genre: adventure, contemporary romance
length: 90,000 words, 16 chapters
main characters:
Charlie Dickerson, American, wildlife rescuer
Pip Atkins, Australian, wildlife rescuer
setting: Northern Rivers area in the state of New South Wales, Australia
- a really good story about wildlife rescue with a nice romance
- a great setting with a lot of facts about the unique native wildlife of Australia
- highly recommended to all fans of wildlife and rescuing animals adventures, but maybe some romance fans might not be so happy with the amount of romance in the book
- will definitely read other books by this writing duo
cover: appealing, well related to the plot
book rating: 4 stars
eARC by Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley

An enjoyable read, which was also rather educational on the wildlife of Australia. The romance was pleasant but not all encompassing. I'm not sure I will reread this book although I did like it, personally I found some of the detail about looking after the animals too much. A massive positive on having one of the main characters with an illness, which didn't hold her back from enjoying her work and her romance - good to see.

3.5 stars

This story is heavy on outback Australia and light on romance. The author/s do a wonderful job of explaining the local lingo, which US and other foreigners are likely to enjoy. However, as a person who is familiar with terms such as a torch and electric jug, for example, I found some of the terms over explained.

True to the blurb, the plot has a heavy focus on rescuing animals. And, if this story is to believe you can barely leave home without running into the local wildlife and/or maimed animals.

Readers who love books with a heavy focus and caring for Joey’s (baby Roo’s) well relish in the information provided.

I love discovering how a title comes about but in this instance, it's lost on me. Anyone wanting to explain please go ahead.

All in all, this is a great book to lose yourself in for few hours.

Charlie Dickerson works as a wildlife officer in the USA who loves the challenges of working with wild animals. When her girlfriend Kim dumps her, Charlie takes off for Australia on an exchange program. She figures that increasing the physical distance between her and Kim would help her to deal with her panic attacks every time she thinks of her ex.

Pip Atkins is wildlife officer in New South Wales. She loves working with the wild animals, but has trouble with even the most civilized of human beings. She’s horrified when she’s asked to mentor an American wildlife carer for a year. A year seems so long to be stuck in the bush with someone else, even if they do love wild animals and will help around the animal shelter.

Pip and Charlie are very different, and yet they have so much in common. Will their fear overcome their budding attraction? And when Charlie’s ex turns up, just how are the cards going to fall?

It was lovely to be able to read about Australian animals and the Australian bush. While I grew up on a farm in Australia, I’m not a wildlife expert and there was a lot of knowledge packed into the book about looking after some of our better-known wildlife. The descriptions about the animals and the bush felt accurate to the point where it was obvious that both of the authors have had personal experience working in animal rescue in Australia.

However, some of this was perhaps a bit too detailed in parts, and could have been briefer without losing the integrity of the story. It might have helped the early and mid-section of the book to retain a bit more pace too.

There was a lovely interaction between the characters, including some of the minor parts such as the local vet, and the supervisor Teresa. The characters had a fairly honest flavour to their dealings with one another, and it wasn’t an instant connection but one that grew over time. This was built up well by the authors, although I do think the romance felt a bit rushed in the mid section. I did think the ex, Kim, was a little short changed in the story though, and probably didn’t need to be quite so brash to show the differences between her and Pip, which was presumably the point.

For the American’s reading this, there is a lot of explanation of some of our many colloquialisms, which you’ll find useful if you ever come across an Australian at some point. It was also quite interesting to see how the tone of the language changed from American to Australian, and how that affected the main characters in their attempts to communicate with one another.

There was a lot to like about this book. It drew me into the story world very quickly, and it was a fascinating world the authors have created. If you like animals, or any Australian, you’ll love it.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.