helenkat's review
4.0
4.5 stars
What a lovely read written rural romance about two people with lots of baggage. Sammy is trying to find herself in the rural town of Swallow's Fall, population 87. She literally crashes into Ethan, where there's instant attraction but they try to stick with friendship thanks to said buggage.
It's heartbreaking to see the obstacles holding them back - family tragedy, betrayal, mistreatment. Not to mention the focus of the town on them.
Ms Jones has a unique way of telling the story - there's lots of emotion but also humour in this story and I will be continuing with the rest of the series.
Disclaimer: While I know the author personally, this doesn't affect my star rating.
What a lovely read written rural romance about two people with lots of baggage. Sammy is trying to find herself in the rural town of Swallow's Fall, population 87. She literally crashes into Ethan, where there's instant attraction but they try to stick with friendship thanks to said buggage.
It's heartbreaking to see the obstacles holding them back - family tragedy, betrayal, mistreatment. Not to mention the focus of the town on them.
Ms Jones has a unique way of telling the story - there's lots of emotion but also humour in this story and I will be continuing with the rest of the series.
Disclaimer: While I know the author personally, this doesn't affect my star rating.
joanna1905's review
2.0
A great quick read! Really liked the characters and the community feeling created in this book! A solid plot! Definitely worth the read! One of my favorites in this series!
busyreading's review
4.0
Leaving behind an abusive ex fiance and a demanding mother, Samantha (Sammy) Walker escapes Sydney and heads to the town of Swallow Falls in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. She's only been in the area for 10 days when she rushes into the vets room with her ginger cat, Duke where she finds herself stumbling over, Ruby the resident pig and falling straight into the arms of the vet Dr Ethan Granger.
Sammy quickly learns that Ethan is not only a veterinarian, but also a carpenter. Sammy has numerous repairs that need attending to around her household, so she knows Ethan will come in very handy. The attraction between Sammy and Ethan is obvious, but they both have painful pasts and neither one of them wants to take the chance of being hurt again or can time heal old wounds?
The House on Burra Burra Lane is the first book in the "Swallow Falls" series and it was a delightful read and one in which I really enjoyed. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended.
Sammy quickly learns that Ethan is not only a veterinarian, but also a carpenter. Sammy has numerous repairs that need attending to around her household, so she knows Ethan will come in very handy. The attraction between Sammy and Ethan is obvious, but they both have painful pasts and neither one of them wants to take the chance of being hurt again or can time heal old wounds?
The House on Burra Burra Lane is the first book in the "Swallow Falls" series and it was a delightful read and one in which I really enjoyed. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended.
tien's review
3.0
I was just in the mood for some light reading after some classics & literary works. The House on Burra Burra Lane definitely fits the bill and lightened up my day. An easygoing and entertaining read with (of course) an HEA are requisites for an Aussie outback romance to my mind. I found all these in Jennie Jones’ debut.
I loved the opening of the book –a massive pig, a damsel in distress, a down-to-earth-knight-in-shining-armor… It was funny. It was electric. It sets the tone of the book. Samantha Walker is truly a likeable character; a city chick after a treechange with an all-can-do attitude. Ethan Granger might have chosen a solitary life after some disastrous past; somewhat reserved but still unable to not be around Sammy. This tension and secrets will keep you turning the pages until all is revealed.
The secrets or what I think it supposed to be the twist to the story, unfortunately, didn’t surprise me at all. I was actually a little disappointed to be proven right and wished there was something more unexpected. There was also one particular bit in the book which I thought was off; a particular usage of a word which I thought was out of place in this book though it might work well in a different type of romance novel. I was otherwise kept entertained enough to enjoy a light romantic fling in the outback.
The House on Burra Burra Lane is a light romantic read which will help smooth your day; perfect for the beach / poolside in the summer.
Thank you, Harlequin Books Australia, for copy of this book
I loved the opening of the book –a massive pig, a damsel in distress, a down-to-earth-knight-in-shining-armor… It was funny. It was electric. It sets the tone of the book. Samantha Walker is truly a likeable character; a city chick after a treechange with an all-can-do attitude. Ethan Granger might have chosen a solitary life after some disastrous past; somewhat reserved but still unable to not be around Sammy. This tension and secrets will keep you turning the pages until all is revealed.
The secrets or what I think it supposed to be the twist to the story, unfortunately, didn’t surprise me at all. I was actually a little disappointed to be proven right and wished there was something more unexpected. There was also one particular bit in the book which I thought was off; a particular usage of a word which I thought was out of place in this book though it might work well in a different type of romance novel. I was otherwise kept entertained enough to enjoy a light romantic fling in the outback.
The House on Burra Burra Lane is a light romantic read which will help smooth your day; perfect for the beach / poolside in the summer.
Thank you, Harlequin Books Australia, for copy of this book
samstillreading's review
3.0
The House on Burra Burra Lane first grabbed my attention with that gorgeous cover. Not only do you have the rustic cottage and the snow-capped mountains, you’ve also got a girl who looks like she’s having incredible fun. (Plus, in the interests of full disclosure, I really like her lip gloss colour!) However, the smile on the cover hides what is a romance with quite a few very suspenseful scenes.
From the very first chapter, I felt a kind of undercurrent running through the narrative that everything wasn’t going to be what it appeared to be. There was a shadow lurking around the corner as Sammy, recent big city Sydney transplant, joins the tiny community of Swallow’s Fall (population now 87). This isn’t even a country town, this is a tiny community where everyone is going to know everything, like it or not. Naturally, Sammy’s purchase of the run down farmhouse on Burra Burra Lane and arrival is A Big Event. So big that the locals are running a (betting) book on how long before she leaves town…now her meeting with hunky Ethan, vet slash carpenter has tongues wagging.
The narrative doesn’t waste any time in getting these two to meet – from the very first page Sammy is in Ethan’s surgery, getting a consult on her cat. The tension between the two simmers immediately and it’s only constant drawing back by the pair that stops the attraction from fully sparking. Why (despite many heated conversations), don’t they get it together sooner? Well, it’s because each of them have a Past. Kudos to Jones who draws out Sammy and Ethan’s secrets teasingly at just the right pace and for writing secret pasts that are not clichéd, but interesting in a shock-horror-can’t look away sense.
It’s these secrets that make the characters so fascinating. Sammy seemed to have it all in her Sydney life – beautiful clothes, classy job and glamorous boyfriend. Underneath that glamour hides a man determined to rule her and blackmail her mother so that Sammy runs to the Snowy Mountains. Out here, she’s determined to make a go of it herself - rebuilding the once beautiful house and standing alone. It’s a mindset that sees her somewhat at odds with the townsfolk, but with the approval of Grandy (town patriarch), she becomes increasingly accepted. Getting to know Ethan helps too…
Ethan’s a local boy, banished from town by Grandy years ago, yet welcomed back later with open arms. He’s a troubled man with a lot of problems, secrets and worries. He tries to hide it by being the local good guy, helping everyone out at his own time and expense. He feels he can’t get as close to Sammy as he’d like because he’d destroy her, but naturally he doesn’t tell her that! He broods silently while poor Sammy’s self-confidence takes another hit. Ethan can’t even tell her that he used to live in Sammy’s house – and yet nobody else in town does, which I found odd. (Surely this is something someone would LOVE to slip into a conversation…but then the folks of Swallow’s Fall are incredibly conscientious). Ethan’s baggage got a little too much for me at times, especially as I loved the independence and fragility in Sammy. His introduction to Sammy was also a little hot and heavy too fast for me…slightly creepy! I wish he had told her his issues earlier (but then of course, he couldn’t redeem himself in such a spectacular fashion).
I believe there is another Swallow’s Fall book in the works and I’ll be interested to read more about Sammy and Grandy, who is an absolute card. His scenes, a combination of common sense and dry wit, were fantastic.
Thank you to Harlequin Australia for the ecopy of this book.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
From the very first chapter, I felt a kind of undercurrent running through the narrative that everything wasn’t going to be what it appeared to be. There was a shadow lurking around the corner as Sammy, recent big city Sydney transplant, joins the tiny community of Swallow’s Fall (population now 87). This isn’t even a country town, this is a tiny community where everyone is going to know everything, like it or not. Naturally, Sammy’s purchase of the run down farmhouse on Burra Burra Lane and arrival is A Big Event. So big that the locals are running a (betting) book on how long before she leaves town…now her meeting with hunky Ethan, vet slash carpenter has tongues wagging.
The narrative doesn’t waste any time in getting these two to meet – from the very first page Sammy is in Ethan’s surgery, getting a consult on her cat. The tension between the two simmers immediately and it’s only constant drawing back by the pair that stops the attraction from fully sparking. Why (despite many heated conversations), don’t they get it together sooner? Well, it’s because each of them have a Past. Kudos to Jones who draws out Sammy and Ethan’s secrets teasingly at just the right pace and for writing secret pasts that are not clichéd, but interesting in a shock-horror-can’t look away sense.
It’s these secrets that make the characters so fascinating. Sammy seemed to have it all in her Sydney life – beautiful clothes, classy job and glamorous boyfriend. Underneath that glamour hides a man determined to rule her and blackmail her mother so that Sammy runs to the Snowy Mountains. Out here, she’s determined to make a go of it herself - rebuilding the once beautiful house and standing alone. It’s a mindset that sees her somewhat at odds with the townsfolk, but with the approval of Grandy (town patriarch), she becomes increasingly accepted. Getting to know Ethan helps too…
Ethan’s a local boy, banished from town by Grandy years ago, yet welcomed back later with open arms. He’s a troubled man with a lot of problems, secrets and worries. He tries to hide it by being the local good guy, helping everyone out at his own time and expense. He feels he can’t get as close to Sammy as he’d like because he’d destroy her, but naturally he doesn’t tell her that! He broods silently while poor Sammy’s self-confidence takes another hit. Ethan can’t even tell her that he used to live in Sammy’s house – and yet nobody else in town does, which I found odd. (Surely this is something someone would LOVE to slip into a conversation…but then the folks of Swallow’s Fall are incredibly conscientious). Ethan’s baggage got a little too much for me at times, especially as I loved the independence and fragility in Sammy. His introduction to Sammy was also a little hot and heavy too fast for me…slightly creepy! I wish he had told her his issues earlier (but then of course, he couldn’t redeem himself in such a spectacular fashion).
I believe there is another Swallow’s Fall book in the works and I’ll be interested to read more about Sammy and Grandy, who is an absolute card. His scenes, a combination of common sense and dry wit, were fantastic.
Thank you to Harlequin Australia for the ecopy of this book.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
brucefarrar's review
4.0
Samantha Walker has escaped an abusive boyfriend and a demanding mother in Sydney and taken off to an old house in a small town (population 86) in the Snowy Mountains. Less than a month later she finds herself in the arms of tall handsome Ethan Granger. Although the embrace was accidental—Dr. Granger is a veterinarian and Sammy was bringing her cat in for a checkup when she stumbled over a very large pig on the way in to his surgery—the attraction and thrill is mutual. Pretty soon they’re the talk of the town. But can the playful urban fashionista find happiness with the reserved rural vet, especially when they both have some history that each would just as soon not share with the other?
A very satisfying romance novel
A very satisfying romance novel
More...