I loved the premise in Second Chance Station, a remote NSW sheep station owned and run by an all-woman team. Owner Nova is feisty, expects nothing but the best from her team but is also fair and genuinely cares about giving the women she recruits the training and care they need to make a fresh start with their lives. She picks up teenage Indy from a small café, where Indy has been successfully picking the pockets of the other customers. For Indy it’s either come to Windale Mountain Station to live and work or be sent off for juvenile detention. Fast forward around ten years and Indy is now a competent all-round station hand, able to muster sheep just as easily as sharpen the blades of a ride-on mower. The station’s secondary income comes from hosting sporting teams that need privacy and quality facilities to train away from the media and the latest team to arrive is the Sydney Scorpions, a first grade rugby league team including star player Carter Hendrix, who falls head over heels into lust with Indy on first sight. With strict “no fraternisation” rules in place, these two struggle to keep away from each other but the pull is too strung and they soon end up sneaking around to see each other whenever they can. The ensuing romance is sweet and with team drama playing out in the background, there’s plenty to keep readers entertained. Of course there are fireworks and the subsequent happy ever after that good romances deliver. Lots to love, whether it’s the gorgeous scenery, the rural setting or the good looks of the central characters.

Second Chance Station was quite an emotional read, and there were some very triggering passages. Black tackles gritty issues with sensitivity and understanding while not shying away from the long term damage the loss and trauma leave with a person.
This story is filled with compassion and I loved the small town police officer who wanted to see troubled youth turn their lives around and make a future for themselves.
The rugby aspect was completely over my head being an AFL girl but it was so well written that it didn't matter.
Definitely worth a read and I would love a sequel that checked back in on these characters to see how they're all going.

EXCERPT: The teen had spent the first couple of weeks stomping around with a scowl on her face, muttering about stupid sheep and the dumb heat.
Indy got it. She'd been exactly the same when Nova had brought her to Windale Mountain Sheep Station just over a decade ago. The three-thousand-hectare property of rolling hills, gullies and flats on the other side of the steep peak of the mountain itself was far removed from anywhere Indy had been before. Not that that included many places. Like Mara, she'd been so pissed oof at Sarge and Nova for setting her up and taking her choices away, but those feelings seemed so foreign now. She'd fallen in love with this place. The fresh air, the views from the mountain top, the green grass and even the sheep. The blisters she'd developed when she first arrived had become calluses she was proud of, and the isolation had become comforting. It was refreshing to know everyone in a thirty kilometre radius. Mara would grow to love this place too if she gave it a chance.

ABOUT 'SECOND CHANCE STATION': Relationships on the station are forbidden ... but are some rules made to be broken?

At Windale Mountain Sheep Station there's only one rule: don't sleep with the guests.

In her ten years living on the mountain, Indigo Mills has never once thought about breaking the rules. After a childhood of neglect and an adolescence that still haunts her, the opportunity to live and work on the sheep station was a lifesaver - literally - and Indy won't do anything to jeopardise her mountain family and home.

That is until Carter Hendrix, the best half-back in the game of professional rugby league, turns up.

The Scorpions have come to Windale for a pre-season training camp, fresh off the loss of last year's grand final - a loss Carter's teammates blame him for. Carter's plan is to keep his head down and his sponsors happy so he can continue playing the game he loves.

Until he meets Indy. Now is not the time for distractions and Indy is full of reasons why they shouldn't explore their attraction: their vastly different backgrounds, their age gap, the rules. But their chemistry is impossible to ignore. Can Carter prove to Indy that he's worth the risk, or will it all be left on the mountain?

MY THOUGHTS: Second Chance Station is a story about taking second chances when they're offered and not letting the past define you. There's a cracking hot romance (no open-door sex) as well.

Indy has never been tempted to break the most important rule of her workplace - that of no sleeping with the guests - until she meets Carter Hendrix. From the outset sparks fly between these two and as much as Indy keeps trying to maintain a distance between herself and Carter, circumstances keep throwing them together.

Carter was intent on improving his skills so that he would shine in the coming season and hopefully be able to earn the support of his teammates again, lost when he "ratted" out a fellow player for breaking the terms of his contract. However, his teammates don't know the full story and are busy taking out their disappointment at not winning the Grand Final on Carter.

Second Chance Station is a fast-paced and absorbing story dealing with several more serious topics such as the fates of children of drug addicts, street living, domestic violence, abuse and manipulation. All this plus a tempestuous romance - conducted in secret!

I liked both main characters, even though Indy has a chip the size of Australia on her shoulder. She doesn't always know what she wants and takes offence easily. She has a bite like a rattlesnake! Carter is a sweetie. He is kind and stands up for what, and who, he believes in.

If you are looking for an action-packed romance, look no further - especially if you are an Aussie NRL fan. Second Chance Station is an exciting and touching read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#SecondChanceStation #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR - RENAE BLACK: My family stretches back to at least three generations of farmers on both my mum and my dad’s side. I spent my formative years, growing up on a property north of Wagga Wagga, NSW that bred cattle and hosted the odd ostrich sale. My childhood was littered with animals – working and house dogs, the odd run in with a brown snake or two, an injured cockatoo, a long neck turtle and later a cockatiel named Harry who called everyone “Gorgeous”. That’s only a handful!

I strongly believe that farm life, and small town living gets under your skin and never actually leaves you. (Source: renaeblack.com)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA, via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of Second Chance Station by Renae Black for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

This was a heartfelt rural romance and an engaging story.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the love story of Indy and Carter, and the other characters too. It was an easy feel good story from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA for an amazing ARC.

Second Chance Station  by Renae Black was an absolutely  satisfying read.

I loved this book! It is a true second chance theme, with a plot that just kept on keeping me glued to the page. There wasn't a dull moment. Something was happening all the time.

Indy was a wonderful character, she'd had a rough upbringing but she'd been given a second chance by Nova who ran an all women sheep station. Indy was at the top of her game in the work environment and so far had kept her heart intact. Until Carter Hendrix came on the scene.

Carter is a very skilled rugby league player and a man with heaps of integrity. Part of the tension in this story is a stand that he made that was vastly unpopular with his team. He is a strong character and I loved how he handled anything thrown at him.

I highly recommend Second Chance Station, yet this book doesn't need any recommendation, it speaks for itself. I'll just say once again I loved it and I am only sorry I have finished it. My fault that I just had to gobble it down.

When we first meet Indy, she is a troubled kid. But ten years later she is a mature, strong willed and responsible adult working on an all girl station and loving it.

The rules are relationships with the quests are forbidden. But what do you do when the attraction is more than just checking out the opposite sex.

Renae has written a flirty story, that touches on moving on from the past, the memories and the process of growing up and becoming the person you knew that you could be.

I have received this book for a honest review.

If you’re looking for a nice, easy, relatable (even though you’re not from the outback) story then this is the book. From the first chapter you feel like you know the main characters, Indy and Carter, and are cheering for them both. The mix of farm life and NRL keep it interesting and you really feel you understand what life in those professions must be like and the challenges they face.

Another great read from Australian author Renae Black. 5 stars.

This was my first book reviewing for Netgalley so thank you to both Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

16 year old Indigo Mills has made her living as a pickpocketer until she is saved by Nova from a life on the streets. Nova takes her to Windale Mountain Station, a 3000 hectare property run by an all female staff where she stays for the next 10 years as a farmhand.

As well as a sheep farm, the property also runs as a camp for sporting teams to come and do pre-season training and bonding activities. There is just one strict rule the staff must abide by - no fraternising with the guests.

Enter professional NRL team, the Scorpions, who are coming off a Grand Final loss in the previous season with the best half-back in the league, Carter Hendrix. But Carter hasn't come without issues, he is on the outer with his team after an incident which prevented another player playing in the grand final, a decision a lot of his team mates blame him for.

Indy and Carter are instantly attracted to each other and seemingly find more ways to spend time together. Indy needs to decide if swoonworthy Carter will be worth breaking the rules for.

This was so sweet and I inhaled it in 2 days. While full on romance is not my preferred genre, there was enough alternative information about farming and rugby league references (I even learnt a new rule!) to keep me turning the page.

There was a lot of drama on this farm from storms, fires and near-death experiences, along with beautifully described scenery that made me wish I was swimming in the water holes on the property in the middle of summer.

It was also refreshing to read something positive and uplifting about a rugby league player for once!

Renae Black is certainly making a name for herself with her rural romances and this is a great read with a rugby league crossover you didn't know you needed!

Indigo Mills lives and works at Windale Mountain Sheep Station, she loves her job and it saved her from going down the wrong path as a teenager. Indy has always followed her bosses Nova’s rules, and she doesn’t want do anything to lose her found family and home.

The Scorpions a rugby league team come to Windale for a pre-season training camp, they lost last year’s grand final, and they need to put in the hard yards to turn it around and some members blame their half back for the loss. Carter Hendrix plans to stick to himself, and as a professional athlete he doesn't know how long his career will last and he wants to make the most of the opportunities he’s been given and doesn’t take it for granted.

Indy and Carter meet, she’s a couple of years older and comes from a very different back ground and they feel an instant spark and connection and her bosses number one rule is don’t sleep with the guests and Indy’s hasn’t had any trouble obeying this one until now and wonders how she and Carter will not give into temptation and desire?

I received a copy of Second Chance Station by Renae Black from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review. I was captivated by this narrative by the end of the first chapter, I really liked the characters and read the book in a day.

I like sport and as we know professional footballers are put up on a pedestal and don’t come across as everyday people and Carter made me think of them differently and in a good way.

A story about overcoming the past and getting a second chance, being scared, vulnerable and no longer afraid, standing up for what’s not right and survivor’s guilt, taking risks, types of team work, and a plot with smouldering chemistry.

Five stars from me, I highly recommend Second Chance Station and Renae Blacks previous book Red Dirt Home and she’s certainly making her name for herself in the realms of well written and page turning Australian rural romance.

Nova runs Windale Mountain Station, a station with only female employees and a place for girls to have a second chance. Indi first went there ten years ago when caught stealing money and given the choice of the station or the police being involved. Then the Sydney Scorpions rugby league team comes there for a training camp. In comes Carter Hendrix one of the best players in the league. I’ve read one of Renae’s books before and this one was delightful. The setting sounded great with the premise behind Windale Mountain Station. I loved the characters of Indi and Carter and loved their story from start to end.

Renae Black could publish her shopping list and I'd pre-order it. I’m officially in my “Renae Black writes it, I read it” era—and Second Chance Station just cemented that.
Her writing is so good I could practically feel the dust in my teeth and hear sheep judging me from the yards. Windale Mountain sheep station? 10/10 would get lost there and not even be mad.
Now let’s talk Indie—absolute queen. You know you’ve got a great FMC when you’re only five pages in and already defensive of her like she’s your little cousin at her first job. She's strong, she's fierce, and she’s not taking nonsense from anyone (except maybe a sheep or two).
And then there’s Carter. NRL player, heartthrob, surprise packet of emotional depth. I was expecting footy banter, not full-blown swoon. The way he treats Indie? I need to lie down.
I loved the whole NRL-meets-farming-life mashup—who knew footy boots and work boots made such a good combo?
This story is about taking chances, facing your past, and trusting your heart—and the epilogue had me smiling like I'd just found the last Tim Tam in the packet. Renae Black, take a bow.

Renae Black is my new favourite voice of Australian rural romance! I will read anything that Renae Black writes...I won't even bother with the synopsis because I just know the book will be fabulous.

Black has a way of beautifully capturing the landscape of rural Australia and the people that call it home and she has outdone herself with the setting of Second Chance Station. Black's writing style had me feeling the breeze on my face and hearing the sheep bleating in the yards with the Windale Mountain sheep station setting as I read.

Indie is one of those FMCs that you instantly know you will love. You can't help but be proud of her for the way she turned her life around and the hard work she puts in, and you don't want anyone to disappoint her as you read.

I loved the cross over of NRL training camp and farming life. Carter, oh boy, what a male lead character he is! There is a lot of depth to this NRL star that I wasn't expecting and the way he treats Indie is *chef's kiss*!

This is a story of taking risks, second chances, following your heart and not letting your past dictate your future. The epilogue left me with the biggest smile on my face.

Second Chance Station was brilliant...I give it infinity stars.