I reviewed this book on my blog several years ago. It was a fascinating and intriguing. I find reading books based in Australia new and fascinating. It's not a country a lot of people are familiar with I think.

Enjoyed this story with the main characters against the back drop of small town and mysteries to solve. First book by this author that I have read and was good page turner.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

SHELTER by Rhyll Biest is an unusual story with plenty of raw emotion and conflict to get your teeth into, as well as a little romance thrown in for good measure. Kat Daily is moving away from the only city she has ever known, to have a fresh start in small-town Walgarra as their new RSPCA Inspector. Hoping to leave behind her haunting childhood and do a lot of good in her new role, she is positive that this is the right move for her. But life in this beautiful countryside town is far from idyllic, where its isolation and solitude is also part of its problem. The previous Inspector was murdered, and there are plenty of people who would like to see the back of her too. But with Luka by her side, determined to bring the murderer to justice, while keeping Kat safe at the same time, who knows what will happen? SHELTER by Rhyll Biest has danger, damaged souls, a flaring attraction, and a unique plot line to keep you interested - an entertaining and emotional read.

I have to say overall I liked the romance and even the strong female lead of this book BUT...I didn't like her having an inner voice named Galenka as that was a little frustrating and odd.

I love how Luka and Kat met and how they both described each other in their heads. You could tell they thought the other was attractive but it didn't scream I WANT THEM. I liked that it was slower and yet you always saw that attraction. Sexual innuendos are always fun and add a little humor to the book.

I just felt it started out a little slow, even with it being about the death of the previous agent.

A highly charged page-turner packed with romance, intrigue and drama, Shelter is an engrossing read you will struggle to put down.

Animal lover Kat Daily wants a fresh start and a new beginning, so she eagerly packs in her job at Sydney airport and heads off to the small rural town of Walgarra, where she is looking forward to her new job as an RSPCA inspector. Protecting the animals she loves is something that is of the utmost importance to Kat and she is looking forward to her new role, however, Kat quickly realises that her new home, far from being a rural idyll, is a hotbed of crime, deception…and murder!

Sinister agendas seem to reign supreme in Walgarra, and after the previous RSPCA inspector had ended up murdered, Officer Luka Belovuk had vowed to protect Kat from a similar fate. Walgarra might not be a bustling metropolis, but the abundance of crime has been getting to the broad-shouldered officer and another murder might just push him over the edge. As he begins to spend more and more time with Kat, Luka soon realises that his interest in the new RSPCA inspector is not merely professional and as the heat between them compels them to take their attraction to another level, they find themselves wondering whether they should grab this unexpected chance at happiness with both hands…or whether they are ready to knock down the defenses which they had built around themselves and take a leap of faith.

Readers be warned: if you are expecting a cutesy small-town romance, then this is not the book for you. Shelter is a gripping, gritty and affecting tale of secrets, danger and pathos that cleverly juxtaposes nail-biting suspense and heart-pounding jeopardy with humour, emotion and heart. Rhyll Biest certainly does not shy away from dealing with hard-hitting issues such as domestic violence and abuse in her novel, however, Shelter is by no means a melancholic or dispiriting read, but an uplifting, sexy, funny and riveting romantic read that you will find absolutely impossible to resist.

This is a story that has the best one liners in it honestly the hero Luka and heroine Kat and their banter will have you laughing and smiling throughout this one. Both are in need of some love after being through so much in their childhood and what life has thrown their way so sit back and enjoy their spark filled journey.

Kat Daily has packed up and moved to the small town of Walgarra from Sydney to take on the job of RSPCA inspector she has many issues from her past and is pretty much a loner loves animals and will go to any lengths to protect and save them, but the previous inspector was murdered and the killer or killers have not been found so the quiet life she was looking for has not been found especially when she meets the local cop Luka and wow the spark between them could start a bushfire this is going to be good.

Luka Belovuk is a big man known as the brick because of his size is very protective and caring and has lived in Walgarra all of his life the town has changed over the years bikers moving in and the drug problem growing and of course his best friend murdered but now the new inspector is here and she is a feisty snarky female and one he cannot help being drawn to.

The heat that passes between Luka and Kat on the pages of this story is amazing so much going on both trying to push each other and their banter is just fabulous. I did enjoy this one I loved seeing them finally so happy after the lives they had as young kids and the issues that Kat needs to get over that was caused by her parents. Sit back and enjoy.

Shelter by Rhyll Biest

I loved the style and feel of this author’s writing. I felt I was in the moment and with the characters seeing just what they did as I read. I wrote an e-mail to my sister telling her to see if she can find this book even before finishing it – I really liked this story in so many ways.

What did I like?
* as mentioned, the author’s writing style
* the strength of both Kat and Luke
* the regard for animal welfare held by most in the story
* the location - in Australia (I like traveling through books)
* the growth of Kat and her relationship with Luke
* Stacey and Nick – wonder if they get a book of their own
* the empathy that was shown
* Luke’s ability to read Kate
* the fact that nobody was perfect but some were perfect for one another
* Galenka - though at times I want to wave her away
* Stumpy – what a sweetheart

What didn’t I like? Not much at all. I might have wondered at some of Kat’s thinking and actions toward the end but I was actually sorry to see the book end.

This is a new author to me and I am hooked. I look forward to looking for other books to read by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Devirginised from my first Rhyll Biest’s read, “Shelter” quite frankly, raced past the quirky and slid straight into the bizarre for me, even though it was an interesting setup that showcased the menacing, broken down part of rural Australia with equally broken characters littering the pages. But my struggle with this book lay mostly with the characters and the writing style, which do run contrary to my personal tastes.

On their own, Kat and Luka are characters that at best, could function as single protagonists but not together. I found their chemistry non-existent, built only on a frustrating one-sided chase where Kat pushes Luka away because of her complete fear of relationships, then turns that energy instead into taking on reckless tasks in her work to punish/atone.

But Kat wasn't the most likeable character to begin with: deceptive, defensive and immaturely prickly, whose own issues somehow made her go around petulantly with a chip on her shoulder in a small-minded and emotionally vindictive way, especially with Luka. The constant insistence that she wasn’t made for relationships and the constant running away simply wore thin as the story wore on, escalating my own frustration level until I was ready to give up on the pairing. Throw in the alter-ego of an imaginary fairy called Galenka (or some strange voice that dictates what her subconscious really wants) that dictated her mental thoughts made me want to go mental myself sooner rather than later.

The snarky commentary—part Galenka and part Kat—felt overdone, as though every single thought needed to be catalogue and revealed, even during sex which sort of broke those hot moments somewhat. The caveat here is that the writing isn’t bad—Rhyll Biest can write up a storm—but her hyperbolic, anthropomorphising style (“her car, lurking by the kerb, gave her a sympathetic look”, “his hand, big as a frisbee”, “arms outstretched like a zombie hungry for brains”) is distracting enough to make me do several sentence re-reads just to try to get the metaphors or similes the right way up.

Or maybe I’m just slow. Or call it my inability to appreciate quirk enough.

Overall though, “Shelter” isn’t quite my brand of humour nor my cup of tea, sadly.

Leaving Sydney and her job as a quarantine officer behind, Kat Daily travels to Victoria to take up a new position in a country town as a RSPCA Officer. But this is no nice, happy small country town, Walgarra is being over run by ICE and the bikie's that sell it and being an RSPCA officer is quite dangerous, with the murder of the previous officer proof of the matter. Working closely with local policeman Luka Belovuk, who is all brawn and an alpha protective male, their attraction to each other is mutual but scares commitment phobic Kat.

From the first word this book had a gritty edge and this continues throughout with lots of sexual tension....and more. As Kat's self doubting alter ego she calls Galenka would say, 'This book played with my lady bits'. Kat is independent, snarky and funny and I loved the argy-bargy comments between characters. Kat's alter ego voice Galenka would voice thoughts in Kat's head at the most inopportune times that had me smiling. There are lots of layers to Kat's and Luka's characters, which are revealed during the story. Walgarra seems like a very dark town and it certainly didn't seem over friendly but there were a few other characters introduced, Nick another RSPCA Officer and Stacey, the local vet and I would like to know their stories. There were a few descriptions of animal cruelty which was very saddening and it's terrible to know it happens in real life.

This was just the book that I needed at the time. I love lots of snarky and sexual innuendo's between characters and I believe this is the first in a series, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to seek out the following books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

Kat's introductions and first interactions with the townsfolk of Walgarra were comical and a nice surprise laugh. There were twists in the story and some shock moments that jumped out at this reader. I liked Kat and Luka's characters - each of their respective character layers revealing themselves throughout the read that had the puzzle pieces falling into place well. Their ideas or agendas, while not always obvious, show themselves through the happenings within the story, having some surprise elements. Their interactions and dialogue were entertaining from one chapter to the next. Kat's inner dialogue and obvious attraction to Luka (and likewise Luka's attraction to Kat) had many amusing elements that bring the chuckles. I felt the story tied up the loose ends in the story rather quickly, which had this reader doing a double read over the last few chapters thinking I had actually missed something in the story - it wasn't disappointing, but rather unexpectedly quick. That said, the story as a whole, was a stand out from its vivid descriptions, to the likeable characters that all combined in what was a great series starter from author Rhyll Biest.
Review copy received from Escape Publishing via Netgalley
4.5 Stars