalty and the new world order.]]>
424 Heather Rose 1760875163 Kylie 3
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.]]>
3.77 Bruny
author: Heather Rose
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.77
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/11
date added: 2019/11/07
shelves: arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
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.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Corpse at the Carnival (Getaway Bay #3)]]> 41568622
And with it – a murder.

While Addison Lake and her family enjoy an Easter break at the carnival, knife-thrower Frankie Hammond is stabbed in the back with one of his own knives. Detective Wilcox is understaffed and down with the flu, so Addison steps up to help investigate.

Magicians, staff, and the owners of the carnival are all on the suspect list. Even the clowns have a motive for wanting Frankie dead.

Hanley Brothers’ Carnival is a family affair. But as Addison and Wilcox follow the clues, they find this family has a lot to hide.

The show must go on – but at what cost?

The Getaway Bay cozy mysteries have everything you love – suspense to keep you guessing, twists you don’t see coming, and characters you want to have a cup of tea with – plus an added dose of Aussie flavour.]]>
145 Grace York Kylie 4
This book, like the rest of the series, is a lot of fun and a great way to spend a few hours. I'm looking forward to reading the next one now. Recommended for all lovers of cozy mysteries.]]>
4.32 The Corpse at the Carnival (Getaway Bay #3)
author: Grace York
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/17
date added: 2019/11/06
shelves: aussie-author, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
Another lighthearted read in the Getaway Bay Cozy series. In this instalment the carnival is in town, and Addison and her family are taking in the atmosphere and fun of the event when the inevitable happens and someone ends up dead. The local police are stretched thin, so luckily Addison is there to lend a hand. Our amateur sleuth is so0n hard at work interviewing suspects and chasing leads, yet she still has tme to bake some delicious sounding treats!

This book, like the rest of the series, is a lot of fun and a great way to spend a few hours. I'm looking forward to reading the next one now. Recommended for all lovers of cozy mysteries.
]]>
The Model Wife 46135694
Natalie King's life is full. Some might say too full. With her teaching job, a farm to run, three grown daughters who have not quite got a handle on things, a reserved husband and a demanding mother-in-law, most days she is too busy to think about whether she is happy. But her life has meaning, doesn't it? After all, she is the one person everyone depends upon.

But when an odd gift from her mother-in-law - an old book in the form of stern and outdated advice for young wives - surfaces again, it brings with it memories she thought she had buried deep. Has this insidious little book exerted some kind of hold over her? Could it be that in her attempts to be a loving wife and mother, she no longer knows who she is?

On a day when it seems everyone is taking her for granted, and as the ghost of a past betrayal rises, it becomes clear that even this good mother and model wife can be pushed too far ...]]>
489 Tricia Stringer 1489270868 Kylie 4
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.]]>
3.82 2019 The Model Wife
author: Tricia Stringer
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/24
date added: 2019/09/29
shelves: arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, seasonal-challenges
review:
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 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.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Cafe by the Bridge (Chalk Hill #2)]]> 41453473
But bringing a lying, cheating scammer to justice isn't easy when all Abe wants to do is forget the whole sorry saga. He's returned to his home town of Chalk Hill to lick his wounds and repay his debts, renovating his nanna's house and opening the Chalk 'n' Cheese cafe.

He's miserable. And it would be easier to stay miserable if everyone else around him wasn't so darn cheerful. It's wildflower season in Chalk Hill with a cafe full of upbeat bushwalkers, and it's all Abe can do to remember to put sugar, not salt, in his customers' cappuccinos. He definitely has no time for the mysterious red–headed guest who admires his cheesecake and adores his flat white.

Taylor's mission to help her brother seems doomed – how will she gain the trust of a man whose every instinct tells him never to trust a woman again?]]>
320 Lily Malone 1489250484 Kylie 3
The thing about this book is that Taylor is just so damned annoying. She starts the book as a stalker, and then, after only knowing Abe for a couple of days, the things she says to him would send 99.9%, no wait, make that 100%, of males running for the hills. Yet this doesn't ring alarm bells for Abe, who would in reality be very wary of any woman, let alone one that's running around like a pitbull, demanding things of both Abe and Will, even after being told on numerous occasions to back off. So although this book just didn't seem realistic, it did have it's lighter moments, yet these weren't enough to really make this a worthwhile read. While this book will have those who love it, it just wasn't well rounded enough for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
4.00 The Cafe by the Bridge (Chalk Hill #2)
author: Lily Malone
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/13
date added: 2019/09/26
shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-2018, contemporary-fiction
review:
I found The Café By The Bridge to be an okay, quick read. It sees Taylor, a child psychologist, locating a man in rural Western Australia who might be able to help her brother, Will. Will has been the target of a sociopathic scammer who has robbed him of everything, but he can't see a way through to help himself, well, he doesn't really want to, so in steps big sis to help him out. So she tracks down Abe, a café owner in the fictional town of Chalk Hill, who's gone running back to his hometown to lick his wounds after being conned by the same woman as Will. Then we have a formulaic girl meets boy, but boy is a tortured soul, so girl has to help boy, yada, yada, yada.

The thing about this book is that Taylor is just so damned annoying. She starts the book as a stalker, and then, after only knowing Abe for a couple of days, the things she says to him would send 99.9%, no wait, make that 100%, of males running for the hills. Yet this doesn't ring alarm bells for Abe, who would in reality be very wary of any woman, let alone one that's running around like a pitbull, demanding things of both Abe and Will, even after being told on numerous occasions to back off. So although this book just didn't seem realistic, it did have it's lighter moments, yet these weren't enough to really make this a worthwhile read. While this book will have those who love it, it just wasn't well rounded enough for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
The Woman in the Green Dress 42792635 Remarkable Creatures, The Naturalist's Daughter and The Birdman's Wife comes The Woman in the Green Dress... 1853 Mogo Creek, NSW

Della Atterton, bereft at the loss of her parents, is holed up in the place she loves best: the beautiful Hawkesbury in New South Wales. Happiest following the trade her father taught her, taxidermy, Della has no wish to return to Sydney. But the unexpected arrival of Captain Stefan von Richter on a quest to retrieve what could be Australia's first opal, precipitates Della's return to Sydney and her Curio Shop of Wonders, where she discovers her enigmatic aunt, Cordelia, is selling more than curiosities to collectors. Strange things are afoot and Della, a fly in a spider's web, is caught up in events with unimaginable consequences...

1919 Sydney, NSW

When London teashop waitress Fleur Richards inherits land and wealth in Australia from her husband, Hugh, killed in the war, she wants nothing to do with it. After all, accepting it will mean Hugh really is dead. But Hugh's lawyer is insistent, and so she finds herself ensconced in the Berkeley Hotel on Hunter St, Sydney, the reluctant owner of a Hawkesbury property and an old curio shop, now desolate and boarded up.

As the real story of her inheritance unravels, Fleur finds herself in the company of a damaged returned soldier Kip, holding a thread that takes her deep into the past, a thread that could unravel a mystery surrounding an opal and a woman in a green dress; a green that is the colour of envy, the colour buried deep within an opal, the colour of poison...
]]>
332 Tea Cooper 148927071X Kylie 4
Tea Cooper interweaves these two time lines perfectly, and, just when we thinks we are going to have the answers to some questions more seem to arise. What kind of business is Cordelia really running from Della's shop? Who was Hugh really? And most pressing of all, where is the opal? I found myself unable to put this book down, having to know the answers, which are revealed in a most satisfying way at the end. Recommended for all lovers of Historical and Australian Fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.85 2018 The Woman in the Green Dress
author: Tea Cooper
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/15
date added: 2019/09/26
shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-2018, historical-fiction, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges
review:
What a wonderful book with a marvellous sense of time and place. 'The Woman In The Green Dress' is set in two timelines in Sydney and the Hawkesbury region. The first is set in 1853, where Della works out of the Hawkesbury property as a taxidermist, while her Aunt Cordelia runs her curio shop in Sydney. However, the arrival of an Austrian Captain in the Hawkesbury brings to light some potentially nasty goings on in the Sydney store, so Della returns with the Captain to Sydney to determine the truth. The second timeline is set in 1919 in the aftermath of the Great War. Fleur is a young English war widow, her Australian husband Hugh not coming back from France, and she finds herself heading to Australia to unravel his affairs.

Tea Cooper interweaves these two time lines perfectly, and, just when we thinks we are going to have the answers to some questions more seem to arise. What kind of business is Cordelia really running from Della's shop? Who was Hugh really? And most pressing of all, where is the opal? I found myself unable to put this book down, having to know the answers, which are revealed in a most satisfying way at the end. Recommended for all lovers of Historical and Australian Fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Pacific 19630476 An epic story of love, sacrifice and revenge swept along on the winds of war.HOLLYWOOD MIRRORS HISTORYAustralian actress Samantha Lindsay is thrilled when she scores her first lead movie role in the Hollywood epic Torpedo Junction, playing a character based on World War II heroine 'Mamma Tack'.PAST MEETS PRESENTAs filming begins in Vanuatu, uncanny parallels between history and fiction emerge. Just who was the real Mamma Tack? And what mysterious forces are at play? The answers reveal not only bygone secrets but Sam's own destiny.WAR-TORN LOVEIn another era, Jane Thackeray travels from England to the far distant islands of the New Hebrides. Ensnared in the turmoil of war, Jane witnesses the devastating effect human conflict has upon an innocent race of people. There she meets Charles 'Wolf' Baker, a charismatic fighter pilot, and Jean-Francois Marat, a powerful plantation owner - and soon their lives are entwined in a maelstrom of love and hate …A JOURNEY UNFOLDSFrom the dark days of Dunkirk to the vicious fighting that was Guadalcanal, from the sedate beauty of the English Channel ports to a tropical paradise, Pacific is Judy Nunn at her enthralling best]]> 645 Judy Nunn 1864714956 Kylie 3 4.30 2004 Pacific
author: Judy Nunn
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/10
date added: 2019/09/24
shelves: aussie-author, historical-fiction, read-the-world, atwi80b-2019
review:
A quite enjoyable book set in two different timelines, WW2 and the present, mainly in Vanuatu (or The New Hebrides as it was previously known). The WW2 timeline sees a young wife, Jane Thackeray, joining her missionary/doctor husband in Vila while in the present actress Sam Lindsay is on location, filming a movie based on Jane's life. The main problem I found was as the second timeline was based on the first things got a bit repetitive as the stories obviously had many similarities, and therefore the book tended to ramble on a bit long. It's not a bad book by any means, and I wouldn't hesitate to read this author again, but this one didn't quite pull it off for me.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Three Secret Cities (Jack West Jr #5)]]> 39667498 BOOK 5 IN THE JACK WEST JR SERIES

HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE FOUR KINGDOMS SCORNED.
THE HUNT FOR JACK WEST JR HAS BEGUN.


A SHADOW WORLD BEHIND THE REAL WORLD

When Jack West Jr won the Great Games, he threw the four legendary kingdoms into turmoil.

A WORLD WITH ITS OWN HISTORY, RULES AND PRISONS

Now these dark forces are coming after Jack ... in ruthless fashion.

THAT IS REACHING INTO OUR WORLD ... EXPLOSIVELY

With the end of all things rapidly approaching, Jack must find the Three Secret Cities, three incredible lost cities of legend.

It's an impossible task by any reckoning, but Jack must do it while he is being hunted ...]]>
434 Reilly Matthew 1743534965 Kylie 5 4.18 2018 The Three Secret Cities (Jack West Jr #5)
author: Reilly Matthew
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/09
date added: 2019/09/24
shelves: aussie-author, signed-copy, action-adventure, monthly-challenges
review:
You've got to love Matthew Reilly, he never lets you down. This latest book in the Jack West Jnr series is the usual whirlwind of a book, never letting up on the action, as Jack and his team race around the world finding the location of the Three Secret Cities of the title. As usual there is mayhem, baddies and we leave a trail of destruction in our wake. All in a days work for Jack West Jnr! This is one of my favourite series, Matthew Reilly mixing meticulous and extensive research with rivetting adventure and taking the reader on a rollercoaster ride through myth and legend. Highly recommended.
]]>
Kill Shot (Wyatt, #9) 41504473 The latest gripping story in the popular Wyatt thriller series kicks off in Sydney and then unfolds on the beaches of Newcastle.

Some people just work better alone. Wyatt’s one of them. He’s been getting by on nice quiet little burglaries—one-man jobs—when he gets wind of something bigger.

A corporate crook, notorious Ponzi schemer, set to face court and certain jail time. He’s about to skip bail the old-fashioned way: on a luxury yacht with a million dollars in cash.

Wyatt thinks it sounds like something he should get into.

He’s not alone.]]>
242 Garry Disher 1925773221 Kylie 4
I found Kill Shot to be a wonderful, engrossing thriller, quick to get through and unputdownable. None of the characters are particularly likeable, yet this only makes the novel more believable. A first rate read.

My thanks to Text Publishing for a copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.77 2018 Kill Shot (Wyatt, #9)
author: Garry Disher
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/01
date added: 2019/09/18
shelves: arc, aussie-author, mystery-crime, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges
review:
Wyatt: Master Thief, pulls off daring, well planned heists, then disappears into the night with no trace. He's been doing small jobs, ticking over, until something much bigger comes his way... Wyatt has just had a tip from a prison insider about the mastermind of a Ponzi scheme, who is being closely looked at by the law. The tipoff says the crook has ferreted away over a million dollars and is about to skip the country on a luxury yacht. Wyatt decides that this is one payoff he needs to be in on, and so sets about stealing from a thief. As the action moves from Sydney to Newcastle we're along for the ride as Wyatt goes about his surveillance and planning for the robbery. Yet, he's not the only one after the loot, and he's got a dogged policeman on his tail!

I found Kill Shot to be a wonderful, engrossing thriller, quick to get through and unputdownable. None of the characters are particularly likeable, yet this only makes the novel more believable. A first rate read.

My thanks to Text Publishing for a copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
The Fragments 40098809
Nearly fifty years later, Brisbane bookseller Caddie Walker is waiting in line to see a Karlson exhibition featuring the famous fragments when she meets a charismatic older woman.

The woman quotes a phrase from the Karlson fragments that Caddie knows does not exist—and yet to Caddie, who knows Inga Karlson’s work like she knows her name, it feels genuine.

Caddie is electrified. Jolted her from her sleepy, no-worries life in torpid 1980s Brisbane, she is driven to investigate: to find the clues that will unlock the greatest literary mystery of the twentieth century]]>
320 Toni Jordan 1925773132 Kylie 3
This sends Caddie off on a quest to discover the truth about the book, it's author, and the elusive Rachel. What was the truth behind the fire? Did anyone else really read the book? And is Rachel legit or an imposter, making the words up on a whim?

While I did enjoy this book, I much preferred the timeline set in Brisbane, probably because I live there and am aware of the locations mentioned in the book. On the other hand I found the New York timeline quite tedious and was bored on those alternate chapters. And as for the twist at the end, I could see it coming a mile off. I am happy that I've read this book, but I don't think it's particularly memorable.

My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.77 2018 The Fragments
author: Toni Jordan
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/08
date added: 2019/09/14
shelves: aussie-author, historical-fiction, monthly-challenges, netgalley-2019, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
A enjoyable book, The Fragments is about a manuscript that gets destroyed by fire in 1930's New York, only a few fragments of the book remain. It's revered author famously perished with it. Fast track to 1980's Brisbane where bookseller Caddie goes to an exhibition featuring the fragments of the book, where she meets mysterious stranger Rachel, who seems to know more lines in the book than the fragments reveal. This seems impossible however, as the only people who had ever read the book perished in the fire.

This sends Caddie off on a quest to discover the truth about the book, it's author, and the elusive Rachel. What was the truth behind the fire? Did anyone else really read the book? And is Rachel legit or an imposter, making the words up on a whim?

While I did enjoy this book, I much preferred the timeline set in Brisbane, probably because I live there and am aware of the locations mentioned in the book. On the other hand I found the New York timeline quite tedious and was bored on those alternate chapters. And as for the twist at the end, I could see it coming a mile off. I am happy that I've read this book, but I don't think it's particularly memorable.

My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
The Widow of Ballarat 41034380 1854, Ballarat, Victoria When Nell Amberton's husband is shot dead by a bushranger, there are few who grieve his passing, and Nell least of all. How could she miss the monster who had abused her from the day they wed - the man who had already killed his innocent first wife? But his death triggers a chain of events that seem to revolve around the handsome bushranger who murdered him - a man to whom Nell, against her better judgement, is drawn.

But Nell has far more than a mysterious stranger to worry about. With a mess of complications around her late husband's will, a vicious scoundrel of a father trying to sell her off in matrimony, and angry relatives pursuing her for her husband's gold, she is more concerned with trying to ensure her safety and that of her friend, goldfields laundry woman Flora, than dealing with the kind of feelings that led her astray so catastrophically before.

After the violence on the goldfields, Nell's fate also hangs in the balance. It seems that, after all, she might need to do the one thing she has avoided at all costs ... ask for the help of a man.]]>
356 Darry Fraser 1489250409 Kylie 4
It's set in the goldfields of Ballarat in the aftermath of the Eureka Stockade. Though these times are mentioned in the book, they are but background and don't take over at any stage. It sees Nell's abusive husband killed in an attempt to flee Ballarat after the Stockade. Nell returns to Ballarat and tries to rebuild her life, even though she's been left with nothing, or has she? She finds work with a friend in a laundry in the gold fields, while trying to escape her family, both her father and her in-laws. And there's the handsome bushranger always in the background.

As I said, I did like this book, and finished it in a day, I just feel there was something maybe a bit too easy about the final wash-up.

3.5 stars rounded up.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.63 The Widow of Ballarat
author: Darry Fraser
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/19
date added: 2019/09/13
shelves: netgalley-2018, aussie-author, historical-fiction
review:
I'm not really sure what to make of this book, I did enjoy it, yet it seemed to be missing something. Maybe the fact that all the older people in this novel were evil, nasty stereotypes (except for the wonderful Josie, easily the best character in this book) and the younger ones were for the most part good hearted? I don't know, it just didn't really ring true and for the most part annoyed me. But apart from that the story was good, the sense of place was well captured and we did get glimpses into the history of the time.

It's set in the goldfields of Ballarat in the aftermath of the Eureka Stockade. Though these times are mentioned in the book, they are but background and don't take over at any stage. It sees Nell's abusive husband killed in an attempt to flee Ballarat after the Stockade. Nell returns to Ballarat and tries to rebuild her life, even though she's been left with nothing, or has she? She finds work with a friend in a laundry in the gold fields, while trying to escape her family, both her father and her in-laws. And there's the handsome bushranger always in the background.

As I said, I did like this book, and finished it in a day, I just feel there was something maybe a bit too easy about the final wash-up.

3.5 stars rounded up.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Nature of the Lion 40481167
Hiding from the law, they never expected to be caught in the crosshairs of a hunter…

After relocating to South Africa on the heels of scandal five years ago, Chole and her invalid father, Mike, once wealthy Zimbabwean landowners, now have little. Away at university, Chloe has had to rely on her father's best friend Enoch and his son Xo to watch over Mike.

When a violent confrontation puts Chloe in danger, Enoch steps in to help – with inadvertent fatal results. With increasing pressure from a right–wing group on the police to charge Enoch, this mismatched family have no choice but to flee back to Zimbabwe.

But crossing the border will be dangerous and near impossible with their route taking them amid warring dissident armies, landmines and their every footstep is stalked by a shadowy ring of hunters – whose trophies are taken from more than animals...

Only with help from Nick, formerly a soldier under Mike's command, now a professional game ranger, will the fugitives have a chance of making it home. But Nick has long struggled to come to terms with his fellow soldiers' choices before their unit was abandoned. Will his past demons put them all at risk?]]>
352 T.M. Clark 1489260919 Kylie 4
5 years on and their peace in South Africa is shattered when a racist bigot turns up drunk at the family farm looking to cause trouble. And trouble he does cause, forcing the family to flee South Africa and try to find their way back to Zimbabwe through war torn Mozambique. Meeting up with a close family friend, Kruger ranger Nick, along with his sidekick, Chloe and her family must travel through a warzone with 5 horses and her ailing father, who isn't doing well. Things go from bad to worse when their truck is taken from them in Mozambique by the military, so setting off on horseback and foot, they come across a hunter, but this hunter doesn't only have animals in his sights.

Nature Of The Lion is a heart pounding adventure, set amid a memorable backdrop of the African bush. The action is all too believable, and you'll stay up long into the night to find out if all members of the family make it back safely. I recommend this book to all lovers of adventure fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.98 2018 Nature of the Lion
author: T.M. Clark
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/17
date added: 2019/09/12
shelves: netgalley-2018, action-adventure, aussie-author
review:
A thrilling adventure set in the timeless bushland of Southern Africa. Chloe's family have settled in South Africa, away from their roots in Zimbabwe, after they fled the country following an incident that left her father indisposed and no longer able to care for himself. Chloe is unaware of what happened on that fateful night, she just remembers seeing her father's best friend Enoch burying what she thought was a body in the ground.

5 years on and their peace in South Africa is shattered when a racist bigot turns up drunk at the family farm looking to cause trouble. And trouble he does cause, forcing the family to flee South Africa and try to find their way back to Zimbabwe through war torn Mozambique. Meeting up with a close family friend, Kruger ranger Nick, along with his sidekick, Chloe and her family must travel through a warzone with 5 horses and her ailing father, who isn't doing well. Things go from bad to worse when their truck is taken from them in Mozambique by the military, so setting off on horseback and foot, they come across a hunter, but this hunter doesn't only have animals in his sights.

Nature Of The Lion is a heart pounding adventure, set amid a memorable backdrop of the African bush. The action is all too believable, and you'll stay up long into the night to find out if all members of the family make it back safely. I recommend this book to all lovers of adventure fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1) 35697187 A small town hides big secrets in this atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.

In the grip of the worst drought in a century, the farming community of Kiewarra is facing life and death choices daily when three members of a local family are found brutally slain.
Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk reluctantly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood friend, loath to face the townsfolk who turned their backs on him twenty years earlier.
But as questions mount, Falk is forced to probe deeper into the deaths of the Hadler family. Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret. A secret Falk thought was long buried. A secret Luke's death now threatens to bring to the surface in this small Australian town, as old wounds in bleed into new ones.

]]>
331 Jane Harper 1250105625 Kylie 5 aussie-author, mystery-crime
In this gripping debut Jane Harper has really captured the essence of small towns, and her descriptions of the people, and the grip of the drought, are all too real. She brings the hard setting to life, with characters and locations that just jump off the page. You will find this book very hard to put down. A must read!]]>
4.03 2016 The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1)
author: Jane Harper
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2018/11/18
date added: 2019/09/12
shelves: aussie-author, mystery-crime
review:
Well, you know it's a good book when you finish it you just sit back and go WOW! I'm not even sure where to start with this review. Okay, I'll start at the start, which sees Federal Officer Aaron Falk head back to his hometown after twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood best mate, Luke, who, along with his wife Karen and oldest child Billy have all died in what looks like an open and shut case of murder/suicide. Yet Luke's mother says it can't be and asks Aaron to look further into the deaths while he is in town. Not so easy when early the whole township is against Aaron, after he was forced to flee with his father all those years ago after a girl, Ellie, was found drowned in the river and the town, led by Ellie's father Mal, has decided Aaron was guilty of her murder. Plus he has come back to a town that is in the grip of a crippling drought, with local farms and businesses on their knees, which just adds to the churlishness of the townsfolk. So, with nothing much to go on Aaron and the local Police Sergeant start looking into the tragedy, yet they find that secrets, including Aaron's own have a way of making their way to the surface, and that small town mindsets are hard to shake.

In this gripping debut Jane Harper has really captured the essence of small towns, and her descriptions of the people, and the grip of the drought, are all too real. She brings the hard setting to life, with characters and locations that just jump off the page. You will find this book very hard to put down. A must read!
]]>
<![CDATA[Arson at the Art Gallery (Getaway Bay #1)]]> 41040656
Or is it?

The beach house is Addison Lake’s retirement plan. Memories of childhood holidays playing in the sand with her cousins come flooding back as soon as she sets foot in Getaway Bay. After the death of her husband, turning her new beach house into a bed and breakfast and reconnecting with family is just the tonic she needs. But just days after her move to the sleepy coastal town, Addison’s new life turns on its head.

A fire at her cousin Layla’s art gallery has devastating consequences.

There’s a body in the rubble.

The stubborn local detective needs a fast arrest, and he has Layla in his sights.

With her cousin accused of murder, Addison must act. But between the beach house renovations, an ailing uncle, an over-protective daughter, and the quirky inhabitants of Getaway Bay, she has her work cut out.

Can Addison and her new friends uncover the real culprit before Layla is charged with murder?

The Getaway Bay cozy mysteries have everything you love – suspense to keep you guessing, twists you don’t see coming, and characters you want to have a cup of tea with – plus an added dose of Aussie flavour.

Get Arson at the Art Gallery now.
]]>
175 Grace York Kylie 4
After the death of her husband Addison Lake has moved to a small town with her daughter and bought a big beach house, that she hopes to turn into a B&B. She is enjoying reconnecting with her cousin Layla, and meeting lots of wonderful townsfolk, when the unthinkable happens. Layla's art gallery burns to the ground, and her sister's body is found in the rubble. Addison immediately moves into sleuth mode, but who'd want to hurt her cousins? And the lead detective seems to suspect Layla herself!

I found this book to be a marvellous read, full of memorable characters that I'll be looking forward to reading more about as the series progresses. I recommend this book to all lovers of cozy mysteries.]]>
4.19 Arson at the Art Gallery (Getaway Bay #1)
author: Grace York
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/22
date added: 2019/09/11
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, group-read
review:
A wonderful cozy, set in a Queensland coastal town, I really enjoyed reading this one!

After the death of her husband Addison Lake has moved to a small town with her daughter and bought a big beach house, that she hopes to turn into a B&B. She is enjoying reconnecting with her cousin Layla, and meeting lots of wonderful townsfolk, when the unthinkable happens. Layla's art gallery burns to the ground, and her sister's body is found in the rubble. Addison immediately moves into sleuth mode, but who'd want to hurt her cousins? And the lead detective seems to suspect Layla herself!

I found this book to be a marvellous read, full of memorable characters that I'll be looking forward to reading more about as the series progresses. I recommend this book to all lovers of cozy mysteries.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Greater Good (John Bailey #1)]]> 38843750
Battered war correspondent John Bailey is a man living on the edge. He’s haunted by nightmares of being kidnapped and tortured in Iraq and he’s drinking too much to drown the memories. As he battles to get his life back together, a story breaks that will force him back into the spotlight – and into the crosshairs of a deadly international player.

When a beautiful prostitute is found murdered in her luxury Sydney apartment, Bailey is ordered to cover the story by The Journal’s editor and his old friend, Gerald Summers, because he can’t trust anyone else.

One of the victim’s clients, a key advisor to the Defence Minister, is chief suspect in her murder and he’s on the run. When he contacts Bailey, claiming to have information that will bring down the government, the stakes become deadly. To complicate matters,the investigating police detective is the woman Bailey walked out on a decade ago.

When a ruthless CIA fixer turns up, followed by a murderous Chinese agent hot on his trail, Bailey realises he has stumbled onto the story of a lifetime – one that he may not live to tell.]]>
384 Tim Ayliffe 1925640914 Kylie 5
Tim Ayliffe has written a remarkable, timely tale that is all too believable. I loved the character of John Bailey, flawed, broken and all too human, often seeking solace at the bottom of a bottle. The setting of Sydney also is brought to life, with a tour of the pubs, cafes and foreshores. I found this book very hard to put down, I had to keep reading to find out how an imperfect man was going to try to take on the might of officialdom, and what the outcome would be. I can't wait til the next book in the John Bailey series is out! Highly recommended.]]>
3.76 2018 The Greater Good (John Bailey #1)
author: Tim Ayliffe
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/11/04
date added: 2019/09/04
shelves: aussie-author, signed-copy, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime
review:
A wonderful yarn that starts with a high class prostitute found murdered in her Sydney apartment. One of the first on the scene is jaded journalist John Bailey, still suffering from the trauma of being a war correspondent in Iraq. The detective signed to the case just happens to be his ex-lover Sharon Dexter, who he walked out on many years ago. What should be an open and shut case turns out to be anything but, with leads turning to corrupt police officials, power hungry politicians and greedy foreign ambassadors. Even the CIA decide to put their noses into the mix. Bailey finds himself in the middle of a political turmoil, one that will wreck lives and destroy careers, and with his penchant for pissing people off, finds himself in a world of bother, and wondering if he will even survive this time.

Tim Ayliffe has written a remarkable, timely tale that is all too believable. I loved the character of John Bailey, flawed, broken and all too human, often seeking solace at the bottom of a bottle. The setting of Sydney also is brought to life, with a tour of the pubs, cafes and foreshores. I found this book very hard to put down, I had to keep reading to find out how an imperfect man was going to try to take on the might of officialdom, and what the outcome would be. I can't wait til the next book in the John Bailey series is out! Highly recommended.
]]>
The Lace Weaver 36335660 420 Lauren Chater 0749029250 Kylie 4 Each lace shawl begins and ends the same way-with a circle. Everything is connected with a thread as fine as gossamer, each life affected by what has come before it and what will come after.

So begins The Lace Weaver, a compelling tale of two young women struggling to survive in Estonia during World War Two. First we have Kati, a farm girl and talented lace weaver, and we have Lydia, who grew up in a privileged household in Moscow, and finds herself fleeing to her mother's birth country of Estonia after her lover is arrested in the street in front of her. Their stories come together in the town of Tartu, at first under the Soviet regime, and then at the hands of the German invaders, who promise to free Estonia. These two women find within themselves a great strength while the world is in turmoil, we learn about their lives, loves and unbreakable spirit in the face of terror, grief and loss.

The Lace Weaver is a beautifully written, symbolic tale, rich with history and well-drawn believable characters. It did take me a little while to get into this book, but then I found I couldn't put it down. The look into Estonian history, and it's fate during the war, I found to be of great interest, especially as it's a country I didn't know too much about. I also found it a breath of fresh air as it just had the one time-line, unlike most authors these days who seem to think historical fiction needs two timelines interwoven. This novel proves that it's certainly not the case. All in all this book is a first rate read and I have no hesitation in recommending it to all lovers of the genre.]]>
3.95 2018 The Lace Weaver
author: Lauren Chater
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/30
date added: 2019/09/02
shelves: atwi80b-2019, aussie-author, historical-fiction, seasonal-challenges
review:
Each lace shawl begins and ends the same way-with a circle. Everything is connected with a thread as fine as gossamer, each life affected by what has come before it and what will come after.

So begins The Lace Weaver, a compelling tale of two young women struggling to survive in Estonia during World War Two. First we have Kati, a farm girl and talented lace weaver, and we have Lydia, who grew up in a privileged household in Moscow, and finds herself fleeing to her mother's birth country of Estonia after her lover is arrested in the street in front of her. Their stories come together in the town of Tartu, at first under the Soviet regime, and then at the hands of the German invaders, who promise to free Estonia. These two women find within themselves a great strength while the world is in turmoil, we learn about their lives, loves and unbreakable spirit in the face of terror, grief and loss.

The Lace Weaver is a beautifully written, symbolic tale, rich with history and well-drawn believable characters. It did take me a little while to get into this book, but then I found I couldn't put it down. The look into Estonian history, and it's fate during the war, I found to be of great interest, especially as it's a country I didn't know too much about. I also found it a breath of fresh air as it just had the one time-line, unlike most authors these days who seem to think historical fiction needs two timelines interwoven. This novel proves that it's certainly not the case. All in all this book is a first rate read and I have no hesitation in recommending it to all lovers of the genre.
]]>
The Slipping Place 42166766 A stunningly compulsive, darkly suspenseful Australian crime novel that asks how far we would go to protect someone we love.
 
Veronica Cruickshank’s youngest child Roland is her idealistic one – a fighter of lost causes, and the one that always needs protecting, particularly from himself.
 
So when she hears he is back in Hobart helping an old school friend, Treen McShane, Veronica tries to track him down – but all she finds are second hand reports, whispers of horrific abuse, stories of a small child being hurt.
 
Then Roland sends Veronica a text message, asking her to go to the Slipping Place, high on Mount Wellington, a picnic spot known only to their family. Here she discovers Treen’s frozen body.
 
Knowing Roland will be suspected of leaving Treen to die, Veronica resolves to find out what really happened. But as long-buried truths slowly surface, she uncovers a secret that brings the violence closer to home than she could have ever imagined…
 ]]>
300 Joanna Baker 1925384578 Kylie 3
What follows is a tale of entanglements, deceit and violence. The story is interesting enough, being set in Hobart, but not really gripping. A passable book for whiling away a few hours, but honestly I didn't connect with any of the characters and didn't really care who killed the girl.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
2.80 The Slipping Place
author: Joanna Baker
name: Kylie
average rating: 2.80
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/11/03
date added: 2019/09/02
shelves: netgalley-2018, aussie-author, mystery-crime
review:
An ok murder mystery that sees the body of a young woman found atop Hobart's Mt Wellington, at a location called The Slipping Place. Veronica has found the body after following a cryptic text from her son Roland, who was a friend of the girl. But how did Roland know the girl was there? Was he involved? All of Veronica's attempts to contact him have failed. And what of the stories of an abused child?

What follows is a tale of entanglements, deceit and violence. The story is interesting enough, being set in Hobart, but not really gripping. A passable book for whiling away a few hours, but honestly I didn't connect with any of the characters and didn't really care who killed the girl.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
<![CDATA[Death on Paradise Island (Fiji Islands Mysteries #1)]]> 32606225 introducing Inspector Josefa Horseman and Sergeant Susila Singh of the Fiji Police Force
.
A girl’s body is found snagged on the coral reef at Fiji’s high-end Paradise Island resort, after festivities for a new marine reserve. Detective Joe Horseman, his rugby career wrecked by a shattered knee, no sooner lands at Suva airport after a year in the U.S. than he’s packed off to investigate. While Horseman is in two minds about his future, Sergeant Susila Singh is ambitious and on her way up. To solve what seems an inexplicable death, they must together drag to the surface secrets that have no place in paradise.
]]>
360 B.M. Allsopp 0994571909 Kylie 3 4.03 Death on Paradise Island (Fiji Islands Mysteries #1)
author: B.M. Allsopp
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/10/28
date added: 2019/08/31
shelves: aussie-author, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, read-the-world, seasonal-challenges
review:
An enjoyable crime novel, set in the beautiful islands of Fiji. It centres around newly promoted Detective Inspector Horseman, a Fijian Rugby idol, who leads the investigation into the death of a maid on an exclusive island resort. It is the first a the series by Aussie author BM Allsopp, and shows promise for the future books in the series.
]]>
Lenny's Book of Everything 40715400 I knew my brother. I knew when he talked too much about Timothy his imaginary pet eagle. He was scared.
'Whatever you do,' I said to Davey on the walk to school, 'Do not tell people about your eagle. Do not tell Miss Schweitzer about your eagle.'
He looked crestfallen. His shoulders slumped. He looked to make sure Timothy hadn't fallen off.

Lenny, small and sharp, has a younger brother Davey who won't stop growing - and at seven is as tall as a man. Raised by their single mother, who works two jobs and is made almost entirely out of worries, they have food and a roof over their heads, but not much else.

The bright spot every week is the arrival of the latest issue of Burrell's Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia. Through the encyclopedia, Lenny and Davey experience the wonders of the world - beetles, birds, quasars, quartz - and dream about a life of freedom and adventure, visiting places like Saskatchewan and Yellowknife, and the gleaming lakes of the Northwest Territories. But as her brother's health deteriorates, Lenny comes to accept the inevitable truth; Davey will never make it to Great Bear Lake.

An outstanding novel about heartbreak and healing by an award-winning author.]]>
352 Karen Foxlee 1760529443 Kylie 4
Then Lenny's mother enters a competition to win an encyclopaedia set, which she wins, and the children start to receive a new issue every week. Lenny fixates on bugs and beetles, where Davey loves birds, especially birds of prey. He has an imaginary golden eagle friend named Timothy, who he feeds imaginary crumbs. Then Davey learns of log cabins, and decides he wants to build one on Great Bear Lake in Canada.

This is a lovely book, told over a few years of the children's lives. It tells of the wonders of growing up and learning, and also the hardships of living with someone you love who is "different". Karen Foxlee tells a beautiful tale, you become fully invested in the children's lives and don't want this book to end. Yet end, sadly, it does...

This is a book everyone, young or old, should read. It will stay with you for a long time.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
4.32 2018 Lenny's Book of Everything
author: Karen Foxlee
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/25
date added: 2019/08/30
shelves: arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, monthly-challenges
review:
A wonderful book, both sad and uplifting at the same time. Lenny is a young girl who lives with her mother and younger brother Davey after her father has walked out of their lives. When Davey is born, a perfectly normal, healthy baby, Lenny's mother has a "dark heart feeling" and says that "Something's not right." Then, on Davey's fifth birthday, he starts to grow. He is four foot nine by the time he turns six, and he doesn't stop there. He keeps growing.

Then Lenny's mother enters a competition to win an encyclopaedia set, which she wins, and the children start to receive a new issue every week. Lenny fixates on bugs and beetles, where Davey loves birds, especially birds of prey. He has an imaginary golden eagle friend named Timothy, who he feeds imaginary crumbs. Then Davey learns of log cabins, and decides he wants to build one on Great Bear Lake in Canada.

This is a lovely book, told over a few years of the children's lives. It tells of the wonders of growing up and learning, and also the hardships of living with someone you love who is "different". Karen Foxlee tells a beautiful tale, you become fully invested in the children's lives and don't want this book to end. Yet end, sadly, it does...

This is a book everyone, young or old, should read. It will stay with you for a long time.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
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The Collaborator 45873687 The Tattooist of Auschwitz, All That I Am and Schindler's Ark (List).

An act of heroism, the taint of collaboration, a doomed love affair, and an Australian woman who travels across the world to discover the truth...

It is 1944 in Budapest and the Germans have invaded. Miklos Nagy risks his life and confronts the dreaded Adolf Eichmann in an attempt save thousands of Hungarian Jews from the death camps. But no one could have foreseen the consequences...

It is 2005 in Sydney, and Annika Barnett sets out on a journey that takes her to Budapest and Tel Aviv to discover the truth about the mysterious man who rescued her grandmother in 1944.

By the time her odyssey is over, history has been turned on its head, past and present collide, and the secret that has poisoned the lives of three generations is finally revealed in a shocking climax that holds the key to their redemption.

Praise for Diane Armstrong's Fiction



'A cleverly crafted mystery... a good story, well told. Armstrong's skill in weaving an elaborate fabric out of her characters and subject matter stand her in good stead...the bleak wintry landscapes of the Polish countryside are vividly captured.' - Andrew Riemer, Sydney Morning Herald



'Like Geraldine Brooks, Diane Armstrong's historical research is expertly woven into the fabric of a fictional tale, providing an engrossing `faction' of heroism and resilience which will appeal to both fans of fictional dramatic/romantic sagas, as well as lovers of insightful history' - Australian Bookseller & Publisher]]>
496 Diane Armstrong 1489251669 Kylie 4
The Collaborator is a well researched and believable tale, based on true events. It has betrayal, secrets and a touch of romance. Even though it's nearly 500 pages I read this book in one day, the story is engrossing. The main problem I had with this book, however, is that I never really connected with any of the characters. I wasn't engaged enough that I never wanted the story to end. Having said that I did like the book and recommend it to lovers of World War 2 fiction, and it's aftermath.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
4.02 2019 The Collaborator
author: Diane Armstrong
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/18
date added: 2019/08/21
shelves: atwi80b-2019, aussie-author, historical-fiction, netgalley-2019
review:
An enjoyable read, The Collaborator is the story of one woman's journey to search out the truth of her family history. Annika travels to Budapest after seeing a photo of her grandmother in the Jewish museum in Sydney. Her grandmother denies it is her and immediately shuts the subject down, so Annika is on a mission to ferret out the truth. What she finds is much more than she bargained for! Her search takes her further afield to Tel Aviv, where she uncovers a transcript that reveals the shocking truth.

The Collaborator is a well researched and believable tale, based on true events. It has betrayal, secrets and a touch of romance. Even though it's nearly 500 pages I read this book in one day, the story is engrossing. The main problem I had with this book, however, is that I never really connected with any of the characters. I wasn't engaged enough that I never wanted the story to end. Having said that I did like the book and recommend it to lovers of World War 2 fiction, and it's aftermath.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
The Book Ninja 36238514
Frankie Rose is desperate for love. Or a relationship. Or just a date with a semi-normal person will do.

It’s not that she hasn’t tried. She’s the queen of online dating. But enough is enough. Inspired by her job at The Little Brunswick Street Bookshop, Frankie decides to take fate into her own hands and embarks on the ultimate love experiment.

Her plan? Plant her favourite books on trains inscribed with her contact details in a bid to lure the sophisticated, charming and well-read man of her dreams.

Enter Sunny, and one spontaneous kiss later, Frankie begins to fall for him. But there’s just one problem – Frankie is strictly a classics kind of gal, and Sunny is really into Young Adult. Like really.

A quirky and uplifting love letter to books, friendship and soulmates.]]>
337 Ali Berg 1925640299 Kylie 5
Frankie is a twenty-something living in Melbourne, thinking that love has passed her by. She's in a dating slump, so with the help of her best friend Cat, she decides to do something about it. Their plan? To leave classic books on the seats of public transport, with messages in the back, so that after the "screening process" (The recipient/come reader must love to read the classics) the "right" men will contact Frankie looking for dates. She starts up a blog, and soon gets a huge following from the ensuing hilarious string of dates. However Frankie has already met, and started dating Sunny, but he couldn't possibly be "the one" as he only reads Young Adult fiction. Or could he?

A wonderful tale, brilliantly told, this is a book you really can't put down. Highly recommended.]]>
3.59 2018 The Book Ninja
author: Ali Berg
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/06
date added: 2019/08/20
shelves: aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges, group-read
review:
What can I say about this book? It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me forget the world until I finished it!

Frankie is a twenty-something living in Melbourne, thinking that love has passed her by. She's in a dating slump, so with the help of her best friend Cat, she decides to do something about it. Their plan? To leave classic books on the seats of public transport, with messages in the back, so that after the "screening process" (The recipient/come reader must love to read the classics) the "right" men will contact Frankie looking for dates. She starts up a blog, and soon gets a huge following from the ensuing hilarious string of dates. However Frankie has already met, and started dating Sunny, but he couldn't possibly be "the one" as he only reads Young Adult fiction. Or could he?

A wonderful tale, brilliantly told, this is a book you really can't put down. Highly recommended.
]]>
The Yellow House 39930991
Even before I knew anything about Granddad Les, Wally and me sometimes dared each other to see how close to the knackery we could get. It was way out in the bottom paddock, and Dad had banned us from going further than the dam. Wally said it was because the whole paddock was haunted. He said he could see ghosts wisping in the grass like sheets blown from the washing line. But even then I knew for sure that was a lie.

Ten-year-old Cub lives with her parents, older brother Cassie, and twin brother Wally on a lonely property bordering an abandoned cattle farm and knackery. Their lives are shadowed by the infamous actions of her Granddad Les in his yellow weatherboard house, just over the fence.

Although Les died twelve years ago, his notoriety has grown in Cub's lifetime and the local community have ostracised the whole family.

When Cub's estranged aunt Helena and cousin Tilly move next door into the yellow house, the secrets the family want to keep buried begin to bubble to the surface. And having been kept in the dark about her grandfather's crimes, Cub is now forced to come to terms with her family's murky history.

The Yellow House is a powerful novel about loyalty and betrayal; about the legacies of violence and the possibilities of redemption.]]>
238 Emily O'Grady 1760636134 Kylie 4
When Cub's Aunt Helena and cousin Tilly move in to the house next door old secrets start to come to light. For you see Cub's grandfather was a serial killer, he took young women down to the knackery, murdered them and buried them in the paddock. Cub and Wally have been kept in the dark about this, her grandfather having died before she was born, but she has often wondered why she can't make friends at school, and people seem afraid of her family. As Cub, Wally and Tilly come to realise exactly who their grandfather was, it causes ripples through the family.

This is an unusual novel, as it comes from the perspective of the perpetrator's family, not the victims. It shows how whole families, even the innocent can be vilified, as small towns have small minds, and don't tend to forget the crimes of those in their midst. I found The Yellow House to be a dark, compelling tale, beautifully told, and well worth the read.]]>
3.81 2018 The Yellow House
author: Emily O'Grady
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/03
date added: 2019/08/17
shelves: aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, monthly-challenges
review:
A riveting book, told from the perspective of 11yo Cub, as she grows up in a rural town with her twin brother Wally, older brother Cassie and their parents. They live on a property out of town that has their house, the house next door, and an old knackery down in the back paddock.

When Cub's Aunt Helena and cousin Tilly move in to the house next door old secrets start to come to light. For you see Cub's grandfather was a serial killer, he took young women down to the knackery, murdered them and buried them in the paddock. Cub and Wally have been kept in the dark about this, her grandfather having died before she was born, but she has often wondered why she can't make friends at school, and people seem afraid of her family. As Cub, Wally and Tilly come to realise exactly who their grandfather was, it causes ripples through the family.

This is an unusual novel, as it comes from the perspective of the perpetrator's family, not the victims. It shows how whole families, even the innocent can be vilified, as small towns have small minds, and don't tend to forget the crimes of those in their midst. I found The Yellow House to be a dark, compelling tale, beautifully told, and well worth the read.
]]>
Bridge of Clay 39808514 THE EPIC NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BOOK THIEF

'If The Book Thief was a novel that allowed Death to steal the show... [its] brilliantly illuminated follow-up is affirmatively full of life.' Guardian

'Warm and heartfelt... This is a tale of love, art and redemption; rowdy and joyous, with flashes of wit and insight, and ultimately moving.' Times

'Bridge of Clay is one of those monumental books that can draw you across space and time' Washington Post

Here is a story told inside out and back to front

Five Dunbar brothers are living – fighting, loving, grieving – in the perfect chaos of a house without grown-ups. Today, the father who left them has just walked right back in.
He has a surprising request: Who will build a bridge with him?

It is Clay, a boy tormented by a long-buried secret, who accepts. But why is Clay so broken? And why must he fulfil this extraordinary challenge?

Bridge of Clay is about a boy caught in a current, a boy intent on destroying everything he has in order to become everything he needs to be. Ahead of him lies the bridge, the vision that will save both his family and himself.

It will be a miracle and nothing less.

At once an existential riddle and a search for redemption, this tale of five brothers coming of age in a house with no rules brims with energy, joy and pathos. Written in Markus Zusak's distinctive style, it is a tour de force from a master storyteller of the heart.]]>
583 Zusak Markus 0857525956 Kylie 5
It follows the lives of the five Dunbar boys, told from the point of view of the eldest Matthew, but it concentrates on the fourth boy Clay. After their mother dies and their father abandons them, the boys are left to raise themselves in the suburbs of Sydney. Markus Zusak tells a remarkable tale here, the bridge of the title being both physical and symbolical. The timeline does jump around a bit, but this doesn't really detract from the story.

It also touches on horse racing, and having an interest in the Sydney racing scene it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. I did laugh at the racehorse called Engadine (yes Markus and I share the same hometown, though I don't personally know him!)

All in all, Bridge Of Clay is a wonderful, riveting book, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.69 2018 Bridge of Clay
author: Zusak Markus
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/01
date added: 2019/08/16
shelves: netgalley-2018, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges, signed-copy
review:
Well, what can I say about this book? I found it totally mesmerising! It took a while to get going, but suddenly you find you can't put it down!

It follows the lives of the five Dunbar boys, told from the point of view of the eldest Matthew, but it concentrates on the fourth boy Clay. After their mother dies and their father abandons them, the boys are left to raise themselves in the suburbs of Sydney. Markus Zusak tells a remarkable tale here, the bridge of the title being both physical and symbolical. The timeline does jump around a bit, but this doesn't really detract from the story.

It also touches on horse racing, and having an interest in the Sydney racing scene it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. I did laugh at the racehorse called Engadine (yes Markus and I share the same hometown, though I don't personally know him!)

All in all, Bridge Of Clay is a wonderful, riveting book, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Six Minutes 44652623
'Impossible to put down and full of twists and turns you won't see coming! I loved this fabulous debut novel.' Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Nine Perfect Strangers

How can a child disappear from under the care of four playgroup mums?

One Thursday morning, Lexie Parker dashes to the shop for biscuits, leaving Bella in the safe care of the other mums in the playgroup.

Six minutes later, Bella is gone.

Police and media descend on the tiny village of Merrigang on the edge of Canberra. Locals unite to search the dense bushland. But as the investigation continues, relationships start to fracture, online hate messages target Lexie, and the community is engulfed by fear.

Is Bella's disappearance connected to the angry protests at Parliament House? What secrets are the parents hiding? And why does a local teacher keep a photo of Bella in his lounge-room?

What happened in those six minutes and where is Bella?

The clock is ticking…

This gripping novel will keep you guessing to the very last twist.]]>
432 Petronella McGovern 1760875287 Kylie 4
How did Bella get out? Was she taken? Is she somewhere wandering in the local area, lost? A big search reveals no sign of the child, so the police start looking into the lives of those close to Bella. For everyone, even Bella's own parents, are hiding secrets...

Well, what a twisty, turny thriller this was. The further into the book I got, the more I realised I didn't have a clue as to what had happened, something I love in a thriller. I want to be surprised. As Petronella McGovern slowly reveals the story I found myself rivetted. I literally couldn't put this book down! Recommended to all lovers of mysteries.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.82 2019 Six Minutes
author: Petronella McGovern
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/01
date added: 2019/08/13
shelves: arc, annual-challenges, aussie-author, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019, mystery-crime, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges, group-read
review:
Where is Bella Parker? Bella, a happy three year old, has disappeared from playgroup, under the not so watchful eyes of four other mums while her own mum, Lexie, ducked to the shop. Lexie was only gone for six minutes.

How did Bella get out? Was she taken? Is she somewhere wandering in the local area, lost? A big search reveals no sign of the child, so the police start looking into the lives of those close to Bella. For everyone, even Bella's own parents, are hiding secrets...

Well, what a twisty, turny thriller this was. The further into the book I got, the more I realised I didn't have a clue as to what had happened, something I love in a thriller. I want to be surprised. As Petronella McGovern slowly reveals the story I found myself rivetted. I literally couldn't put this book down! Recommended to all lovers of mysteries.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
Undara 45873952
When entomologist Emlyn Rees arrives at Hidden Valley she wants nothing more than to escape her marriage breakdown by burying herself in the research team's hunt for new species of insects in the depths of the dramatic Undara lava tubes. However, little does she suspect she will be the key to solving a mystery that's more than one hundred years old.

Travis Carlyle is initially resistant to letting some city folks tramp over his cattle station, but soon the researchers' findings and a growing friendship with Emlyn bring opportunities to turn around his struggling farm. With a broken marriage behind him and children to care for, Travis needs to plan for the future and this could be his family's best chance.

But when things start going wrong for the farm and around the dig site, Emlyn and Travis are at a loss as to understand why. Are they cursed with bad luck, or is there a more sinister force at play? Are the tall tales of enigmatic stockman Bluey turning true? As the unseen saboteur grows bolder, Emlyn and Travis are caught in a race against time to save the station ... and their lives.]]>
400 Annie Seaton 1489261699 Kylie 4
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.]]>
4.00 Undara
author: Annie Seaton
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/19
date added: 2019/08/10
shelves: aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019
review:
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.
]]>
<![CDATA[Where the Dead Go (Gemma Woodstock #3)]]> 45889826
'Every bit as addictive and suspenseful as The Dark Lake . . . Sarah Bailey's writing is both keenly insightful and wholly engrossing, weaving intriguing and multi-layered plots combined with complicated and compelling characters.' The Booktopian

A fifteen-year-old girl has gone missing after a party in the middle of the night. The following morning her boyfriend is found brutally murdered in his home. Was the girl responsible for the murder, or is she also a victim of the killer? But who would want two teenagers dead?

The aftermath of a personal tragedy finds police detective Gemma Woodstock in the coastal town of Fairhaven with her son Ben in tow. She has begged to be part of a murder investigation so she can bury herself in work rather than taking the time to grieve and figure out how to handle the next stage of her life - she now has serious family responsibilities she can no longer avoid. But Gemma also has ghosts she must lay to rest.

Gemma searches for answers, while navigating her son's grief and trying to overcome the hostility of her new colleagues. As the mystery deepens and old tensions and secrets come to light, Gemma is increasingly haunted by a similar missing persons case she worked on not long before. A case that ended in tragedy and made her question her instincts as a cop. Can she trust herself again?

A riveting thriller by the author of the international bestseller The Dark Lake, winner of both the Ned Kelly Award and the Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for a debut crime novel.]]>
464 Sarah Bailey 176052932X Kylie 4
We have a fifteen year old girl going missing from a small town in northern New South Wales, then the next day her boyfriend is murdered. Enter Detective Gemma Woodstock, fresh from a family tragedy, and with her young son in tow. Gemma needs to get her head around recent personal events, and decides getting stuck into work is the best option (though whether it's the best option for her son seems to be irrelevant to her).

The similarities between this case and one that had tragic consequences seem to haunt Gemma, as she tries to figure out the truth from all the lies she's being told. She forges forward, with the seemingly reluctant help of the local police force, only to find the truth evasive, and an escalating threat to herself and her son.

I did enjoy this book, though the plotlines didn't really feel too realistic to me at times. However the characters made up for it, their interactions showing their flawed personalities well. I enjoyed the journey that Sarah Bailey set for us, slowly unveiling the truth, and it had me turning the pages well into the night. All lovers of intricately woven crime thrillers will like this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.88 2019 Where the Dead Go (Gemma Woodstock #3)
author: Sarah Bailey
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/05
date added: 2019/08/10
shelves: arc, aussie-author, mystery-crime, monthly-challenges
review:
I hadn't read any of Sarah Bailey's previous works in this series, so wasn't sure what to expect, but I had read good reviews, and happily this book lived up to them. I did feel I was missing out a bit without having the previous character development, but in the end this didn't detract from the story too much.

We have a fifteen year old girl going missing from a small town in northern New South Wales, then the next day her boyfriend is murdered. Enter Detective Gemma Woodstock, fresh from a family tragedy, and with her young son in tow. Gemma needs to get her head around recent personal events, and decides getting stuck into work is the best option (though whether it's the best option for her son seems to be irrelevant to her).

The similarities between this case and one that had tragic consequences seem to haunt Gemma, as she tries to figure out the truth from all the lies she's being told. She forges forward, with the seemingly reluctant help of the local police force, only to find the truth evasive, and an escalating threat to herself and her son.

I did enjoy this book, though the plotlines didn't really feel too realistic to me at times. However the characters made up for it, their interactions showing their flawed personalities well. I enjoyed the journey that Sarah Bailey set for us, slowly unveiling the truth, and it had me turning the pages well into the night. All lovers of intricately woven crime thrillers will like this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
The Tattooist of Auschwitz 35523006
Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.]]>
277 Heather Morris 1760403172 Kylie 5
This is a beautifully told tale, Heather Morris captures the essence of the camp well. I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau earlier this year and found it to be chilling and disturbing. One can only speculate at the deranged minds of those that caused such suffering. I read through this book it quickly in one sitting, and though it outlines the horrors of war, it shows the strength of the human spirit, and that there is always something to hope for. Highly recommended, this is one that will stay with you for a long time.]]>
4.20 2018 The Tattooist of Auschwitz
author: Heather Morris
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/09/23
date added: 2019/08/09
shelves: aussie-author, historical-fiction, monthly-challenges
review:
A unsettling but gripping novel, based on the true story of Lale, a Slovakian Jew caught up in the horrors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during WW2. He speaks several languages, so soon finds himself employed in the camp as the tattooist, the man responsible for inscribing prisoners numbers on their arms. He soon meets and falls in love with Gita, a fellow inmate., but can their love survive the horrors of life inside a concentration camp?

This is a beautifully told tale, Heather Morris captures the essence of the camp well. I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau earlier this year and found it to be chilling and disturbing. One can only speculate at the deranged minds of those that caused such suffering. I read through this book it quickly in one sitting, and though it outlines the horrors of war, it shows the strength of the human spirit, and that there is always something to hope for. Highly recommended, this is one that will stay with you for a long time.
]]>
Snake Island 45025063
But when retired teacher Vernon hears that Caleb is being regularly visited and savagely bashed by a local criminal as the police stand by, he knows he has to act. What has his life been as a father if he turns his back on his son in his hour of desperate need? He realises with shame that he has failed Caleb. But no longer.

The father of the man bashing Caleb is head of a violent crime family. The town lives in fear of him but Vernon is determined to fix things in a civilised way, father to father. If he shows respect, he reasons, it will be reciprocated. But how wrong he is.

And what hell has he brought down on his family?

Reading like a morality tale Western but in a starkly beautiful Australian setting, Snake Island is a propulsive literary thriller written with great clarity and power. It will take you to the edge and keep you there long after the final page is turned.]]>
334 Ben Hobson 1760527238 Kylie 4
It starts out with Vernon visiting his estranged son in prison, after learning that he'd been badly beaten by a local thug, with the authorities turning a blind eye. He decides to go and talk to the thug's father, man to man, but as this man is the local drug king pin, with the police in his pocket, things aren't as easy as Vernon hopes. Let's just say everything goes to shit from there on in.

I found Snake Island to be a fascinating study of human behaviour. Some characters, when finding that things have gotten out of hand finally striving for redemption, just to find it get further and further out of their reach. Other characters just figure that they're going to hell anyway. Ben Hobson has woven a tale here that drags you in, then spits you out the other side, and you find yourself shaking your head wondering what just happened. It's my first book by this author, but definitely wont be my last. Recommended.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.78 2019 Snake Island
author: Ben Hobson
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/03
date added: 2019/08/08
shelves: arc, aussie-author, mystery-crime
review:
You know, when I started reading this book I didn't think I was going like it, but soon found myself totally immersed in it and read it in a day. It wasn't that I became invested in the characters, they were all horrible! I think I was compelled to read more about the train wreck they had all made of their lives.

It starts out with Vernon visiting his estranged son in prison, after learning that he'd been badly beaten by a local thug, with the authorities turning a blind eye. He decides to go and talk to the thug's father, man to man, but as this man is the local drug king pin, with the police in his pocket, things aren't as easy as Vernon hopes. Let's just say everything goes to shit from there on in.

I found Snake Island to be a fascinating study of human behaviour. Some characters, when finding that things have gotten out of hand finally striving for redemption, just to find it get further and further out of their reach. Other characters just figure that they're going to hell anyway. Ben Hobson has woven a tale here that drags you in, then spits you out the other side, and you find yourself shaking your head wondering what just happened. It's my first book by this author, but definitely wont be my last. Recommended.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Spotted Dog (Corinna Chapman, #7)]]> 40772032 Intrepid baker and erstwhile investigator Corinna Chapman
returns triumphantly in her first adventure in seven years

Corinna Chapman, baker extraordinaire, talented sleuth, stalwart friend and lover is back! When a distraught Scottish veteran from Afghanistan is knocked unconscious, waking up to find his beloved ex-service dog missing, Corinna and her lover, Daniel,
find themselves inextricably drawn into the machinations of a notorious underworld gang of drug runners.

Corinna and Daniel need to pull together all the strings to find the connections between their wandering Scottish veteran, his kidnapped dog, a student dramatic society that's moved into Corinna's building, burglaries, and the threatening notes that begin to mysteriously appear in Corinna's apartment. Between her forays into danger, there is still time in Corinna's life for tender encounters as the delicious aromas of newly baked breads, muffins and treats waft out of Corinna's bakery, Earthly Delights.

Kerry Greenwood is the author of many bestselling novels including six previous books in the Corinna Chapman series and the wildly popular bestselling Phryne Fisher series.]]>
298 Kerry Greenwood 176052848X Kylie 4
This is the seventh book in Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. It sees Corinna and her lover Daniel looking for a lost dog, owned by a British Afghanistan vet. Has the dog been taken by drug dealers to detect drugs for them? Corinna, however, can’t just concentrate on the missing canine, there’s been a spate of break-ins in her apartment building, including her own flat. Is this related to the missing dog? Or is it due to something Professor Monk, another resident, is working on? There’s also the cyber attack on the deli to be scrutinised. And of course a whole lot of bread and muffins to be baked.

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and engaging with a lot of likeable characters. It sucks you in from the start and doesn’t let go until you’ve reached the end, where you’re treated to some delightful recipes from the book. This book has a lot of charm and I recommend it to all lovers of light hearted mysteries.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an ARC to read and review. The opinions are all my own.]]>
3.81 2018 The Spotted Dog (Corinna Chapman, #7)
author: Kerry Greenwood
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/09/23
date added: 2019/08/07
shelves: arc, seasonal-challenges, aussie-author
review:
I found “The Spotted Dog” to be a really fun read. I had a smile on my face from the first page and it never waned for the entire book.

This is the seventh book in Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. It sees Corinna and her lover Daniel looking for a lost dog, owned by a British Afghanistan vet. Has the dog been taken by drug dealers to detect drugs for them? Corinna, however, can’t just concentrate on the missing canine, there’s been a spate of break-ins in her apartment building, including her own flat. Is this related to the missing dog? Or is it due to something Professor Monk, another resident, is working on? There’s also the cyber attack on the deli to be scrutinised. And of course a whole lot of bread and muffins to be baked.

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and engaging with a lot of likeable characters. It sucks you in from the start and doesn’t let go until you’ve reached the end, where you’re treated to some delightful recipes from the book. This book has a lot of charm and I recommend it to all lovers of light hearted mysteries.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an ARC to read and review. The opinions are all my own.
]]>
The Secret Vineyard 35835535 When you’re stumbling through life, try falling head over heels …

Grace Middleton knew that her ex-husband Jake was a lying, cheating, wife-abandoning bastard.

What she didn’t know – until his untimely death – was that he was also the owner of a secret vineyard in the heart of the Margaret River Wine Region. And, much to the chagrin of his new wife, he’s left the property to Grace’s three young sons.

With the intention of putting it up for sale, Grace takes the boys to view Gum Leaf Grove. And immediately finds herself embroiled in mysteries from Jake’s past – and becomes the accidental target of the resident ‘ghost’.

Nowadays Grace believes in love even less than she believes in ghosts. So no one is more surprised than her when she’s caught between two very different men – with secrets of their own . . .

A sparkling romantic comedy about trust after betrayal, hope after regret, and falling in love after vowing never ever to do it again . . .]]>
362 Loretta Hill 014378143X Kylie 4
It follows the story of Grace, a harried single mum of three young boys, who inherits a vineyard in the Margaret River region of Western Australia when her ex-husband dies suddenly. The place is a dump, but has a lot of potential, so she calls on local hunky real estate agent Scott for an appraisal. She also stumbles across squatter turned handyman Mitch, scarred and with a mysterious past, who helps her out with maintenance and cleaning, and gets on great with her kids.

It's a lovely, feel-good story, about the transformation of Grace from social retard who hasn't dated in years, to suddenly having two men vying for her affections. But it's the interactions with the kids, and the things they do and say, that really light up this novel. You can feel Grace's embarrassment when they announce things inappropriately to the wrong people, such as the hole in Grace's underwear. You find yourself cringing with her and laughing along.

A beautifully written story, with a great sense of place, I recommend this book to all lovers of romance.]]>
4.15 2018 The Secret Vineyard
author: Loretta Hill
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/09/21
date added: 2019/08/04
shelves: aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, group-read, monthly-challenges, read-the-world
review:
I really enjoyed this book, it had me laughing out loud in several places!

It follows the story of Grace, a harried single mum of three young boys, who inherits a vineyard in the Margaret River region of Western Australia when her ex-husband dies suddenly. The place is a dump, but has a lot of potential, so she calls on local hunky real estate agent Scott for an appraisal. She also stumbles across squatter turned handyman Mitch, scarred and with a mysterious past, who helps her out with maintenance and cleaning, and gets on great with her kids.

It's a lovely, feel-good story, about the transformation of Grace from social retard who hasn't dated in years, to suddenly having two men vying for her affections. But it's the interactions with the kids, and the things they do and say, that really light up this novel. You can feel Grace's embarrassment when they announce things inappropriately to the wrong people, such as the hole in Grace's underwear. You find yourself cringing with her and laughing along.

A beautifully written story, with a great sense of place, I recommend this book to all lovers of romance.
]]>
Table For Eight 41132587 Bestselling author and master storyteller Tricia Stringer tackles troubled relationships, second chances and love old and new in this uplifting story of unlikely dining companions thrown together on a glamorous cruise. Readers of Liz Byrski, Monica McInerney and Rachael Johns will love this book.

A cruise – no matter how magical – can't change your life. Can it…?

Clever, charming dressmaker Ketty Clift is embarking on her final cruise from Sydney before she must make serious changes in her life. Supported by the ship's all–powerful maitre d' Carlos, she has a mission: transform the lives of those who join her at her dining table every evening. Not only can Ketty turn Cinderellas into princesses with her legendary style–eye, but she has a gift for bringing people together.

But this trip is different. As the glamour and indulgence of the cruise takes hold, and the ship sails further away from Sydney towards the Pacific Islands, it becomes clear that her fellow travellers – a troubled family, a grieving widower and an angry divorcee determined to wreak revenge on her ex – are going to be harder work than usual.

As Ketty tries to deal with her own problems, including the unexpected arrival on board of her long–lost love, Leo – the man who broke her heart – as well as troubling news from home, she begins to realise this might be the one cruise that defeats her…

A witty, warm and wise story of how embracing the new with an open heart can transform your life.]]>
496 Tricia Stringer 1489246800 Kylie 4
I really enjoyed this book, especially as I have cruised the area myself and it was fun to read about the ports I'd visited. Tricia Stringer really brings the characters to life, and we have a very vivid sense of cruising, which I found to be authentic. Most of the characters are flawed, but likeable, with a couple of exceptions, one of which I wanted to throw overboard! All in all a wonderful, warm book that I feel most readers would enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ & Mira for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.99 2018 Table For Eight
author: Tricia Stringer
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/09/11
date added: 2019/07/30
shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-2018, contemporary-fiction
review:
A fun read that sees Ketty, a fashion designer, go on a cruise from Sydney to the South Pacific islands. This is the last voyage of her favourite ship, the Diamond Duchess, and possibly her last cruise as well as her business isn't doing so well. Her old friend Carlos is maitre d' in the dining room and he seats her at a table with eight people, hence the book's title. Her dining companions are a varied bunch, all with their own reasons for cruising and some with their own agendas. As we meander through the tropical islands we get to know them and their foibles very well, laughing, loving and often cringing along side them, (as well as eating, drinking, partying, etc).

I really enjoyed this book, especially as I have cruised the area myself and it was fun to read about the ports I'd visited. Tricia Stringer really brings the characters to life, and we have a very vivid sense of cruising, which I found to be authentic. Most of the characters are flawed, but likeable, with a couple of exceptions, one of which I wanted to throw overboard! All in all a wonderful, warm book that I feel most readers would enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ & Mira for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Body in the Beach House (Getaway Bay #2)]]> 41117414
Until one of the writers ends up dead.

After deciding a bed and breakfast is too much work, Addison Lake turns her newly refurbished home in Getaway Bay into a boarding house for struggling writers and artists. She has a full house in no time, and quickly comes to regard her young boarders as family. But her newfound happiness doesn’t last.

There’s a body in the beach house.

Is one of her creative guests responsible?

As Addison and Detective Wilcox investigate, the mystery becomes more baffling. Was it suicide, or murder? If it was murder, how did the killer get out of the locked room?

And with all her house guests on the suspect list, who can Addison trust?

The Getaway Bay cozy mysteries have everything you love – suspense to keep you guessing, twists you don’t see coming, and characters you want to have a cup of tea with – plus an added dose of Aussie flavour.

Get The Body in the Beach House now.
]]>
157 Grace York Kylie 4
We have all the marvellous characters from the first book, plus the added extras with the creatives now in the house. Although I picked the killer early in this book I couldn't figure out the why, so I had to race through it in an afternoon to find out the motive. I'm now excited about getting my hands on the third in the series, The Corpse At The Carnival. Recommended for all lovers of cozy mysteries.]]>
4.30 The Body in the Beach House (Getaway Bay #2)
author: Grace York
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/25
date added: 2019/07/28
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime, monthly-challenges
review:
Another wonderful entry in the Getaway Bay Cozy Series from Grace York. This second installment sees Beach House owner Addison realise her dream and the house is now a retreat for creatives. Then a successful writer staying with her to cure his writers block turn up dead. At first the police think he has committed suicide, but it soon becomes apparent that he was murdered. Has one of Addison's creatives killed him? Or is it someone closer to home?

We have all the marvellous characters from the first book, plus the added extras with the creatives now in the house. Although I picked the killer early in this book I couldn't figure out the why, so I had to race through it in an afternoon to find out the motive. I'm now excited about getting my hands on the third in the series, The Corpse At The Carnival. Recommended for all lovers of cozy mysteries.
]]>
State of Fear 45414982 ‘Ayliffe delivers a taut, nail-biting page-turner straight from the headlines, stamping his mark on the modern day thriller’

John Bailey has a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The veteran war reporter has been kidnapped and tortured – twice.  Finally he’s living something that resembles a normal life. But all that changes when a terrorist murders a woman in front of Bailey in London.

The mastermind behind the attack is Mustafa al-Baghdadi – No.1 on the FBI’s most wanted list – and the man who tortured Bailey in Fallujah a decade ago.

Mustafa has a deadly axe to grind with Bailey. He taunts Bailey with threats of more attacks in other cities, closer to home. Back in Sydney the teenage son of Bailey’s old driver from Iraq is missing, and the people who matter most to Bailey have become targets. Bailey enlists the help of the only man he knows he can trust – ruthless CIA veteran Ronnie Johnson, supposedly retired – in a  race against time to take down the world’s most deadly terrorist, once and for all.

Praise for The Greater Good
‘A brilliantly written character starring in a cracking crime thriller’ Herald Sun ]]>
300 Tim Ayliffe 1925640949 Kylie 5
In this book John Bailey, a journalist battling demons, is witness to a terrorist attack in London, one that has far reaching consequences. Trouble has a habit of following Bailey, and back in his home town of Sydney things start to escalate as the war on terror touches Bailey personally. With the threat to his loved ones coming closer and closer, can Bailey hunt out the root of evil before a tragedy happens?

What can I say except I was glued to my seat the entire time I was reading this book. Tim Ayliffe can certainly tell a ripping yarn, and with John Bailey he has created a very real character, a world weary man who is totally relatable. It's a timely tale, as terrorism grips the world, and shows how fundamentalists really do come from all walks of life, and the threat is real and can be imminent. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of thrillers and suspense.

My thanks to the publisher Simon And Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
4.06 State of Fear
author: Tim Ayliffe
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2019/07/23
date added: 2019/07/28
shelves: arc, aussie-author, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019
review:
I approached this book with great anticipation, having loved the author's debut novel The Greater Good, hoping that this offering would live up to it's predecessor. I'm happy to say it did, and more!

In this book John Bailey, a journalist battling demons, is witness to a terrorist attack in London, one that has far reaching consequences. Trouble has a habit of following Bailey, and back in his home town of Sydney things start to escalate as the war on terror touches Bailey personally. With the threat to his loved ones coming closer and closer, can Bailey hunt out the root of evil before a tragedy happens?

What can I say except I was glued to my seat the entire time I was reading this book. Tim Ayliffe can certainly tell a ripping yarn, and with John Bailey he has created a very real character, a world weary man who is totally relatable. It's a timely tale, as terrorism grips the world, and shows how fundamentalists really do come from all walks of life, and the threat is real and can be imminent. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of thrillers and suspense.

My thanks to the publisher Simon And Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
The Scoop 40344134 The fate of three strangers collide in a deadly game of cat and mouse

Journalist Jonno Bligh is flying high with a bestselling book and an Oscar for Best Screenplay. But along with the accolades he picks up a cocaine habit and a case of writers’ block.

Under pressure to deliver his next blockbuster, Jonno sails to the Indian Ocean in his beloved yacht The Scoop Jon B. When a violent storm cripples the boat he takes refuge on a beautiful remote island, where he vows to get clean. Little does he know that the murderous gangster BangBang Budiman uses the island to hide the spoils of his heists in the notorious Malaccan Strait.

Jonno watches in horror as BangBang and his crewmen brutalise two women on the beach before leaving them to die. He manages to rescue one, Annie Greenwood, whose husband has already been murdered. Together they flee the island with the stolen loot, relentlessly pursued by the vengeful BangBang. 

As the killer hunts them down in the treacherous waters of South East Asia, Jonno and Annie are forced to come to terms with their own destructive demons – and a discovery that will change their lives forever.   

The devil waits for  you … even in paradise]]>
400 Terence J. Quinn 1925640043 Kylie 4
After a massive storm, in which the sloop is incapacitated, Jonno finds safe harbour on an uninhabited island, and vows to clean up his act and write the next bestseller. His island Idyll is interrupted however when pirates come ashore, and Jonno witnesses the brutal attack of two women. After the pirates leave he is able to go down and rescue one of the women, find the stash of pirate loot, and take off to the high seas again, this time with pirates on his tail. Then it's a cat and mouse game of hiding and trying to outrun the pirates. Will Jonno and his damsel in distress make it to safety in time? Or will the pirates outrun them first?

I did really enjoy this book, reading it in a day. The excitement on the seas in a luxury yacht making a different tack to land based thrillers. I loved the developing relationship between the two main characters, and the tropical island setting, though I did think the pirates were a bit cliched. All in all I found The Scoop to be a very good debut and I will be looking for the next book in the Jonno Bligh series when it comes out. Recommended for all lovers of action and adventure.]]>
4.18 2018 The Scoop
author: Terence J. Quinn
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/22
date added: 2019/07/27
shelves: action-adventure, annual-challenges, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
An exciting thriller filled with pirates, luxury yachts, murder and mayhem. Successful journalist turned writer Jonno Bligh, high from both an Oscar win and a cocaine addiction, takes to the high seas on his luxury sloop with his childhood friend Cody. They make it as far as Jakarta when Jonno's addiction comes to light and Cody bails. On his own, with only a stray kitten for company, Jonno pushes on, sailing for Singapore.

After a massive storm, in which the sloop is incapacitated, Jonno finds safe harbour on an uninhabited island, and vows to clean up his act and write the next bestseller. His island Idyll is interrupted however when pirates come ashore, and Jonno witnesses the brutal attack of two women. After the pirates leave he is able to go down and rescue one of the women, find the stash of pirate loot, and take off to the high seas again, this time with pirates on his tail. Then it's a cat and mouse game of hiding and trying to outrun the pirates. Will Jonno and his damsel in distress make it to safety in time? Or will the pirates outrun them first?

I did really enjoy this book, reading it in a day. The excitement on the seas in a luxury yacht making a different tack to land based thrillers. I loved the developing relationship between the two main characters, and the tropical island setting, though I did think the pirates were a bit cliched. All in all I found The Scoop to be a very good debut and I will be looking for the next book in the Jonno Bligh series when it comes out. Recommended for all lovers of action and adventure.
]]>
The Book Thief 18952334 584 Markus Zusak 1743515863 Kylie 5 4.52 2005 The Book Thief
author: Markus Zusak
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2018/08/20
date added: 2019/07/19
shelves: seasonal-challenges, monthly-challenges, aussie-author, historical-fiction, signed-copy
review:
I have no words to describe this book. Brilliant? Wonderful? Amazing? All fall short, it's far more powerful than that. You'll just have to read it for yourselves...
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Burning Fields 39293878
As returned servicemen endeavour to adjust to their pre-war lives, women who had worked for the war effort are expected to embrace traditional roles once more.

Rosie Stanton finds it difficult to return to the family farm after years working for the Australian Women’s Army Service. Reminders are everywhere of the brothers she lost in the war and she is unable to understand her father’s contempt for Italians, especially the Conti family next door. When her father takes ill, Rosie challenges tradition by managing the farm, but outside influences are determined to see her fail.

Desperate to leave his turbulent history behind, Tomas Conti has left Italy to join his family in Piri River. Tomas struggles to adapt in Australia—until he meets Rosie. Her easy-going nature and positive outlook help him forget the life he’s escaped. But as their relationship grows, so do tensions between the two families until the situation becomes explosive.

When a long-hidden family secret is discovered and Tomas’s mysterious past is revealed, everything Rosie believes is shattered. Will she risk all to rebuild her family or will she lose the only man she’s ever loved?]]>
352 Alli Sinclair 1489256598 Kylie 4
Rosie finds herself drawn to Tomas Conti, a survivor of the war in Italy, and their growing attraction is hindered by his demons from the war, as well as her family's distrust. Then Rosie stumbles across a family secret that will turn her entire world upside down. Rosie's confusion as to her place, Tomas' reticence to talk about the past and a new stranger in town sprouting vitriol against Tomas all combine to bring about a powerful finale, both emotionally and to the magnificent land of the cane fields as well.

Alli Sinclair weaves a tale about growing love, during a time when racism and sexism is rife. Where some characters seem stereotypical clichés, others, like Rosie and Tomas are beautifully drawn. All told, Burning Fields is an enduring story that wont be forgotten in a hurry. I recommend this book to all readers.]]>
3.86 2018 Burning Fields
author: Alli Sinclair
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/18
date added: 2019/07/18
shelves: monthly-challenges, aussie-author, historical-fiction
review:
A wonderful book that sees Rosie returning to her family home, a cane farm in far north Queensland, after spending the years of the WW2, and those just after it, in Brisbane. Even though both of her brothers were lost during the war her parents don't seem too thrilled to have her back home. However, after her father becomes incapacitated after suffering from a stroke, Rosie steps up to start to run the farm, much to her father's dismay. He doesn't see it as "women's work", even though Rosie is a strong independent woman who is more than capable of doing a good job. Nor does he like her being friendly with "the dagos next door", the Conti family who have recently immigrated from Italy.

Rosie finds herself drawn to Tomas Conti, a survivor of the war in Italy, and their growing attraction is hindered by his demons from the war, as well as her family's distrust. Then Rosie stumbles across a family secret that will turn her entire world upside down. Rosie's confusion as to her place, Tomas' reticence to talk about the past and a new stranger in town sprouting vitriol against Tomas all combine to bring about a powerful finale, both emotionally and to the magnificent land of the cane fields as well.

Alli Sinclair weaves a tale about growing love, during a time when racism and sexism is rife. Where some characters seem stereotypical clichés, others, like Rosie and Tomas are beautifully drawn. All told, Burning Fields is an enduring story that wont be forgotten in a hurry. I recommend this book to all readers.
]]>
The Lost Pearl 39903952 A sweeping family saga of long lost love, for readers of Fiona McIntosh and Mary-Anne O'Connor.

From Pearl Harbor to the shores of Sydney, a family secret that spans generations could unite a family – or destroy it.

Honolulu, Hawaii 1941. On the evening of her sixteenth birthday party, Catherine McGarrie wants nothing more than for the night to be over, even though the opulence of the ballroom befits the daughter of a US Navy Rear Admiral. Then she meets Charlie, a navy officer from the other side of the tracks, a man her parents would never approve of. As rumours of war threaten their tropical paradise, Catherine and Charlie fall in love. But the bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941 changes their lives forever.

Seventy–five years later, addled by age and painkillers, Catherine tells her granddaughter Kit her story and reveals the tale of a long–lost treasure. Can Kit uncover the secret and reunite her family? Or will the truth tear them apart?]]>
415 Emily Madden 1489251359 Kylie 4
Fast forward to present day Sydney, Australia. Catherine's granddaughter Kit is at her side in the hospital after Catherine has suffered a fall. Her mind addled with painkillers, she lets something slip, something she has been keeping a secret for a long time. So begins the stories of two women, united as family, but in separate timelines, and we discover the loves and losses they endure along the way. From the idyllic beaches of Hawaii to the glittering city of Sydney we laugh and cry along with them. From the crazy aftermath of Pearl Harbour, to more peaceful times, we follow their lives until it all comes together in a moving finale.

Emily Madden weaves a poignant tale of old loves, new loves, family and moving on, but never forgetting. Her descriptions of the Pearl Harbour battle come across as authentic, we can feel the panic of Catherine and the people around her, desperate to know if their loved ones are safe. She moves us through the tale, slowly revealing the secrets that follow both Catherine and Kit, and keeps her readers poised, wanting more., until the very end.

I was rivetted to this book, couldn't put it down until I finished it, which I did in one day. I will definitely be looking out for more of this author's work in the future.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
4.32 2018 The Lost Pearl
author: Emily Madden
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/14
date added: 2019/07/15
shelves: netgalley-2018, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, historical-fiction
review:
A sweeping saga of lost love that sees Catherine meet Charlie, a friend of her brother's, at her 16th birthday party in Hawaii, 1941. Catherine is the privileged daughter of a Rear Admiral in the US Navy, while Charlie is an enlisted sailor from the wrong side of the tracks. They fall in love, but times are perilous, the world is at war and it seems to be only a matter of time until the USA enters the war. Then the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbour…

Fast forward to present day Sydney, Australia. Catherine's granddaughter Kit is at her side in the hospital after Catherine has suffered a fall. Her mind addled with painkillers, she lets something slip, something she has been keeping a secret for a long time. So begins the stories of two women, united as family, but in separate timelines, and we discover the loves and losses they endure along the way. From the idyllic beaches of Hawaii to the glittering city of Sydney we laugh and cry along with them. From the crazy aftermath of Pearl Harbour, to more peaceful times, we follow their lives until it all comes together in a moving finale.

Emily Madden weaves a poignant tale of old loves, new loves, family and moving on, but never forgetting. Her descriptions of the Pearl Harbour battle come across as authentic, we can feel the panic of Catherine and the people around her, desperate to know if their loved ones are safe. She moves us through the tale, slowly revealing the secrets that follow both Catherine and Kit, and keeps her readers poised, wanting more., until the very end.

I was rivetted to this book, couldn't put it down until I finished it, which I did in one day. I will definitely be looking out for more of this author's work in the future.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
The Right Place 39903953 The Right Place is an Australian novel, combining warm romance with family drama and the longing to fit in. Perfect for readers who love The Missing Pieces of Us by Fleur McDonald and Josephine Moon.

With her dreams of dominating Melbourne's fashion scene in tatters, Nella Martini has returned to the last place she wants to be – Torrente Blu, the market garden inherited from her late nonna. She just needs to clean up the property, sell it quickly, and avoid run-ins with her neighbour: surly Adrian Tomaso. But when Nella comes across her nonna's cookbook things start to change. The place, with its endless tomato plants and gallons of olive oil in storage, gets under her skin, as does Adrian with his passion for this life. But her dreams have always meant being anywhere but here – haven't they? Or has the right place been here all this time? For Esta Feliciano in the 1950s, the right place was her Italian village. But in search of a better life than war-torn Italy has to offer, her husband has moved Esta and their daughter to this alien country, settling on a small, flat piece of land that he calls Torrente Blu. Can Esta come to grips with the harsh Australian sun and strange culture?

Woven with traditional Italian recipes, The Right Place is the heartfelt story of two women's journeys, as they discover how the right place to call home can be where you make it...]]>
320 Carla Caruso 1489257780 Kylie 4
I really enjoyed this book, often smiling at the banter, sometimes wanting to slap Nella for being an idiot, putting what she had at risk for pipedreams. Carla Caruso really makes the characters come to life, I could see the tomatoes on the vine and smell the homemade cooking in the kitchen. The tantalising addition some mouthwatering recipes is a bonus. I can't wait to try some of them.

The only drawback I found with this book was the resolution was a little too quick, too neat. But all in all a very enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more of the author's work in the future.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.86 The Right Place
author: Carla Caruso
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/08
date added: 2019/07/10
shelves: netgalley-2018, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, contemporary-fiction
review:
A lovely, feelgood book that sees Nella, returning to her hometown in Adelaide after inheriting her Nonna's property. Her return reunites her with her childhood friend Adrian, who lives next door and leases part of her Nonna's property as a market garden. The reunion isn't necessarily a happy one, Adrian's surly temperament isn't helped by the memories of Nella's teenage relationship with Adrian's estranged brother Davide. Nella is persistent, however, and her visions of marketing the business, even though at odds with Adrian's introverted personality, slowly start to win him around. Then when things are looking rosy, Davide returns...

I really enjoyed this book, often smiling at the banter, sometimes wanting to slap Nella for being an idiot, putting what she had at risk for pipedreams. Carla Caruso really makes the characters come to life, I could see the tomatoes on the vine and smell the homemade cooking in the kitchen. The tantalising addition some mouthwatering recipes is a bonus. I can't wait to try some of them.

The only drawback I found with this book was the resolution was a little too quick, too neat. But all in all a very enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more of the author's work in the future.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Breath 20629592 Librarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition - ISBN 13: 9780143009580

When paramedic Bruce Pike is called out to deal with another teenage adventure gone wrong, he knows better than his partner - better than the parents - what happened and how. Thirty years before, that dead boy could have been him.]]>
265 Tim Winton Kylie 4 3.69 2008 Breath
author: Tim Winton
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/05
date added: 2019/07/08
shelves: group-read, monthly-challenges, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction
review:
A poignant coming of age tale. Beautifully written, Tim Winton sets the bar high for other authors.
]]>
The New Girl 40004848 But she already knows you so well.
When Rachel moves into the spare room in Mary’s flat, everyone is quick to jump to the conclusion that there’s something strange about her. Everyone apart from Mary.

And when Rachel starts sleepwalking, everyone’s fears grow. But there’s something about the new girl that Mary can’t help but trust, and having recently escaped a toxic relationship, she needs the support.

Rachel becomes a friend and an ally, and Mary soon discovers that they have more in common than she ever could have imagined.

In fact, Rachel seems to know more about Mary than she knows about herself…]]>
352 Ingrid Alexandra Kylie 4
Mary's parents disappeared when she was 15 years old and she soon found herself living with Mark, a man much older than herself, in Melbourne. The relationship, however, is toxic. Mary is often mentally abused, sometimes physically, and as a mechanism to cope turns to drink and drugs and often suffers from blackouts. Then one night Mary awakes with little memory of a party she and Mark attended, covered in blood and with just vague flashbacks of Mark holding a bloody brick. She goes on the run to Sydney, determined to get her life together and put Mark behind her forever.

Going to Sydney with her is her best friend Cat, and they soon move into a 4 bedroom apartment on the beach with a guy named Ben. To make ends meet the three advertise the 4th bedroom and a troubled girl, Rachel, moves in with them. Mary and Rachel soon click, sharing similar backgrounds, but soon it becomes clear that all is not as it seems, as Rachel knows more about Mary and what she's been through than she should.

Mary can't seem to get it together though. She's drinking excessively and still wakes up with no memories as to what she's been doing. She starts to get flashes of memory from the fateful party in Melbourne and struggles to put together the whole story. Rachel steps in to try to help her remember, and Mary tries to figure out who she can trust, when she can't even trust herself. What really happened that night? Is someone withholding secrets from her? And where does Rachel fit into the picture?

I raced through this book, trying to find answers and I must say I got Rachel's character totally wrong! An excellent thriller, riveting, chilling at times, and thoroughly entertaining. Recommended for all lovers of psychological fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.34 2018 The New Girl
author: Ingrid Alexandra
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/04
date added: 2019/07/06
shelves: netgalley-2018, aussie-author, psychological-thriller
review:
A gripping thriller that sees our protagonist Mary on the run from an abusive relationship and living in a shared flat on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Mary's parents disappeared when she was 15 years old and she soon found herself living with Mark, a man much older than herself, in Melbourne. The relationship, however, is toxic. Mary is often mentally abused, sometimes physically, and as a mechanism to cope turns to drink and drugs and often suffers from blackouts. Then one night Mary awakes with little memory of a party she and Mark attended, covered in blood and with just vague flashbacks of Mark holding a bloody brick. She goes on the run to Sydney, determined to get her life together and put Mark behind her forever.

Going to Sydney with her is her best friend Cat, and they soon move into a 4 bedroom apartment on the beach with a guy named Ben. To make ends meet the three advertise the 4th bedroom and a troubled girl, Rachel, moves in with them. Mary and Rachel soon click, sharing similar backgrounds, but soon it becomes clear that all is not as it seems, as Rachel knows more about Mary and what she's been through than she should.

Mary can't seem to get it together though. She's drinking excessively and still wakes up with no memories as to what she's been doing. She starts to get flashes of memory from the fateful party in Melbourne and struggles to put together the whole story. Rachel steps in to try to help her remember, and Mary tries to figure out who she can trust, when she can't even trust herself. What really happened that night? Is someone withholding secrets from her? And where does Rachel fit into the picture?

I raced through this book, trying to find answers and I must say I got Rachel's character totally wrong! An excellent thriller, riveting, chilling at times, and thoroughly entertaining. Recommended for all lovers of psychological fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Going Under 45755736
Dr Katarina 'Kitty' Holliday thought that once she finished medical school and found gainful employment at one of Sydney's best teaching hospitals that her dream was just beginning. The hard years, she thought, were finally over.

But Kitty is in for a rude shock. Between trying to survive on the ward, in the operating theatre and in the emergency department without killing any of her patients or going under herself, Kitty finds herself facing situations that rock her very understanding of the vocation to which she intends to devote her life.

Going Under is a rare insight into the world of a trainee female medic that takes an unflinching look at the reality of being a doctor. It explores the big themes - life, death, power and love - through the eyes of Dr Holliday as she loses her identity and nearly her mind in the pressure-cooker world of the hospital. But it is also there that Kitty might find her own redemption and finally know herself for the first time. Darkly funny, sexy, moving and shocking, Going Under will grip you from the opening page and never let you go.]]>
416 Sonia Henry 1760529575 Kylie 4
However Sonia Henry tells the story well, a dark subject told with a jocular tone. I found myself laughing out loud several times at the antics of Kitty and her friends. It is an amusing, light-hearted read, but still, it sends a message to the reader that all is not as it should be in our hospitals. This is a book everyone needs to read.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin and Better Reading Preview for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.90 2019 Going Under
author: Sonia Henry
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/28
date added: 2019/07/04
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019
review:
A total eye-opener, Going Under brings to light the pressures junior doctors have to endure. It's the story of young intern Dr Kitty Holliday, and her journey through her first year in a training hospital in Sydney. The scary truth is a lot of the novel is based on fact, the bullying, belittling and even the suicide of young doctors. Added to the pressure cooker of surgery, long hours and lack of suitable supervision, the doctor training program is a recipe for disaster.

However Sonia Henry tells the story well, a dark subject told with a jocular tone. I found myself laughing out loud several times at the antics of Kitty and her friends. It is an amusing, light-hearted read, but still, it sends a message to the reader that all is not as it should be in our hospitals. This is a book everyone needs to read.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin and Better Reading Preview for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
<![CDATA[Tomorrow, When the War Began (The Tomorrow Series, #1)]]> 30095777 286 John Marsden Kylie 5
Look, I'm not going to go into any major plot essays here. Let's just say this book is about personal triumph over adversity, the courage of the human spirit, and teenagers being teenagers. I highly recommend this book to everyone, and I can't wait to read the next in the series. Kudos to you John Marsden.]]>
4.00 1993 Tomorrow, When the War Began (The Tomorrow Series, #1)
author: John Marsden
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/14
date added: 2019/07/01
shelves: action-adventure, annual-challenges, aussie-author, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019, seasonal-challenges
review:
Wow, what a marvellous book. I've heard so many good things about it I had to read it for myself. I'm so glad I did. It starts with a group of teenagers from a small country town going on a camping trip. All well and good, it's when they return a few days later that they find that life is not as it was.

Look, I'm not going to go into any major plot essays here. Let's just say this book is about personal triumph over adversity, the courage of the human spirit, and teenagers being teenagers. I highly recommend this book to everyone, and I can't wait to read the next in the series. Kudos to you John Marsden.
]]>
Heritage 12043276 1 POCKET-SIZE SOFTCOVER BOOK 572 Judy Nunn 1741665949 Kylie 4
Some characters struggle with prejudice and hypocrisy, but for the most part the migrants manage to integrate quite well. We meet those that have struggled just to exist through WW2, and those with a privileged upbringing that have never known hardship. We laugh, love and breath along with them, as they make a new lives for themselves.

I really did enjoy this book, becoming immersed and invested in the characters quite quickly. I'd be reading and look up to find hours had passed. Yet the big problem I had with this book was how several people with interlocking lives in the past would suddenly and independently, unbeknownst to each other, all end up in one small town on the other side of the world. It was just too big a coincidence to me, and I found it slightly annoying. That was the only downfall of this book for me, and I do recommend it to lovers of Australian Historical Fiction.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.]]>
4.11 2005 Heritage
author: Judy Nunn
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/23
date added: 2019/06/30
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019, historical-fiction, monthly-challenges, seasonal-challenges
review:
A sweeping tale of bravery, love and human endurance, with the backdrop of the Snowy Mountains in southern New South Wales. We follow the lives of some of the inhabitants of Cooma, a small town experiencing a boom of migrant workers from the nearby Hydro-Electric scheme. Beautifully told, Judy Nunn weaves an evocative story, telling the lives of local characters and those from further afield, filling us in on their background stories, and how they came to the town.

Some characters struggle with prejudice and hypocrisy, but for the most part the migrants manage to integrate quite well. We meet those that have struggled just to exist through WW2, and those with a privileged upbringing that have never known hardship. We laugh, love and breath along with them, as they make a new lives for themselves.

I really did enjoy this book, becoming immersed and invested in the characters quite quickly. I'd be reading and look up to find hours had passed. Yet the big problem I had with this book was how several people with interlocking lives in the past would suddenly and independently, unbeknownst to each other, all end up in one small town on the other side of the world. It was just too big a coincidence to me, and I found it slightly annoying. That was the only downfall of this book for me, and I do recommend it to lovers of Australian Historical Fiction.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
]]>
One Summer in Santorini 45359643
The very last thing Sarah wants is to meet someone new… But then a gorgeous American man boards her yacht and she knows she's in trouble. And when she also encounters a handsome silver fox who promises her the world, she realises that trouble really does come in twos.

Will Sarah dive into a holiday fling, embark on a relationship, or stick to her plan – steer clear of men, continue her love affair with feta, and find her own way after all?]]>
327 Sandy Barker 0008354340 Kylie 4
This is a book that will keep the smile on your face. The wonderful setting of the Greek Isles really comes to life, with some memorable restaurant meals you can even taste, beaches you can feel yourself swimming in, even a wonderful canine tour guide. So, who does Sarah end up with, Josh? James? Neither? Haha, I'm not letting you in on that secret. You'll have to read it for yourselves. I'm hoping Sandy Barker has more adventures in store for Sarah, because I for one really need to know what happens next...

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.30 2017 One Summer in Santorini
author: Sandy Barker
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/06
date added: 2019/06/26
shelves: atwi80b-2019, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019, monthly-challenges, netgalley-2019
review:
This book was exactly what I needed. An enjoyable, light read on a cold winters day. It was total escapism to find myself cruising around the Greek Islands with Sarah and her newfound travel mates, including sexy American Josh. Not everything goes to plan however. Sarah is sworn off men after a disastrous relationship, and Josh is determined to remain a bachelor forever. They keep sending each other mixed signals, and then another player enters the game, slick "silver fox" James.

This is a book that will keep the smile on your face. The wonderful setting of the Greek Isles really comes to life, with some memorable restaurant meals you can even taste, beaches you can feel yourself swimming in, even a wonderful canine tour guide. So, who does Sarah end up with, Josh? James? Neither? Haha, I'm not letting you in on that secret. You'll have to read it for yourselves. I'm hoping Sandy Barker has more adventures in store for Sarah, because I for one really need to know what happens next...

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Dreaming Of Spain 28270888 58 Alli Sinclair 1489205578 Kylie 4
This is a prequel to "Under The Spanish Skies", so I'm now eager to read that book to see how Charlotte's trip pans out. Well worth the read.]]>
4.16 Dreaming Of Spain
author: Alli Sinclair
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/21
date added: 2019/06/26
shelves: seasonal-challenges, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction
review:
I quite enjoyed this quick little read. It sees Charlotte being asked to travel to Spain by her ailing grandmother to research a painting that her father gave her when she was a young girl. The painting has haunted the grandmother and she wants answers before she dies. Charlotte, a workaholic, is reeling from a failed relationship and reluctant to go, but she can't deny her grandmother this one thing.

This is a prequel to "Under The Spanish Skies", so I'm now eager to read that book to see how Charlotte's trip pans out. Well worth the read.
]]>
<![CDATA[Coral Sea Affair (Ben Hood Thriller, #1)]]> 13510882 725 Drew Lindsay 1465769919 Kylie 4 3.69 2011 Coral Sea Affair (Ben Hood Thriller, #1)
author: Drew Lindsay
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/15
date added: 2019/06/21
shelves: seasonal-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime
review:
A fun read that sees suspended Sydney detective Ben Hood, take a job as security for a movie starlet currently filming in Port Douglas. What is supposed to be an easy job turns sinister when the filming sites are sabotaged and the increasing threats to the films crew. Then while out jogging Ben rescues a little old lady whose husband has gone missing and he realises there is links between the incidents. As the tempo increases Ben has to call on long forgotten skills and all his courage to get himself and his friends out of trouble. I really enjoyed this book, I loved the characters, and it was lighthearted and engaging. Recommended.
]]>
While You Were Reading 44593964 A hilarious, insightful new novel from the creators of Books on the Rail

Meet Beatrix Babbage – 29-year-old dog-earer of books and accidental destroyer of weddings.

After ruining her best friend's nuptials, Bea relocates to the other side of the country in search of a fresh start, including meeting new people, living life to the fullest and finally pulling off balayage.

But after a few months, life is more stagnant than ever. Bea’s job is dead-end. Her romantic life? Non-existent. And her only friends are her books, her barista and her cleaning lady.

​Then Bea stumbles across a second-hand novel, inscribed with notes. Besotted with the poetic inscriptions, Bea is determined to find the author ... and finds herself entangled in one hell of a love quadrangle.

Funny, poignant and insightful, While You Were Reading reveals that there’s no such thing as perfection, the value of true friendship and, most importantly, the power of not living in fiction, but still reading it … Often.

A love story for book lovers that celebrates much more than romance.]]>
400 Ali Berg 1925750566 Kylie 3
The main problem I had with this book was that I really wasn't feeling the chemistry between the main characters. It was a bit like grandma's undies where we should have had sexy lingerie. I also fail to see how anyone could become so obsessed with jottings in a book, however lovely they are. Having said that I did like this book, and read through it quickly. I just didn't find it earth shattering.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.55 While You Were Reading
author: Ali Berg
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.55
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/06/10
date added: 2019/06/16
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, aussie-author, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019, monthly-challenges, contemporary-fiction, seasonal-challenges
review:
Well, I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I enjoyed 'The Book Ninja" from the same authors. In 'While You Were Reading' we follow the story of Bea, new to Melbourne with no friends as such, and a job she hates. Her only respite is the café downstairs, owned by barista/poet Dino. Then one day she comes across a book in a second hand bookstore. It's not just any book though, this one has scribbles and annotations from a previous owner, and Bea soon becomes obsessed by finding the writer of the profound offerings. The clues lead her to handsome editor Zach, and then Bea's life goes into freefall.

The main problem I had with this book was that I really wasn't feeling the chemistry between the main characters. It was a bit like grandma's undies where we should have had sexy lingerie. I also fail to see how anyone could become so obsessed with jottings in a book, however lovely they are. Having said that I did like this book, and read through it quickly. I just didn't find it earth shattering.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
Devil's Lair 44288245 A lonely widow, a sinister act, a remote mansion with a dark past... After the violent death of her husband, Callie Jones retreats to a cottage in the grounds of an old mansion in Tasmania. The relative remoteness of the place and the wild beauty of the Tasmanian landscape are a balm to her shattered nerves and the locals seem friendly, particularly horseman Connor Atherton and his siblings at the nearby property, Calico Lodge. But all is not the old mansion has a sinister past, one associated with witchcraft and murder. As Callie is threatened by odd events in the night and strange dreams overtake her sleep, she begins to doubt her own sanity. What's really going on beneath the surface of this apparently peaceful town? Are her friends and neighbours really who they seem? As events escalate, Callie starts to realise that the mansion may hold the key to unlocking the mystery, but the truth might have as much power to destroy as it does to save.]]> 448 Sarah Barrie 148925529X Kylie 4
Soon a body is discovered, killed in a violent manner, and things start to spiral out of control. Is the killer after Callie? Or is he after something else entirely? As events climax to the breathtaking finale some surprising truths come to light.

I found Devil's Lair to be a gripping thriller, freaking me out on occasion, and I have no hesitation recommending it. This is the first book I've read by Sarah Barrie, but it certainly wont be my last.

My thanks to Harper Collins Australia for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.92 2019 Devil's Lair
author: Sarah Barrie
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/09
date added: 2019/06/13
shelves: action-adventure, arc, aussie-author, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019, psychological-thriller, seasonal-challenges
review:
A wonderful thriller, that is quite chilling at times. After the death of her husband Callie has moved to a cottage in the grounds of an old mansion in Tasmania, a property owned by the family of her friend Paisley. She finds work at a nearby property, becoming close with the owner Connor, but odd things start to happen. A doll shows up from nowhere in a locked house, and Callie is having nightmares, or is she? Are the nightmares actually real memories?

Soon a body is discovered, killed in a violent manner, and things start to spiral out of control. Is the killer after Callie? Or is he after something else entirely? As events climax to the breathtaking finale some surprising truths come to light.

I found Devil's Lair to be a gripping thriller, freaking me out on occasion, and I have no hesitation recommending it. This is the first book I've read by Sarah Barrie, but it certainly wont be my last.

My thanks to Harper Collins Australia for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
<![CDATA[Murder in Murloo (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #1)]]> 25000430
The victim’s family call in investigative journalist Dusty Kent who has an impeccable record in solving the cold cases she writes about. Dusty’s determination to investigate unresolved crime is fuelled by a personal connection through her own family tragedy. However, this case tests Dusty to the limit and she despairs of ever catching the callous killer who seems to be lurking nearby and yet...

A gripping mystery imbued with the ambience of Australia—from the mysterious wood carving found with the body, the captivating characters of a small town, to the coastal splendour of the Southern Ocean.

Murder in Murloo is a classic who-dun-it introducing Dusty Kent written by JB Rowley and published under the pseudonym Brigid George.

]]>
282 Brigid George Kylie 4
I really enjoyed this book, from the mercurial Dusty, the characters in the local town, and of course, the Houdini sheep Mimi. I especially loved the Australian setting, the small town coming to life on the pages. I really had no idea who killed Gabby, everyone seemed to have a reason to kill her, surprising for a much loved woman. I was riveted to this book until I found the answers, and I'll definitely be looking for more escapades from Dusty and Sean in the future. Recommended to all lovers of mysteries.]]>
3.98 2015 Murder in Murloo (Dusty Kent Mysteries, #1)
author: Brigid George
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/31
date added: 2019/06/12
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime, monthly-challenges
review:
Who killed Gabrielle Peters? A year after her murder in a small Victorian country town, her family are still looking for answers. Police are convinced the culprit was an itinerant surfer, who they now can't locate. Other's claim it was her fiancé Heath. Enter Dusty Kent, author and investigative journalist, who grew up in the area. With her new sidekick Sean O'Kelly she's out to find the answers in her own inimitable way.

I really enjoyed this book, from the mercurial Dusty, the characters in the local town, and of course, the Houdini sheep Mimi. I especially loved the Australian setting, the small town coming to life on the pages. I really had no idea who killed Gabby, everyone seemed to have a reason to kill her, surprising for a much loved woman. I was riveted to this book until I found the answers, and I'll definitely be looking for more escapades from Dusty and Sean in the future. Recommended to all lovers of mysteries.
]]>
The Nancys 44164157
Tippy is in love with her uncle's old Nancy Drew books, especially the early ones where Nancy was sixteen and did whatever she wanted. She wants to be Nancy and is desperate to solve a real mystery. When her teacher's body is found beside Riverstone's only traffic light, Tippy's moment has arrived. She and her minders form The Nancys, a secret amateur detective club.

But what starts as a bonding and sightseeing adventure quickly morphs into something far more dangerous. A wrongful arrest, a close call with the murderer, and an intervention from Tippy's mum all conspire against The Nancys. But regardless of their own safety, and despite the constant distraction of questionable fashion choices in the town that style forgot, The Nancys know only they can stop the killer from striking again.

The Nancys is gripping and glorious, a heart-warming novel for anyone who's ever felt they were on the outside looking in. At its heart it is about the family we make and how we must summon the courage to face the truth, no matter what the cost may be.]]>
396 R.W.R. McDonald 1760527335 Kylie 3
I am a bit torn though, for the most part I loved the banter between the characters, yet on the other hand there was far too much innuendo, and that could alienate some readers. I did enjoy the setting in small town New Zealand, and the character of Tippy, smart yet naïve. All in all it's not a bad effort and would suit people looking for a different take on the normal cosy type mystery.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.75 2019 The Nancys
author: R.W.R. McDonald
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/06/03
date added: 2019/06/10
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, atwi80b-2019, aussie-author, goodreads-summer-challenge-2019, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, seasonal-challenges
review:
Well, that was an amusing, different kind of murder mystery. It is seen through the eyes of eleven year old Tippy, who is being babysat by her Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon while her mum is away on a cruise. When her teacher is found dead by the side of the road Tippy, Pike and Devon form The Nancys, a crime solving club based on Nancy Drew. What they don't count on is getting closer to solve the mystery than the police are, and that could be dangerous!

I am a bit torn though, for the most part I loved the banter between the characters, yet on the other hand there was far too much innuendo, and that could alienate some readers. I did enjoy the setting in small town New Zealand, and the character of Tippy, smart yet naïve. All in all it's not a bad effort and would suit people looking for a different take on the normal cosy type mystery.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
Tears Of The Cheetah 25077112 The fight to save the cheetahs is a race against time

Mackenzie came to South Africa to escape the trauma of her past and build herself a bright new future: love is the last thing on her mind. But she’s finding it increasingly hard to ignore her feelings for the strong-minded Cole, who runs the game reserve for cheetahs just outside her town. Cole has made no secret of his feelings for her, but he realises that Mackenzie cannot be rushed so he is prepared to wait.

However, neither could have predicted the terrifying events that are about to overtake them. When Cole saves Mackenzie from a vicious attack, it is only the beginning of an ever-spiralling maelstrom of violence.

Someone is decimating Africa’s cheetah population, and when the poaching threat comes to their door, Mackenzie and Cole have only one option: they must fight to save the animals and life they love.]]>
361 T.M. Clark 0857994360 Kylie 5 4.00 2015 Tears Of The Cheetah
author: T.M. Clark
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/02
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves: seasonal-challenges, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction
review:
A wonderful, fast paced story that has Mackenzie, an American artist, living in a small town in South Africa, surrounded by magnificent scenery and wildlife that inspires her art. She is attracted to Cole, who owns a cheetah conservation centre, but their deepening relationship is being overshadowed by the imminent threat of poachers moving into the area. The author has really brought these characters to life. I was there every step of the way as Mackenzie, Cole and their friends ready themselves for the onslaught of the poachers. But the real stars of this story are the magnificent African veldt and the amazing cheetahs. I would definitely read more of this authors works.
]]>
The Cinema at Starlight Creek 44070306 How far would you go to follow your dream?

Queensland, 1994 When location manager Claire Montgomery arrives in rural Queensland to work on a TV mini-series, she's captivated by the beauty of Starlight Creek and the surrounding sugarcane fields. Working in a male-dominated industry is challenging, but Claire has never let that stop her pursuing her dreams-until now. She must gain permission to film at Australia's most historically significant art deco cinema, located at Starlight Creek. But there is trouble ahead. The community is fractured and the cinema's reclusive owner, Hattie Fitzpatrick, and her enigmatic great nephew, Luke Jackson, stand in her way, putting Claire's career-launching project-and her heart-at risk.



Hollywood, 1950 Lena Lee has struggled to find the break that will catapult her into a star with influence. She longs for roles about strong, independent women but with Hollywood engulfed in politics and a censorship battle, Lena's timing is wrong. Forced to keep her love affair with actor Reeves Garrity a secret, Lena puts her career on the line to fight for equality for women in an industry ruled by men. Her generous and caring nature steers her onto a treacherous path, leaving Lena questioning what she is willing to endure to get what she desires.



Can two women-decades apart-uncover lies and secrets to live the life they've dared to dream?]]>
384 Alli Sinclair 148925661X Kylie 3
Here we are following two timelines, Queensland in 1984 and 1950's Hollywood. In Queensland we have Claire, who is part of a production filming a mini-series in an old cinema in a country town, and in Hollywood Lena is a rising starlet in the movie world. We chop and change locations between the two many times (a few too many, it became a tad annoying) and though we could see the parallels between the two women's lives, it didn't really become apparent as to how the two storylines meshed until very close to the end.

Lovers of rural romance, fictional Hollywood lives and historical fiction will all like this book, however for me it wasn't a patch on the author's Under The Spanish Stars.

My thanks to Harlequin Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.88 2019 The Cinema at Starlight Creek
author: Alli Sinclair
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/05/16
date added: 2019/05/25
shelves: arc, aussie-author, historical-fiction, annual-challenges
review:
I was excited to get a copy of this book, having loved a few of Alli Sinclair's previous novels. This one though, while very enjoyable, didn't quite measure up to her earlier books. I didn't feel the passion in this book as much as I had her others. Having said that The Cinema At Starlight Creek is still a solid effort, and the character of Hattie especially memorable.

Here we are following two timelines, Queensland in 1984 and 1950's Hollywood. In Queensland we have Claire, who is part of a production filming a mini-series in an old cinema in a country town, and in Hollywood Lena is a rising starlet in the movie world. We chop and change locations between the two many times (a few too many, it became a tad annoying) and though we could see the parallels between the two women's lives, it didn't really become apparent as to how the two storylines meshed until very close to the end.

Lovers of rural romance, fictional Hollywood lives and historical fiction will all like this book, however for me it wasn't a patch on the author's Under The Spanish Stars.

My thanks to Harlequin Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
Life Before 43970412
She knew she should talk to him. But what was she to say? Once there had been blame to apportion, rage to hurl. Now she no longer had a sense of that. Who knew what the facts of them being here together like this meant. What was she to make of the situation? Scott lying unconscious here in this bed, unknown to her in almost every way. She now a wife, a mother, but in her mind no longer a sister. Not a sister for a very long time now.

Lori Spyker is taking her kids to school one unremarkable day when a policeman delivers the news that her brother, Scott Green, has been injured and hospitalised following a hit and run.

Lori hasn't seen Scott in decades. She appears to be his only contact. Should she take responsibility for him? Can she? And, if she does, how will she tell her own family about her hidden history, kept secret for so long?

Twenty years before, when she and Scott were teenagers, their lives and futures, and those of their family, had been torn to shreds. Now, as Lori tries to piece together her brother's present, she is forced to confront their shared past-and the terrible and devastating truth buried there that had driven them so far apart.

Compassionate, wise and shocking, Life Before tells the gripping story of an ordinary family caught in a terrible situation. What if the worst thing you can imagine isn't the worst thing to happen? How do you go on? And what steps will you take to protect yourself from further pain?]]>
352 Carmel Reilly 1760529311 Kylie 4
I really enjoyed this book, reading it in just two sittings. It explores the areas of grief, blame and cutting yourself off from the world. Yet through all the tragedy, there is always hope, it can just take a while to get to that end. Carmel Reilly has woven a transfixing story here, and I will certainly read more of her work in the future. Recommended.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.69 2019 Life Before
author: Carmel Reilly
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/06
date added: 2019/05/08
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime
review:
A slow burn of a book, this one took me a while to get into, then I realised I was hooked and raced through it to find out what had happened. Lori has an ordinary suburban life with her husband and children in Melbourne, until one day the police turn up to tell her that her estranged brother had been in an accident. We then slowly go through the unveiling of Lori's life, alternating from 1993 (told through Lori's mother Pam's eyes) and 2016 (from Lori's point of view.) It turns out the truth is even more tragic than you'd expect.

I really enjoyed this book, reading it in just two sittings. It explores the areas of grief, blame and cutting yourself off from the world. Yet through all the tragedy, there is always hope, it can just take a while to get to that end. Carmel Reilly has woven a transfixing story here, and I will certainly read more of her work in the future. Recommended.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
55 44165050 This is an alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781471184635

There were 54 victims before this. Who is number 55?

Wilbrook in Western Australia is a sleepy, remote town that sits on the edge of miles and miles of unexplored wilderness. It is home to Police Sergeant Chandler Jenkins, who is proud to run the town's small police station, a place used to dealing with domestic disputes and noise complaints.

All that changes on a scorching day when an injured man stumbles into Chandler's station. He's covered in dried blood. His name is Gabriel. He tells Chandler what he remembers.

He was drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains and tied up in iron chains. The man who took him was called Heath. Heath told Gabriel he was going to be number 55. His 55th victim.

Heath is a serial killer.

As a manhunt is launched, a man who says he is Heath walks into the same station. He tells Chandler he was taken by a man named Gabriel. Gabriel told Heath he was going to be victim 55.

Gabriel is the serial killer.

Two suspects. Two identical stories. Which one is the truth?]]>
426 James Delargy Kylie 5
Mitch and his crew come in and take over, but Mitch is an arrogant moron, I have no idea how he got to such a high ranking, and the whole thing goes belly up. With a police force divided, and a serial killer on the loose, this makes for an action-packed explosive story. As we race towards the stunning conclusion we have to ask ourselves, could this really happen?

This is a wonderful debut, James Delargy tells a tale so astonishing it comes alive on the page. The harsh outback setting adds to the atmosphere, the flawed, and the irritating, characters all giving voice to a marvellous story. I dare you to put this book down! Recommended for crime lovers everywhere.

4.5 stars rounded up.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.37 2019 55
author: James Delargy
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/04/27
date added: 2019/04/29
shelves: annual-challenges, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019, aussie-author
review:
Wow, this is one book that will get a grip on you and wont let go! Two suspects, each with the same story, blaming the other. A possible 54 bodies somewhere. Small town cop Chandler has no choice but to call in the bigwigs, including his estranged former best friend Mitch.

Mitch and his crew come in and take over, but Mitch is an arrogant moron, I have no idea how he got to such a high ranking, and the whole thing goes belly up. With a police force divided, and a serial killer on the loose, this makes for an action-packed explosive story. As we race towards the stunning conclusion we have to ask ourselves, could this really happen?

This is a wonderful debut, James Delargy tells a tale so astonishing it comes alive on the page. The harsh outback setting adds to the atmosphere, the flawed, and the irritating, characters all giving voice to a marvellous story. I dare you to put this book down! Recommended for crime lovers everywhere.

4.5 stars rounded up.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Blood River 43596386 Brisbane 1999. It's hot. Stormy. Dangerous. The waters of the Brisbane River are rising.
The rains won't stop. People's nerves are on edge. And then...
A body is found.
And then another.
And another.
A string of seemingly ritualized but gruesome murders. All the victims are men. Affluent. Guys with nice houses, wives and kids at private schools. All have had their throats cut.
Tabloid headlines shout, THE VAMPIRE KILLER STRIKES AGAIN!

Detective Sergeant Lara Ocean knows the look. The 'my-life-will-never-be-the-same-again look'. She's seen it too many times on too many faces. Telling a wife her husband won't be coming home. Ever again. Telling her the brutal way he was murdered. That's a look you never get used to.

Telling a mother you need her daughter to come to the station for questioning. That's another look she doesn't want to see again.

And looking into the eyes of a killer, yet doubting you've got it right. That's the worst look of all - the one you see in the mirror. Get it right, you're a hero and the city is a safer place. Get it wrong and you destroy a life. And a killer remains free. Twenty years down the track, Lara Ocean will know the truth.

]]>
405 Tony Cavanaugh 0733640745 Kylie 3
I did enjoy this book, reading through it quickly, though I did find some of the content disturbing. The book is written in a style where it jumps around a bit, and sometimes it's hard to keep up with who's point of view you are reading. All in all though it's not a bad book, and living in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area I am very familiar with the setting, which was fun to read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.43 2019 Blood River
author: Tony Cavanaugh
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/04/21
date added: 2019/04/24
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019
review:
An interesting enough crime thriller, set in Brisbane, that sees seventeen year old Jen going down for three gruesome murders that she hasn't committed. One of the detectives on the case, Lara Ocean, has her doubts about the verdict, but the Brisbane police force in the late 90s is still a bit of an old school boys club. We follow the original, flawed investigation, and the aftermath, where families are destroyed, yet has the truth really won out here?

I did enjoy this book, reading through it quickly, though I did find some of the content disturbing. The book is written in a style where it jumps around a bit, and sometimes it's hard to keep up with who's point of view you are reading. All in all though it's not a bad book, and living in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area I am very familiar with the setting, which was fun to read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
The One 45012875 Fall in love like nobody's watching...

On the wrong side of thirty, Bonnie Yates wants a happily ever after. Problem is, she keeps choosing the wrong guys. When an ex returns to town with a fianc�e in tow, history and temptation collide. Unable to shake her inappropriate feelings Bonnie flees, becoming an unlikely contestant on popular dating show The One. Will she find what she's looking for?

Working behind the scenes, Darcy Reed is a driven young producer, dealing with a tyrant of a boss. Despite being surrounded by love at work, her own love-life with long-term boyfriend Drew is floundering. Producing a flawless season is her best chance at a promotion. But with the unrelenting demands of the show, how will she save their relationship while making that shot?

Penelope Baker has relocated to a small seaside town to hide away with her secrets and nurse a broken heart. But with The One beaming across the nation's televisions, she can't seem to quite escape the life she left behind...

Before cameras roll on the final ceremony, all three women will discover just what they're willing to do in pursuit of the one...]]>
405 Kaneana May 1489279490 Kylie 4
All three women are in different stages of relationships, or non-relationships, Bonnie has fallen head-over-heels for her high school sweetheart Ollie, even though he has a fiancée, Darcy is trying to get long time boyfriend Drew to propose and Penelope has recently walked out on the love of her life. However as we know the course of true love is never smooth, and we relive the hope, the grief and the temptation with the girls. Will Bonnie get over Ollie and find love with Ty, the suitor on 'The One'? Will Darcy be able to pin Drew down to set a date? Will Penelope be able to come to terms with her decision?

As the season on the show goes on all does not go to plan, and as things spiral out of control for Bonnie, Darcy and Penelope, we find ourselves hoping for the best outcome for each of them. Will they find 'The One'?

I really did enjoy this book, the look behind the scenes of a reality television show was highly interesting, showcasing the intensity of feelings amongst the contestants and the pressure the producers are under in the chase for hard earned ratings. The novel came over as authentic and the characters realistic, we find ourselves rooting for them as the book goes on. So, do they find true love? You'll have to read it for yourselves!

I recommend this book to all lovers of Contemporary Fiction, Romance and Reality Television.

My thanks to Harper Collins Australia for an Uncorrected Proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.]]>
3.93 2019 The One
author: Kaneana May
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/04/20
date added: 2019/04/24
shelves: annual-challenges, arc, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, reviewing-by-request
review:
An insightful look into the world of reality television, in this debut novel from former scriptwriter Kaneana May. We follow the story of three women involved with the TV dating show 'The One', reluctant contestant Bonnie, ambitious producer Darcy, and sometime viewer Penelope.

All three women are in different stages of relationships, or non-relationships, Bonnie has fallen head-over-heels for her high school sweetheart Ollie, even though he has a fiancée, Darcy is trying to get long time boyfriend Drew to propose and Penelope has recently walked out on the love of her life. However as we know the course of true love is never smooth, and we relive the hope, the grief and the temptation with the girls. Will Bonnie get over Ollie and find love with Ty, the suitor on 'The One'? Will Darcy be able to pin Drew down to set a date? Will Penelope be able to come to terms with her decision?

As the season on the show goes on all does not go to plan, and as things spiral out of control for Bonnie, Darcy and Penelope, we find ourselves hoping for the best outcome for each of them. Will they find 'The One'?

I really did enjoy this book, the look behind the scenes of a reality television show was highly interesting, showcasing the intensity of feelings amongst the contestants and the pressure the producers are under in the chase for hard earned ratings. The novel came over as authentic and the characters realistic, we find ourselves rooting for them as the book goes on. So, do they find true love? You'll have to read it for yourselves!

I recommend this book to all lovers of Contemporary Fiction, Romance and Reality Television.

My thanks to Harper Collins Australia for an Uncorrected Proof to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
]]>
Something in the Wine 43881614 A warm-hearted rural romance set among the scenic vineyards of the Margaret River from bestselling author Tricia Stringer, the authentic voice of Australian storytelling. Reserved high school teacher Keely Mitchell is more than ready for her holiday on the west coast of Australia, so when a medical emergency turns over all her plans and an intervention by a kind stranger finds her recovering in a Margaret River vineyard, she is at first downcast.

Keely had wanted to put recent traumatic events out of her mind, and recuperating alone in a stranger's house won't help that. But slowly the lovely food, spectacular wine and beautiful landscape of the area begin to work their spell. As Keely makes friends with the locals and adapts to the rhythms of the vintner's year, she starts to feel part of the scenery too, particularly when her artwork and jewellery-making somehow find a home at Levallier Dell Wines.

But clouds are on the horizon in the shape of a warring father and son, interfering family friends and a rival in love. Keely didn't mean to fall for anyone, but she can't help her feelings for clever, passionate wine-maker Flynn Levallier. Sadly, it seems he only has eyes for the beautiful Kat, daughter of a rival wine-maker. Can what Keely feels be real? Or is it just something in the wine?]]>
384 Tricia Stringer 1489261508 Kylie 2
Keely has travelled to Western Australia, obviously to get away from something in her past, when she finds herself in hospital, and then is at the mercy of a stranger. Euan runs a winery in the Margaret River with his son Flynn, and he kindly offers Keely a place to stay while she recovers. Keely finds herself becoming immersed in the local lifestyle and falling for Flynn.

All standard rural romance fare, so what didn't I like about it? Well father and son are at odds on how to proceed with the winery, all well and good, but they spend the entire book bickering, and it got very tedious. I also found Keely far too timid to be an engaging heroine, I much preferred lively neighbour Kat. Add to this an amateurish plotline and clunky dialogue and for me the writing was on the wall. Even the subplots designed to add drama felt flat. Plus everyone seemed to be under pressure from others expectations all the time. There was no light moments at all to counteract all the seriousness.

I wont write this author off just yet, as I really did enjoy 'Table For Eight', but this book didn't work for me. However others have rated it highly, so please make up your own minds about it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.81 Something in the Wine
author: Tricia Stringer
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2019/04/13
date added: 2019/04/20
shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, monthly-challenges, netgalley-2019
review:
OK, I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but I did not like this book. I was excited to get a hold of a copy after reading Tricia Stringer's 'Table For Eight', but this offering has none of that book's charm.

Keely has travelled to Western Australia, obviously to get away from something in her past, when she finds herself in hospital, and then is at the mercy of a stranger. Euan runs a winery in the Margaret River with his son Flynn, and he kindly offers Keely a place to stay while she recovers. Keely finds herself becoming immersed in the local lifestyle and falling for Flynn.

All standard rural romance fare, so what didn't I like about it? Well father and son are at odds on how to proceed with the winery, all well and good, but they spend the entire book bickering, and it got very tedious. I also found Keely far too timid to be an engaging heroine, I much preferred lively neighbour Kat. Add to this an amateurish plotline and clunky dialogue and for me the writing was on the wall. Even the subplots designed to add drama felt flat. Plus everyone seemed to be under pressure from others expectations all the time. There was no light moments at all to counteract all the seriousness.

I wont write this author off just yet, as I really did enjoy 'Table For Eight', but this book didn't work for me. However others have rated it highly, so please make up your own minds about it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
]]>
Whitsunday Dawn 38726100 With the pristine beauty of the Whitsundays under threat, can they expose the truth in time? Australian author Annie Seaton brings to life a new area of romance — Eco-Adventure. Perfect for fans of Di Morrissey.

When Olivia Sheridan arrives in the Whitsundays as spokesperson for big mining company Sheridan Corp, it should be a straightforward presentation to the town about their proposed project. But when a handsome local fisherman shows her what ecological impact the proposal will have, Olivia is forced to question her father's motives for the project.

Struggling with newly divided loyalties, Olivia is thrown further into turmoil when she is mistaken for a woman who disappeared more than sixty years before. When it becomes clear that Captain Jay is also keeping secrets, Olivia realises that there is more to these sunshine–soaked islands than she ever expected.

Seeking to uncover the truth, Olivia is drawn into a dangerous game where powerful businessmen will stop at nothing to ensure their plan goes ahead, even if that means eliminating her…

Against the epic Far North Queensland landscape, this is the story of two women, separated by history, drawn to Whitsunday Island where their futures will be changed forever.]]>
384 Annie Seaton Kylie 4
Annie Seaton tells a timely tale of corporate greed, adventure and romance. Her love for the Whitsunday area comes through loud and clear, and, having visited the area myself, her descriptions of the beauty of the islands is precise and accurate. A first rate read.]]>
4.39 Whitsunday Dawn
author: Annie Seaton
name: Kylie
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/17
date added: 2019/04/15
shelves: signed-copy, aussie-author, contemporary-fiction, read-the-world, seasonal-challenges
review:
A marvellous, thought provoking book about a treasure on our doorstep that we seem hellbent on destroying. Set in the beauty of the Whitsundays, Whitsunday Dawn takes us on an adventure through the islands with Liv, who has been sent to the islands by her father's company for a community meeting about a planned proposal in the area. Liv unwittingly shows the wrong presentation, one that brings the company's true colours to light, and she is soon on the run with a local jack of all trades. Interwoven into this story is the tale of Liliana, a young girl growing up on Whitsunday Island during WW2, who meets a handsome Airforce engineer on a few days leave. The coming together of these two stories leaves the reader wanting more!

Annie Seaton tells a timely tale of corporate greed, adventure and romance. Her love for the Whitsunday area comes through loud and clear, and, having visited the area myself, her descriptions of the beauty of the islands is precise and accurate. A first rate read.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Secret Runners of New York]]> 43268621 THE COMING END

When Skye Rogers and her twin brother Red move to Manhattan,
rumours of a coming global apocalypse are building.
But this does not stop the young elite of New York from partying without a care.

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?


And then suddenly Skye is invited to join an exclusive gang
known as the Secret Runners of New York.

But this is no ordinary clique - they have access to an underground portal
that can transport them into the future.

And what Skye discovers in the future is horrifying.

RUN! AS FAST AS YOU CAN!


As society crumbles, Skye and Red race to figure out
how to use their knowledge to survive the impending annihilation,
they soon discover that the chaotic end of the world is perfect time for revenge...]]>
341 Matthew Reilly 1760559075 Kylie 5
Skye and Red are enrolled at the elitist school The Monmouth, and Skye soon encounters the 'mean girls'. As Red finds himself in the popular crowd, Skye becomes an outsider, with few close friends. Then one day that changes, a chance encounter in the girls change room finally sees Skye become accepted, and she is let into the insiders secret, the tunnel under Central Park that contains a portal to an alternate New York. And the current world is heading for disaster.

Gee, this book is so much fun, I couldn't put it down. The dangers and the uncertainty that come with the unknown are well told by a master storyteller. Matthew Reilly just sucks you in and when you finally emerge from the other side, you find yourself breathless, and wanting more! So, are we going to see Skye again? Time will tell...]]>
3.84 2019 The Secret Runners of New York
author: Matthew Reilly
name: Kylie
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/04/04
date added: 2019/04/07
shelves: action-adventure, annual-challenges, aussie-author, monthly-challenges, new-releases, sci-fi-fantasy, seasonal-challenges
review:
Another fantastic book from the pen of Matthew Reilly, this one is truly amazing. We follow the story of Skye, who, with her twin brother Red, move from Tennessee to live among the wealthy elite in the apartments surrounding New York's Central Park.

Skye and Red are enrolled at the elitist school The Monmouth, and Skye soon encounters the 'mean girls'. As Red finds himself in the popular crowd, Skye becomes an outsider, with few close friends. Then one day that changes, a chance encounter in the girls change room finally sees Skye become accepted, and she is let into the insiders secret, the tunnel under Central Park that contains a portal to an alternate New York. And the current world is heading for disaster.

Gee, this book is so much fun, I couldn't put it down. The dangers and the uncertainty that come with the unknown are well told by a master storyteller. Matthew Reilly just sucks you in and when you finally emerge from the other side, you find yourself breathless, and wanting more! So, are we going to see Skye again? Time will tell...
]]>