Winnawarra by Elizabeth M Darcy
Subgenre: rural romance
Release date: 8 Dec 2017
Publisher: Luminosity Publishing
Format: print / ebook
Length: 266 pages
RRP: A$19.25 / A$3.63
The Australian outback is not for the faint hearted as Emily is about to find out.
Emily Perkins has found out that she could inherit part of a station in Australia. When she arrives, she finds that the station is somewhere to the north, in Western Australia. And that it will take time to get there. She is from England and her mother had a connection with the station owner, Jock. It is his death that brings Emily to Australia. Jock, in death, is relying on her skills as a forensic and business analyst to prove him correct, someone killed his son and daughter in law.
Doug Macgregor is recently returned from Afghanistan. He was wounded in a battle and several members of his unit were killed. He has survivor’s guilt. He is also suffering from PTSD which flares from time to time. He is also very protective of his two brothers who also work on the station.
When Emily meets Doug, she is not sure what she is getting into. He appears to put on the heavy Aussie stereotypical male with all the expressions and ‘manly’ behaviour. He has major doubts that Emily has the stamina to see out the year, so he puts on the Aussie behaviour, most likely to shock her.
Within the first few nights, Emily starts feeling someone watching her, she hears a tap, tap, tap of metal tips on boots, and she sees a figure. The brothers do what they can to protect her but ‘accidents’ still happen, and Emily is on the receiving end of several of these events. And while the search for clues happens, Emily and Doug find their attraction growing.
This is a suspense story set in the outback of Australia. There are several references to very Australian things, but the characters do explain what it is, so if you aren’t from Australia then you can still follow. There are also some very minor references to our indigenous culture. I noted a reference to Wolf Creek, but that could have just been me.
The characters are quite likeable, and I hope that Robbie and Ian (Doug’s brothers) get their own story. I enjoyed reading this story especially being set in an area of Australia that people don’t often get to see. But it was also good to find out who the murderer was.
Reviewed by Heather

While I loved the mystery/suspense aspect of the story, I thought the romance was lacking a bit of punch. It seemed more forced than natural on the part of the characters. It just didn't flow for me.

I loved the author's descriptive voice of the Outback and her mystery kept me reading. In general I love a story set in Australia and this author was great at her world building. This was a pretty quick read for me and I'll probably check out future books in this series.

I enjoyed this book it had a decent storyline with plenty of suspense it will have you on the edge of your seat at times.I really liked both Em and Doug there was plenty of chemistry between them overall this was a super read and I look forward to trying more from Elizabeth in the future.

Winnawarra
Elizabeth M. Darcy

A well–crafted story full of suspense that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters were compelling,well written and drew the reader in. The setting in the Austrailian outback was awsome. I specialy liked the "language" problem. Emily could not understand Doug's "accent". The writer included Aussie terms and sometimes I didn't understand either. I loved the whole book. It was a great mystery murder plot that had lots of twists and didn't get solved untill the very end.
I highly advise you to try this novel you will be glad you did.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So glad I did.

I liked Winnawarra by Elizabeth M. Darcy. The suspense and dangerous parts were exciting as well as the marvelous Outback backdrop. It was the Australian remote ranch setting that drew me to the story. They were also the strong parts of the books.

The main characters, Emily and Doug both had personal struggles that wanted to overwhelm them as well as the story-line at times. The personal growth is not as strong as it needed to be to make them a sure-fire romantic bet. Still the mystery comes to a satisfying conclusion.

The first book I have read by this author. I would read another especially if t takes palce in the Outback. She does the scenery, proud.

Winnawarra by Elizabeth M. Darcy
Red Skies #1

In what I believe is the first in an upcoming series set in the Australian Outback we meet Emily Perkins and the three Macgregor brothers. Emily has just found out that if she remains on the Winnawarra Station for a year she will own 10% of the business. Doug, Robbie and Ian will own the other portion of the station. Emily is great with auditing, managing businesses, money and is almost finished with her degree in forensic science SO when she is faced with the possibility of solving three murders and preventing a few more she is definitely interested…and especially since she believes she might be in the killer’s crosshairs.

This is a romance between a woman who has lost her trust in men and man who has been to war and come home scarred and dealing with PTSD. It is a mystery and thriller. It is the first book that sets the stage for a new series set in the outback and has great promise. It was above average and kept me interested even if somewhat predictable. I would have liked to have more details about the life on the station, mustering, visuals of the area and other things but did enjoy Emily and Doug and look forward to finding out who Robbie and Ian will end up with and what future cold cases the group will solve.

I admit that I had trouble at times understanding why Emily behaved as she did, how she could expect someone to keep her safe when she did silly things and why she got so angry at Doug for some things and not for others. I also couldn’t understand why the brothers thought everyone working for them was “good” and that Emily might be imagining things that were happening. That said, I am eager to read the next book when it comes out.

Thank you to Luminosity Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Winnawarra is a sweet romantic suspense that takes place mostly on a cattle station in the Australian Outback. This story reads like a travelogue at times. The mystery was fun and I really liked the Macgregor men but it took me a bit longer to warm up to Emily. Still I enjoyed this story and look forward to further adventures of the Red Skies Detective Agency.

Loved this well written romantic suspense. The book has a great plot that will keep the reader guessing. I loved the Australian setting. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good suspense.

**3.5 stars** (increased to 4 stars as I’m interested to read more)
In England, Emily Perkins has unexpectedly inherited a share of Winnawarra Station from an old friend of her mother’s, Jock Macgregor. There are a few stipulations though, it’s in Western Australia, and she must reside at the station for one year and during that time use her business skills to assist the manager. It soon comes to light that Jock suspected someone had been fiddling the books....and interfering a little bit more. Emily also shares the inheritance with Jock’s three Grandsons, Doug, Robbie and Ian. Their parents were killed in a car accident a few months before Jock’s death. Was this connected as Jock suspected?

I enjoyed this Australian based Romantic Suspense story. I thought the author did a great job of creating a tense atmosphere whenever Emily felt threatened, especially the ‘tap, tap, tap’ of the metal tipped boots.
It’s Doug and Emily that have the mutual attraction but I felt the romantic element didn’t always pull me in, though I felt it improved as the story went on. Part of it may have been Doug calling Emily ‘love’, as in ‘Did you have a good trip love? Or ‘Let me take your bag love’. He may not have said these words exactly but it’s in that context and started as soon as he met her. I know it’s an iconic Australian way of talking, especially the older generation but I felt it sounded strange and a little condescending from someone in his early 30’s who had served in Afghanistan with the Australian Special Forces. I much preferred it when he just called her ‘Em’. There were also a couple of instances that I felt Doug under reacted to danger around Emily and an episode or two where Emily over reacted to Doug’s attention to someone.

I do believe this is the first in a new series called ‘Red Skies’(I saw the title mentioned as Red Skies 1 somewhere) and I’d be very interested to see how the characters develop if this is the case.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

I really enjoyed this story. It had a great mix of elements - romance, suspense and mystery and a great cast of characters.

I enjoyed the storyline as well as all the Australian Outback and the cattle ranch. I will definitely be wanting to read about what comes next.

This book was a very good love story with a little murder intrigue twisted into the plot. I stayed up and finished this book in one night. I recommend this book to everyone looking for a lighter love story (kind of like Essie Summers) I hope that this is just the beginning of a series of stories for these brothers.

3.25-3.5 Stars
A mystery romance set in the Australian Outback. The thriller/mystery part is excellent, but the romance needs a little more. It wasn't quite a slow-burn kind of clean romance nor was it a steamy Aussie cowboy romance, but seemed stuck in between (I would've bumped up the star rating for one or the other). I did like the realistic portrayal of the PTSD sufferer in the male MC. Overall, a decent read if you like contemporary romances.

Net Galley Feedback

Romance and suspense in the Australian Outback, Winnawarra has the backdrop for an intriguing book.

Winnawarra by Elizabeth M Darcy was the first book by this author I have read and I’d certainly be interested in checking out her other titles.

Winnawarra had a well-developed plot that moved along at a good pace. World building was very well done. Ms Darcy had a lovely way of describing the scenery and it was interesting to see them from Emily’s English perspective. Characters were very well developed both primary and secondary characters. The relationship between Doug and Emily was believable and very easy to go along with.
I did find Emily’s character a bit skittish. I didn’t like that she kept relying on Doug to keep her safe, and almost blamed him if something happened. I can understand her fear, especially being in an environment so very foreign to her and surrounded by strangers; but she just came across as a tad clingy and I would have like to have seen a bit more spunk from her. But that is a very small criticism; her behaviour in no way ruined what is an excellent story.

Now, I must confess that I did reach a point early in the book where I nearly put it away, never to pick it up again. As an Australian who has lived in country Australia I’m used to the rhythms and dialogue of the ‘bush’. I’ve noticed that some reviewers criticised the ‘old fashioned language’ used by even some of the younger characters. Well, that’s just how it is in the country. It is extremely common for men, if they have been brought up to respect women, to use a more courteous way of speaking. It’s not uncommon for a tipped hat and a nod as greeting. That’s just how it is, and to be honest, I love it! Similarly, speech patterns are often a bit slower. This is not an indication of intelligence; it’s just how it is. These idiosyncrasies are not universal, you’ll find many men who talk a million miles an hour and have a city style vocabulary; like everywhere else, everyone is an individual.

So what made me almost throw in the towel with this one? In the first six or so chapters I found the author went a bit overboard with the stereotypical Aussie lingo. I know she is trying to set the scene and make sure everyone knows it is Australia, not America; but still it’s a bit exaggerated. At first I thought it may have been from Emily’s POV where she was particularly sensitive to it as it would have been completely foreign to her; but no, it was just the author’s style. Luckily, it did settle down and the ‘lingo’ died away a bit. Speech did not lose its Australian authenticity, but it was dialled down to more normal levels. But what had me almost give up was something so minor, but it really annoyed me.

In Australia, from the 1980s onwards the Australian government has run an advertising campaign regarding sun safety. For many years it centred on this gorgeous cartoon with the song “Slip, Slop, Slap” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7nocIenCYg this is iconic viewing in Aussie TV history, and was central to many childhood memories. Unfortunately, it was misused in the book. First, the slogan is rarely, if ever, used to refer to the putting on of sunscreen. It’s used more as a reminder for someone to “Slip (on a shirt), Slop (on sunscreen), and Slap (on a hat). But the deal breaker was that it was quoted incorrectly as “slip-slap-slop.” Blasphemy! Ok, so not quite that bad, but it was towards the end of the author’s overuse of Australian stereotypical dialogue and I guess it was just the icing on the cake!

Despite the quirks in language early in the book, I thoroughly enjoyed Winnawarra. It was a well done story, and I’ll admit I was tossing up between two possible suspects for the killer until the reveal towards the end of the book.

If you enjoy contemporary romances with a strong ‘whodunit’ theme set in the Australian Outback, I’d certainly recommend giving Elizabeth M Darcy’s Winnawarra a go.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. I really enjoyed the story line between Em and Doug. The suspense woven through the book kept me on the edge of my seat. I like that the author threw a bit of jealousy in the story during the dance scene. It really made the heart strings tug but it had a HEA ending which was heartwarming. Definitely an author I would read again.

A fun flirty rural romance, some good chemistry between the main characters with some suspense thrown in made for an enjoyable read. This isn't a long novel and it was an easy read, a great beach read. I love reading books set in my home state, and wish someone would leave me some land in their will just like Emily and some hot country workers included in the package would be great, without the threats and suspense though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Luminosity Publishing LLP for an advanced copy in return for an honest review