EXCERPT: Riverside Homestead shone like a beacon amid the lush thick tropical landscape, and just beyond that the Riverside Roadhouse invited passers-by into its welcoming hospitality. Bright pops of colorful flowers adorned the perimeter, the pink hibiscus, orange birds of paradise, yellow frangipani, red gingers and lobster claw heliconias he and Tommy had planted a few years ago in full bloom. Alongside the Queenslander-style building - sitting on one-metre-high stilts with cool, wide, wrap-around verandahs to while away the time with a beer or coffee in-hand - the well-known truck stop's car park was jam packed with campervans, semitrailers and road trains, some loaded with cattle.

ABOUT 'SECRETS OF RIVERSIDE': After losing her family in a tragic fire when she was a child, Amelia Price has battled to put the shattered pieces of her life back together. Even so, she's never felt like she belongs anywhere, and she longs for stability and love. When a mysterious letter turns up at her apartment with hints that she'll uncover the truth behind what happened all those years ago if she goes to the sleepy, picturesque town of Riverside, she sets off on a journey to tropical Far North Queensland.

Jarrah King owns and runs the Riverside Roadhouse. He loves the simpleness of country living, and the fact it gives him complete anonymity. Over the years he's made a life for himself under a new name, however his past has never stopped haunting him.

When a sassy blonde takes up the new cook position, he can't help but be drawn to her vivacious personality. But he can tell there's also pain hiding underneath her bubbly facade and he longs to erase those shadows. However, lowering his defences to let her in may risk his new identity, as well as everything he holds dear.

Can Amelia show him that love is worth the risk? Or will the secrets of their entwined past tear them apart forever?

MY THOUGHTS: Secrets of Riverside didn't work as well for me as Gum Tree Gully, the first book I read by this author, did. I really disliked the first few chapters which gave the backgrounds of both main characters, Jarrah King, owner of Riverside, and Amelia (Millie) Price. I thought these would have been better woven into the fabric of the story as it progressed. It was an information overload.

The writing just didn't seem to flow easily. There was frequent use of cliches, the use of terms I haven't heard in years such as scalliwag and that I wouldn't expect to hear from the lips of people in Jarrah's and Millie's age groups. There was also some strange use of language/words in places e.g. 'her headlights ignited the road sign' . . . this is by no means an isolated example.

I liked both Millie's and Jarrah's characters - except for Millie's reliance on alcohol as an escape anytime anything went wrong - but Tommy fell well and truly short in the believability department. To start: who is going to make an eighteen-year-old manager of a roadhouse? He just wouldn't have the skills or maturity to handle such a position.

Which brings me to another point: the roadhouse. I have worked in a few over the years. I have never worked in one that opens at 7am and closes at 2pm, plus closes one day a week. That's a cafe. Roadhouses are traditionally open seven days a week - the trucks don't stop! - and long hours if not all 24.

Ultimately I was disappointed in this read. It fell short of satisfactory in so many areas. The author obviously hasn't done her research. The two redeeming factors for me were the Queensland setting and the romance between Jarrah and Millie. That was interesting and well written.

⭐⭐.5

#SecretsofRiverside #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Mandy Magro lives in Cairns, Far North Queensland, with her daughter, Chloe Rose. With pristine aqua-blue coastline in one direction, and sweeping rural landscapes in the other, she describes her home as heaven on earth. A passionate woman, and a romantic at heart, she loves writing about soul-deep love, the Australian rural way of life, and all the wonderful characters that live there.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA, via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Secrets of Riverside by Mandy Magro for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Mandy Magro knows the far nrth Queensland countryside like the back of her hand, and in Secrets Of Riverside, she takes readers into the tropical rainforest just north of Cairns. Her descriptions of the lush vegetation and fauna made me feel like I was right there. This story starts in the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney, where fifteen year old Amelia Price has just lost her parents and younger brother in a devastating house fire that she only escaped because a stranger rescued her. Fifteen year later, shes living with her best friend Ebony, having just left an abusive relationship and had a miscarriage. She’s clearly at a crossroads in her life and seems to be drifting until a mysterious letter has her travelling north to Riverside Acres. Jarrah King, owner of Riverside, which doubles as a horse breeding property and a roadhouse with a motel, has plenty of secrets in his past but despite a rough upbringing, he’s a strong, hardworking and decent man, who has raised his eighteen year-old nephew Tommy since his parents died. While I felt for Amelia, Milly to her friends, it took me a while to really empathise with her because she was drifting. Her arrival at Raiverside and becoming the cook at the roadhouse brought out a different side of her, one that I really loved. She and Jarrah are a great team and the sparks between them certainly flew. I didn’t like Tommy, who acted like a spoiled brat through most of the book. He certainly threw plenty of spanners in the works in terms of Milly working at the roadhouse and in terms of the budding romance between her and Jarrah. This story reallly flew by and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Set in Queensland, Australia, Secrets of Riverside is a nice romantic read that moves along well.

I really liked the two main characters - Amelia (Millie) and Jarrah. They both have had a lot to deal with in their past lives, yet they are upright good living people. They deserved to find each other. As well as the two main characters we have a really fun dog in the story.

I liked the premise of the story, yet at times I felt it was a little forced. Tommy - Jarrah's nephew, didn't quite work for me. He seemed to just turn so easily one way or the other.

There is a lot of time given to the surroundings or setting or to characters interior thoughts. I found these large chunks of prose, a little off putting. I like to see plenty of dialogue in a book, there was some of course, I just felt I would have liked more.

If you like outback romance set in Australia I think you'll enjoy this book.

Secrets of Riverside is the second book I have read of Mandy Magro’s and enjoyed. This was an intriguing story of second chances (though sad in parts) with solid characters that kept me turning the pages fairly rapidly. Amelia Price went through a horrific event when she was a child. A fire that killed all her family except she was saved by an unnamed rescuer. This trauma continues to haunt her with nightmares into her adulthood and she battles to keep her life together, especially after a rocky relationship and another loss. She has a wonderful friend, Ebony, who has been like a sister to her helping her through the trauma and all. Then one day a mysterious letter turns up at her Sydney apartment that shocks her with its message. Its sender wants her to go to Riverside in Far North Queensland to uncover the truth of the reasons behind the fire and loss of her family. Since she is seeking answers—she hopes this journey will provide closure and decides to go against the pleas of her best friend. But she reassures Ebony she will be fine, she can handle the trip herself and her friend should continue with her planned holiday.

Once Amelia (or Millie as she is called by her friends) is almost at her destination, she has vehicle problems and is rescued by Jarrah King. This meeting leads to a job as a cook at his Riverside Roadhouse (a business and home left to him by his grandfather) where she manages to impress everyone with her fine cooking skills; except Jarrah’s nephew who takes an instant dislike to her.

Jarrah and Millie get to know each other over time and there is a strong familiarity and attraction. They fight the feelings that are developing between them but we know this won’t last forever. With roadblocks like limited trust and hiding major information about their past lives from each other, building a sound relationship will be impossible. At least not until the walls of self-protection come down. They fear that honest revelations about who they are and their past lives will change perceptions and they could lose control of their own narrative. Can they overcome these hurdles, trust each other and get closer?

Identity issues is a big theme in this novel. Jarrah changed his last name at the request of his grandfather to get away from the bad connections to his mobster father. So, there is a big risk in exposing his identity. Millie has not let on her real reasons for coming to Far North Queensland either and has pretended she is just a free spirit drifting from place to place.

Ironically this pair will discover they have more connections than they originally knew and there is a rocky journey ahead. But all will be revealed after heated discussions, hurts, misunderstandings and a new surprise. Be assured, the various threads of this story will come together in a satisfying ending. This rural romance with some mystery and mayhem is well written and kept my attention to the very last page and word. I loved the hero and heroine who are genuine and very likeable. The unfolding drama in such a beautiful setting is a bonus, too. Plus, the uplifting ending made me smile. I enjoyed watching these two work things out, find their places and answers and overcome the past when wrongs are made right. A heartfelt satisfying read! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to HQ Fiction and Netgalley for a review copy.

Amelia & Jarrah both had unpleasant childhoods but can they help each other heal when they both keep their past a secret.

This is a very emotional story but a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amelia Price lost her family in a house fire fifteen years ago, the one person whose always been there for her is her best friend Ebony and she’s still provides support. Amelia feels lost, like she doesn't belong and she’s made bad choices in her relationships with men. A mysterious letter arrives at Ebony’s apartment in Parramatta, Sydney and it informs Amelia she needs to travel to Riverside, a small town in far North Queensland and here she will uncover how the fire started?

Jarrah King owns and manages the Riverside Roadhouse and it’s a stopover for truck drivers and travelers. He was very lucky to inherit it from his grandfather and it provided a much needed new start for him and his nephew Tommy, and no one knows about his past. When Millie arrives at the roadhouse, he needs a cook, and he hires her on the spot. Millie is funny and kind and an amazing cook and his customers are very happy with the food and so is Jarrah.

Jarrah and Millie both enjoy the same things, they love animals, horse riding, country music, dancing, but are wary about exposing too much about their personal lives and history. I enjoy reading stories about people turning their lives around and Jarrah does. Millie's a troubled soul, plagued by nightmares from the house fire, she needs a strong man by her side, one she can trust and is Jarrah the person to do this?

I received a digital copy of Secrets of Riverside by Mandy Magro and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review. Ms. Magro explains why she writes books in her notes at the end, her aim is to lift people’s spirits while reading her novels and they get to visit new places, a way to escape life and its pressures, make you cry, laugh out loud and still believe in love and romance.

Ms. Magro has done this again with her latest book, I enjoyed reading about what’s it’s like in the stunning far North of Queensland with her vivid descriptions, near Cairns, the rainforest and the yummy food Amelia cooked. I liked most of the characters and my favourites were Jarrah, Amelia, Ebony and Scruff the dog and the narrative is about friendship, second chances, and finding peace and love. Five stars from me, I highly recommend Secrets of Riverside and it’s released on the 1st of May 2024.

Amelia (Millie) had a tragedy occur when a child. But that tragedy has come back to chase her again.

Millie heads north and finds herself landing a job at Riverside. She is falling in love with the countryside and her job. But her past seems to cause her worry no matter what she does.

Jarrah offers Millie a job. Not knowing anything about her, but he does enjoy her cooking and her beauty, inside and out.

The past has caught them both by surprise and this causes Millie to run. Can she trust herself and her feelings again.

A fabulous story that touches your heart with the emotions portrayed by the characters. Another great read.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publishers and the author for the book.