Bright, fun and emotional read. I believe strongly that Prim and Blake are made for each other. As they unravel each others mystery and connect on a deeper level.

A great read, revisiting some characters from previous novels. Prim seems content on her own with her crew of rescue animals and is getting by after facing some legal issues. Then Blake Sinclair comes along and her world turns upside down.

Sunshine Through the Rain by Author Penelope Janu is another great read with stand-out characters.

Prim Cartwright from the start grabs your focus. Her vulnerability and strength are compelling and heartfelt. Blake’s character is intriguing as each of his emotive layers are revealed.

Prim is the glue in the story - her connections with secondary characters draw your focus to the happenings in the story. Each of the animals depicted brought some chuckles and pulled on the heartstrings and were completely endearing.

Sunshine Through the Rain is a great story from Penelope Janu with a couple of surprises sure to entertain.

Likeable story, interesting characters overall made for a great read.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for the chance to read this book.

In this story, we get to know the youngest Cartwright sister much better. Primrose Cartwright suffers from a stutter and, as a child dealing with trauma, stopped talking all together for a time. She has learnt to hide her pain and doesn't even share the true depths with her two sisters, who she is close to.
Blake Sinclair has learnt to rely only on himself after the way he was raised. He and Prim butt heads and clash at first, but there is undeniable chemistry.
This is a slow burn romance with some added drama.

Although it didn't grab me tightly and make me want to ignore all else to finish it, it was an enjoyable read.

Penelope always guarantees an engaging read with her books - I absolutely loved Shelter From the Storm, so I couldn’t wait to read this third book on the Cartwright sisters, Prim. This tale kept me engaged from beginning to end.

‘Phoebe on one side, Patience on the other. Just the three of us. They know me. I know them. I trust them.’

With much on offer, this really is more than your standard rural romance. Of course, there is a lovely relationship with a wonderful leading man but it is clearly evident the research that Penelope has gone into for this book. There is an engaging mystery with an environmental issue which I always fully appreciate about Peneolope’s books. The details concerning ethical farming and the use of hormones with a UN agent even getting involved was topical.

As always the Australian Outback is on display with life in a small rural town and the community that comes together in times of need. A special aspect that Penelope often includes is for all the animal lovers out there - on this occasion Prim being a vet, there is a range of animals and one cannot help but be moved by her advocacy for animal rights and welfare. Add onto that details on veterinary procedures and the life of animals kept in a zoo and there is much to appreciate and take on board.

‘I remember everything. The needing and wanting and craving. The finding and keeping and sharing. The sunshine through the rain.’

Yet for me I was captured by the themes concerning childhood trauma and facing/overcoming fears, especially with issues surrounding Prim’s stutter and the impact - past and present - of that. This was a wonderful novel about healing and being brave enough to go after your dreams. With tensions brewing, family dramas, animal welfare, Sunshine through the Rain is a highly engaging read.







This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I enjoy reading Penelope Janu’s heartwarming stories about rural life mixed with a caring real life message.
We meet Primrose Cartwright, her love of animals keeps her busy and happy. Surrounded by her special friends and her strong bond with her two sisters, helped with her healing, her childhood was traumatic.
I felt the pain and emotion of Primrose’s anxiety, her speech impediment was crippling. Penelope Janu’s storytelling style has the right balance of truth and empathy, truly inspiring.
The characters are strong in their own right, strive to protect animals in any way and fight their beliefs and attraction to each other. Primrose must find her voice at the right moment.

I would recommend this book to all Australian rural romance lovers, you’ll be left with a warm satisfied feeling!

Sincere thanks to Harlequin Australia, NetGalley and the wonderful Penelope Janu for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Set near Dubbo in western NSW, Sunshine Through The Rain is very much a character-driven story. The romantic interests are both vets, but that’s where the similariities end. Dr Primrose Cartwright, Prim was born with a stutter, which worsened to the point where she was mute for long periods of time thanks to an abusive childhood at home and bullying from her peers in high school. To make matters worse, she’s suffering the finncial effects of a run-in with wealthy local landholder Douglas Farquhar. Dr Blake Sinclair is an internationally respected large animal specialist anaesthetist, who has been contracted to work for several months at the western plains zoo where Prim also works part-time. The relationship between Blake and Prim is prickly to say the least. She can hardly say a word in his presence and her reluctance to become involved with him frustrates him. They’re one of the most unusual romantic pairings I’ve seen. While they’re dancing around each other, a secondary plot involvng possible cattle doping and international crime keeps the story bubbling along. This book is one for the keeper shelf.

Penelope Janu is a must read author, her stories are always heartwarming and filled with issues that are important to life and this one is just so good, I have met Primrose Cartwright in a couple of her other books and this time it is Prim’s time to find love and happiness but will she find the man who will be the one?

Prim is a country vet living and working around the town of Ballimore she has her animals, horses and goats who mean so much to her and her sisters will always be there for her, growing up was very hard but through everything she came through with flying colours she is not looking for a relationship but when Scottish vet Blake Sinclair arrives in town things just might change.

Blake is a love them and leave them guy a specialist veterinarian anesthetist who is going to be working at the Dubbo zoo, when he meets Prim Cartwright he is instantly attracted to her, but she is pulling away from him struggling to communicate with him, but why, will he be able to ever get her to trust him?

When Prim questions one of her employers about his bull things start to get a but stressful which is not good for Prim but she stays strong and when asked to do some work at the Dubbo zoo needing the money she takes it even though she knows it will bring her closer to Blake.

This is a beautiful story, it is beautifully told filled with emotion as we get to know Prim really well and her empathy and kindness not only to the animals she cares for but the people around her as well and Blake what a hero strong caring and his love for Prim shines through the rain that continues to fall, Prim is a very popular person and so she should be and Blake is the best person for her. It was fabulous catching up with friends from other stories.

I loved this one from start to finish, so many tears fell, happy and sad, this is one that I do highly recommend, and it is a beautiful heartwarming and moving story.

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

This third Cartwright sister book was an engrossing and fun read for me - I couldn't put it down! I was happy to find that the romance of youngest sister Prim and lovely animal anesthetist Blake was so enjoyable to watch unfold.

Set in her fictionalised small towns in the region around Dubbo that Janu writes so well, we watch the two main characters meet, clash, be drawn together and lean away again and again throughout. I liked the care and attention paid to Prim's stammer, and once again so solidly impressed by this author's writing. She says so much with so few words, I just love it. Prim's big big heart for animals and her life's work to ease their suffering was really touching. Blake was introduced as a person she had reason to dislike, however his calm determination to change her mind about that and see the real him was impressive.

Like Janu's other books, the main theme is about animals and there is a suspense subplot that once again involves the mysterious UN agent from previous stories. The actual thrills and danger in this one is not as intense as some installments, but the final climactic scenes did still get the heart racing! The steamy scenes are well done too.

Recommended if you like spicy Aussie rural romance. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Primrose Cartwright loved animals, loved to care for and nurture them and her job as a country vet was perfect for her. She'd rescued Eeyore the donkey, horses Bonnie and Juniper, and Merrylegs, a pony who'd been treated dreadfully. She also had two goats and was fortunate to be living in a rental which had land attached for her animals. Prim's two sisters - Phoebe and Patience - were the only people she trusted after the traumatic upbringing she and her sisters had had, and when she was anxious, tired or stressed, her stuttering, which had been part of her life since childhood, took over - she lost her words.

Blake was a large animal vet, newly arrived in Ballimore and his first meeting with Prim wasn't a good one. Working on Tom and Billy's farm, Prim was cauterising horn nubs on calves - a job which needed concentration and precision. Blake was working at the Dubbo zoo and when Prim was asked to work there on a casual basis, she agreed as she needed the money. But could Prim and Blake work together? She couldn't trust him - not when he was friends with Douglas Farquhar - and she fought the attraction she felt towards Blake. But the mystery - or was it a scandal - which Prim had unexpectedly become involved in threatened her livelihood...

What a breath of fresh air Sunshine through the Rain was! An inspiring, poignant and heartwarming story, Prim was a damaged soul with courage and tenacity, and her fight was real. There were many in the town who cared for Prim; had her back. But there were also those who didn't. I loved Sunshine through the Rain and Aussie author Penelope Janu is fast becoming a favourite. Highly recommended.

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

I'm always astounded by the amount of factual information that is included in Penenopes' books. And 'Sunshine through the Rain' was no exception.

By reading this authentic Australian rural romance, I gained an insight into veterinary terminology and procedures, ethical farming practices, animal welfare and breeding programs.

It also touched on important subjects such as bullying, childhood abandonment and the use of alcohol and promiscuity as a coping mechanism for a disability.

At times, Prim's stubbornness was frustrating, and the chemistry with Blake was questionable, but this slow-burn romance, sprinkled with a touch of mystery, was a heartwarming and all-round delightful read.

A great read! There's a slow burn romance, some mystery, horses, authentic rural life, a country zoo, and of course a villain hidden in plain sight.

Our hero Blake is so determined, first to find out Prim's secrets, then to discover all of her. She's not having it. This is a rare combination of fun and poignant, There's buried hurt for both of them, and we discover their secrets as they find each other.

Prim is feisty and tenacious and secretive. She is protecting her sisters, and ultimately herself, but is it necessary or will she miss out on a wonderful man and a wonderful opportunity? If you love a stubborn heroine, no one writes one better than Penelope Janu! Recommended :)

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Primrose Cartwright is a country vet in Ballimore a place where she’s created a home for herself and her collection of rescued animals. Which includes horses of various shapes and sizes, a donkey and a couple of goats.

Prim is the youngest of three girls, they’re very close and they had to be. Primrose’s mother had a stroke when she was seven, her eldest sister Phoebe raised her younger siblings Primrose and Patience and their father wasn’t a very nice man.

The new vet in town is Blake Sinclair, he works at the zoo and has the reputation of being a bit of a ladies man and the rumor is he has a new girlfriend every week. Blake parents are doctors, he was raised by nannies and when he was old enough he was sent off to a private boy’s school and he stayed with his Scottish grandfather at his farm during the holidays. His parents aren’t very happy with his choice of career, leaving the UK and want him to return.

Prim is unique, she loves her job and believes animals including live stock should be treated fairly, given appropriate pain relief for all procedures, stress kept to a minimum and not everyone agrees with her. Prim was involved in an incident with one of the big time livestock breeders in the area Douglas Farquhar, she came across something dodgy with his program, when it was investigated he was proven innocent and Primrose lost customers and legally she can’t discuss the case.

I received a digital copy of Sunshine through the Rain by Penelope Janu from Harlequin Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. Ms. Janu writes wonderful Australian rural fiction, with a little bit of mystery, suspense and characters who are strong and yet vulnerable and especially when it comes to romance. Despite the obvious chemistry between Prim and Blake, she's very hesitant about forming any sort of attachment to him or accepting his help and is Blake really a heart breaker?

All of the authors stories are meaningful, insightful and this time the narrative includes important information about topics such as stuttering and anxiety, child abandonment, physical and metal well being, bullying and engaging in risky behavior as teenagers and young adults.

Ethical farming, breeding of livestock and the use of hormones, keeping mammals, reptiles and birds in zoos and prioritize animal welfare. Five stars from me, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Janu's previous novel Shelter from the Storm and I highly recommend both books.