Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: romance

  • Indigo Storm

    Indigo Storm

    The subject matter is challenging and beautifully handled by Fleur McDonald, as she wraps the story of a courageous young woman, Ashleigh, about the topical issues of domestic violence.

    Ashleigh has had enough of being abused and manipulated by her controlling and demanding husband. He is ‘king-pin’ in the small rural town of Jindabyne, in the mountains of Victoria.

    Dominic’s family have been presence in the town for many years but he has managed to become a man who controls not just his wife, but the local Doctor and Police officer, as well as many of the town’s male citizens. He has a reputation to maintain and uses a subtle, threatening demeanour to maintain control.

    Ashleigh finds she is drawn to the town of Blinman in the Flinders Ranges through an article she has read in Australian Outback. She finds this somewhat confusing as she is an orphan, with no understanding of who her parents were, or where she was born. So why would this small town on the edge of the dessert hold such an attraction for her?

    Dominic finally goes one step too far so she puts her carefully prepared plan into place, setting off and driving by night, changing her appearance, her route, and her name to Eliza, until she reaches Blinman, where she finds so much more than she ever believed possible.

    She is befriended by Sue, the store owner, finds a job at the National Park as teacher to the Park Rangers little girls, Heidi and Tilly. She also meets Jacob, one of the local land owners and Uncle to the little girls she is teaching.

    An excursion with the girls takes her to a ruined homestead which sets off an unexpected train of events; she meets Mary and John, who somehow know more about her life than they are telling and slowly, she begins to unravel the story of her past, her story.

    Eliza finally begins to believe that she can start again and have a life that is both happy and productive, surrounded by friends, when Dominic discovers where she is and comes to find her!

    The fast paced ending to the story is not expected as there are several stories running through each other, they create an ending as explosive as it is healing.

    Fleur McDonald has come of age with her latest romance and the manner in which she deals with the topical subjects of domestic violence and animal trafficking.

     

     

  • The Summer Before the War

    The Summer Before the War

    Set in East Sussex in 1914, this story tells of a wonderful summer in a small village where so many aspects of life have not changed for hundreds of years. There are still the ruling class, the workers and the gypsies. However, progress and change are looming large, and not all for the good. The many characters we meet come from different backgrounds and walks of life with a particular focus on poets. We are reminded of a time of different values and judgements.

     One of the main characters is Agatha who has been the mistress of an influential home in the village. She had decided that the new Latin teacher at the school should be a young woman who has applied for the job and convinces the board to employ her. This is indeed progress!

     Agatha’s adored nephews live with her and fear there will be a war. Hugh is a medical student, and Daniel is a poet. Within the village there are many rivalries and petty issues that have probably existed forever, which are both amusing and exasperating to follow.

     However, the rumours are correct, and war is declared. A group of Belgian refugees is sent to the village of Rye with committees set up to help these people. The young Latin teacher, Beatrice Nash, has found herself in the middle of this turmoil and tries her best to fit in. With Agatha’s and her nephews’ support, she begins to enjoy village life. When war is declared Hugh decides his medical training will be needed at the front and enlists.  A young gypsy boy, who has a gift for Latin, but would never be given a chance to further himself, also enlists. He is fifteen!

     The carefully researched chapters about life in the trenches highlight the stupidity of many actions of the wealthy, which although they have commissions, have no training or common sense to support their troops. One such leader insisted on a band to welcome an inspection from England. The enemy were able to precisely pinpoint the location of the English troops and adjusted their weapons accordingly.  No mercy was shown to their own troops if rules were broken.

     Some of the war poetry written at this time reflects the horror and helplessness of the men.

     The picture painted of village life before the war is idyllic with the relationships between the characters developing appropriately. The many humorous actions by the Mayor’s wife, who truly feels the importance of her role in the village, are something we can all relate too. There is a parade, and floats, and cake baking, with all as it should be.

     Beatrice, meanwhile, will find the love of her life after believing she has been cast upon the world as a penniless spinster. There are many satisfying aspects of this saga as it brings many a smile.

  • Mistletoe and Mr. Right

    Mistletoe and Mr. Right

    Sometimes it is a great relief to curl up with a light hearted romantic novel and just relax. In this book we are given not one, but two complete stories, each satisfying, and predictable, ensuring comfort. There is a good balance of humour, customs and information shared, as well as the workings of a rock group, behind the scenes.

     Lyla PayneIn the first story, we have a girl, who is studying in college in America. She is rather an oddball as she doesn’t drink or smoke, and enjoys her planned and studious life. Planning ahead is what she does best, and when you hear her background story, it makes sense. She goes to an end of the year party, and suddenly, there he is; a gorgeous Irish man who is interested in her, and they begin dating.

     Six weeks later, they have become quite serious, but Brennan is going home to Ireland for Christmas. Jessica decides to surprise him, and pop over on Christmas Eve. This is not the best thought out plan, and driving her rental car to an outlying farm during the freezing winter’s night proves tough. So tough in fact that she runs into the family nanny goat! Not a good way to introduce yourself to a startled family.

     The story continues with enjoyable characters, and subtle humour. The family are concerned about why a girl wouldn’t drink. Unheard of at Christmas in Ireland! Gradually Jessica is brought to see, that even the most careful planning can sometimes go awry.

     The next story has to do with Jessica’s roommate from college. She has been offered a position to work as a front person for a successful rock and roll band. The only trouble is that she was in love with the singer, spending the summer holidays together. He left her without a word, and she is still heart broken and sad. Christina has to maintain a formal polite working atmosphere to keep the job, which for her is a first step into the industry she loves. Other family issues pop up and Christina has to deal with meeting a new stepmother and two step sisters.

     Both of these stories are gentle romantic reads, and one almost wishes for a snowy day to sit and enjoy the dilemmas and revelations that face the two girls.

  • Pandora’s Gift

    Pandora’s Gift

    We meet up with Pandora for the third phase of her journey, with as always, something happening in her more or less permanent relationship with Jay.

    Jay is looking at reforming his band Jay and the Jailers which mean his former partner Gabi will be on tour with him. As Gabi is a rather voluptuous creature this, in Pandora’s way of looking at things, could mean trouble. This could be one thing that will tip the finely balanced nature of their relationship overboard; a relationship that had been on and off and on again over the years. Mostly off at this particular time.

    As Pandora is an enlightened being of some repute she is a little mystified as to what it is that seems to be drawing her close to Andrew Truman, a promoter, and a man it would appear she has little or nothing in common; but is a man who could be holding the solution to her and Jays financial difficulties, with a tour for his band on offer.

    It is not until she is advised that Cassiel, has once again come back into her life to work with her, she begins to understand, if not accept, that there are changes heading her way once again.

    As the days  unfold she is told she will bear a child and that this child will go on to carry out works that will be of massive benefit to the people and the environment.This of course raises a raft of questions as Pandora is no longer young and has serious doubts about the “Mother Mary’ scenario into which she is she is being lead.

    As with all things in Pandora’s life, nothing goes as planned; with an Angel in charge and help from  his friends, a mysterious and mystical elixir and Pandora’s ability to complicate matters, what can possibly happen?

    As this is the final book in the Pandora trilogy the finale is fitting. The first book Transforming Pandora, follows onto Squaring Circles which segues effortlessly into Pandora’s Gift, all guided by Cassiel, an Angel we met in the first book, who has been there to guide and protect Pandora throughout her journey.

    The words of the indomitable Angel Cassiel sums the essence of the trilogy up beautifully:

    The cycles of nature are reflected in your life

    Autumn is the perfect time to release old cares to make way for new growth

    Be like the trees whose leaves must fall

    Allow your true nature to be laid bare

    But in the eyes of Pandora, she has finally come to understand that whatever is sent to you in life you should accept with grace, go with the flow and hold on to the belief that ‘all has happened just as it should’.

    A beautiful completion to a work that has captured the heart, the imagination and very essence of life, living and ultimately, the spiritual entity we each have  deep inside.

     

     

  • Hartley’s Grange

    Hartley’s Grange

    Lily’s life has just hit the dirt, big time. Her long-time boyfriend has been caught read-handed with another woman; she has just quit her job in a business she loved. She is heading out town to her sisters for some much needed TLC when the rain starts with a vengeance; she loses control of the car on the dirt road and crashes her car. What else can go wrong?

    She slowly returned to focus, griping the steering wheel with grim determination when she hears a voice call asking if she is OK.  It is none other than Flynn Hartley, love of her young life when she and her sister Violet lived in Violet Falls, who has come to her rescue.

    He bundles her up and delivers her to her to Violet who is engaged to Flynn’s best mate Mac McKellan, little knowing that the next step in both their lives was to begin right there.

    As the days moved on Lily has time to reflect on the reasons she and Violet left Violet Falls and what she thinks she will do from now going forward to earn a living and help out with household expenses.

    Her grandfather has left her a shop premises in the main street of town and she decides to set up her own couture business as design is her first love and she is pretty damned good at it, so much so perhaps it is time she tried to go it on her own.

    As the days stretch into weeks, setting up a new business is not the only thing to change as Flynn Hartley is becoming a regular feature in her life, old friendships are being rebuilt and the shop fitout is coming along well, until things start to go slightly wrong.

    There appears to be someone who is targeting the new business before it gets established but in such a small town, the general opinion is that it is one of occurrence.

    Under the skilful pen of Nicole Hurley-Moore, we are enveloped in a world where lives are put back together; lessons are learned, old friends resurface in the McKellan family giving a lovely continuity to a timeless story of life, love and living.

     A wonderful read for a lazy Sunday afternoon which will leave you with a total dose of that ‘feel-good’ feeling!

     

  • The Reluctant Jillaroo

    The Reluctant Jillaroo

    When Heidi’s twin Harper crashes over her skateboard and wrecks her knee, she ends up in hospital rather than on the bus to Jillaroo camp at Winmaroo, a place she has worked hard to be able to attend in the summer break.

    For Harper it can mean the difference between gaining a scholarship to the Tamworth Ag College -Agricol – or seeing her dreams slide down the drain.

    As for Heidi, she simply cannot see what Harper sees in the outback lifestyle, as for her it is all about beach and surf, but as she is total devastated by what has happened she volunteers to take Harpers place on the bus the next morning.

    And that is when the fun commences. Harper is already a top notch rider, has endless understanding about life on a Cattle station and lives and breathes the lifestyle where as she, Heidi, can vaguely remember their early days on the farm, and has not ridden a horse for years.

    Turning up to catch the bus she arrives in her tank-top, short skirt, clutching her ‘skatie’ and realises that perhaps she needed a bit more information from her sister before she committed. Everyone else is wearing jeans, a red t-shirt with the camp logo and boots.

    Well, there is no way back now and as she travels closer to her destination she begins to understand the enormity of what she, in her usual impulsive manner, has gone and done. But what will her Dad say when he finds out she has gone in Harpers place.

    The problem is Trent Weston, Harpers arch rival at school is one of the kids attending Winmaroo and he knows Harper pretty well. How was Heidi going to be able to make out she knows what she is doing and fool everyone around her.

    Help comes from an unexpected place with Chaz offering her help right from the first day and the rest of the kids seeming to be a not so bad lot.

    But as the days go on and Heidi manages to somehow scrape through without too much damage a range of things begin to occur which put the lives of some of the kids in danger, and it appears she may be the person responsible.

    When you are young, out of your depth and falling in love, along with being in what appears to be a heap of trouble, and doubling as your twin, makes a great summer teen read, as a lot can happen in just ten little days!

  • Tallowood Bound

    Tallowood Bound

    Erin McAllister returns to the small rural community of Tallowood to care for her elderly grandmother. She grew up in the loving care of her grandmother and the strictures of her grandfather, secure in the knowledge that she was loved and cared for, even though her mother was only a small part of her life.

    Returning to the farmhouse full of memories she soon realises her grandmother is not going to get better and it is not long before she has the sad task of sorting out the family home and getting it ready for sale.

    As the days go bye she realises little has changed in the community; that although time has not stood still altogether the basic fundamentals of rural life hold true.

    Jamie McBride, neighbour to her grandmother and love of her life at the age of seventeen, calls in to make sure all is well after the death of her grandmother, still with that devil-may-care attitude and as good looking as ever. As he keeps on returning to see Erin on one pretext or another Erin realises that he would, or appears to want, to take up where they left off when she moved on to the city and University.

    With the devastation of her marriage still raw, she is not at all certain she wants to be more than just friends with anyone, let alone Jamie McBride, the man who broke her heart so many years before.

    But as Erin works her way through her grandmother’s papers she unearths a tin box in the bottom of the wardrobe; the contents have been stored safely for many years, since the days when her grandmother was a young girl in Toowoomba at the end of Second World War.

    Erin begins to piece together her grandmother’s life, which leads her to America to discover a family she never knew about and heals a rift with her mother, when both she and Erin are bought face to face with the truth and sadness of the reality of her beloved grandmother’s life.

    Can past events have a bearing on how Erin feels towards Jamie McAllister or will the same thing repeat itself over and over again, if she does not follow her instincts and take a chance at love again?

    Karly Lane has once again used a basis of social history to weave a poignant and heartfelt story that was all too true in many, many families after the Second World War, which is entertaining and totally enjoyable.

     

  • The Enchanted Island

    The Enchanted Island

    Maeve O’Brien is a lady who has to put it mildly lost her way in life, somehow becoming enmeshed in the brittle world of Botox, a fast paced social life, a take it or leave it sex life, continuous selfies and to cap it all off, has made large with her friends credit card in order to get that next Botox.

    Feeling terribly ashamed of herself she finds herself being asked to move out of her shared accommodation with Sasha, moving back in with her Mother and realising that unless a miracle occurs, life is going to go from bad to worse.

    When a chance to move away from Belfast is offered with her firm she decides this is fate interfering and grabs the opportunity to go to Hy Brasil, a mysterious and remote island of the coast of Ireland. This could also be the chance to climb the company ladder if this goes as well as planned. Simple, get there get the signature and come back! Or is it!

    Getting soaking wet in the open boat sent to collect her, she soon realises all is not quite as she had expected ; when she is shown to an old but robust caravan behind the pub for her accommodation she begins to doubt just exactly what she is doing.

    Right from the beginning she senses there is more to Island life than is obvious; elderly men move about as if they were years younger, people are not all that friendly and when she tries to find Sean Fitzpatrick, she rapidly discovers he does not want to be found! Why not?

    But Maeve is not so easily put off, just more determined to find him, get the signature to the land required to build the bridge to the mainland and then head for home. How complicated could that possibly be!

    But as the days drift into weeks, Maeve gets to meet more and more of the people who live on the island and finds the mystique that is an unspoken part of the lifestyle begins to weave its magic in her life.

    When she meets a man with dreamy eyes and magic in his soul she really begins to understand there is more to life than selfies, beauty treatment and casual sex. She discovers she is being restored to the person she once was, a happy, carefree girl who enjoyed life’s challenges and joys.

    But there is also a treacherous side to the island which makes itself known in the most horrific of ways, bringing Maeve to a point where she needs to make some serious decisions and face a future which is still uncertain.

    Once again, under the pen of Ellie O’Neill the romance and mystery that is in Ireland has found its way onto the pages as a lovely, whimsical, magical tale which will take you out of time and place by adding a little magic to your day