I have to admit that this is only the second book I've read by this Australian author, Alissa Callen, and after reading this book, I want to read all her books.

Snowy Mountain Daughters was an incredible read and I am delighted to have read it. I really enjoy reading rural romances, but this book had so much more depth to it with characters that you can warm to and let’s not forget all the loveable farm animals. A truly enjoyable read that has been enjoyed by many and will continue to be enjoyed by many more. A lovely written story that I highly recommend.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars
Snowy Mountains Daughter is a beautifully written rural romance set in Bundilla, a small rural town set on the edge of the Snowy Mountains. This is Alissa Callen's first book set in Bundilla and I'm sure it won't be the last.
Clancy Parker is a peony farmer living on her families property. Heath MacBride is her brother's childhood best friend and hasn't been back to Bundilla since leaving when he was 18 to pursue a career as an artist. Unbeknownst to each other they have both been in love with each other since being teenagers. When Heath returns to town and moves in to Clancy's coach House then things can't help but get more complicated.
I really enjoyed this book even though I was so frustrated at the characters inner monologue of why they couldn't act on their feelings. Bundy is the town's dog who just attaches himself to who needs his support and you can't help but love him. As with many rural romances it is also filled with family secrets that slowly unravel.
Bundilla is filled with so many great characters that I can't wait to see more of.

Clancy is an independent woman who runs her own flower farm on her property in Bundila near the Snowy Mountains. Despite losing her parents, she manages the family property and has a good relationship with the town folk and local celebrity, Bundy the kelpie. Clancy has always had feelings for Heath and when he returns to paint a mural featuring Clancy and Bundy, old feelings are brought to the surface and family secrets and tragedies are revealed. A great story of love, the loyalty of animals and family.

‘Clancy Parker didn’t need to leave the rugged embrace of the high country to know who she was and where she belonged.’

The fictional town of Bundilla in Australia’s high country provides the setting for Ms Callen’s latest novel. Bundilla is a close-knit community, a place where peony farmer Clancy Parker feels at home even if she must remain alone. The man she loved is long gone.

Heath MacBride, a talented artist once called Bundilla home. He left to pursue his art, something his father would never accept. But family is always complicated, and with his father in poor health, Heath returns for a short period to support his mother. He has accepted a commission to paint a mural on Bundilla’s water tower. Clancy’s brother Rowan, Heath’s best friend, arranges for Heath to stay on the Parker family property, Ashcroft.
Meet Bundy, an independent free-spirited kelpie, who belongs to no-one but helps many. Bundy shadows Heath, helps out at the school, and is a wonderful mascot for Bundilla. It is almost inevitable that Bundy will be part of the mural on the water tower.

And, while Clancy, Heath and Bundy are central to this story, Ms Callen has introduced a wonderful caste of supporting characters. These include Clancy’s best friend, Brenna, Mabel the local journalist, and the formidable elderly twins Millicent and Beatrice Amos. Each character has a part to play.

While Clancy can tell that Heath is troubled, she seems unable to breach the defences he has built. Why can’t Heath confide in her? Heath’s father is failing, and his mother is struggling. Why is Heath’s father so hostile towards him?

I really enjoyed this novel, with its mixture of romance and secrets. I could imagine the Misses Amos reigning over meetings of the book club and felt great sympathy for Heath’s mother as she tries to keep her husband safe from the ravages of his dementia.

What does the future hold for Heath and Clancy and for Bundilla? Please do not make us wait too long to find out, Ms Callen.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

What a fabulous start to a new series, Alissa Callen has created a beautiful small town, Bundilla in The Snowy Mountains of New South Wales Australia and bought it to life with wonderful characters and now I want to visit and stay for a holiday. I loved this one from page one it flowed with love and emotion and the scenery was gorgeous and the flowers it was like I could smell them and then there is Clancy, Heath and Bundy, I do hope that you pick this one up and enjoy it as much as I did.

Clancy Parker was born and breed in Bundilla in the high country of New South Wales where the Brumbies run wild and peonies grow well in the cooler climate and she never wants to leave, although the man that holds her heart is not here anymore he travels the world while Clancy stays on the family property Ashcroft growing her beautiful peonies and looking after her brothers cattle.

Heath MacBride left Bundilla and the family cattle property Hawks Ridge ten years ago after problems with his difficult father, Heath is very happy being an artist doing street art around the world, and Bundilla has asked Heath to return to paint a mural on the water tower in town, he is looking forward to catching up with friends but he is determined to get the mural done and leave town. Seeing Clancy and protecting his heart and making sure Clancy is OK is going to be hard for him, you see Clancy has always held a big place in is heart.

Heath arrives and it is not long before the towns free spirited Kelpie, Bundy takes up with Heath and becomes his shadow. Clancy and Heath have always been friends and Clancy knows that something is troubling Heath and wants to help him but he needs to open up and that is something that he has never done and now keeping her feelings to herself gets harder the more time they spend together as it is for Heath as well especially when a family secret and his father is just about to crack.

This is a story that is so beautifully written, I loved Heath and Clancy, can they finally find the love that they have held inside for so many years, can they find happiness they deserve? This book is a must read so many things to love about it besides Heath and Clancy, there is Bundy what a dog, truly he deserves a book of his own and there are so many characters in this one I can see me visiting Bundilla quite a few times to catch up with everyone. Thank you Alissa Callen for such a fabulous story I loved it.

My thanks to Harlequin AUS for my copy to read and review

There’s so much I loved about Snowy Mountains Daughter that it’s hard to know where to start. This story is a warm, inclusive Australian rural romance set in the NSW Snowy Mountains. As a country girl I felt right at home in this story from the very first page. I admired Alissa Callen’s excellent character sketches. Her country town characters were spot on from Bundilla’s self-important mayor, its busybody locals, the matchmaking mothers, the friendly store owners, and the genuine kindness of locals willing to step in at any moment to offer support.
I loved that this story is told from both Clancy’s and Heath’s perspectives as it gave a far better insight into their motivation and feelings. I admired Clancy. Having lost her parents in a river boat incident three years earlier and with her brother overseas, she competently manages the family farm as well as working her flower farm. She’s strong, very independent and a key member of her local community.
Heath McBride, the only man she’s ever wanted, secretly wants her too but he believes there are barriers to a possible relationship so he’s hiding his feelings as best he can. Disowned by his father at age 18, Heath is a talented street artist, back in town at age 28 to paint the water tower. He’s complex and I didn’t always agree with his actions, but I did admire his unbelievably compassionate treatment of his father, who has been diagnosed with dementia. I loved his plan to paint various familiar scenes from the family farm, “If his father couldn’t retain his memories he’d capture them for him.”
This story was engaging on many levels. The water tower mural provided plenty of entertainment throughout and the ups and downs faced by Clancy and Heath added interest. Perhaps the most entertaining character was former cattle dog Bundy, who stars in the mural painting but aside from that has his own social media account. nearly steals the show. With a dog front and centre in this story, how could I not love it?

It was great to pick up this new series by Alissa Callen, even though it's a new town with new people to get to know, I instantly felt like they were old friends.

Both Clancy and Heath were great main characters, both hiding their feelings from the other, which I have to say I wanted to yell at them 'just tell him/her'. But eventually, they get their.

Heath has kept many things from Clancy and carries a lot of hurt from the way his father treated him in the past and continues to treat him. I really felt for Heath, his father was full of hate towards him, but as things become clearer and secrets are uncovered, the reasons behind his behaviour come to the fore. Heath really struggles with what he wants and what he thinks he deserves and can actually have.

I loved Clancy's character and I love the idea of having a flower farm, what could be better than being surrounded by flowers, but it's hard work, just like any farming, it is highly reliant on the weather and a storm can destroy everything that has been worked for.

Bundy, the free-spirited Kelpie was definitely another main character, one who pulled all the characters in the story together, seeming to know exactly where he should be at any given time, providing support to all who need him.

There were some really great side characters, Clancy's brother, Rowan, was great and I think we will be seeing him again, he provided some humour, getting into some sort of trouble whenever Clancy spoke to him and playing matchmaker between Clancy and Heath. Clancy's best friend Brenna, was an awesome friend and I know we will see her again, she like Rowan still has to find her one true love.

The other characters in the community were wonderful to meet and I really look forward to catching up with them again in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

Clancy is a small town girl who has always loved Heath, the man who preferred to travel the world for years instead of coming home. Heath has his reasons for staying away - and not just for his career as an artist. He can feel the promise of something more when he's near Clancy. But he knows he's not good enough for her. And besides, he's only in town to paint a mural and then he'll be gone once more. He's definitely not staying...

I adored this novel and the characters populating its pages. This is a sweet rural romance underpinned by delicious longing (mmm tasty slow burn) and words left unspoken - and to top it all off, there's a fascinating family mystery threading its way throughout the story. Rural romance can be quite crowded, but Alissa Callen has written a true gem here and any fan of the genre should check this one out.

Snowy Mountains Daughter by author Alissa Callen was a nice read with likeable characters. Clancy was a star character from the start. Heath's character took a bit more time to warm to as he was so aloof. A story with a rural setting where the townsfolk often stole the show.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley

Clancy Parker loved the high country where she was born and had never left. The small town of Bundilla was her home; the property named Ashcroft the home she’d grown up in with her family. Now living there alone, with her parents gone and her brother Rowan in England – she hoped not forever – Clancy looked after Rowan’s cattle while nurturing her peony flower farm which supplied the town and surrounds while the peonies were in season.

Heath MacBride was a well known and highly popular street artist. He’d lived in Bundilla where he and Rowan were best friends growing up, and Clancy tagged along, loving Heath as only a child could. But a huge blow up with Heath’s aggressive and antagonistic father saw Heath leave the mountain country he loved to head for where he could paint – cities around the globe. Commissioned to paint a mural on Bundilla’s water tower brought Heath home; he needed to see his mother although his father’s attitude hadn’t changed.

Bundy was the town’s free-spirited kelpie. His company would be given to those who needed him most; how he knew was anyone’s guess, but once Heath arrived home, Bundy didn’t leave his side. Secrets from the past had the power to hurt; keeping his feelings to himself was all Heath could do to save hurt to those he loved. But could it remain that way? What would happen as circumstances changed – as they always do?

Snowy Mountains Daughter, with its cover depicting an intelligent and alert Bundy, is the latest from the pen of Alissa Callen and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And with her voice at the end assuring her readers she would return to Bundilla in future books, I couldn’t be more pleased. Clancy is a great, well-grounded character and with Snowy Mountains Daughter featuring plenty of animals – dogs, cats, horses; all with personalities of their own – plus the other characters who all have their own parts to play, I have no hesitation in recommending this one highly.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.