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

I loved returning to Hanrahan and imagining myself wandering along along a lake in the shadows of the Snowy Mountains.
This story focuses on Kylie, who has opened a mechanics workshop and is facing a lot of backlash from a misogynistic competitor and her mother who can't understand her desire to work in a male dominant field.
Her love interest is Damon, who has run away to his mothers recently inherited property and has a tonne of baggage to sort through.
There is a bit of drama, but mostly just fun and friendship with a bit of chemistry thrown in to mix things up. It was an easy to read story that I really enjoyed.

EXCERPT: Kylie looked over to the food table where the man had fallen into conversation with one of the 'Moana's' passengers. Was he single? Was he eligible? Was he the sort of drop-dead hottie who moved to a country town to realise their dream of farming the land, and was looking for long walks by the lakeshore and a forever friend?
Clueless wasn't a word she'd have used to describe him. Easy on the eye? Yep, she'd have said that. Tall, dark and dangerous? Totally all of the above. As she walked closer, she could see he was older than she'd first thought, and the short cut hadn't quite tamed the cut of his hair. He held himself like someone who was used to being in charge, despite the fact he was looking faintly ludicrous with that apron tied around a business suit.
A crumpled business suit. Billionaire or homeless person? she would have demanded of her friend Hannah if they'd spied him on a girls' night out.
She slipped between a woman in a hibiscus print dress and an older gentleman whose walking cane was giving him a little trouble on the thick grass, being careful to not brush her grease-stained overalls against anyone, then approached the table.
'Hello,' she said. 'I hope there's a scone left for me.'
The man's eyes locked onto her like a spanner onto a locknut. Woah, where was Hannah when she needed her? Her fingers itched to start texting: 'Hot bloke alert. Eye contact established. Hold my beer.'

ABOUT 'A SNOWY RIVER SUMMER': Lady mechanic seeks love in the country.

Kylie Summer loves her hometown in the Snowies, and life would be wonderful if only her workshop would turn a profit (she's broke) and Hanrahan would recover from its shortage of eligible blokes (unlikely).

But then an arrogant city lawyer turns up. Is he in Hanrahan to stay? Not at all. He's charming and he's good-looking but he's a bad decision waiting to happen. If only he didn't make her feel so ... wonderful.

Damon Johns hasn't lost a court case in months, so he's mad as fire when his colleagues ban him from work. Sure, he's had a run-in with a traffic cop ... and a judge ... but banning him? What his colleagues don't know is that Damon's past is about to catch up with him and his career may not be the only thing set to implode.

A chance request to organise the sale of a country property is good he'll need a distraction if he can't work, and soon he'll be back in the city where he belongs. The bad news? The place comes with a special-needs labrador and a girl-next-door mechanic who both conspire to give his lonely heart crazy ideas about sticking around ...

MY THOUGHTS: Woah! I fell straight into this book and didn't want to, never mind couldn't, climb back out!

A Snowy River Summer has to be my #1 Aussie rural romance pick - EVER! I loved the way Damon and Kylie sparked off one another right from the start. But Kylie is done dating guys who aren't going to stick around, and Damon has made it perfectly clear that he's happy to have a short-term romance before he heads back to Sydney, but he's definitely not in Hanrahan to stay.

The characters are superb, all the likely people you would find in a small rural town - the judgmental, the gossips, the stalwarts that have their fingers in every pie, and the supporters - those people who have your back no matter what. Hell, if Hanrahan was beside the sea, I would move there tomorrow!

But A Snowy River Summer is far more than just a romance book. It highlights the prejudice still prevalent against women working in what have traditionally been men's roles; burnout from high-pressured careers; and the need to work to find solutions to problems (including family problems) rather than just burying them in the too-hard basket. Friendship, especially multi-generational friendship, is also an important facet in this book.

Stella Quinn captured my heart with A Snowy River Summer. Her writing is easy to read, relaxed and tinged with humour, but made my heart race. I'm pleased she has a large backlist of books for me to enjoy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#ASnowyRiverSummer #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: When Stella Quinn isn’t sitting in the sun scribbling in a notebook, she can be found walking her dog, roaming her neighbourhood in search of the perfect latte, or thrashing her children at scrabble. She grew up in England, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Australia, and spent five (long!) years at boarding school in country Queensland.

Stella writes contemporary romance novels that are warm-hearted and filled with characters you want to be best friends with. She loves rural small-town settings, island settings, and everyday heroes. (Source: stellaquinnauthor.com - abridged)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to HQ via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of A Snowy River Summer by Stella Quinn for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

In my humble opinion, A Snowy River Summer is Stella Quinn’s best book so far. It has all the feels and then some. First up, the setting on the shores of Lake Bogong in Victoria’s High Country is just magical. I like the bit of poetic license that sees both a Murray River paddle steamer and a vineyard up there. Not completely improbable, but highly unlikely, I suspect. Still, they work in this story and work well. The setting is gorgeous and as a reader, I was very quickly transported there. I adored the characters—apart from Kylie’s sleazy competition. Damon, a Sydney barrister, who has burned himself out with overwork and is suffering panic attacks, is on a three-month sabbatical and has gone to Hanrahan to sort out a property his mother inherited. He’s the perfect fish out of water and I loved his surprise at finding things like really good coffee out in the boondocks. I loved watching the cou try working its calming magic on him. Kylie, a mechanic with a love of tractors, is another wonderful character. A Hanrahan local, she’s determined to fight to the bitter end for the survival and eventual success of her business, despite the underhanded behaviour of her competition. I loved her spunk. Put Kylie and Damon together and there is, of course, the requisite sizzle, but there is also smart and witty banter and some laugh-out-loud funny scenes. Throughout the book, Quinn uses similes to great effect to create perfect visual images. I’ve loved the earlier books in this series, and I recommend reading them first, but if you’ve just picked this book up, go for it. It will deliver laughs, warm fuzzy moments, and perfect escapism all by itself.

Kylie is a mechanic in Hanrahan, and is struggling to find her forever man. She’s seen her friends find their forever person, but no matter what she can’t find him.

Damon is a barrister in Sydney who is now on leave and goes to Hanrahan to oversee the sale of a property his mother inherited. But what he doesn’t know is that it’s more than a sale he’s expecting.

Both Kylie and Damon are drawn to each other, but don’t know if that’s what they want, as they are both rigid in finding the thing that makes them happy.

It was wonderful to return to Hanrahan and find out how life is continue in the town. Adding in characters that ruffle a few feathers and interesting animals always make a great read.

Stella Quinn has taken her readers on the best trip back to the small Snowy Mountain town of Hanrahan, we have met Kylie before she is Hannah Cody’s best friend and Kylie is a real country girl and mechanic and is determined to find a farmer to love and marry and give little kids in gum boots, but finding that man is decidedly hard there are not many eligible men in Hanrahan, so Kylie joins RuRo romance dating site with the heading “Lady Mechanic seeks love in the Country” will she find the one?

Damon Johns is a very arrogant Sydney Barrister, he works hard and never loses a case he just keeps going but is it time that he slows down before his body tells him too, when he is pulled over by a RBT cop and loses his licence his best friends step in and demand that he has a time out before it is too late, he is not a happy man at all how dare they but he takes off in a taxi and finds himself at a lonely motel with Dr. Gloom talking to him when his mother of all people rings and ask him to go to the Snowy mountain town and check out a small property that has been left to her and get it ready to sell, could this be the thing that changes his life?

What Damon finds when he arrives at Snowy River Vineyard is not what he expected besides the beautiful property there is a dog, Alfie who needs lots of love and care there is so much to take in before he gets it ready for sale and then he meets the beautiful mechanic, who would have thought that him, Damon would feel this way about a woman in overalls.

When Kylie arrives at the vineyard and finds tall dark and handsome severing scones and tea in an apron her heart jumps there is an instant attraction but she feels he is not the one, he could never stay in the country and become her farmer but as they get closer Kylie cannot deny what her heart wants even if Damon is determined to get back to the city, and as for Damon this lifestyle seems to be making him see what life is all about and Kylie plays a big part in that could he find a way to make it work because he is feeling that leaving Kylie, Alfie and Hanrahan might be a big mistake.

I loved this one it is witty, fun and romantic I loved Kylie and Damon so very much truly I laughed , I cried happy tears and found it very hard to put this one down, I loved Alfie and catching up with the awesome characters who live in Hanrahan and I do hope that we can visit again.

I highly recommend this one, it is a must read and absolutely awesome story.

My thanks to Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.

Kylie Summer loved her home town of Hanrahan in the Snowy Mountains, where her mechanic's business was barely keeping her head above water. But it was the opposition of another mechanic on the highway, who was trying to take over Kylie's business, that had her angry. A nasty sleaze, it seemed he would do anything to stop Kylie going ahead. But she was having none of it, and her determination saw her, and other female Hanrahan residents, start a group where said women could find some solutions.

Damon Johns was a top barrister from Sydney, one who never lost a case and was arrogant and cocky to go with it. But when things started to go wrong, his two colleagues banned him from work, saying he needed a break away. And when a traffic cop put the final nail in the coffin for Damon, he found himself - eventually - in Hanrahan, after agreeing to see to an inheritance his mother had received. Clean it up, sell it, then back to Sydney and into work again...

When Kylie and Damon - and Alfie, the elderly, obese Labrador - met, the stars aligned. But even Kylie, desperate as she was, could see Damon was the wrong person for her. So, what would happen in the three months Damon was to be incarcerated in Hanrahan?

A Snowy River Summer is another delightful rural romance by Aussie author Stella Quinn. It was fun being back in Hanrahan, catching up with Hannah, Tom, and others. Damon was painful, Alfie was adorable, and Kylie was stubborn. Well written, descriptive prose which made it easy to visualise and wonderful to read. I loved Trevor in all his pinkness! An excellent read which I recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley & HQ Fiction AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

A Snowy River Summer
by Stella Quinn

What a delightful story this book turned out to be! Initially, it didn’t capture my attention; Damon’s character felt distant and unlikable until he arrived at the enchanting Snowy Mountain Vineyard. It was Kylie Summer and her vibrant circle of friends who truly hooked me, and I am so grateful that I persevered to the end. The narrative is heartwarming and humorous, set against the backdrop of a picturesque small town, making it impossible not to fall in love with the endearing community of characters who call Hanrahan home. This story is both thought-provoking and uplifting, tackling several challenging themes with grace.

Kylie Summer cherishes her beloved hometown of Hanrahan, but she is grappling with pressing issues: A) her struggling mechanic business desperately needs more customers, and B) the town's lack of eligible single men leaves her feeling disheartened. Despite these challenges, Kylie has made a firm vow. She dreams of embracing life with a farmer and starting a family, determined to wait for the right person rather than settling for anything less.

Damon Johns, on the other hand, is an arrogant city barrister from Sydney whose carefully constructed world has crumbled. Faced with limited options, he reluctantly decides to help his mother with a property issue, a trip that challenges everything he thought he knew about himself.

During this journey, I was particularly enchanted by the characters, especially Alfie. His tender relationship with Damon added a layer of sweetness and warmth to the story. There is so much more I could say, but I highly recommend you read this book if you love Aussie rural romance with strong female characters.

A Snowy River Summer was a great and I really enjoyed reading it. I love reading Aussie Rural Romance and author, Stella Quinn, did not let me down. But I’m a twist of the ‘usual’ plot of city girl arrives in a small country town for various reasons and falls in love with a country boy - we have a city boy meeting country girl!

Kylie is our heroine. Fiercely independent she has given up her “suitable for a woman” job to start up and run her own mechanical workshop in the country town of Hanrahan. She is single and looking for love, but no decent eligible men in the area. She is using a dating app and the mostly senior citizens yoga group she attends are helping her by offering suggestions for wording. Her mother is constantly nagging her to be a helpless, dependent female in order to attract a husband - and not so fussy. There is also a physical threat by the male owner of another mechanical workshop and Kylie decides to fight back.

Enter our Hero. Damon Jones is a burnt out workaholic city barrister who is going through a breakdown. The firm he works for forced him to take a 3-month break from lawyering, at the same time his mother demands he travels to an outback town called Hanrahan to sell a property she has inherited. This property turns out to be a small vineyard and picnic venue, with a seemingly unbreakable contract that has a few months to run. Part of the unexpected inheritance is Alfie, a Labrador who steals every scene he is in.

From here the story takes off as Kylie and Damon work out their issues, both separately and together, and slowly (one slower than the other) realise that possible they need to work together

While A Snowy River Summer is a light romantic read with lots of laughter there are some serious issues covered. Metal health, physical threats and abuse, toxic parenting, prejudice and online dating. But being a romance you can rest assured that these issues are eventually brought out into the open to be dealt with and there is growth, not only in our MCs, but in the characters around them.

I enjoyed my time in this small town, the friendships, squabbles and the support. I honestly recommend that you come and spend some time here too.

This was my first read by Stella Quinn and after meeting the townsfolk of Hanrahan I want to go back and read more.

I really enjoyed seeing what it was like for Kylie in the small town, as a woman trying to crack it in a male dominated industry. She has many battles to fight - including her own mother. Then successful, ambitious, workaholic barrister Damon comes to town after a mental breakdown in the city, with the sole purpose to sell his mother’s inheritance - a country vineyard.

Sparks fly between Kylie and Damon. But Kylie has made a vow. She is after a serious relationship- a farmer in the country where she can bring up a family and run her business. It was lovely to witness the caring nature of the country town - where everyone is in everyone’s business - but with the best intentions. It was a slow burn rural romance but great to see Kylie and Damon work out what’s important in life.

This is another lively, lightly amusing story in Stella Quinn’s Snowy Mountain series. Like others in that series, the story is stand alone but with light links to earlier novels. It’s a warm and fun read, and will delight both new readers and old fans.

Damon Johns’ experienced a severe case of burnout. For years he’s been pushing himself as a barrister, and one day he goes over the edge completely. His colleagues tell him fairly forcibly that he needs a break.

Through a series of mildly unfortunate events, Damon finds himself in Hanrahan, stuck with a farm and house that need to be prepared for sale. Previous readers will not be surprised to know that Hanrahan soon gets it’s claws into him, and the job is neither as quick or as simple as he’d hoped. And as for the help offered by local mechanic Kylie, well, that’s not as simple as he’d expected either.

Kylie Summer just wants to keep her business as a mechanic going, preferably at a decent profit. Well, she also wouldn’t mind if her mother would back off a bit. She’d love the money to buy some vintage tractors. Oh, and now you mention it, yes, a hot man would be nice. Rather like Damon perhaps. But he’s already been clear that he’s not here for long. He and Kylie have completely incompatible desires. Don’t they?

For previous readers, it’s pretty light on the established townfolk. Many of the characters we’ve met before do reappear, but I felt that there was a bit less of the nosy-parkering and crazed matchmaking than we’ve seen in earlier novels. Still, there’s a real charm and sense of community to the environment Damon finds himself in.

There is a degree of predictability about this – it’s a romance novel, for goodness sake. But the characters are strong, the tone is warm and amusing, and the story grounded enough to feel real. It’s a really enjoyable read which romance readers will enjoy.

What a delight! This delicious romance is full of layers - and charm - and pining. So good!

Kylie is a mechanic in very small-town Hanrahan. She's single and wants more for herself. She wants love, and kids, but also to keep her independence, have a thriving business and stay in her hometown. Damon couldn't be more different. He's a hot-shot barrister, living the very fast life in the city but privately suffering from self-doubt and burnout. He ends up at a vineyard in Hanrahan and these two connect. There's all the chemistry but they have so much to navigate - geography, career goals, family complexity, mental health - nothing is going to be easy for them.

Part of what makes this work so well is the secondary characters in Hanrahan. The layers all flow together in a totally satisfying way. Shout out to friends and neighbours, and greedy dog Alfie. Alternately coaching and meddling, the locals move everything along. Author Stella keeps it light, but there's real stuff here, especially around mental health and how tightly we hold our beliefs. Kylie and Damon's HEA is hard-won, and so modern with compromise for both of them.

I'm off to read Stella's other Hanrahan stories.

Thank you Stella Quinn, Harlequin Australia and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

My first book of Stella Quinn and I loved it and it looks like I have to read the other books to get to know the other characters from this book. Another author to binge-read.
It’s heartwarming, funny and a beautiful story.
Loved the characters in this book especially Alfie (wink).
I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher HarperCollins Australia for this wonderful book, ARC.

Look if Stella Quinn writes it...I'm going to read it! Not even going to bother with the blurb. I'm just going to jump straight in and know it will be an entertaining read I will love.

Heartwarming, funny and set in a picturesque small town, you cant help but fall in love with the community of characters that call Hanrahan home.

Kylie is a powerhouse. She is very independent and working as mechanic but her business is struggling, while Damon is the overworked barrister on the brink of a full breakdown and together...wow! Great banter and fabulous slow burn chemistry between these two! You can't help but love them both even though they both very clearly have their flaws.

And Alfie...absolutely loved him and his connection to Damon!

Quinn once again shows why she is one of my favourite rural romance writers with A Snowy River Summer.

Kylie Summer lives in Hanrahan, a small town in the Snowy Mountains and she’s a mechanic. Kylie is struggling to find a bloke, there’s an eligible man drought, and she’s tried the dating apps and had no luck. Damon Johns is from Sydney and his mother has sent him to Hanrahan to sort out and sell the property she’s inherited from her half-brother. Damon knows nothing about his late uncle, running a vineyard and picnic business and taking care of his elderly Labrador who likes to lick people’s feet and eat things he shouldn’t.

Kylie’s business is struggling and she needs the paid work Damon offers, he requires a driver and someone to help him sort through the sheds full of mysterious machinery and she adores old tractors. Damon is a tall, dark and handsome, and Kylie wonders why he arrived town like he did and she would be foolish to develop feelings for him and risk having her heart broken.

I received a copy of A Snowy River Summer from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an unbiased review. I laughed and cried while reading this moving, thought provoking and uplifting novel and I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. The characters are diverse and some I’ve already met in the previous books in the popular rural fiction series, like Kylie and Hannah, Vera and Josh, and Marigold and Kev, and newbies Damon and Nick and Alfie the dog.

The story highlights the prejudice female mechanics face, and how being a high achieving barrister is stressful and many struggle with their mental health and that's why Damon took a break and ended up in Hanrahan and not just to help his mum.

It emphasises relevant themes like overcoming obstacles, and life presents us with unexpected challenges or surprises, like finding love when you least expect it and plans can be changed or altered if you take a chance. I adore reading stories set in small Australian country towns, with the sense of community and kinship, a variety of residents and of course lots of drama and I highly recommend Stella Quinn’s latest book and five stars from me.

This was my first Stella Quinn book but it certainly won't be my last.
I actually have a couple of her books on my tbr pile and they will certainly be moving higher up!
I adore rural romance and this was just my cup of tea.
The wonderful relationships between the people in this community just warmed my heart.
I fell in love with Kylie and Damon, loved watching their relationship kick off, then slowly grow.
Kylie's relationship with her mother made me miss my own Mum, who has been gone for over 10 years now. I certainly was moved to tears at one part in particular (no spoilers).
Hannah and Tom are also wonderful friends to Kylie.
And Alfie, well he just stole the show didn't he!
Absolutely brilliant, thank you Stella.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Stella Quinn delivers another charming rural romance with A Snowy River Summer, blending heartfelt storytelling with an authentic small-town Australian setting. The Snowy Mountains backdrop adds a cozy, immersive feel, making it easy to picture the crisp air and rugged landscapes that shape the characters’ lives.

Kylie is a fantastic lead—strong, determined, and easy to root for as she works tirelessly to keep her mechanic workshop afloat. Damon, the city lawyer thrown into small-town life, provides a great contrast, and their chemistry builds in a satisfying way. I enjoyed the gradual development of their relationship, which felt natural rather than rushed. The inclusion of a special-needs Labrador was a lovely touch, adding warmth and emotional depth to the story.

Quinn’s writing captures the essence of rural romance beautifully, balancing humor, heart, and personal growth. While some moments felt a bit predictable, the emotional beats landed well, making this a comforting and enjoyable read.

Copy received via Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia for an honest review

I am not a big fan of the RuRo genre (I did the tree change, it is usually NOT like it is in the books, but that is why we read them, right), and Stella Quinn can be a bit hit or miss for me.

A Snowy River Summer was a hit.

With a twist, of the city boy going country, it was nice for a change to see the man be the fish out of water, Damon and Kylie's tale was one that kept me captivated.

I could feel Kylie's heart and hurt when it came to finding love in a small town (boy, there really can be slim pickings when you do the tree change to a small town, speaking from experience here). And I got her frustration with the small mindedness and old fashioned ideals of some of the older generation in small towns.

Oh, and don't get me started on the gossip mill haha. I felt it to my core every time Kylie talked about it hahah.

I liked Damon's enlightenment of what he wants and needs for a fulfilling life. Add in an overweight but lovable goofball dog, best friends who have your back and small town life, A Snowy River Summer was an enjoyable tale.

Oh, and I loved that towns not far from where I live *cough cough Wombat* got a mention!