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

Three generations of Stewart women share a deep connection to their family farm, but a secret from the past threatens to tear them apart.
Widowed matriarch Maggie remembers a time when the Italian prisoners of war came to work on their land, changing her heart and her home forever. Single mum Toni has been tied to the place for as long as she can recall, although farming was never her dream. And Flick is as passionate about the farm as a young girl could be, despite the limited opportunities for love.
When a letter from 1946 is unearthed in an old cottage on the property, the Sunnyvale girls find themselves on a journey deep into their own hearts and all the way across the world to Italy. Their quest to solve a mystery leads to incredible discoveries about each other, and about themselves.

I think the blurb tells you everything you need to know about the plot so I won't go over that - but let me tell you why I thought this book was a 4 star story...

First of all, let's just clear the air a little - the cover of this book does the story absolutely no justice. Here in Oz, there was (and, to some degree still is) a penchant for having pretty girls with hats on the cover of any book that might somehow be called a "rural romance" novel. And that would be the impression one gets from this cover too.

But it is so much more than that. It is a generational story; a story of three families over 70 years, a story that takes us from the heart of a rural property in Western Australia all the way to Italy, It is a story of hope and resilience. It is also a story of the mystery of a letter found under a loose floorboard, a letter that sets in motion all of these storylines that aren't just romance...

Don't get me wrong - there is still romance in this book. But there is just so much more to it than that! Recommended!


Paul
ARH