(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

When it seems everything Paige trusts is beginning to betray her, she leaves her husband at home and sets off on a road trip with six year old Matilda, and Nana Alice in tow.
But stranded amid rising floodwaters, on a detour to the tiny town of Coolabah Tree Gully, Paige discovers the greatest betrayal of all happened there twenty years earlier.
Someone knows that truth can wash away the darkest shadows, but…
Are some secrets best kept for the sake of others?

An entertaining novel set in rural New South Wales. It is a story of betrayal and secrets, lies and trust - but also about the meaning of family and friendship.

Rural romance novels sometimes get a bad rap - it's "chicks in hats, falling in love with handsome men (who sometimes also wear hats) and everything is happy and everyone just gets along perfectly. I don't know if you would even categorise this novel as "rural romance", as it does more than tell a love story.

The cast of characters brought together some very interesting people. Anyone who has lived in small rural towns will recognise a lot of these characters as they are everywhere. These aren't just made-up people for a story - you can tell they are based on real people, with real passions and dreams, with real emotional and personal issues.

Overall, I thought the story was tight and really made me want to discover more about the characters and the town they were in. The only thing that really was a letdown for me were the chapters from Aiden's POV. I would rather just "hear" one voice and discover the story with them, rather than chopping and changing - but that is a personal thing!

I do recommend this to people who are not just interested in rural stories - but books about people with real issues and how they deal with them.


Paul
ARH