Just like the title of this book, this was a mystical small town romance. Set in Northern NSW we have 3 main characters. Jake , Leo, Claire. Its a tangled web as Jake and Claires daughters are best friends. Its told by Leo and Claires POV. Who will Claire choose?

A solid read. Claire is a single mum trying her best to stay afloat by working two jobs and relying on her tarot cards to tell her how life will go. But even they do not predict the return of her ex and her ex best friend and a newcomer to town. Will their desire to protest a new "environmentally friendly" yoga retreat bring them together or tear them apart?

This is a wonderful debut novel for Lucy Lever, she certainly pulled me into the story from the start, I felt many emotions reading this one, from frustration to joy and everything in between which for me makes a great author. There are many characters in this one, Claire the tarot card reader, single mum to Zoe, Leo, new to town and a journalist then there is Jake someone from Claire’s past who is back in town dad to Charlotte, needless to say they are all worth meeting.

Claire lives in Northern New South Wales on the on the edge of Mystic Ridge a rainforest, she and her daughter and lot of people in town live an alternative lifestyle and they love it Claire is working hard to regenerate the rainforest and save the endangered trees growing there, she loves her tarot cards and has a big heart, but when she gets wind of someone, someone she knows wanting to bulldoze the rainforest Claire pulls out all stops to stop it.

Leo meets Claire at the local markets and gets his tarot cards read this is something very new for Leo and he has no idea why he did it only that he does now know how attracted to Claire he is, he has moved to Lillypilly to start afresh, can he put his past behind him or has she come with him, as the journalist at the local paper, soon he and Claire are both fighting the chemistry between them and doing all they can to save Mystic Ridge.

Will Claire and Leo find their way to happiness with Jake making waves, will they save Mystic Ridge? This story has lots going on and lots of wonderful characters, including Zoe, Charlotte and Liam you must meet them they are fresh and open and I loved them, add to that a music star Indigo, Claire’s best friend and this story was fun and exciting, it is a lovely romance and one that I do highly recommend and I am looking forward to more from Lucy Lever.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

Mystic Ridge is about family, friendship and trust. When Claire received a letter from her landlord that he was sick and needed to sell her home, at first, Claire did not know what to do. When she realises that the person looking to buy her land wants to destroy all her work to save the forest, she starts to fight back. Mystic Ridge readers will continue following Claire to find out what happens.

Mystic Ridge is the debut book by Lucy Lever and a fantastic book to read. If Mystic Ridge highlights Lucy Lever's writing style and her plots, she will have an excellent future in the Australian literary scene. I love Lucy Lever's portrayal of her characters and their interaction with each other throughout this book. Mystic Ridge is well-written and researched by Lucy Lever. I like Lucy Lever's description of the settings of Mystic Ridge, which allowed me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

The readers of Mystic Ridge will understand the importance of having a celebrity promote an environmental campaign. Also, the readers of Mystic Ridge will learn the issues in protecting native forests and rare native food called the golden Quandongs.

I recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mystic Ridge. Set on the hinterland of the northern NSW coast, this whimsical romance offers readers plenty to smile about. I loved Claire, a woman working her hardest to make ends meet for herself and her teenage daughter Zoe. Zoe made for an excellent secondary character too, while Leo de Rosso, local newspaper editor and Claire’s love interest was a perfect foil for her. This is a light and quick read, with plenty to entertain readers along the way. The setting is gorgeous and I felt at home there. A lovely twist at the end of the story brought a smile to my face.

I absolutely adored everything about this book from the stunning cover to the magnificent title to the magical story written within. It's a debut novel and I already love this author's writing style. The story of single mum Claire who is a tarot reader but can't read her own. Leo is new in town and has a fake relationship with Claire but before things can truly get started old flame Jake comes back to town. I was definitely team Leo he is a man of my own heart and I truly despised Jake. The quirky characters and the small town community are what makes this book all the more special. I particularly liked the tarot as it really makes you believe that there are forces out there beyond our control. We all have a destiny and I don't know if I want to know what mine is. I actually really love the name Mystic Ridge and instantly connected with it. A heartwarming book.

3.5 STARS
Sometimes, you’ve just got to follow the signs that the universe sends you…

Already struggling to make ends meet, single mum and tarot reader Claire is shocked to learn that her home on Mystic Ridge, and the rainforest she’s worked hard to regenerate, is under the threat of being turned into a concrete yoga retreat. She’s determined to rally the small community of Lillypilly to get behind the cause, but it’s easier said than done when half the community are under the thumb of yoga teacher Ruby. And just to make things even more complicated, Claire’s non-existent love life is suddenly existent again with the arrival of newspaper editor Leo and the return of her teenage flame Jake. Between a brief stint as a fake girlfriend for Leo, Jake trying to get back with Claire, her daughter Zoe having issues at school, and the looming threat of homelessness, Claire can either choose to admit defeat or fight for what she wants.

As much as I ADORE rural romance, I have to admit that I struggled with this one a little. While it’s a rural romance, it’s definitely different from most rural romances, with a bit of a mystical element that made for a nice twist but didn’t quiet hit the mark like I wanted it to at times. I also struggled with Lucy’s pacing of the story and the way characters were introduced and characterised. All together, these issues made the book difficult to fall into at times, although the overall story itself was an enjoyable one and definitely had potential.

Claire and Zoe had a really interesting story as a mother and daughter, and I would have loved to see more of their relationship as they did tarot at markets and lived in their house in the rainforest. This dynamic was thrown out of whack very early on when their neighbour Poppy Moon and her children had to seek refuge at their house - while these characters definitely grew on me, I would have loved to have seen the solo dynamic more before everything was upended.

While the romance could be considered a love triangle since two guys are vying for Claire’s heart, it’s a love triangle where it’s impossible to form a connection with one of the love interests - Jake gave me the absolute ick (which is obviously the point), but I feel like the entire storyline would have had much more of an impact if we as the reader were able to form a connection with him before everything went to hell. On the other hand, I thought Leo was an interesting character and Lucy explored his backstory really well in terms of how it impacted the current story. I just wish we had more of a chance to see Leo and Claire as a couple before the epilogue as they definitely had good chemistry, but miscommunication kept getting in the way.

As I said, the overall story was fairly enjoyable as we follow Claire fight to save her home, the rainforest, and the endangered trees she’s nurtured over the years. Lucy also really taps into the Byron Bay alternative culture stereotype which was super fun, although maybe could have been executed a bit better at times with some of the characters.

Overall, the book was enjoyable, even if it didn’t quiet hit the mark and live up to my expectations. If you’re looking for a mystical twist on the classic Australian rural romance, this is certainly a book you’ll want on your TBR.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for the ARC.

This was a really fun and easy read. Full of love, friendship, and a lot of belief in the forces beyond the seeing eye.
Claire is a tarot reader who believes in what she does but doesn't have the best luck in her personal readings.
Leo is a scientifically minded man.
They are brought together by forces stronger than their own egos and pride. There are a few false starts, but they get there in the end.

A highly recommended debut novel by Lucy Lever set for release on July 5th.