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

Iraq war veteran Dan Mitchell once disobeyed an order – and it nearly destroyed him. Now a national park ranger in the Australian outback, he’s faced with another order he is unwilling to obey…
Photographer Rachel Quinn seeks out beauty in unlikely places. Her work comforted Dan in his darkest days. But Quinn knows darkness too – and Dan soon realises she needs his help as much as he needs hers.
Carrie Bryant was a talented jockey until a racing accident broke her nerve. Now Dan and Quinn need her expertise, but can she face her fear? And could horse breeder, Justin Fraser, a man fighting to save his own heritage, be the one to help put that fear to rest?
Sometimes, the wounds you can’t see are the hardest to heal...

*3.5 stars*

I enjoyed this book. Nothing overly impressive about it, nothing really stood out, but it was a decent Australian rural romance novel.

The positives: the Australian setting. I am always a sucker for a well-described setting, and one in my home country always brings out the softie in me! The story of the feral horses and the race to save them was excellent. Some would disagree - the damage that Brumbies can do to the National Park can be terrible. And some would believe that culling them would be the best solution. So this plot was a great choice.

The negatives: well, sadly, the characters. Not that they were badly written - I liked all of them except for Rachel (who was a little distant and unapproachable). What I didn't really like was that there seemed to be a pre-destined understanding that all four would end up us couples. So there was never any fear that they wouldn't work out everything else. And that really took the gloss of what could have been a really interesting book.


Paul
ARH