Isabella lives in Australia and works with friend Maggie, organising and conductOMG marriages.

When Isabella ( Belle) officiates the wedding for the happy and very loved up couple Amanda and Simon it’s like any normal wedding for her, well apart from the theme of the wedding is Sci-Fi including costumes!! one of the wedding guests approaches her and its Harry Henderson her estranged Husband who she married in Las Vegas a year ago!!

Harry has been searching for Belle for a year, only by coincidence he accepted his friends wedding invitation and comes upon Belle his runaway bride.

Belle was in Los Vegas for 3 days of training when she met Harry at the hotel bar, there was an instant attraction but was it love or lust?

When they meet again the attraction is still strong. But have they got a future together?

A very enjoyable read. I haven’t read the first book In the series but will definitely look for it now.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Belle’s Secret by Victoria Purman
Series: Outback Brides #2
Subgenre: contemporary romance
Release date: 25 Jun 2018
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Format: ebook
Length: 222 pages
RRP: A$4.99
Weddings are her business and she was enticed to move from Melbourne to Wirralong to be the celebrant.
Isabella Martenson is hiding a secret from her best friend. And her secret has just appeared at a wedding she is officiating at. Isabella, Belle as she called herself while in Las Vegas in America for a conference, married a man she had great chemistry with, on a whim. Very embarrassed, she left the next day without letting her new husband know where he could contact her. Even though she ran, she wears his ring. She finds her American husband at an Australian wedding. And she finds that she still wants him. And he still wants her.
Harry Harrison comes from a wine-making dynasty in the Napa Valley in California. He has come to his friend’s wedding and to look at the organic wine-making near Wirralong. He has searched the world in the last year trying to find his wife to see if the chemistry is still there or if they will divorce. As he talks with her, his feelings are still evident, and he tries to convince her that they should be together.
Belle and Harry spend time together, getting to know each other. Their feelings swing from ‘be together’ to ‘go separate ways’; they find they still have the sexual chemistry. It is the words that Belle writes that convinces Harry that Belle is worth fighting for (and I won’t tell you the words I think you should discover them for yourself).
This couple were an interesting mix. They had instant chemistry and marry virtually on the spot. It was interesting to see the twists and turns of this particular relationship. Where would they live? Australia or America, which would mean that Wirralong would lose its marriage celebrant? If they stayed, would Harry’s family want to lose all that vintner expertise? I like this couple and how they connected and managed to deal with all the issues in front of them.
Although this is part of a series it can be read as a standalone.
Reviewed by Heather

This is the second book in the multi-author series and I really enjoyed it. This is Isabella and Harry’s story these two got married in Vegas but then she just up and left him he has been trying to find her and was just giving up when they ended up back in each other's lives now he has only got a short amount of time to find out why she left and try and get her to give them ago. I really enjoyed this one it was a great read

Isabella Martenson finds herself married while in Vegas and runs back to Australia. A year later, Harry Harrison comes to Australia for a wedding and runs into his bride that left him. They must find if the answer is to leave for good or to be together in love. Second book in Outback brides and enjoyed this tale.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions entirely my own.

I love Victoria Purman's books and this one is also a delight. A lovely romance story with two strong and adorable characters with flawed backgrounds who find love in a small, outback Australian town. It's fun, it's fast and such a joy.

Belle´s Secret by Victoria Purman is book two in the "Outback Brides" series. It´s such a great series. You get a little more out of the series if you read the books in the correct order since it makes a lot more sense how the whole thing started then.
Love the characters, the setting and how everything comes together. Not a dull moment in this book.

A emotional story of secrets, love, and accepting who your supposed to be. In this second book in the Outback Brides series follows the best friend from the first book through dealing with her past and facing her future and the man she ran away from.

Isabelle Martenson is the celebrant fir Wirra Station. The wedding event business her best friend Maggie started. She's been living and working there for the past year and loves what she does. Isabelle has a secret that she hasn't even told her best friend. She can't forget the man she met at a conference in Las Vegas and spent the night with. Harry Hamilton is part of a family of wine makers and is at Wirra Station to attend his best friends wedding. He's been looking for the woman he spent the night with in Las Vegas almost a year ago. He's searched all over the world and finally has given up when, who does he find? The woman he's been looking for the past year. Isabelle is stunned by Harry's arrival back into her life. Harry is angry and hurt by the way his Belle treated him. Isabelle wants him to keep their marriage a secret, so that it won't ruin her career and Maggie's business. She wants a divorce especially after over hearing a phone conversation that Harry has. As they spend time together and get to know each other they realize they don't want the divorce. Isabelle confides in Maggie. After going out on a date Isabelle and Harry make love to get it the attraction out of their systems only it doesn't work. Harry checks out a business idea. Isabelle has a severe migraine that lays her up for a couple of days. Harry feels guilty especially learning it happened about a year ago. He doesn't leave her. The papers come and Isabelle signs them thinking that's what he wants. She meets his family and he explains how they'll stay in Australia. They renew their vows with family and friends there. Isabelle realizes she's the person she should be and has found the love and life she wants.

I've really enjoyed getting to know these woman and how they with the help of their true love find the passion and the life they're supposed to live. They over come their fears and figure out that they can be the person they're meant to be, They find the loves of their lives and are accepted for who they are. I am looking forward to the next 2 books in the series.

Belle’s Secret is the second book in new multi-author Outback Brides series.

In this book we have story of Isabella Martenson. She entered the series in Maggie’s Run as the marriage celebrant and Maggie's best friend. She now lives and works at Wirra Station with Maggie.

Marriage celebrant Isabella has a secret that she has kept for the past year. She went to Vegas for a conference and married Harry Harrison. But she left him without saying goodbye the next morning. She is married and no one knows.
Harry Harrison is a winemaker from California, he has spent the year looking for his Belle and wondered why she just disappeared. All he knew was she was from Australia. A chance meeting or is it fate has brought the two back together at his mate’s wedding at Wirra Station. Now that he has found her, he wants some answers and a divorce. Isabella agreed to the divorce as long as he keeps their marriage a secret.

Now that they are spending time together Isabella is realising her feeling for Harry are still there and just maybe she does not want that divorce after all.

Victoria Purman has continued with the fantastic characters of Wirralong and brought her own to it. I did really enjoy reading about Bella and Harry and the rest of the community. I am really falling in love with all of the wonderful characters and their lives.

There were some inconsistencies but it did not take away from the overall story and it was a well written and definitely left me wanting more from Wirralong and The Outback Brides. As the saying goes ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’.

This book and the others in this series could be read as standalone.

I would recommend this book. I am looking forward to continuing reading in this series.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, at least it did for a year, then Harry runs into Isabella by chance, and then we get to enjoy the rest of the story.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book and being left with the warm fuzzies was just the best bonus for this romance reader.

Cute story about a couple who don't know each other but spontaneously decide to marry while in Vegas. The next morning the bride runs, flying back to her homeland without as much of a note for her husband. Her husband searches for her, but since he can't read her signature on the marriage paperwork he doesn't know her full name.

So here's a detail that fell apart for me especially given the amount of money this man had access to. Wouldn't the place that married them have to, by law, have record of her full name? Why not go back to the chapel and ask to see their records? Why not hire a PI and have him look into it? Too many holes in the story to believe that he couldn't find her until nearly a year later.

The first half of the book was slow, but it picked up eventually.

2.5 - "We all make mistakes… You were mine." Stars!

Belle’s Secret is the first book I have read by Victoria Purman, and the second book in the Outback Brides series.

She believed in marriage and happy ever afters. For other people… Not for herself.

Bearing in mind the premise for this one is a celebrant getting jiggy with a guy on a long weekend trip to Las Vegas, marrying and spending one night of sexual bliss with him, then upping and leaving him without a by your leave the morning after, I was expecting a little more emotion to the reconnection between Isabella and Harry.

"I need to get you out of my system… And then it will be over."

The man has spent almost twelve months searching for her, and having pretty much given up, stumbles across her in the back-of-beyond Australian outback at his best friend’s wedding. The first half of the book, although easy to read trundles along with very little happening between the pair of them, I was expecting recriminations, emotional outbursts and a couple working through the issues of Belle’s abandonment, Harry’s anger over their separation and the working towards some sort of future together, but it was all just a bit superficial and lacking in much of anything.

There wasn’t a wine in the world that tasted as good as her lips.

Although easy enough to read, and with a couple likeable enough in characteristics, I found myself finishing this book massively underwhelmed with the story-line overall, the sexy times when they occurred were decent, and I saw enough of the authors writing to know I’d absolutely read more from her, I just didn’t really believe that this was a couple who loved each other and were reconnecting after almost a year apart. Easy-going enough but wholly forgettable I’m afraid.

I've read the whole Outback Brides Series and I loved them. The four parts are written by different authors, but the stories interact and use the same characters. All the stories take place in Wirralong, so the town and the inhabitants will grow on you!

In the second part, we meet Isabella. She is Maggie's best friend and the marriage celebrant at Wirra Station. After Maggie and Max have renovated Wirra Station, they converted it to a wedding venue. Wedding Belles is Isabella's own company who helps brides-to-be with organizing their wedding and she is the marriage celebrant.

On one of the weddings she runs into Harry, who has flown out from Australia to be at his best friend's wedding. Harry, Isabella's husband, to be exact... Almost one year earlier, a little too much wine and a lot of chemistry had Harry and Isabella ended up being married in Vegas during a convention. The day after, however, Isabella had fled the scene leaving Harry totally confused.

Because of the small town and the total scandal it would raise if someone found out that the marriage celebrant was actually married and divorced, Isabella fears her business will be over. So she begs Harry to divorce her and keep it quiet. Harry agrees, but it will take a week to get everything sorted. And before the week is over, they may have a change of heart...

Love, marriage and some stupid actions... A wonderful read. And keep on reading in the next part of his series. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

It’s been a while since I’ve dipped into one of Tule’s multi-author series’, something they do well, and after reading the blurb for this one, decided a visit to the Aussie outback was in order.

“Call me old-fashioned, but when you marry someone you kinda expect them to be there the next day. And the day after that and, you know, until death or annoying personal habits do us part.”

The premise of Belle’s Secret sounded great and the opportunity for romance in a beautiful setting is there for the taking as Harry unexpectedly finds his missing wife, Isabella when he attends his friend’s nuptials. In practice though, what I found was a story that for that didn’t really deliver much, particularly in the first 60% when very little happened.

“For better or for worse.”

In terms of the romance, it definitely kicks up a gear once we hit that 60% marks and you can kind of understand why this couple were impulsive when it came to tying the knot as their steamy moments are of the same nature. On the whole though this is what I’d term unremarkable and whilst I didn’t dislike Belle and Harry, I’d have preferred a story with more showing rather than telling. A read-and-forget this one.

Belle’s Secret by Victoria Purman is a very different second chance romance and a great addition to the series. The heroine is a wedding celebrant who was secretly married whilst on a conference in Las Vegas but she told her husband her name is Belle rather than Isabella and she left before he woke up after their wedding night, returning home to Australia without leaving him a note or message. He searched for her but couldn’t discover where she’d gone. Eleven months later her husband, Harry, is attending a wedding where she’s the celebrant. . . . This is a heartwarming story filled with angst, turmoil, pain, hope and dreams. Many of the characters from the first story are involved in this story but I still think it would work well as a standalone. I certainly thoroughly enjoyed escaping back to this outback community and have no hesitation in highly recommending this book.

Tule authors have done it again! They’ve created a community - Wirralong - populated it with great characters and have written entertaining romances based there, each by a different author and involving different main characters but sharing many of the secondary ones and events. Each story can be read as a standalone but this is a superb series and I highly recommend reading them all, I’ve loved escaping into this Australian Outback town, getting to know the characters, places and events whilst reading all four books. I hope there will be more books based in this small town in future.

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

3.5☆
Cute
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Outback Brides
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

When your young and you're made to feel unwanted it has a lasting effect and on the shaky ground, you seem to forever be. Not to mention when love is not something real when your parents are divorced before your two.
Then when your mom is trying to keep up with Elizabeth Taylor in the marriage the most club and is keep up quite well. So, moving and men were always coming and going so after a while she just stopped trying to keep up with their names. By nineteen Isabella Mastenson had enough and she didn’t move with her mother. She went one way and her mother the other.
This is where she finds and meets Maggie who takes her in and she finds the sister she never had. She got a job and learned how to be a friend, worked and a member of the community. When Feb. comes around there was a conference in Vegas for four days that she wanted to attend that to learn more about new practices and coming trends in weddings.
Being a marriage celebrant, she expected to come home to Australia with tips and knowledge about the celebration of marriage. Not a new husband of her own. The problem being she kinda lied to him by saying her name is Belle. Then worse of all she bailed before he woke up leaving no note or anything. Not anything for him to be able to contact her.
Now eleven months later she is marrying a couple who met over the internet Simon from America and Amanda from right there in Wirralong. Now that Maggie and Max have Wirra Station Wedding Destination up and running she is, the-in-house celebrant.
Guess who is Simons best college friend is attending the wedding? Yes, you got it, Harry Harrison. Guess how she is surprised when he greets her after the wedding as Mrs. Harrison.
This is a very cute story. Filled with pain, regrets, joy, happiness, and so much more. I did so enjoy this fast read. Being that this was part of a series some old friends from book one appears. But it can stand alone. I give this: 5 stars. Provided by netgalley.com. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

Belle’s Secret is the second book in the Outback Brides series. It is a crazy good book-captivating, charming and engaging.
Belle’s secret is that she was married one night in Las Vegas and the next morning fled back to Australia. She never expected to see her husband, Harry, again. Harry never forgot Belle and searched for her to no avail, he never expected to see her either. Both their hearts yearned for the other for the year that passed. Coming to Wirralong, where unbeknownst to Harry is Belle’s home, was a mix of business and pleasure for Harry. He was there for his best friend’s wedding he is shocked to see the celebrant: Belle! Needless to say, Belle is shocked beyond belief and now her secret is going to be known. Harry brings a chance for divorce but is either heart willing to go that route? It sure seems like it…for a while at least.

What a wonderful book! I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in the Outback Brides series, each written by a different author. We met Isabella in book 1 but this is her story. We learn she secretly married a man named Harry in Vegas almost a year earlier. They met in a hotel bar when she had gone to a conference there. They met, married and she left him in their room and returned to Australia. Harry searched high and low but never found her until he ran into her by accident at a wedding of his best friend in Australia. Isabella is the officiant performing their wedding. Harry stays for a week to see the sights. He is a winemaker from Napa who is interested in Organic wine as made in Australia. Harry AND Isabella have agreed to a divorce even though neither one wants one. They fall in love all over again. The story is so wonderful to read.

I loved Belle’s Secret by Victoria Purman, book two in the Outback Brides series, a wonderful second chance and secret wedding story. Isabella Martenson was a Marriage Officiant who moved to Wirra Station to help her friend Maggie and work at the new wedding venue. After all the men in her mother’s life she never planned that she would get married, let alone be a runaway bride. One night in Vegas, meeting a handsome winemaker changes all of her plans. A year after being deserted following his marrying to a stranger, Harry Harrison still hasn’t located his runaway brief. Flying to Australia for his best friend's wedding, he unexpectedly runs right into the one woman he’s never been able to forget. Harry asks Isabella for a divorce while all she wants in return is that he keeps it a secret so as to not affect her business. As these two strangers spend time together exploring the area of Australia where Isabella lives and the Australian wine making country as well as getting to know one another, they discover the attraction that led them to marry in haste was not a fluke. Hopefully these two soul mates can find a solution to save their marriage rather than lose the best thing that happened to them.

This was a wonderful and emotional book to read while easy to visualize the story as it occurred. I totally loved these characters and didn’t want to put this book down. Ms. Purman did a fantastic job creating her characters, making them realistic, keeping the story interesting, making me forget the world around me and not letting me go until I turned the last page, wanting more. I highly recommend this book to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

So this book and author was even better than the first book. So I can not even imagine what the next books will be like but, after Maggie and Belles stories Elsa and Joys stories will be just as good.