This was a great read. It was great to get to know the former newsreader Maren, that must leave her job and life Melbourne for Sydney when her child Orli gets into trouble.

Maren is such a complex character that really has out her life on hold for so long, marrying her best friend that is gay, has a child with him and put the romantic part of her life on hold for so many years. He finds his happiness after their divorce, but Maren is still just focused on her career and Orli. The break from it all in their move to Sydney open new possibilities. Their new neighbour Jac, a biker chick, that has some unpleasant encounters with Orli and then slowly get under Marlen’s skin.

Maren and Jac are really great together, but it takes forever for Marlen to being prepared to come out and that is a bit of a bummer. Jac is unbelievably patient with that, and I really feel sorry for her to being in love with someone that for way too long just want to keep everything hidden and casual. I liked that a lot of complex feelings and the handling of how to handle coming out as well as deal with a child realizing they are non-binary.

*4.5

I like this book a normal amount. I promise. I mean, a motorcyclist woman?? A closed celebrity? A coming out later in life? Of course I was hooked.
I appreciated the relationship between Maren and Orli, the mother and daughter bonding, and I swooned for Maren and Jac. The two of them are so damn cute together. I liked the way their relationship is developed.
And I love how supportive Maren’s ex husband is.

Thank you Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for the ARC.

A very good, heartwarming story.

Maren McEvoy has a streak of bad luck after her ex moves in with his boyfriend and her daughter gets arrested. She needs a change.

Jacinta Fowler lives a relatively boring life, mostly focused on work until her new neighbor's daughter starts wreaking havoc and puts her business at risk. She tries to stay angry, but the girl's mother is breathtaking. but also famous and closeted which isn't something Jac should get involved in, but Maren is hard to resist.

It's not as light hearted as her previous books, but Maren's emotional journey is done wonderfully and the character growth is outstanding in the well it's written. I enjoyed the secondary characters that help make the story what it is.

It was well written, emotional read with humor woven throughout that made a heavier read a little lighter.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

the first maren knew there was trouble was when her housekeeper entered the room that she was entertaining her guests, that the police were there about her daughter didnt make sense.... there was no way her daughter had been in a car jacking and was at this very moment in a police cell, no her daughter was upstairs in her room....

maren could only hope that she could keep this low key and out of the news.... but being a popular news readers there wasnt much hope of that.... but she could keep their names out of it....

the impact from that night meant that maren and her daughter had to change something.... there was no way maren was letting her daughter go off the rails any further...changes were afoot

so moving closer to her ex husband was the first step and also taking a years sabbatical and being there for her daughter... that could work...right....

jacs ran a motorbike touring business and what she didnt need was someones daughter breaking into her garages but thats exactly what happened one night...that it was marens daughter and her neighbour only added to the stress.... jacs had warned her off and she had promised....

but promises are hard to keep.... as jacs was about to find out....

omg i want to be a biker chick now... what a storyline.... great theme about coming out late and the impact it would have on your life and family.... read it in one night couldnt put it down

roll on the next book

This was a nice little lesbian romance. I enjoyed the motorcycle descriptions and the touring to different places. The MC’s were cute together, and I was happy to see the daughter come around.. The secondary characters were well written, and added to the story. I also read A Heart Full of Hope by this author. That was a good read as well. I’m sure to read more from this author.

Another typical Cheyenne Blue and I’m here for it. I always love the Australian setting and exploring of the landscapes. I like how this book has a minor tie in with other work of Blue. Not enough that you need to read it, but enough for me to spark the recognition and be appreciative of it.
I don’t ride a motorcycle myself but I like how Blue describes it in this story from a rider and a pillion rider perspective. Combine that with the Aussie setting and I’m ready to escape my current view and riding my bicycle.
Negative in this book for me is how the feelings of one character don’t seem to be explored enough. I almost feel I get more of the teenage angst than her adult fears, but it’s ok. In the end I like the pairing and the story for what it is.

Maren McEvoy is a popular Melbourne based newsreader (newscaster) on Channel 12 which airs in Australia. Her ex-husband, Marcus, is a retired professional rugby player who came out as gay a few years ago and is now living with his boyfriend, Rick, in Sydney. Maren and Marcus were married for eighteen years and have a sixteen year old daughter, Orli. Orli was caught carjacking in Melbourne and Maren must make some changes to get Orli back on track. So Maren and Orli move to South Sydney to get Orli away from bad friend influence in Melbourne and closer to Marcus and Rick.

Maren meets her new neighbor, Jacinta (Jac) Fowler when Orli trespasses on her property and eventually damages one her motorcycles. Jac has a motorcycle tour business, so there is an impact to her business. After resolving the damage to her motorcycle, Orli begins to work for Jac to pay off her debt. Maren also grows close to Jac, but is closeted. The book tells the story of the growing relationship between Maren and Jac, a surprise with Orli, and the positive support on all fronts from Marcus and Rick.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and immediately engaged with all of the characters. The descriptions of the motorcycle tours in South Sydney were detailed and encouraged the reader to review the locations and photos on the internet. I also loved the relationship between Maren and Jac and the supportive nature of Marcus and Rick. 5 stars

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.