Book 3 of a multi author series, this is a fun book. There is plenty of adventure and plot twists on the way to a HEA.

ELSA'S STAND by Cathryn Hein. This book was a delight! I adored the characters - Elsa and Jack. Elsa is a bright light and Jack is a bit of a grump (although he is mourning the passing of his mother). Together, they work perfectly. Ms. Hein's writing style was easy to follow along with and she certainly knows how to evoke emotion from the reader too! I found myself laughing at times, crying at others and simply cheering on this lovely couple to reach their HEA! (Received ARC from NetGalley for honest review)

Jack Hargraves returns home after his mother's death to settle the farm and than leave again. However his heart has another plan as he meets Elsa O'Donoghue. Small Australian town of Wirralong, romance and overcoming old hurts bring a good tale.

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

Elsa’s Stand by Cathryn Hein
Series: Outback Brides #3
Subgenre: contemporary romance
Release date: 9 Jul 2018
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Format: ebook
Length: 260 pages
RRP: A$4.99
He is too late. He was unable to get to see his mother before she died. And she took the secret of the sapphires to her grave.
Jack Hargreaves has been in Lightning Ridge mining opals. He only checks his messages every two weeks, and this time he discovers his mother has died. He has a long trip back to Wirralong and wants to make it in time for her funeral. He finds he and his cousin are the sole mourners as his brother and father stay away. Jack and his father and brother have a strained relationship as they want different things. Fraser, the father, has been involved in some illegal activities and Jesse, his brother, has almost followed in his footsteps. Jack had chosen to stay with his mother.
Jack heads to the local hairdresser to ensure he looks presentable for his mother’s funeral. Elsa is stunned at how he just uses the clippers himself, wants to use the wrong tools to shave his beard, and leaves one hundred dollars. Elsa realises that Jack is in town for his mother’s funeral and he has her sympathy. She approaches Jack as a sympathetic ear but gradually finds that she likes him. Jack falls in love.
Elsa O’Donoghue is the town hairdresser. She is also involved in the wedding franchise at Wirra Station and is great friends with Maggie and Belle. She still lives at home, but is willing to share her family with Jack. They are slowly getting to know each other, then Jack goes to Melbourne to make amends with his brother. Elsa stays in contact with Jack, but then his father is injured in a drive by shooting and he needs to focus on his family. Jack returns to his opal mining and sends Elsa a rather expensive opal, and she has no idea what it means for their relationship.
This relationship is a slow boil. Jack is shy, and Elsa is caring. They are suited to each other and this comes through in all their actions. Naturally there is the HEA. Oh, and did they find the sapphires? I guess you will have to read the story to find out!
Although this is part of a series it can be read as a standalone.
Reviewed by Heather

This is not one of my regular authors or even genre. However, I totally enjoyed this story. It has humor as well as being small town romance in a big way. Even though this is a light read it is definitely one to be enjoyed. I enjoyed the characters, the plot line as well as the way it progresses. As this is a part of the series. I need to get the others to read. So I will be following this author. I was given this arc via NetGalley. All opinions here are my own. Regards, Anna

I love how Elsa's Stand flowed between different locations setting within the book, The characters flowed with each as well especially when Elsa and Jack were having issues within the relationship and how they worked them out. I love Cathryn's story writing and how it draws you into the story you are reading.

Cathryn Hein continues the Outback Brides series with her book Elsa's Stand. It's the 3rd book in the series and has heart, love, passion. It shows what happens when a man faces his past and the people who can't separate him from that past and the father who has a shady past and the quirky mom who everyone thinks is crazy. How he has to find a woman who loves him no matter what and sticks up to the ones in town against him. Will he be able to over come his family past and the treatment of the town to find the love and peace that he wants and deserves? Is our heroine's love enough to save and bring the man she loves back to her?

Elsa is the towns hairdresser and her shop is the gossip center of town. Her business is booming because of her friends thriving wedding business. It's bringing the dying town back to life. Jack has spent his life hunting for black opals in the hill country. He's on his way to make his usual call to his mother when his phone blows up with tons of messages telling him that his mother has found her mythical sapphires and that she has died. Jack comes back to Wirralong for his mother's funeral and to take possession of the family farm. Jack comes into Elsa's shop and wants a hair cut and shave but she's too busy so he does it himself leaving $1oo dollars on the counter. Ella finally realizes who his is and expresses her sympathy. They are instantly attracted to each other but Jack doesn't show up again for 3 months. Jack comes into the shop for a hair cut and Elsa also gives him a shave for no charge because he left too much money the last time. They can't stop thinking about each other and he makes time when he comes to town to see Elsa. She's always teasing him. Their first date is dinner and movie at her family home. Jack sees what a normal family looks like. A matriarch of the town warns Ela about Jack being like his father and she kicks the elderly woman out of her shop and is supported by her customers. He asks Elsa out to the farm for dinner but they end up spending most of their time having sex. They keep seeing each other. Jack is invited to his father's house for a BBQ by his brother. Its not as bad as he remembers from past visits as a young man. As the last guest leaves. An extra loud car and gunshots send Jack outside where he finds his injured father and his dead friend. Thinking it has to do with the father's past Jack and his brother head to his claim to stay safe. All the media coverage and his brother's girlfriend talking to the press makes it worse, Because of his past and to keep Elsa safe he breaks off with he and plans to never come back. Finding a couple of huge black opals Jack gives one to the woman he was seeing and sends one to Elsa. After finding out the reason for the attack at his father's house he sends his brother home but stays at the claim. He can't stop thinking about Elsa. Elsa can't figure out the reason for the opal except as a payoff. Elsa is busy and Jack shows up wanting to make amends. He confesses his feelings in front of her customers. Jack and Elsa move into together and he finds his family's sapphires and they get married.

Even though this book takes place in Australia. Anyone who has grown up in a small town can understand the dynamics of a town this size and how everyone knows everyone's business and think they have a say in it. Cathryn Hein captures the feel and emotion in this community as a well thought of woman finds out that the man who has come back to town and thought to be an outcast can be the love of your life. When that man shows you a different side and tries to protect you if just brings the two of you closer together and creates a bond of love and passion that no one can break even though they try.


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Elsa´s Stand by Cathryn Hein is book 3 in the "Outback Brides" Series. It´s such a good story that you just can´t put it down. It´s filled with great characters, the setting is just perfect, a combination of town and country, and you just can´t put this book down before you are done with it. Great addition to a wonderful series.

Elsa’s Stand is the third book in new multi-author Outback Brides series.

In this book we have story of Elsa O’Donoghue. Elsa is the owner of Hair Affair and the hairdresser and she is a part of all the stories so far. Elsa is a hard-working woman and she has such a warm heart that will make you fall in love with her. She is strong-willed and will not let anything stop her getting what she wants.

Jack Hargreaves has returned to Wirralong after his mother’s death. He enters Hair Affair on his way to his mother’s funeral to get a quick haircut, but Elsa is too busy with a wedding party. So, Jack walks over to the trolley with her clippers on it and helps himself and has a quick shave with the beard trimmers and before leaving he drops a hundred bucks on the counter.

Elsa is drooling when he leaves and strips off his shirt in the main street outside her shop to change for the funeral.

Jack left Wirralong many years ago after the town had judged him on his father’s wrong doings. He has been an opal miner since then with his own claim. He is staying at his mother’s property and repairing it as she had let it go into disrepair, in her search for sapphires on the property. Jack had a call from her before she died saying she had found them but had reburied them. Now Jack was searching for the illusive sapphires.

Elsa’s Stand is another fun-loving story in this fantastic series. There are many twists that will once again keep the reader hooked until the very end. I totally enjoy how Cathryn has written the characters in this book and how realistic she has made the story feel. We feel every single emotion along with the characters and we laugh and cry at times and then feel frustrated at other times. We all know how true it is to be judged by communities on past family mistakes. People are always quick to judge and not give the benefit of the doubt. It is why I likes Elsa so much as she was not like that she trusted Jack for who he was.

This book and the others in this series could be read as standalone.

I would highly recommend this book. I am looking forward to continuing reading in this series.

2.5 - "You don’t talk much, do you..?" Stars.

The third book in the Outback Brides series continues in the same vein of its predecessors, in that it left me completely underwhelmed, with the added bonus of a little frustrated this time as well. I really liked Elsa O’Donoghue; the owner of Hair Affair as a secondary character in the first two books, so I was hoping her story would step out of the realms of mediocrity, but unfortunately what started okay, took a turn to the weird with a possible mob association trope thrown in, in the second half.

She was sunny, and sweet, and soft and curved in the best places. He couldn’t remember the last time he wanted a girl so badly…

The added frustration came from the author having Jack Hargreaves walk around with an almost constant hard-on for Elsa in the first half of the book (which is stretched out over a couple of months) to then go closed door on the sex between them. So not cool, especially when the first two books were front and center where the sex was concerned, for me it just felt lazy because the writing up to the points they got down to it, did not feel like it was leading to a fade to black type of sex scene.

Although consistent in being average in enjoyment levels, it really annoys me with the lack of consistency with the heat levels, this has happened before when I have read multi-author series by Tule Publishing and I wish they would denote the heat level at the beginning of all of their books so you know what you are getting. I have no problem with closed door, but my expectations were not for that when the rest of the series (so far) has not been written in that style.

On a side note, I hope that Serenity (Beautician @ Hair Affair) gets her own book at some point, I liked her too, but she doesn’t seem to be an inclusion in this series from what I can see. I do have the final book; Holly’s Heart to review as well, and while my expectations are really low for it now, I would like to hope that the series will finish on a high.

I've read the whole Outback Brides Series and I loved them. The four parts are written by different authors, but the stories interact and use the same characters. All the stories take place in Wirralong, so the town and the inhabitants will grow on you!

Of all the four books, I guess this one is the darkest one. We meet Jack, whose mother has suddenly past away. Reluctantly he returns to Wirralong, where all the people have thought his family was a bit strange. Having a criminal dad, a brother with a nose for trouble and a mother always looking for a treasure, wasn't the easiest way of growing up for Jack. Therefore, he wants to finish up business in Wirralong and be on his way.

However, Elsa, the hairdresser in Wirralong, isn't about to let Jack wander off like that. Growing up, she never met him, but she has known of the gossip and the stories. But when he shows up at her saloon, just minutes before his mother's funeral, she sees the gossip hasn't done him justice.

So she tries to get through the walls around his heart. And when she finally succeeds, Jack's history catches up with him. Determined to save Elsa from the troubles from his past, he flees Wirralong.

But maybe, maybe the past and your parents don't define you. If only Elsa can make him see that. Heartbroken, wonderful and romantic. Three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgally for providing the arc.

This is a really sweet small town romance. It has all the essential romance ingredients for a great book. There's a gorgeous hero and loveable and fun heroine, both of whom have obstacles to overcome. There is also a wonderful community and setting and the interest in the town is four-fold given there are four fabulous books by great authors set in this town and the characters make an appearance in each book.

Tule authors have done it again! They’ve created a community - Wirralong - populated it with great characters and have written entertaining romances based there, each by a different author and involving different main characters but sharing many of the secondary ones and events. Each story can be read as a standalone but this is a superb series and I highly recommend reading them all, I’ve loved escaping into this Australian Outback town, getting to know the characters, places and events whilst reading all four books.

The third story in the Outback Brides series is Elsa’s Stand by Cathryn Hein and this time the heroine is hairdresser Elsa and this story is a very moving one that is also packed with humour and laugh out loud moments. It is so sad when a community judges a child because of what are perceived as their parent’s actions and that’s what happened to Jack, people assumed he was like his Dad and didn’t attempt to get to know him for himself. He is an opal miner and returns home from Lightning Ridge to attend his mother’s funeral. His encounter with Elsa in her hair salon had me giggling and that set the tone for much of the story. Elsa certainly doesn’t judge Jack and is supportive of him. Together they’re a great couple but overcoming his background, facing those who judge him without evidence and a shooting as well as a treasure hunt are all in store in this brilliant read.

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

Elsa’s Stand is an absolutely delightful outback romance, and in a fascinating twist, I’m incredibly well qualified to review some of the ‘technical’ aspects of the plot. Jack Hargreaves, the hero, is an opal miner from Lightning Ridge, left a property by his mother with a sapphire find hidden on it… somewhere. And it just so happens that I’m a member of a lapidary club, with experience of both opal and sapphire hunting myself.

If Cathryn Hein hasn’t been fossicking, she’s definitely consulted thoroughly with someone who has. She uses all the right terminology and really gets the mindset of the lone miner chasing that elusive big strike.

Returning home to Wirralong after his mother’s sudden death, Jack’s first encounter with Elsa is when he walks into her hairdresser’s shop half an hour before his mother’s funeral after a two-day drive. Desperately in need of a shave and a haircut, he helps himself to her clippers when she can’t fit him in because she’s preparing a bride for her wedding, and leaves a hundred bucks on the counter before changing his shirt out in the street.

Born and raised in Wirralong, Elsa knows exactly who Jack is - the son of a black sheep who left chasing dreams of opal. Now he’s back, and staying on his mother’s property searching for a legendary sapphire strike she claimed to have found before her death. Some of the town’s most prominent citizens have already judged him by the sins of his father, but Elsa’s not that type. She’s fascinated by the quiet giant’s strength and fortitude, and he in turn is enchanted by her sunny attitude to life.

I thought Jack and Elsa were such a cute couple. I’d actually say the book was told more from Jack’s point of view than Elsa’s; certainly we got much more of his background, but then I think he was a more nuanced character all around. Elsa was charming but a little bit too good to be true, and I must admit I burst out laughing the first time I read about a hairdresser’s work outfit involving strappy, high-heeled sandals. I’ve never yet met a hairdresser who doesn’t wear the most comfortable flats she can find, considering how much time she’ll spend on her feet in the course of a working day. Twice Elsa wore heels to work, and then when she and Jack finally got a date, she wore flats!

Even with that amusingly unlikely scenario, I enjoyed this so much I have to give it five stars. This is a lovely addition to a delightful series, and can absolutely be read as a standalone.

What a wonderful book! I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in the Outback Brides series, each written by a different author. We met Elsa in books 1 and 2 but this is her story. We meet a new character, Jack and his brother and dad. Jack returns to his childhood home. We learn his mother passed away and left him the ranch at Strathroy in the town of Wirralong. Elsa owns her own beauty salon, made very busy with the weddings taking place through Maggie and Isabella. Jack and his mother used to search for opals and sapphires. They meet in the salon when Jack comes in to get a haircut before his mother’s funeral. They met and start to see each other occasionally. Jack and his brother Jesse’s father has a past history with criminal elements. Jack is very sensitive to the his reputation he has in town by association. Jack goes to a party at his dads house in Melbourne and there’s a driveby shooting. One of his dads friends is killed. Jack is so ashamed he goes back and tells Elsa goodbye and leaves town. There is a lot of angst and romance. The story is so wonderful to read. I am so excited to read book 4.

Cute
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Outback Brides
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

It’s always sad to me when a person, a community judges children based on their parents’ actions. Jack had outrun that by heading away from home to follow a miner’s dream of finding that perfect opal jackpot. You could say that mining was in his blood as his mother loved to search for her own gems as well. It is his mother’s death that has brought Jack home, and he plans to stay only as long as absolutely necessary and then hit the road out of town once again. He hadn’t planned on meeting a woman like Elsa. Someone who would see him for the man he is now, not his father’s face superimposed over his own. That she would be willing to risk everything that she has worked for in order to be with him is… astounding. But it’s not a sacrifice that Jack can allow… except when a stubborn, in love woman gets a thought in her head about her man, nothing will stop her.

Everyone needs someone who sees them exactly as they are and loves them, accepts them without one single change. For Jack, that someone was Elsa. I loved this couple, and Elsa’s Stand certainly does describe this story in so many ways. It’s many things – a steamy romance, a chance at finding that one person perfect for you romance, a town ready to see beyond a parents’ history… but most of all it’s a love story between two equally strong in different ways people who fit, who belong, who will stand for each other no matter what. It’s a love story, the kind many people dream of finding. Discover their romance in Elsa’s Stand for yourself, I believe you’ll find a lovely romance, a second chance, and some truths that needed to be said. There is nothing better than finding that one person who loves you just as you are… and you can feel free to love them that way right back.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I loved Elsa’s Stand by Cathryn Hein, book three in the Outback Brides series, a wonderful friend to lovers story. Jack disliked the way people in Wirralong treated and thought of him, his brother and mother while growing up. This was because of who his father is and many of the Wirralong townspeople believed in the old adage ‘like father like son’. I liked how Jack proved everyone wrong. Elsa was a businesswoman, operating the hair salon, before Wirralong became the destination for weddings. Elsa was kind, caring, resilient, courageous, which had me enjoying how determined and stubborn she was to win over Jack. I also liked how she wasn’t afraid to stand up for Jack, even if it could harm her business. The fact that she believes no one has the right to judge someone because of who their parents are is another point in her favor. I also liked that Jack would do anything to protect Elsa from people’s judgment, especially when she’s so determined to defend him. Jack definitely had a streak of protectiveness in him as he showed in keeping his brother safe after their father is injured.
Ms. Hein wrote a wonderful story that made me smile and laugh because of the heroine’s determination to show the hero that there are good people in Wirralong. Also, the chemistry between these two was strong and kept getting stronger every time they interacted. Jack being unsure whether he will stay had me worrying for a happy ending.
This was a wonderful story which was easy to visualize in my head as I read. I totally loved these characters and didn’t want to put this book down. Ms. Heim did a fantastic job creating realistic characters, keeping the story line interesting, making me forget the world around me and not letting me go until I turned the last page, wanting more. I highly recommend this book to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

This is the 3rd story in The Outback Bride Series. Each is written by a different author. Cathryn Hein takes us prospecting, Jack for Opals, his mom for Sapphires, Elsa for love. Jack spends his life on the hunting opal. Just him and his dog it's lonely but he thinks a full life. Then his mom dies and he's brought back to the small town he grows up in. A town that the rumor mill is either talking about his mother digging for sapphires or his father who was a thief. Returning to town he is needing a quick haircut and shaves, to get to her funeral. Meet Elsa she runs the local beauty shop and cant help him right now. He grabs her clippers and buzzes his own hair and shaves his beard. That’s was not the shocking part, it was when he changes his clothes out on the street in front of her shop. Now it seems he is as attracted to Elsa as she is to him. Trying to bring the ranch back to life. Also working on his relationship with his brother who lives with his father. Elsa takes her stand she doesn't care what people think of him. She stands by him even when it cost her a customer. When a problem arises will Jack take a stand or will he escape to the outback?

A nice quick read with some interesting characters and storyline. I didn't enjoy this one as much as some of the others in the series but overall it isn't a bad read. For me I had a hard time feeling the connection between Elsa and Jack. She's gregarious, outgoing and loves the little town of Wirralong. He's a loner, reserved, and has a major chip on his shoulders when it comes to the town and it's residents. The combo just seemed odd. The book is well written and the characters nicely developed so it's a solid book.