Blackwattle Lake (Pamela Cook, Hachette)

When Eve Nicholls inherits her mother’s property after storming out many years earlier, she is not prepared for the flood of memories and how her past catches up with her the minute she returns. Eve’s plan all along is to sell fast, take the cash and start a new life, but soon old friends, neighbours and love interests quickly find Eve back in the small town of Yarrabee. When an accident derails her plans to leave, she has to reach out to all the people she left behind and hurt, including her childhood best friend, her first love and the memory of her mother. As Eve is forced to face deeply held resentments and guilt about her past, she also discovers the gregarious, spirited young woman she once was.  The author has captured the delights and nuances of small towns with evocative descriptions of the landscape and environment. This is an entertaining read, if a little clichéd at times, but a lot of fun. This will please readers of rural romances, and Eve is a whip-smart character who should have a wide appeal. This fits neatly into the commercial women’s fiction genre and is an easy holiday read.  

Sarina Gale is a freelance writer and bookseller at the Sun Bookshop in Yarraville

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Category: Reviews