Book blurb...
With her trademark fresh and funny tone, Lily Malone returns with a captivating new romance set in the heart of the Australian outback.
For Jaydah Tully, the country town of Chalk Hill has never felt like home. Home is a place to feel loved. Home is a place to feel safe. Jaydah's home life is dark in ways the close-knit community could never imagine.
Jaydah knows that the man she loves has never understood her need for secrets. Brix is a Honeychurch, she's a Tully - her family are Chalk Hill's black sheep. It's better for everyone if Brix stays away.
But Brix is a one-woman man, and when he returns to his home town to help his brother, the first person he sees is Jaydah. Independent. Private. Proud. When things are good between them they are really really good but all too soon they're back in the old patterns, caught in the same argument: Her father. Her family. Her life that doesn't include him.
Underneath her tough exterior, Jaydah is drowning. She has one chance to change everything. Is she brave enough to take the risk and let Brix in? Or will her father keep them apart forever?

My thoughts...
I’ve been to Chalk Hill! True story! I took Myrtle the Turtle, my home on wheels, from east to west and I landed in the real-life town Lily Malone said inspired her fictional Chalk Hill. That took my reading of the Chalk Hill trilogy to a whole new and lovely level! (Although I had only read two at the time of my visit.)

I have just finished the third and (sadly) final story of the Honeychurch brothers (love that name) and I am a bit sad to say goodbye. (Important NB: These books can be read as standalone novels, so whichever takes your fancy, just read it and enjoy Lily Malone’s magical turn of phrase, the funny bits and, in this novel in particular, the sad and slightly shocking bits.) Yes, this storyline was a little darker in subject-matter BUT…. the author mixes up the calamitous with the comedic bits she always does so well.

The issues covered are certainly topical and I found parts mildly confronting. I also struggled to understand some of 27 year old Jaydah’s decisions, but that’s the thing, isn’t it? Some social issues can be difficult to comprehend or discuss, so we often don’t talk about it or we make assumptions.

I must say, the author handled the subject matter sensitively and responsibly.

There are secrets, twists and tissues required. Nice job, Lily Malone.

I love Aussie outback stories and this was no exception.
I'm doing a lot of reading right now while staying safe from this current dreaded virus.
I was right into this story, the places and the characters were wonderful. A wonderful job dealing with a sensitive topic. Great story, loved it.

Can I say WOW, I didn’t want to put this one down I was really looking forward to Brix’s story and returning to Chalk Hill and it did not disappoint, this one takes on some issues that are very emotional and heart-wrenching and MS Malone has done it with empathy and feeling as Jaydah finally gets her hero.

Jaydah Tully’s home life is not what the townsfolk think, moving there when in school she meets Braxton Honeychurch and it is not long before they form a friendship that moves onto more as they get older but she has secrets that she must keep from him and their relationship is different from most and she knows this is for her benefit and Brix does not live in Chalk Hill, but his visits are always welcomed.

Brix has chosen to be a wine make rather than stay on the family farm, he has loved Jaydah since he was fourteen but she holds him at arms- length at times, but this visit home Jaydah finally opens up to him about the abuse she is getting from her father and asks for his help to get her mother away and for that they must marry and as Jaydah will be the only woman he loves this is easy to do but when on their wedding day she springs another secret on him, nothing will change his mind about them, his love is so strong.

This is a must read book filled with emotion, it is moving and written with such feeling, I really can’t find the words to describe how I feel about this one, Jaydah what a heroine the strength that shines from her but the vulnerability she has because of her father and then we have Brix what a hero, his love for Jaydah is beautiful and that love just grows with her family. There were many tears as I read this one and emotions flowing through me happy, sad, anger and such joy at the end. Thank you so much MS Malone, I loved this one and I highly recommend it as I do this series it was great catching up with Jake and Ella and Abe and Taylor and with the Honeychurch family.

What a wonderful story that is so much more than just a romance, it's full of some much more from love, trust, domestic violence, growth, forgiveness, secrets and the power of family. This is my first read of Lily Malone and so as this is book three of the series I have not had the pleasure of reading the others, but after this one, it's on my list to do so very soon. As I love the way the author drew me in and kept me interested in every word to the very end.
The characters were all inspiring and realistic, so this helps me believe in the drama that fulfils the pages as our journey with them took us with them. It may be a difficult topic for some readers but I feel the message the author gives us will also help some to read this inspirational story unfold.

The author did a wonderful job with very strong topics to bring us this wonderful story to both teach and entertain us. Thank you.

Can Brix find the truth to Jaydah's secrets in time to help the woman he loves?

I loved the first two books in the Chalk Hill series, Water Under the Bridge and The Cafe by the Bridge and have been looking forward to Last Bridge Before Home. It certainly didn't disappoint. Where The Cafe by the Bridge highlighted male depression and the need to ask for help, Last Bridge Before Home deals with another topical issue, domestic abuse.

Jaydah for all she comes across as a strong young woman is also an insecure young woman who has been physically and mentally abused for most of her life by her father who is an absolute bastard. It's not just Jaydah who has been a victim to this vile excuse of a man, but also her mother and her sister Jasmine. Much of Jaydah's life has been spent protecting them from her father and taking on responsibility for keeping them all safe. I can't imagine living like Jaydah, being so afraid to tell anyone what is going on, keeping so many secrets all to herself, huge secrets that no one in the town of Chalk Hill has any idea about.

But is that really true? Well, one secret yes, but most people in Chalk Hill had an inkling that things weren't exactly right with Jaydah's father, but no one wanted to step up and ask questions, then afterwards they say 'why didn't you say something, why didn't you tell us?' way to pass the blame to the victim. This happens in real life all too often, no one wants to take responsibility for what might be going on behind closed doors, maybe we should start looking out for each other and asking the hard questions 'Do you need help? Can I do anything? Is everything all right?'. Be there and let the people/person in question know that when they are ready, you are there, no judgement, just support.

Brix, what a lovely, loyal guy he was, and no pun intended, but what a 'brick' of a character he was. Jaydah has always been the love of his life and he has never given up hope that one day she would be his. Jaydah has kept her secrets even from Brix who thought he knew everything about her. I'm not sure how I would have coped if I found out all of my partners secrets and had to deal with all the issues that Brix does, but the way he took it all in his stride despite his worries about how he would deal with everything was fabulous and truly showed his love for Jaydah.

Another issue that Lily Malone deals with in this novel is the aspect of caring for someone with an intellectual disability and all it entails. She also delves into the dreams of people with a disability and what they can realistically expect when it comes to freedom of choice and their future. This is a hard topic as anyone who cares for or works with a person with disabilities can attest to. I work with people with disabilities and I can't imagine what it would be like to have the responsibility for a person day in, day out, to make the hard choices, to explain why they can't have everything they see others around them having. Dealing with the behaviours of people with intellectual disabilities is challenging and Lily Malone has done a great job with both her character portrayal and showing the good and the bad of living with such a challenge. 

There were many tense moments in this novel, there were heartbreaking moments, moments of joy, moments I wanted to take one of Jaydah's kali sticks and whack her father across the head for her, there were ups and downs and many wonderful moments threaded through this novel making it an absolute joy to read despite its darkness. 

I hope we get to visit Chalk Hill again and see how the three brothers and their partners are going, along with their extended families.

Thanks to Harlequin Mira Australia and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy in return for an honest review.

Jaydah Tully had always loved Brix, just as he loved her, but she couldn’t let him in. The life she led was one no one could know about. She was twenty-seven years old and still lived at home – but she couldn’t leave without her mother and sister. So Jaydah put up with it, hoping that one day things would change.

Brix Honeychurch was home in Chalk Hill for the weekend, helping his brother Jake at the farm. His winery three hours away was his life now, but he always had a lot of time for his family. Once again Brix caught up with Jaydah; once again they had the same old argument. It was frustrating for Brix, but also for Jaydah…

Until the day Jaydah came up with a solution. Would it work? Could the plan she’d come up with save the three Tully women? And what of the man who made their lives hell?

Wow! Last Bridge Before Home is a breathtaking, heart-in-mouth read by Aussie author Lily Malone. My heart was pounding – I was so worried for Jaydah and her mum and sister. The horror of domestic violence is explored in Last Bridge Before Home; the gleeful pleasure the perpetrator takes over his victims is terrifying. The novel was captivating, delightful, funny in places – the darkness ebbed and flowed. 3rd in the Chalk Hill series, Last Bridge Before Home is one I highly recommend.

With thanks to HarperCollins AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness! This book is not at all what I expected. It’s better, richer, deeper and ultimately more satisfying.
Last Bridge Before Home is more than just a romance, though it is that too. It’s a love story in the fullest sense of the word. It’s about the love family members share with each other and the lengths they’ll go to to protect them.
Domestic violence os a strong thread throughout this story and the things the perpetrator did chilled me to the bone. Author Lilly Malone wrote this aspect so sensitively I was almost in tears at times. I marvelled at the inner strength Jaydah showed as she learned to trust Brix Honeychurch, the man she’s loved since she was a teenager.
This book is one of the very best I’ve read in a long time, not only because I loved the storyline but also because of the characters, each of them so real and each with their own personal quirks and qualms. I think I fell a little bit in love with Brix the first time I met him. He is so calm, dependable, trustworthy and loyal and he really works to make things right for Jaydah.
I could wax lyrical for a lot longer but suffice to say that having read this story I will be looking for and devouring everything else that Lilly Malone has ever written.

Last Bridge Before Home by author Lily Malone is one of those rare reads that I could gladly read over and over. Jaydah (JT) and Braxton (Brix) were outstanding from the story's beginning. Their chemistry could have its own postcode, it eminated from the pages. I loved their intro to readers and I loved the whole Honeychurch family dynamic. Lots of twists in the story and many unexpected moments that had me reeling. Last Bridge Before Home was a read I could not tear my eyes away from, nor wanted to. The story, the characters, the setting, drew me in from the start. An unmissable, moving read that challenges a reader's strength in the obstacles that are faced by the many characters within. Outstanding reading.
Review copy received from Harlequin Mira via Netgalley