Review: Secrets at Sunset by Vanessa Woolley

⭐ Rating: 5/5

A Heartfelt Adventure in the Wilds of South Africa

Vanessa Woolley’s Secrets at Sunset is a beautifully woven tale of wildlife, mystery, and romance, all set against the rich and rugged landscape of South Africa. The story kicks off with a tragic but gripping event: a rhino is found dead, leaving behind a helpless calf. This catalyst launches an engaging investigation that forms the backbone of the narrative.

Visual & Thematic Highlights

Scenery & Atmosphere: From sun-drenched savannas to vivid dusk skies, Woolley’s descriptions of South African landscapes are immersive and painterly. The recurring motif of sunsets not only provides visual beauty but symbolizes change, transition, and sometimes, healing.

Wildlife & Conservation: Beyond serving as background, animals play key roles—both emotionally and thematically. The presence of the orphaned rhino calf and mentions of poaching draw attention to real-world conservation challenges without being preachy.

Language & Culture: Afrikaans terms like braai offer cultural texture. These details enhance the setting and give authenticity to the characters’ lives.

Romantic Subplot: The slow development of affection between Ryan and Kate feels grounded and believable. It doesn’t overshadow the main plot, but it adds a human emotional thread that complements the environmental themes.


Final Thoughts

Secrets at Sunset is more than a mystery—it’s a tribute to South Africa’s beauty, its creatures, and the people working to protect them. The book is as educational as it is entertaining, offering a well-balanced blend of suspense, romance, and cultural insight.

If you enjoy lush landscapes, animal conservation stories, and tender romance with just the right amount of tension, this book will not disappoint.

An interesting story with good characters. A nice setting among the South African wildlife. Better convergence in the last sections and reducing the repetitive character behaviours could have made it even better.

Ryan, ex-military, now fights poachers in South Africa at the Elephant Sands reserve in the Kruger national park area. The reserve is managed by Kate & Gavin (married to each other). Kate, a friend of Sara’s, visits to do a story on poaching just when a rhino was killed cruelly by poachers. The rhino calf survives and is admitted to a rhino orphanage. Kate’s parents died in a car accident recently and she is trying to move on. After her parents’ death, her uncle Patrick gives her some documents including a birth certificate, indicating her birth mother was someone else her dad had an affair with. Pursuing this is another of Kate’s reasons for visiting South Africa. Ryan & Kate feel attracted to each other, but there are a number of difficulties which must be overcome. Ryan has pains from his past, and both of them are keen to bring the poachers to book.

The setting is charming and brings attention to the cruel poaching gangs & trade. Also, based on a senseless premise as rhino horns do not really help medically in anything. I found many of Ryan & Kate’s behaviours to be repetitive & hence frustrating. A simpler narrative would have worked better. The poaching gangs' angle & Kate’s parentage are good additions to the story but are too simplistic and not very well written.

Overall, a nice relaxing read.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

I was immediately drawn to this ARC – it’s not often a romance tackles something as urgent and compelling as poaching, and the African setting promised big skies and bigger emotions. The book delivered on both those fronts, with vivid scenes of safaris, sunrises, and a baby rhino rescue that completely melted my heart.

Ryan’s backstory as a British soldier-turned-ranger was moving, though I expected more narrative payoff from his past – one thread involving a friend seemed to fizzle out. Kate, meanwhile, was a bit of a mixed bag. I liked her drive and bravery, but she was also bafflingly naive at times – there’s one moment where she heads into danger alone in a foreign country, and I was internally screaming at her idiocy. Her big secret felt like unnecessary drama too – once the original reason for keeping quiet was removed, the silence just felt manufactured.

A decision by Kate late on in the book really threw me. It’s a moral dilemma, for sure, but I personally found her choice so hard to stomach it dampened my enjoyment of the ending. That said, I appreciated that we weren’t railroaded into a babies-and-marriage epilogue – the HFN felt grounded and real.

The mystery element kept me turning pages, and the rhino sanctuary scenes offered warmth and hope. But I was disappointed that the majority of the main cast appeared to be white or foreign – it felt like a missed opportunity not to include Black South African voices in a story about their own country and natural heritage.

Overall an interesting debut and I will keep an eye out for more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kingsley Publishers for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Firstly thank you to the author and netgalley for sending me this ARC.
I really loved the storyline of this book! It's so uniquely described and written! It completely takes you out into a brand new setting! It's based on a setting of South Africa and how the two main characters are working to save what's important and finding out more!

Our FMC Kate is so fierce and strong that the story instantly pulled me into it and our MMC Ryan is no less! He is already dealing with his own troubles but still trying to hold on!
This was an emotional read not only because of the poaching that's been happening a lot in the background but also because of the loss that's been faced by the characters. The whole storyline has been handled with care and sensitivity which makes it a read close to my heart!
I haven't read this type of content before so I got to know about a lot of new things and things that broke my heart!
I really liked reading it and would recommend this to anyone who likes to read heartfelt emotional stories!
It was a fresh take to romance and I really loved reading it!

I thought this book started out a little slow. I wasn’t feeling all warm and fuzzy about the two main characters either. I did find the story idea interesting and sad at how much poaching actually happens. The story does pick up and some secrets come out. I ended up liking the book much more than I expected to.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish this book. I know it might seem unfair to review a story without reading it through to the end, but from the very first pages, I felt completely lost. There’s no clear introduction to the main character, Ryan, nor any real background provided for Kate. The narrative offers little context to understand who they are or what has brought them to this point. It honestly feels like picking up a sequel without having read the first book.

What makes it even more frustrating is that the premise has so much potential. Ryan, a former soldier, is on a mission to protect rhinos from poachers, and he teams up with Kate to take on that fight. It’s a powerful and timely setup, rich with emotion and purpose. But the execution stumbles right from the beginning. The story is so disjointed and confusing that it becomes nearly impossible to follow, let alone form any connection to the characters!

It’s a real shame, because the core idea is genuinely compelling. With a clearer structure and a stronger start, this could have been a truly engaging read.

Dnf@40%. There’s no denying that the author writes with deep passion and knowledge, especially when it comes to wildlife conservation and the African setting.

That said, I struggled with the actual storytelling. The conservation theme is so front-and-centre that it starts to feel like the plot and characters are taking a backseat.

The dialogue is blunt, simple, even abrupt. The narration is stoic, scenes shift quickly, and nothing lingers long enough to stand out. It’s almost as if each moment is forgettable as soon as it ends.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters, they blurred together, and no one stood out with any real depth or personality. I kept waiting for the tension or spark to kick in, but it never quite got there for me.

It reads like a thriller in theory, but lacks the fast‑pace thrill. Instead, it’s slow and uneventful, more drag than drama.

I really wanted to love this especially since it’s my first NetGalley book and I do think this could resonate with readers who are particularly interested in the conservation world. The premise is unique, and the setting has potential. But for me, the execution just didn’t land.

I really liked this one!

There's plenty here to keep the plot moving. Trying to find the people who killed the rhino and also secrets being revealed made this a fast-paced read for me. Could not put this down.

I found this to be an emotional read not only because of the poaching storyline but also because of the characters. Kate has lost her parents so when a baby rhino's mother is killed she feels an immediate connection to the baby. My heart broke for both the baby rhino and Kate. Ryan is also dealing with a lot as well. Each character's journey is handled with care and developed nicely over the course of the book.

Would recommend if you're in the mood for an emotional romantic suspense story with a unique plot.

i love how this book took me to a brand new setting for my genre love. South Africa this time. and to two quite original main characters too. a story that is about working to save whats most important. and perhaps finding out their 'more important' too. i love our two characters. Kate is a brilliant and strong heroine who i was immediately pulling for and she made me love every moment we got to read about her. and Ryan with his quiet and kind strength but also the parts of him that are still dealing with his own troubles. through no fault of his own hes got wounds that need time and love.
when the two come together alongside and extra intense plot i got nothing but more and more immersed into their story. i cared for them, the animals and was full of admiration for the adventure the author took us on. i wonder did she go to this part of the world for research? because it was all so beautiful descried and i could envision all of her scenes described.
i really enjoyed this book. such a fresh take on my romance genre and im so glad i came across it.