I unfortunately was a little click happy this month and never got to read Stella Quinn's newest novel, have since read it and really enjoyed. I am a sucker for a small country town with a bit of romance.

"Trustworthiness shone out of Josh Cody the way lemon scent steamed out of a fresh-cooked souffle."

The Vet From Snowy River is an enjoyable Aussie romance set in the fictional Snowy Mountains town of Hanrahan. It's told from two perspectives. There's the vet, Josh, who returns home after a 15-year hiatus to run the local practice alongside his sister. Then there's the new cafe owner, Vera.

Both characters have complicated pasts and presents, which definitely added to the plot and kept the story flowing. On one hand, Vera has an aunt with dementia and a court date looming. Meanwhile, Josh has an angsty teenage daughter and an arsonist issue.

But together, it's hard to deny their chemistry. Now, Vera was very hot and cold towards Josh, which was understandable in the beginning but somewhat exacerbating towards the end. Josh was a total charmer though and didn't give up without a fight. I mean, how could she resist him? His best friend was a labrador! And she did call him "six feet of chiselled sunshine." Her unsureness towards their blossoming relationship meant I found the ending to be quite unrealistic.

Nevertheless, I still found the book to be a very heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking) read. The pair were supported by a great cast of small-town characters. I particularly loved Graeme, who clearly deserves his own book. I also really liked Quinn's descriptive writing style. I wouldn't hesitate to read another of her books.

Thank you to Harlequin Australia and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

When an incident leads to her losing her job and having to move her beloved Aunt Jill out of her care home, Vera moves to Hanrahan near the Snowy River to start afresh. What she didn't expect was a small community of people who show an interest in her and her new cafe and slowly worm their way into her heart. She also takes quite a fancy to the local Vet who is battling his own issues with his 15 year old daughter and someone trying to destroy his family business. a wonderful story with some kind hearted characters (including Jane Doe the dog) who make it easy to keep turning the pages of this gem.

It’s no secret that I love a rural romance set in small town Australia and it was great to read The Vet From Snowy River as my first introduction to Stella Quinn. It gave me all the same warm feelings that I get when reading stories set in regional/rural towns.

Vera De Rossi is running from her past and some possibly questionable decisions she did in the name of protecting the only remaining family she has. She ends up in the small town of Hanrahan and opens a bakery with a little help from some of the locals. Meanwhile, Josh Cody, a local boy all grown up and with some controversy in his past, has returned to work at his sister’s veterinarian clinic. He’s got a lot to deal with – rumours about his past, a grumpy teenage daughter who wouldn’t be caught dead in the small town, and a crush on the newest arrival to the town: Vera.

This story is a reverse grumpy-sunshine story (where Vera is the prickly one) about two people trying to rebuild their lives and, possibly, a relationship together. While Josh is all-in from the start, aware that life can change unexpectedly and the importance of making the most of what time you have, Vera is reluctant, aware that she has responsibilities to her new bakery, her aging relatives and a court case looming in near future. It makes her understandably slow to dive into any kind of relationship.

Meanwhile, Josh and his sister are battling a mystery of their own – someone’s desperate to shut down their clinic and claim the land on which it sits.

This was undeniably fun. There’s a lot of humour throughout the story that lighten up some of the heavier moments. Josh’s daughter was an absolute delight on the page, as the teenager learns what it means to be part of a small town. All of the side characters were fun – the often quirky, sometimes meddlesome, but always well-meaning residents look out for their fellow community members and band together when things get tough.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. There were times when I felt that Vera’s prickly nature went a bit too far, but overall, it was a great read. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by Stella Quinn.

Where has this author been hiding from me? What a great story, I loved it.
Set in a country town, where everybody knows each other and all their business. Vera has escaped the city, her old life, her ex and the troubles there.....except for a legal battle which will drag her back.
Meanwhile she's starting a new life, meeting people, taking care of her aunt with dementia, falling for the local vet and yet keeping everyone at arm's length. Sounds exhausting, you know she's going to crack.
I loved all the other characters in this town, they mystery that the vet is having and all the other events going on.
A fabulous rural romance, I devoured it.

Pithy humour balances out the angst in this lovely rural romance. Set in the fictitious town of Hanrahan in the Australian Alps, it is a story of second chances for café owner Vera de Rossi and single father Josh Cody. This gorgeous story is character-driven with the secondary characters like café manager Graeme and town force of nature Marigold demanding their place on the page. These two along with Josh’s fifteen year old daughter Poppy provide plenty of humour to lighten what is at times a very tough load for Vera and Josh to bear. I found myself loving the lot of them as I powered through the pages.
Author Stella Quinn has done a marvellous job of setting the scene. It’s easy to imagine Hanrahan’s granite Federation buildings, the cosy atmosphere in the Billy Button Café and the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains. I felt so at home in this book. I laughed at Graeme’s little notes to Vera and cried a little when reading Vera’s notes to her Aunt Jill. This story engaged me from the start and had me captivated to the end. It has been a joy to read.

Vera moves to Hanrahan, a rural town in the Snowy Mountains to start over, her aunt is in the local nursing home and she has her ex-boyfriend to thank for the mess her life is in. Using her cooking skills, Vera opens The Billy Button Cafe, she’s welcomed with open arms by the townsfolk.
Josh returns to town with a grumpy teenage daughter, he’s a Vet, in partnership with his sister Hannah.
Tom has a local horse racing stable, Hannah helps look after his horses.
Town gossip Marigold bustles around with her husband Kev, a small town needs someone to organise them don’t they? Josh’s daughter Poppy works part-time in the cafe when she’s in town, she lives with her mum.
It doesn’t take long for the town to be a part of everyone’s soul, they help each other through some tough times and are together on the other side. A real heartwarming story.
The characters felt like friends as soon as I started reading, I love a rural romance and this book certainly delivers!
Stella Quinn is a new author for me, what a wonderful introduction! A brilliant small town feel good story-definitely a must read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐

The Vet From Snowy River is a rural romance set in an Australian town called Hanrahan. Although this novel scratched my itch with the delightful culture and community that comes with a small-town setting, the romance aspect was lacking.

Vera was a little too prickly and elusive and Josh too forward with the flirting. It was difficult to imagine them living happily ever after when the chemistry was absent.

The ending resulted in the removal of a star. In my opinion, the plot point wasn't necessary and was too soon or rushed. Couldn't they have just carried on building on their current relationship and express their desires for future events?

Thank you, Netgalley and Harlequin Australia, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vera De Rossi moves to Hanrahan to open up a cafe in a desperate attempt to make enough money to cover her aunt's hospice stay - and to pay her own mounting lawyer bills. She definitely doesn't need the complication of starting something with a hot vet. Josh Cody already has his hands full with his job and his teenage daughter, but he's more than happy to add Vera to the mix - if she'll let him.

I really enjoyed the small town setting in this book, since busybodies and larger-than-life characters are a lot of fun to read about. But for a rural romance, it seemed to lack the key "romance" aspect. I just didn't see anything believably develop between the two leads and was rather bemused by them ending up together, which is weird because I love HEAs. But the overall storyline and the superb writing helped to ease that disappointment.

This was my first Stella Quinn book and wow I loved it so much and I am really looking forward to many more, I love rural romance and this author has hit the spot big time, I loved my visit to Hanrahan a small town in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, the hero and heroine are the best and the people who live there are fabulous this is a must read story, I do hope that you pick this one up I am sure you will be very pleased.

Vera De Rossi runs from her journalist position and her ex to the small town of Hanrahan where she wants to be left alone to care for her aunt who is in nursing care and run her café to make sure she has some money to do so, but there is a cloud hanging over her head in the form of a court case.

Josh Cody the once golden boy of Hanrahan has moved back home after a sixteen year absence to take up residence as a vet with his sister, he is dad to a teenage daughter Poppy and he is determined to ignore the gossips and get on with his life but when he walks into the new Billy Button Café and meets the owner things might not go as he thought.

Vera didn’t account for the people who live here to want to get to know her, she wants to be left alone but with her manager Graeme pushing this is not going to happen, her cakes and the café are a hit with everyone and Josh is someone Vera doesn’t want to get close to but she is hard pressed to control her feelings as she gets to know him better, worries about the court case and her aunt are playing havoc with her feelings.

This is such a fabulous story, there were lots of happy tears from me, it is fun, witty, moving and filled with emotion a real feel good story as we get to know Vera, Josh and the town folk, add to that a stray dog and cat and this is a must read story that has all of the feels of a beautiful romance. Josh is a to die for hero what more could you want than a vet in a tool belt, he is caring loving and lots of fun and then Vera vulnerable so very caring, loving and she deserves love so much and Cody is the hero to give her that love.

Stella Quinn has bought this town and the characters to life on the pages I loved my visit there and very much hope I will be back there soon I would love to see Hannah get her HEA. Huge congrats MS Quinn for an awesome story I loved this one.

My thanks to Harlequin Mira for my ARC to read and review.