This was something totally different to my normal reads in the “Mystery & Thrillers” genre.

I kept waiting for this book to go “over the edge”. There were lots of places it could have become unbelievable, or worse, turn into an over-the-top romance.

This book did neither of those things. It was quite wonderful, and so different from my recent reads. I would highly recommend it, and I’m very much looking forward to more fiction by this author.

I received a free review copy from the publisher, via Netgalley - thank you!

Um. Why did I unexpectedly LOVE this??

So I have to admit, I could easily have passed this right over. The cover and synopsis made me think it might be some kind of "man book" full of military jargon, ops and politics that would go way over my head, like Tom Clancy or such. Something about a UN doctor trapped in a jungle full of militia or... something? Doesn't sound like my thing.

I probably shouldn't admit this part, but the fact the author is a woman influenced me in giving this book a shot, really having no idea what to expect.

I'm so glad I did because I absolutely loved this and it was one of my favourite reads of the year so far!

Once again I find myself disagreeing with the marketing pigeon hole this one has been nested in. While certainly being full of action, I felt this read less "thriller" and more contemporary romance that just happens to have an intense jungle adventure as its catalyst. And it's closed door, sorry to all you hornbags out there.

It was definitely unlike anything I've ever read before. Military story lines, blood diamonds, medical drama, creepy jungle spiders, wild rescues, blowing things up, UN cover ups, an abusive ex, surgeries, a very sexy French Canadian soldier man.... Somehow it all added up to just a bloody good time.

The romance smoulders, the adventure is rollicking, the writing is easy to read and the pages kept turning! If you want to try something a bit different and like the sound of a good paced adventure with some swooning, look no further!

I have never read anything like this and I wish Bronwyn Hall had more books for me to read! This is a phenomenal story - set in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this is about a UN doctor risking her life to save others, a military team on a mission, an escape through the jungle, kidnapped children and mining; mystery, drama and a touch of romance all rolled into one. And it just works. The description of surgery and the jungle is both mesmerising and horrifyingly real, and I devoured this book in two days - would have been faster if I wasn’t interrupted by the necessity of work! Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication on 3/8/2022, in exchange for a review- I can not recommend his highly enough!

This was a tense and disturbing read, holding me captive from the opening lines. I'd definitely be interested in reading more from this author in future.

First off I have to say I'm disappointed to find on Goodreads that this is the authors first novel because after reading this I wanted to immediately start another of her books!

This was like a movie playing out in my head! I had to sit by the power point while my kindle charged because I didnt/could put this book down!

Thanks for the chance to read and review this novel by new author Bronwyn Hall.

I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptive writing. For someone that admits she has has never visited this part of the world or been in the military herself, Bronwyn has done a superb job of her research. The jungle and military descriptions were particularly good.. This was a unique plot, something very different to what I had read before.

I did find it a little slow to get going, but it wasn't too long before the pace picked up and I was keen to keep reading. Loved the romance as a side plot, which stopped it becoming stale as they tramped through the jungle.

Would be happy to recommend it to others.

I loved this!
My first 5 star of 2022. A high octane thriller of a surgeon lost in the jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo with 3 UN soldiers as they try to find a helicopter out of the hot zone.

Thrilling! For fans of Michael Crichton. So much fun I had to read it twice in 3 days

Gone to Ground was just what the doctor ordered .. pun intended (lol) for my next read.
The book is extremely well paced and written. The storyline is intriguing, the plot twists and turns just the right amount.
The descriptions of the jungle were so vivid it was easy to imagine being Rachel with the oppressive humidity.
The medical parts of the book were just right - technical enough for the reader to understand what was happening without feeling lost.
The romance was light and added a great dimension to a heavy topic.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading more of this author.
Thanks to Netgalley an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#GonetoGround #NetGalley

A nail biting adventure that I couldn’t put down, read in just a few days I really loved the whole premise of the story

When I downloaded the book from NetGalley for review it was classified as Mystery and Thrillers. I had grown jaded from reading books in this genre that invariably had a high body count, an unrealistic plot, outlandish conspiracy theory and guns that have more personality than their owners. I was expecting the same. How wrong I was

The setting is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rachel is a doctor with the UN at an outpost with just her and a male nurse remaining and is awaiting helicopter evacuation when a seriously injured Canadian soldier is bought in by his three comrades. She elects to give her place in the helicopter to the injured soldier however her outpost is about to be overrun by rebel militia and she joins the solders to walk to safety through the jungle to a town 70 kilometres away.

The Canadian solders are a small special force on a secret mission to investigate reported illegal diamond mining using young children and corruption in the UN administration. They are an elite close group and initially regard Rachel as an outsider but as the trek continues and Rachael shows that she can pull her weight in critical situations they gradually bond with her. They are surprised when she proves to be very accurate with a rifle, she tells them that she learned by shooting at rabbits on her family’s Australian farm.

The writing is excellent and the plausible story is told from Rachel’s point of view. Despite the seriousness of their situation there are moments of lightness such as when Rachel asks female soldier Jax, whether there is a problem working with the men. she says that they don’t think of her as a woman only as a soldier. But when she is home with her husband he definitely thinks of her as a woman.

Rachel and Anton the group’s leader, develop a strong mutual attraction but they agree to suppress their attraction so as not to be distracted and compromise the safety of the group. The ending is satisfying and leaves the reader feeling close to every person in the group.

I notice that Amazon classify the book as Men’s and Women’s Adventure Fiction.

OMG! I devoured this book in two days.
I could not put it down and it kept me reading late into the night.
Suspenseful, believable and gripping it had me enthralled from the first page to the last.

Rachel has travelled from Australia to the Congo working as a doctor in an impoverished clinic.
She is due to be flown out of the war torn village but nothing goes as planned.
What follows is dramatic nail-biting story telling.
I love an engaging tale and this one really rates with me.

Read it, love it. You won't regret it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an Uncorrected copy of this book.

What a great love story. Solid 3.75 this one.

Bronwyn has a great writing style that had me entrenched into the Congan jungle in no time!

Such interesting subject matters and turn of events that were covered with a feelgood finish.

The realism captured by Bronwyn had me returning to the pages over the course of the weekend.

Easy reading, best drunk over a few pisco sours.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book.

Arriving as the perfect antidote to the last book I read (Edge of Dusk by Colleen Cobble) Gone to Ground demonstrates you can do a thriller with a love interest and not detract from the action at all. The lead protagonist, Rachel Forester, is a talented Australian surgeon working with the United Nations deep in the jungle in Congo-Kinshasa: "Our UN status should be protection; however I knew from stories that international law could be a toothless tiger this deep in the jungle." Ostensibly there to do immunisations, she is quickly drawn into treating badly wounded women and children, and it becomes clear something more is going on: "Her wounds and her fear meant she was living proof of UN failure. But UN failure wasn't something publicised in the rank... The UN was generally viewed as doing its best."

Author Bronwyn Hall draws you into the action very quickly using battlefield medicine and tension as Rachel tries to save a soldier (Otis) in front of his band of weapon-bearing friends (Anton, Lucas and Jax). Rachel is thrust into getting to know this Canadian special operations crew a lot better when armed militia descend on her location and the medical evacuation only has room for three. The little band make a harrowing escape through the jungle and delve into the mystery at the heart of all the bloodshed: "finding proof UN soldiers are complicit in using children to mine illegal diamonds".

Alongside this dangerous mission, sexual tension builds between Rachel and Anton, and the barriers fall between them as they begin to share their various traumas. This is a clever way to develop these characters beyond the one-dimensional: "My artwork has a purpose. It reminds me who I am and... who I'm not. Regardless, it's for me. It doesn't need to mess with your head." It's not smooth sailing between them either, as Rachel is still trying to extract herself from time a relationship where coercive control landed her unsupported in the jungle in the first place. Anton also has doubts that a doctor once back within her "usual paradigm of white, clinical walls and preservation of life about all else" would find the reality of what he does—killing people for a living—tenable.

Beyond the well-fleshed out characters and the rollicking good story, I also liked that even deep within the Democratic Republic of the Congo setting, this book feels Australian. Rachel pines "for the jungle to be replaced by towering eucalypts that filtered the sunlight without blocking it and through which drifted the soft melodies of black cockatoos." Her sassy comebacks, and absolute inability to do what she's told even in situations where it puts everyone's lives at risk, show you can take an Australian character out of the bush and plonk them deep in the jungle, and they'll still be an Aussie through and through. I read Gone to Ground in three evening sessions, and looked forward to going to bed to get back into the jungle each night.

Thanks Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book,

I’m in two minds about it. I quite liked the story line but it just fell a bit short. The book also seemed like it started 5 chapters in. A bit more of a back story before the action started wouldn’t have been great. Just an average read for me but I’ll round up to 3 stars.

Rachel Forester, an Australian Doctor, working with the UN doing immunizations in Africa has been sent to the most violent area around the diamond mines. Rachel has recently broken up her relationship with Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Janssen from HQ so felt the distance would be good but Christopher did not appreciate how perilous the area was with political instability and brutality when he sent her.

A fast paced exciting exploit that I could not put down until the final page. A highly recommended read.

This book is set in the Congo where the danger is unbelievable, Rachel is a un surgeon at a clinic where she is due to be evacuated but being the great person she is she insists a dangerously hurt soldier go in her place on the helicopter, the other three soldiers take Rachel with them as it is too unsafe for her to stay at the clinic, travelling through the jungle is no easy feat so dangerous trying to make it to safety they come across a secret diamond mine where they kidnap children to work in the mines, this book does have a lovely ending and was a great read

Thankyou Net Gallery, Harlequin Australia and especially Bronwyn Hall for the opportunity to read this outstanding novel. Downloaded yesterday and read in twelve hours ... simply impossible to put down. The storyline and writing are brilliant ... Needs listing in the Ned Kelly awards for Best Debut Novel.
The novel covers domestic violence, UN Medical - humanitarian aid, warring militias and conflict, crime and violence, and finally romance. They are woven together to create an incredible novel in a believable situation in the jungle of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Highly recommended read and a genuine five (5) star read.

An entertaining adventure and romance with strong characters. Rachel is a doctor working for the United Nations in the Congo, and has to evacuate through the jungle with a special forces team. I really liked the Rachel character and her Aussie resilience and directness. Once I started reading I didn’t put this book down until the end. Recommended.

UN surgeon Rachel Forester is based at a remote medical clinic in the Congo jungle. Violence is endemic and widespread in the area. Rachel risks her life by remaining in the turbulent area to provide medical care to an injured boy, Otis, while the rest of her team leaves. She meets a character called Anton who helps her and becomes her love interest. Just as she finally has a chance to leave, a soldier is carried into the medical camp by other members of his unit. The soldier’s health condition is so bad, he is airlifted out instead of her.

Rachel and the others are in the midst of combating militias. They have to escape through the dangerous jungle to get to the sanctuary of the nearest city.

The place is rife with corruption and criminality. Rachel and the others discover a secret mining venture involving skullduggery as well as stolen children. In horror, she realises that the mining venture has mendacious links with the UN. She fears that those people involved in the UN, who should be rescuing her, will instead try to kill her because of what she knows about the mining operation and the kidnapped children.

Things get very hairy for Rachel, Anton, and the others as they fight to make it to safety. A poisonous ex partner of hers, Christopher, becomes involved and acts in a sinister way.

This is a fast moving thriller. I really enjoyed reading it. It’s a short book and I read it in one sitting. I definitely recommend this book to others.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.