Fun, fast read! Emma is a long lost relative to Maggie. She travels to Australia from the UK to visit Maggie and to get away from the oppressive culture she has back home. While there, she meets Liam and he doubts she can handle the Outback. She volunteers for his latest cattle run. Not only does she surprise him, she finds she loves it! Before you know it, their slow summer attraction turns molten fast! Totally loved this read!

Emmaline Charlotte Llewellyn Grayson decides to visit her long lost cousin Maggie in Australia, she arrives on her wedding day and just in time for the reception. After a long flight from England, having a few champagne’s to toast the newlyweds seemed like a great idea until she woke up the next morning and found out farmer Liam McNair had to look after her. She's horrified by her behavior, Liam discovers that Emma's really a lady and in fact a Duchess.

Three years later Emma returns to Wirra Station to visit Maggie, Max and little Bridie. Liam is looking for hands to help him with his cattle muster, Emma offers to help and travels by helicopter to Red Rock Down, an isolated cattle station and the second biggest one in Australia.

Liam doesn’t think Emma will last four days roughing it, with the red dust, spiders, snakes, and sleeping in a swag. Not only does Emma last the four days, she loves life in the outback and gazing at the stars at night. After a frighting accident Liam stays away from Emma, she’s madly in love with the stubborn man and the English rose decides to take drastic action.

I received a copy of Emma by Kelly Hunter from NetGalley and Tule Publishing in exchange for an honest review and I really enjoyed the fourth book in the Outback Brides of Wirralong series. Emma and Liam both had tragic childhoods, they're a perfect match for each other and four stars from me.

This is the fourth and final book in the series of The Outback Brides of Wirralong.
This is the story of Emma and Liam, this book was definitely a favourite of mine. This one had me hooked from the very beginning and I did not want it to end.
Kelly has done a marvellous job with this story and has wrapped up this series perfectly.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this final book in this series, it went out with a bang!!!
This series is so infectious that you are going to want to read them all, including the original Outback Brides series.

This was a beautiful love story between two people who had some healing to do. Emma was the daughter of an earl from London. Her parents were very dysfunctional and didn't appreciate the wonderful, beautiful daughter they had. Instead, they ignored her and passed her off as chattel. Amazingly, she was pretty well adjusted for someone who had been ignored and neglected and who could never meet her parent's expectations or desires. She went to visit her cousin, Maggie, in Australia. While there, she came across, Liam, who was a rough and tumble cattle rancher in a remote area of the Australian outback.

Liam had never found a woman who could accept him or his family ranch or the idea of being alone in the wilderness. That is until he found this English rose who was tougher than she seemed and able to do hard things. He wanted to protect her and the more he came to love her, the scarier that thought became. He hadn't been able to protect him mother and he had lost her at a young age.

I won't give away the story except to say that there is an HEA and a beautiful love story that is told. There were a few f-bombs dropped during a tense scene in the book and some moderately graphic details of a sexual nature. Otherwise, the book was enjoyable and clean to read.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

Emma by Kelly Hunter
Series: Outback Brides of Wirralong #4
Subgenre: rural romance
Release date: 5 Jun 2019
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Format: ebook and print
Length: 149 pages
RRP: $4.99 (ebook); $20.89 (print)
As a child, Emmaline (Emma) discovers how much of a disappointment she is to her mother and her father. Her mother hands her over to her father when she is seven, in keeping with their agreement. She sees her mother only once again.
Emma’s father has a series of carers or schools for Emmaline. Then she finds herself in the family law practice. When she no longer wants to marry the overachieving and status-grasping Roger, her father expresses his greater disappointment. Emma leaves and heads to her cousin, several times removed, to find what she wants to do.
In Australia, Emma has friends and her goddaughter. In a previous trip she met Liam McNair. Frustratingly he calls her Duchess. When Emma arrives for a longer visit, Liam is there to collect her from the airport. They do chat a little, but they are both still wary. As it turns out Liam is the owner of a very large station, and it is mustering season. Despite having little experience, Emma volunteers to go on the muster and things between Emma and Liam heat up.
Emma ends up in hospital, and Liam is quite freaked by the incident and decides that Emma is better on her own, even though he loves her. Liam keeps thinking of his mother and her accident on the station, and that she couldn’t be saved. He doesn’t want this for Emma. He thinks it is better to let her go. Emma decides that this will not be the case and sets the mood and the tone for them being together forever.
Another winning story in the Outback Brides series. This is a couple who are very different and have had very different upbringings. Despite her early beginnings, Emma is a surprisingly positive person, and Liam is more closed given his upbringing, but they are able to make those differences work for their relationship. This is a couple who can make it work.
This is a quick but very enjoyable read.
Reviewed by Heather
A review copy of this book was provided by the author.

Emma by author Kelly Hunter is a great addition to the series. Ms Hunter never ceases to draw a reader's attention to the antics in her books. A captivating read.
Review copy received from the publisher via Netgalley

I went into Kelly Hunter’s Emma not expecting much more than a pleasant, “forgettable” read and got a whole lot more. The cover, though pleasant enough, doesn’t do it any favours. Hm, I thought, alpha-male outback hero, like a Montana-Texas-etc. cowboy but with an Oz accent, meets poor-little-English-rich-girl heroine, overwhelms her with his manliness and bedsport prowess and done! Not exactly. Yes, hero Liam McNair is the proprietor of acres and acres of Australian outback and yes, he does muster cows and such, but he’s also environmentally savvy and conscious, seeing himself more as a steward of the land than owner. He’s humble, diffident, still huge and gorgeous, but definitely thoroughly unaware of how attractive and desirable he is. Enter what the blurb calls our “English rose” heroine, Lady Emmaline Charlotte Greyson, recently defunct lawyer and she-who-abandoned-the-family-firm-and-obligations to run away to Australia to her friend Maggie’s wedding-venue-ranch, one she runs with husband Max and adorable toddler, Bridie, also Emmaline’s god-daughter. Enter Max’s friend, Liam, who’s sent to pick up Emmaline at the airport (they share some past, mild history) and tara! Insta-lust! NOT! Attraction, liking, interest, yes. And how it plays out? In a surprisingly adult and compelling romance narrative. Emmaline answers Liam’s call for mustering help (she’s a great horsewoman) and they find themselves aloft his helicopter for the four-hour drive. Thus begins a lovely weeks-long courtship …

And a courtship it is, with Emmaline doing as much of the courting as Liam. It was lovely to read about two people open about their feelings and desires, not in a schmaltzy way, there’s great banter, but it’s gentle, affectionate banter. Each in their way, Liam and Emmaline are hurt by events in their past: Liam, by his parents’ loss when he was sixteen (he immediately had to take on the financially faltering ranch); Emmaline, by her negligent parents. Liam and Emmaline are not wallowers-in-self-pity. They have forged a life and made good decisions for themselves: with Liam taking on the stewardship of his family’s land and Emmaline by leaving the family firm to find meaningful and fulfilling work.

But what’s wonderful about this romance is Liam and Em’s refreshing forthrightness: Em says of Liam at first sight, “The man was glorious to look at, kind at heart, and unattached” and Liam says of Em: “Bravado and vulnerability, and breathtaking beauty.” What soon becomes apparent about Em and Liam is that they’ve characterized each other perfectly, understand each others’ soft spots, are gentle with them, and build on each others’ strengths. Their ability to be honest with themselves, each other, and most importantly, the again refreshing willingness to be vulnerable to the other make this a glorious romance.

I can’t say I loved the “dark moment” when it came, a tad trite and eye-roll-worthy, but Em’s response to it was delightfully surprising and surprisingly delightful. Her Liam-pursuit and Liam’s meeting-her-half-way give the reader a glorious HEA. Emma is a mite of a romance with a mighty impact. With Miss Austen, we say that Hunter shows us evidence of “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Kelly Hunter’s Emma is published by Tule Publishing. It was released on June 5th and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Tule Publishing, via Netgalley.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was the last book in the second Outback Brides books. It was a really nice story. Emma is the cousin of Maggie. Maggie’s great aunt had a daughter, Joy, who had one child, Emma. Emma arrived to meet her mother’s family, unknowingly during her newfound cousin’s wedding. This is also her initial introduction to Max’s friend Liam. Emma lives in England and can only visit Australia when her visa permits. Emma is a unique gal. She was dropped off with her father at age 7 and her mother never saw her again. Her father wanted a boy and treated her as if she was a burden. She was alone a lot. She was made to become a lawyer but wasn’t allowed to actually practice it working for her dad. She was expected to marry an up and coming lawyer with the family business but in the end she wasn’t interested in him and she lost her position and the man moved up.

Emma loved visiting Maggie , Max and their daughter in Wirralong. She was very awkward in social situations so she appreciated all Maggie’s friends there. On a whim, Emma offers to join Liam for a muster at his land in the outback. They travel to Red Rock Downs, his home. Liam tells Maggie about a giant spider who lives there along with his pet snake a python. Emma is deathly afraid of both. Emma goes along to help with the mustering. Everyone was impressed with how she lasted and her skills. Emma realizes she loves Liam and seduces him. He loves her too. There was suspense and angst and a Happy ever after. I highly recommend this book.

Love this series and this story is no exception.
Emma by Kelly Hunter is a great addition to a wonderful series.

The Outback Brides of Wirralong is a series of romance books by a selection of Australian authors. Together they bring to life a fictional Victorian town through selected stories filled with drama and romance. Each book can be read as a standalone. Having read Barbara Hannay’s contribution (HERE), I could not pass up the opportunity to read another, as I had so enjoyed the first.

‘No guarantees of safety here—that wasn’t the way the outback worked. But knowledge and awareness and attentiveness were her tools and she used them to the best of her ability.’

Yet again I was impressed with the writing, a meaningful little story that really packs a punch. Cliched? Of course - but that’s the point! It guarantees light and entertaining escapism, a series that has truly proved engaging - strong women finding suitable soulmates. This instalment introduces us to Emma, an English heiress and the life lessons she is encountering. Her leading man, Liam, is a real sweetie and I loved both their back stories which brings them to present day where their paths cross.
“I always thought it would be hard to break away from my father. It’s not.” That was the wonder and in some ways the sadness of it all. “I’m still scared of being alone, don’t get me wrong. But it wasn’t hard to finally stand up for myself and let him know I’m done.”

A certain highlight in this story is the location itself. Taking place on a large and remote desert property, one could almost feel the red sand on the skin or the blazing orange of a sunset. You really get a sense of isolation and how it is a labour of love to tend such a property, a real calling in life, as it was for Liam.
“As always, be respectful of the land, the people around you and the cattle in our care. Welcome to Country.”

I appreciated the characters, but especially the leads and was quickly hooked into Liam and Emma’s tale, particularly enjoying her chatter and self doubt. This is quite the complete little novella and I congratulate Kelly Hunter on providing such a well rounded tale, a joy to read, in a such a small time frame. Fabulous weekend read.

‘There was loneliness and there was being alone and what she was feeling was the second one and it was truly something.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Australia is one of my bucket list places to visit. These outback brides books have brought my dream to fruition on paper! Though I still plan on visiting one day!

High society Britain, Emma, meets bush rancher Liam in this opposites attract novel. There is a great story line of each trying to buck society and find a path to forever.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emma is a quick and entertaining read about a woman who's never really found her place in life.

Emma is a kind, but somewhat buttoned up English woman. I liked her immediately and empathized with her over her ice cold parents.

Liam is also likable right away. He is a stand up, straight forward type of cowboy and as Australian as they come.

I wanted Emma and Liam together from the point that they met up again (I haven't read the other books, but I don't think it mattered.) I felt like they belonged together and enjoyed their journey.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance.

I received an ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Emma is the fourth of the Outback Brides of Wirralong books. I was delighted to see that Emma’s story was written by Kelly Hunter. She is an excellent author whose books I had enjoyed in the past. She gives us Lady Emmaline Lewellyn Grayson who longs for a different life. To Australia she goes looking for adventure and maybe what she has been missing in life.

Liam McNair seems to think his life is fine as it is. Low and behold, Emma enters the picture. I love it when the characters think that they know exactly how the plans of their life are going to be. Then it hits them squarely in the eye that maybe there is something better. Emma and Liam are engaging characters that find dreams, goals and desires can change. A fun romantic read between two characters that have lived very different lives but fit together perfectly now.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Outback Brides of Wirralong Emma by Kelly Hunter
Home is where you make it
Lady Emmaline Lewellyn Grayson has never felt at home in her stuffy, aristocratic world. She might look the part of a Lady and play it to perfection, but a wilder world has always beckoned. A world where people say what they mean and keep their promises. A world where, if a man says “I love you,” the next word isn’t “but…”
Liam McNair is a rough and tumble cattleman with a station to
Three months. Two worlds. One proposal. Decision time.
This is Emmaline Lewellyn Grayson and Liam McNair's story.
Emmaline Greyson woke to the sound of warbling birds and a clear blue sky that didn’t belong in England. She’d slept outside, that much was clear. Bedded down in some kind of canvas sleeping bag with a thin mat beneath her and open sky above. Not exactly her mahogany four-poster with the Irish linen sheets and the unmistakable smell of English aristocracy all around her in the form of a four-hundred-year-old Tudor estate in Derbyshire. Not at all.
The absence of a roof aside, it smelled different here for starters. The air crisp with warm earth and eucalypt, and as for the bedding itself, whatever the cologne this man used there should be more of it in her world. A little bit woodsy, a hint of orange and something unexplainably masculine. Definitely not her smell, and she resisted burrowing in and breathing deeply in favour of rolling onto her back and edging onto her elbows to look around.
She was in a wide sleeping bag contraption, dull green and canvas topped, laid out on the trailer back end of some kind of farm utility vehicle. The vehicle was parked in the middle of a field of grass the colour of straw. Tall eucalypts with peeling grey bark clustered to her left and was the source of all the morning warbling, although she couldn’t see any birds. Pretty noise but not exactly subtle … more like pigeons in possession of a foghorn.
“Morning, Duchess.”
Had she heard him approach, she might have been less startled. As it was, the sudden appearance of another person in this strange new world made her screech like a startled bat. The who are you question could wait on more important things like making sure she was still up to her neck in the mystery T-shirt, which begged the ever more important question, “Where are my clothes?”
“Try the bottom of my swag.” He leaned strong, deeply tanned forearms on the side of the vehicle, and it was a toss-up between staring impolitely at the most ruggedly handsome face she’d ever seen or taking her hair and make-up catastrophe on a tour of the inside of a sleeping bag in search of clothes. Ever the polite Englishwoman, she chose the latter.
I highly recommend reading.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
Outback Brides of Wirralong Emma by Kelly Hunter is a wonderful well written 5 star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Kelly Hunter.
Kelly's Books with Tule:
What a Bride Wants
Great Wedding Giveaway
The Courage of Eli Jackson
The Jackson Brothers
The Heart of Caleb Jackson
The Jackson Brothers
Writing the Bestseller: Romantic and Commercial Fiction
Non-Fiction
What a Bachelor Needs
Bachelor Auction
The Great Wedding Giveaway
Pursued by the Rogue
The Fairy Tales of New York
The Downfall of Cutter Jackson
The Jackson Brothers
Casey
American Extreme Bull Riders Tour
Maggie’s Run
Outback Brides
Outback Brides of Wirralong
Book 1
Outback Brides of Wirralong:Lacey
by Fiona McArthur
Book 2
Outback Brides of Wirralong:Tess
by Victoria Purman
Book 3
Outback Brides of Wirralong: Jenna
by Barbara Hannay
Book 4
Outback Brides of Wirralong: Emma
by Kelly Hunter

4 - "You’re here… And I’m happy." Stars!

Kelly Hunter is a one-click author for me, her inclusion in the series linked to this one, Outback Brides set high standards as the first book that introduced everyone to Wirra Station and its people, and Maggie’s Run was the best of the bunch from that multi-author series. I’ll be honest and say I haven’t read any of the previous three books in the Outback Brides of Wirralong series, but the saved they best for last with Emma offering up a great opposites-attract theme, as well as having Maggie from the previously mentioned book feature quite a bit as a secondary character in Emma and Liam’s story.

"You’re very unusual… But in a good way"

This was a quick read, Emma a long, lost relation to Maggie, travels to Australia several times a year to spend time with her extended family and just be. Her life back in the UK as a low-level member of the Aristocracy, is full of expectations in general, life-long disappointment from her father that she wasn’t a boy, and his meddling in relations to marrying her off to the most boorish of men desperate for the kudos her family name and title will potentially give them.

The friendship, support and just plain kindness here wasn’t at all what she was used to…

Liam McNair spends long stretches of time on his own at Red Rock Downs, so finds social situations awkward at best, not one for small talk, he struggles to find common ground with Emma initially, but their attraction quickly smooths his jagged edges with her, and a few days of close proximity together when she volunteers to help out on his latest cattle run cements that attraction into something even deeper.

"There’s something about you and this place that makes me feel secure…"

I pretty much read this book in one sitting, the story-line doesn’t really offer up any surprises, but Kelly’s expert wordmanship keeps you invested in the couple, and their ups and downs in building a strong and lasting relationship together.

Emma, the final book in the Outback Brides Of Wirralong, is a book of pure joy and an utterly perfect end to this gorgeous series. Each book stands alone but together they bring readers to a place where friends care for each other, where strong women can grow stronger confident in the love of their soulmates.
This story takes place largely at the massive outback property on the edge of the dessert. I loved the setting and could easily imagine the glorious reds and burnt oranges of that part of the world, the unrelenting dust that goes with it, and the hard work needed by both those brave enough to work the land out there and those passionate enough to tend and nurture it. So perfect setting.
Next came the characters who walked the pages of this story and it would be hard to find a couple who at first glance could be less alike in terms of their upbringing and lifestyles. Emma is English and comes from a traditional upper class background complete with uncaring parents, one of whom has left the scene altogether and the other who has told her in no uncertain terms how disappointed he is that she wasn’t born a boy. Despite all of this, Emma is a fighter when it comes to getting what she wants. She has guts and determination, vision and bucketloads of passion, and having met Liam there is nothing she won’t do to prove to him that she’s the girl for him. I admired her so much!
Liam is no slouch either. Here is a man who oozes competence and who has made a success of his massive outback cattle station yet respects the traditional owners of the land and is more than happy to take their guidance when needed. He’s also a strong character yet he has his vulnerable side and where Emma is concerned, regardless of how much he might love her he fears that she won’t cope with living on his remote patch of dirt.
This story hooked me immediately, largely because of the interplay between Liam and Emma, then carried me forward because of the excellent storytelling of author Kelly Hunter. Emma is beautifully rounded, perfectly paced and an utter joy to read.

I love this series, each book stands alone but it's more fun to read them all and discover the town and it's people. This one takes place out of town...way out in the middle of nowhere. As a city girl I can't even imagine. You'll taste the dust, squirm over the spiders and shudder as the mention of snakes, ok that's just me huh. The English aristocrat and the Outback bloke, can you get any more opposite. Sparks do fly though, this girl can leave her corsets behind and strap on her mustering gear. Great story, I loved it.

She may be English gentry but she has never felt like she belonged and when she gets the chance to visit Australia she takes it. Liam owns and runs a cattle station in outback Australia he doesn't really have time to babysit and English rose but well someone has to do it. They both have preconceived ideas about the other As she shows him he is stronger than he ever thought she would be they start to connect but as the dangers of the Australian outback put her life in danger Liam will pull away not wanting to risk the women he is beginning to love. Being in Australia as taught this woman to fight for what she ants and her steel backbone will hold her steady as she fights for the man she love.

This is a great addition to this wonderful series extremely well written the book flows well and keeps you engaged to the very last page

4.5☆
Cute

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Outback Brides of Wirralong
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading more from this author.