Sasha comes to this small town to heal and finds Cole and his family to tempt her to stay. First in the Mindalby Series with story line and characters.

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

Cotton field dreams by S E Gilchrist.
Mindalby, a small town, a community, a home. But when the mill that supports the local cotton farmers and employs many of the town's residents closes unexpectedly, old tensions are exposed and new rifts develop. Everyone is affected and some react better than others, but one thing is certain: living on the edge of the outback means they have to survive together, or let their town die.

Sasha comes to Mindalby to recover from a traumatic event, plan her next move, and seek out information to avenge her beloved uncle – the last thing she wants is a relationship. But when she meets local single dad, Cole, she can't help but be drawn to his warmth and his humour, and his two engaging children. Cole says and does all the right things, and Sasha finds herself falling, but will all of her secrets destroy the relationship before it has a chance to begin?

This was a very good read with likeable characters.  Loved Sasha character.  She was my favourite.  I loved how she was with Cole.  Loved the ending.  4*.

This is the start of a new series, and I love books in a series and I also love a book set in the outback, and this was a great story which acknowledges the drought and what it does to the people working so hard to make a living, to make matters worse the local cotton mill closes down and this starts a trigger for greed, danger but also love and heeling, sit back and enjoy visiting Mindalby and getting to know the people that live there as I did.

Sasha has been through a tragedy and is recovering slowly and hopes that a short stint in the country will help her but there is another reason she takes a job at the local cotton mill to investigate and try to prove that her uncle is innocent of embezzlement, but when the cotton mill closes down and is put into liquidation all hell breaks loose with accusations and insinuations, but it also brings her in contact with local cotton farmer Cole, instant attraction has never happened to Sasha before but there are things that she must keep to herself as she gets closer to this fabulous family man will he and his family be what she needs to feel happy again?

Cole is a single Dad working the cotton farm with his grandfather, times are very hard with the drought and he does some odd work at the cotton mill and when he is shut out and does not look like he will be paid the worry begins. He like most of the town attend meetings and here he meets Sasha the accountant at the mill and a lot of blame is sent her way but Cole feels differently he feels a pull towards this beautiful strong woman, but he also knows she is keeping things from him.

This story takes in the plight of depression that is a real danger in the outback these days and MS Gilchrist has written it beautifully it is a moving story that will have you smiling. I loved Cole what a hero he is so caring and Sasha what she has been through and still going through with threats against her and danger getting closer she is still strong enough to help other people no matter what is thrown at her, and through danger and hurt love shines and this couple and the town will go forward. I highly recommend this one and I am looking forward to visiting Mindalby again soon.

I had high hopes for this book, because I really loved the cover and the premise intrigued me. This is the first in a series of short standalone books written by different authors.

I found the characters to be rather plastic if that makes any sense. There wasn’t really any substance or depth to them. The plot line didn’t keep me interested, because there were other subplots going on that I found pretty distracting.

I do intend on continuing with the series because I received ARCs for the next several books. Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me.

Special thanks to the publisher and the author for approving my request to read this through NetGalley!

First in a seven-book series by various authors, Cotton Field Dreams introduces the small outback Australian town of Mindalby, where the town’s existence is strongly tied to the local cotton mill. When the mill closes suddenly, the town is thrown into turmoil. The residents must band together to survive, even as tensions drive them apart.

Sasha’s a newcomer to town. Working in the mill’s accounts department, she’s the one who fills in the workers’ payslips, which automatically makes her a target for their anger and suspicion, even though she has no more idea than any of the others what’s going on. Cole, a local cotton farmer working a second job at the mill to make ends meet, seems to believe in her, at least. But when planted evidence starts pointing in her direction, will Cole stand by her, or let her fall?

This was a really good read. There’s a growing market, particularly in Australia, for romance marketed as women’s fiction - it’s even being called Akubra hat fiction for the sole woman wearing an Akubra who tends to be on the cover, and this book (and series) fit the niche perfectly. There are serious issues addressed about small country towns and how they live and die by their industries, and how farmers are dependent on many factors, any one of which failing can destroy livelihoods in the blink of an eye. Rural depression and suicide are mentioned, though not gone into in any particular detail.

Sasha, the heroine, is suffering from PTSD after being caught up in an incident in the Middle East while working for Doctors Without Borders. It manifests in her claustrophobia, to an extent that she can’t actually get into a car, and I felt it was really realistically portrayed, inhibiting and limiting her, frustrating her that she can’t overcome it with willpower alone.

The only potential issue with this book is that it might be a bit over-the-top Australian for an international readership. I’m an Aussie so I know what King Gees are, but Americans would definitely be confused. The ‘ocker’ factor seemed to be particularly prevalent in the first chapter, after which it toned down to a more manageable level, so I’d say definitely stick with it, but you might need a ‘Strine’ dictionary on hand!

A beautifully written story, this is a great starter for the series, and I’m really looking forward to more. Five stars.

As the first in the series, I definitely think the Mindalby series is off to a good start. When companies close, especially anything to do with the farming community, we often forget that one business can set off a whole chain reaction. In Cotton Field Dreams this topic is explored when the cotton mill suddenly closes overnight, the whole town is distraught and many are suddenly pushed into the possibility of losing the homes and more. Sasha is only in town for one reason, but she gets sucked into the maelstrom of tempers and desperation that is happening in town. Meeting Cole was not on her agenda either, but sometimes life wants us to take a new direction. Sasha is brave in many ways, but can she be brave with her heart. This story is filled with great characters, I especially loved Cole's daughter Skye and Sasha's dad Obie, they continually made me smile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.

Mindalby, the small NSW country town where Sasha hoped to find the answers she sought over the wrongful imprisonment of her uncle, was ruled by the town’s cotton mill. And when the mill went into liquidation, the people who relied on that income to live, to pay rent, to put food on the table, became volatile. Somehow Sasha found herself in the middle of the turmoil – wrongly – and she was both angry and a little scared.

Cole was a cotton farmer, living on the property with his two young children and his Pop – he was another who was owed money from the mill. As both Cole and Sasha tried to work out what to do; where to go next – strange things were happening in the town. The local police couldn’t work out the spate of crime – Mindalby was normally a quiet, peaceful community. What would the outcome be? And what was in Sasha’s past that had her ready to flee?

Cotton Field Dreams is the first in A Mindalby Outback Romance Series by Aussie author S.E. Gilchrist – a multi-authored series, all set in a fictional Mindalby, somewhere between Dubbo and Newcastle in NSW, Australia. I enjoyed the story and the element of suspense kept the pages turning quickly; Cole’s two children were an absolute delight; as was Sasha’s dad and Cole’s Pop. Well written with great characters, it’s a nice beginning to what I’m sure will be an entertaining series. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.

Loved it good read enjoyable would recommend reading it and the author amend other books in series won’t disappoint

Cotton Field Dreams is a well written romance. I enjoyed the plot, characters and setting as well as the author's writing. I recommend to fans of romance novels.

A lovely, well written and fully enjoyable romance.
The characters are well developed and the plot keeps interested till the end.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Escape Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC

Cotton Field Dreams by S.E. Gilchrist is the first book in the multi author Mindalby Outback series. The story is a sweet and emotional telling of an unexpected connection between Sasha and Cole, while each dealing with their own struggles in life and the hardships placed on their beloved town.

Ms Gilchrist has written well-developed characters and an easy to follow plot that captures the reader’s interest early on. I look forward to the next instalment in this series, and each authors take on this rural setting.

Sasha heads to the small town in the middle of nowhere to heal and search for evidence that her uncle is innocent. She certainly didn't plan on or look for any romantic entanglements. Then she meets Cole and he ignites her fantasies. While tensions rise in town and the threats against Sasha mount can Cole make a safe place for her? Or are secrets and threats blind to pull them apart?
*Side note, I've read several books by authors in other countries but the language difference in this one kept pulling me out if the story.*