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Wish
All single mother Billie Temple wants for Christmas is to trade her hectic Sydney lifestyle for simple country living and a place to call home.
All widowed cattleman Adam Kincaid wants is for Billie and her son to go away.
Someone's got a problem.
All widowed cattleman Adam Kincaid wants is for Billie and her son to go away.
Someone's got a problem.
118 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2011
22 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Hunter
284 books422 followersAustralian born Kelly Hunter is a three time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist, a USA Today Bestselling author and loves writing to the demands of the short category romance form.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 22, 2013
3-1/2 stars
I liked the Australian feel of this book. Typical words and phrases were not Americanized. The writing was good. The plot was fairly simple. Single mother moves to a small town to get her son away from the bad influences of the big city where they were living. The hero was a widower who didn't want to get involved with a woman who had a child. Lots of interesting secondary characters. And dogs.
I liked the Australian feel of this book. Typical words and phrases were not Americanized. The writing was good. The plot was fairly simple. Single mother moves to a small town to get her son away from the bad influences of the big city where they were living. The hero was a widower who didn't want to get involved with a woman who had a child. Lots of interesting secondary characters. And dogs.
December 1, 2019
Better than most novellas. But as usual for Kelly Hunter, it ends very abruptly.
October 9, 2012
Why I read it: After my less than successful experience with my first try of something from the Destiny imprint, I was keen to read another which I liked. I've heard about Australian author Kelly Hunter from various trusted reviewers and I even have another of her Harlequin books on my TBR but I hadn't read any. When I saw this on NetGalley, I felt like this would be a sure bet. I was right.
What it's about: (from Goodreads) All single mother Billie Temple wants for Christmas is to trade her hectic Sydney lifestyle for simple country living and a place to call home.
All widowed cattleman Adam Kincaid wants is for Billie and her son to go away.
Someone's got a problem.
What worked for me (and what didn't): I've always thought it takes a special talent to write short. To tell a good story in less than 100 pages is a talent I both recognise and envy (if I ever do write a book, I can't imagine it being short!). And, sure I could happily have read more about Billie and Adam, but, the story was told and very enjoyably too in that less than 100 pages.
Ms. Hunter creates characters using bold strokes but which nevertheles feel complete. She doesn't use a lot of words to explain the characters, letting them largely speak for themselves, but there was enough that I had a very clear picture of the main players, without any of them feeling like caricatures. I enjoyed the humor too - the way she portrayed Adam's initial interest in Billie is one example:
Billie was doing the rounds for empties when he walked in and she looked businesslike and efficient in tailored black trousers and a crisp white shirt. Not that he’d been expecting a miniskirt, fishnets, and six-inch heels, no, but a man had his fantasies and that one had been particularly vivid.
I had half expected the book would be on the sweet side of the steam scale, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the heat level was higher than that - no shying away from use of the word clitoris. There wasn't tons and tons of sex - it's not an erotic romance and of course, it's not very long, but there was enough for the story and it was well done too.
Billie is open about her desire for Adam from early on and it is obvious he is struggling with feeling the same way even though after the death of his wife and son in a car accident some years before, he's not looking for a relationship. The presence of Billie and her son on his property is enough to give him the heebie geebies and it's bringing all sorts of uncomfortable emotions to the surface. He's gruff and outright rude but he is at heart, a good man and a protector and he is drawn to Billie.
Eventually they start up a friends with benefits type arrangement, on the quiet and with no strings from either side - Adam can't bring himself to use Cal's name referring to him as "the boy" and Billie knows that a relationship with a man who can't include her son in his life is doomed. But, he's sexy and she's lonely so, despite her better judgement she embarks on a fling. When some strange things start happening in town and it looks like Billie is under threat, Adam's protective instincts outweigh his reticence and he takes Billie and Cal into his home. And he finds, against his will, he likes it.
I enjoyed the Australian setting and farming work peppered throughout the story and I liked how Billie stood up for herself with her new boss at the pub Roly and got her way in getting the pub modernised and bringing in new customers. The "suspense" plot was a little thin I suppose but it all made sense and as I read for the romance I wasn't bothered by it.
Billie has been through a lot in her life too and I appreciated that she was the sort of person who could take a little time to grieve but then got up and moved on with optimism, without being a Mary Sue. Adam sees that and takes some inspiration I think.
I also enjoyed the scene where Adam went shopping. Very fun. :)
The book is nothing earth-shattering - just a sweet sexy and short contemporary but I really enjoyed it. The length is just right to finish in an evening and it left me with a smile on my face.
What else? According to Goodreads, the book was first released last year but it is up at NetGalley now as release for the new Destiny imprint so I guess it is getting a new audience.
I enjoyed Ms. Hunter's writing voice and will definitely be reading more from her.
Grade: B+
http://kaetrinsmusings.blogspot.com.a...
What it's about: (from Goodreads) All single mother Billie Temple wants for Christmas is to trade her hectic Sydney lifestyle for simple country living and a place to call home.
All widowed cattleman Adam Kincaid wants is for Billie and her son to go away.
Someone's got a problem.
What worked for me (and what didn't): I've always thought it takes a special talent to write short. To tell a good story in less than 100 pages is a talent I both recognise and envy (if I ever do write a book, I can't imagine it being short!). And, sure I could happily have read more about Billie and Adam, but, the story was told and very enjoyably too in that less than 100 pages.
Ms. Hunter creates characters using bold strokes but which nevertheles feel complete. She doesn't use a lot of words to explain the characters, letting them largely speak for themselves, but there was enough that I had a very clear picture of the main players, without any of them feeling like caricatures. I enjoyed the humor too - the way she portrayed Adam's initial interest in Billie is one example:
Billie was doing the rounds for empties when he walked in and she looked businesslike and efficient in tailored black trousers and a crisp white shirt. Not that he’d been expecting a miniskirt, fishnets, and six-inch heels, no, but a man had his fantasies and that one had been particularly vivid.
I had half expected the book would be on the sweet side of the steam scale, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the heat level was higher than that - no shying away from use of the word clitoris. There wasn't tons and tons of sex - it's not an erotic romance and of course, it's not very long, but there was enough for the story and it was well done too.
Billie is open about her desire for Adam from early on and it is obvious he is struggling with feeling the same way even though after the death of his wife and son in a car accident some years before, he's not looking for a relationship. The presence of Billie and her son on his property is enough to give him the heebie geebies and it's bringing all sorts of uncomfortable emotions to the surface. He's gruff and outright rude but he is at heart, a good man and a protector and he is drawn to Billie.
Eventually they start up a friends with benefits type arrangement, on the quiet and with no strings from either side - Adam can't bring himself to use Cal's name referring to him as "the boy" and Billie knows that a relationship with a man who can't include her son in his life is doomed. But, he's sexy and she's lonely so, despite her better judgement she embarks on a fling. When some strange things start happening in town and it looks like Billie is under threat, Adam's protective instincts outweigh his reticence and he takes Billie and Cal into his home. And he finds, against his will, he likes it.
I enjoyed the Australian setting and farming work peppered throughout the story and I liked how Billie stood up for herself with her new boss at the pub Roly and got her way in getting the pub modernised and bringing in new customers. The "suspense" plot was a little thin I suppose but it all made sense and as I read for the romance I wasn't bothered by it.
Billie has been through a lot in her life too and I appreciated that she was the sort of person who could take a little time to grieve but then got up and moved on with optimism, without being a Mary Sue. Adam sees that and takes some inspiration I think.
I also enjoyed the scene where Adam went shopping. Very fun. :)
The book is nothing earth-shattering - just a sweet sexy and short contemporary but I really enjoyed it. The length is just right to finish in an evening and it left me with a smile on my face.
What else? According to Goodreads, the book was first released last year but it is up at NetGalley now as release for the new Destiny imprint so I guess it is getting a new audience.
I enjoyed Ms. Hunter's writing voice and will definitely be reading more from her.
Grade: B+
http://kaetrinsmusings.blogspot.com.a...
October 30, 2012
Hunter is a well-established romance author under Harlequin Mills & Boon and after initially choosing to self-publish Wish it was picked up by the new Penguin digital first imprint, Destiny Romance. I couldn’t resist a novella about an Aussie gal in a country town who shares a property with a rugged country bloke on the cusp of the Christmas season.
Billy Temple and her son Cal move away from Sydney and their life of living and residing in a pub to rent a cottage and take on a new pub job in a small country town. But when she turns up at Adam Kincaid’s property intent on renting his cottage he suggests she moves on as she wouldn’t be suited to the country lifestyle. Despite his protective streak and gruff attitude towards her, physical attraction fizzles between them and he eventually relents and allows her to stay on for the duration of a six month lease.
Adam has lead a quiet, lonely life since the death of his wife and young son eight years prior and these painful memories are activated in the presence of the bubbly Billy and her gentle-natured son. He’s reluctant to put the past behind him and he’s in no way ready for an instant family and he makes this clear to Billy from the outset. She accepts his unresolved issues and agrees to a “no one gets hurt” fling that is purely physical. Only problem, Adam and Billy’s feelings for each other grow stronger by the day and are very much at risk of hurting one another.
Billy is a likeable character who finds a place easily in this sleepy town and takes pride in her work. She’s also quite insightful about the risk she takes in getting involved in Adam and does make a decision to put herself and her son first. Adam is a strong, hard-working cattleman whose defences are set firmly around him and I liked seeing these break down as he slowly opens his heart to Billy.
Hunter succeeded in creating a believable attraction that develops into something deeper in the face of a novella. A sweet, quick read from a proficient Australian romance author, Wish is the perfect Christmas read this year.
3.5 stars
Billy Temple and her son Cal move away from Sydney and their life of living and residing in a pub to rent a cottage and take on a new pub job in a small country town. But when she turns up at Adam Kincaid’s property intent on renting his cottage he suggests she moves on as she wouldn’t be suited to the country lifestyle. Despite his protective streak and gruff attitude towards her, physical attraction fizzles between them and he eventually relents and allows her to stay on for the duration of a six month lease.
Adam has lead a quiet, lonely life since the death of his wife and young son eight years prior and these painful memories are activated in the presence of the bubbly Billy and her gentle-natured son. He’s reluctant to put the past behind him and he’s in no way ready for an instant family and he makes this clear to Billy from the outset. She accepts his unresolved issues and agrees to a “no one gets hurt” fling that is purely physical. Only problem, Adam and Billy’s feelings for each other grow stronger by the day and are very much at risk of hurting one another.
Billy is a likeable character who finds a place easily in this sleepy town and takes pride in her work. She’s also quite insightful about the risk she takes in getting involved in Adam and does make a decision to put herself and her son first. Adam is a strong, hard-working cattleman whose defences are set firmly around him and I liked seeing these break down as he slowly opens his heart to Billy.
Hunter succeeded in creating a believable attraction that develops into something deeper in the face of a novella. A sweet, quick read from a proficient Australian romance author, Wish is the perfect Christmas read this year.
3.5 stars
November 6, 2011
Billie Temple is after a new start. She want to get away from her inner suburban life where she lives in a couple of rooms above the pub she manages and there is nowhere safe for her son Cal to play. A new life managing a country pub where her son has acres of space to play in seems like the perfect solution!
It is therefore a bit unfortunate that one of her closest neighbours, and her land lord, instantly decides that he doesn't want Billie and Cal on his land. He has his reasons, mostly to do with his own past which is filled with heartbreak, but he makes it very clear to Billie that she and her son will be moving somewhere, anywhere, else as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made.
To read more, and a few thoughts about established authors and self publishing
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2011...
November 17, 2011
I liked this romance about a single mother determined to make a better life for her son. Fast pacing kept the story flowing, and the romance was blazing. The mystery seemed a bit forced, and the guilty party was never in doubt. Some of the Aussie slang sounded strange to my American ears, but how else would I learned that chook means chicken? Entertaining and educational!
Full review here: http://www.mangamaniaccafe.com/?p=5728
Full review here: http://www.mangamaniaccafe.com/?p=5728
January 1, 2017
Ooh I like me some gruff repressed Australian farmer who is attracted to his new tenant. Again I’m enjoying what this author does with her characters, her lightness of touch. My main issue is that I would love her stories to be longer. With the short frame- the “I love you let’s get married and have children” gets compressed into a few days/weeks in her books- I guess I’m getting used to that, but I’d love to have this story teased out a bit more. Even so, I thought this was really well done
Read
October 29, 2011A poignant story packed with emotion, smiles and sizzle.
Started reading it in the wee small hours, made sure I finished it before I slept.
Enjoyed it that much :)
Started reading it in the wee small hours, made sure I finished it before I slept.
Enjoyed it that much :)
May 13, 2020
Shorter than I like, but fully pact with good story and great characters, no filler.
++ 0918 0619 0520
++ 0918 0619 0520
November 28, 2017
A Wish for Adam Kincaid review
A Wish for Adam Kincaid is a sweet Australian cowboy romance written by author Kelly Hunter. It's a nice holiday story.
A Wish for Adam Kincaid is a sweet Australian cowboy romance written by author Kelly Hunter. It's a nice holiday story.
November 11, 2018
The story has lots of charm, but I never felt the passion. It was just okay. Clean editing and good character development.
February 28, 2021
Nice easy read. Good little romance novel.
September 16, 2023
Read it in one sitting, very satisfying ending.
January 5, 2016
The blurb says it all. A young single mother wants to raise her young son away from the dangers of the big city and ends up in a very small town in the country. Her new landlord though she was a man, and he really wants her to leave right away. It is not safe out there for a woman alone, who has no idea of the dangers of the local wildlife. How is this pretty tiny woman ever going to run the local pub?
But Billie manages, and then she and Adam grow closer and become lovers. But can Adam really love her, when his heart is still broken with the deaths of his wife and son?
I loved this book. There is no whining, no whishing for things other than they are, things she can’t change. Billie is such a strong and capable character; she is a good mother, and she works hard to make the local pub a success. The owner has given her carte blanche, but when she turns his pub into a place where whole families feel welcome he is not so sure that is what he wants. Billie even starts serving some food and pies made by a local woman. And there is another romance in the works.
Billie is in love with Adam, and she enjoys being his lover, but if he can’t love her back and commit to her, she will walk away from him as she deserves more. I absolutely admire her for that.
I totally recommend this book if you want something nice to escape with.
9 stars.
But Billie manages, and then she and Adam grow closer and become lovers. But can Adam really love her, when his heart is still broken with the deaths of his wife and son?
I loved this book. There is no whining, no whishing for things other than they are, things she can’t change. Billie is such a strong and capable character; she is a good mother, and she works hard to make the local pub a success. The owner has given her carte blanche, but when she turns his pub into a place where whole families feel welcome he is not so sure that is what he wants. Billie even starts serving some food and pies made by a local woman. And there is another romance in the works.
Billie is in love with Adam, and she enjoys being his lover, but if he can’t love her back and commit to her, she will walk away from him as she deserves more. I absolutely admire her for that.
I totally recommend this book if you want something nice to escape with.
9 stars.
October 21, 2012
What a nice romantic story this is..
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Australia..
Review will be also on http://deskynowsky.blogspot.com/
Well, it's a heartfelt adult contemporary romance story really.. a bit short and not so much drama added. Just a quite amount of heartbreak and finding-love story in it.. So well, the girl is a single mother of a boy that just moved from Sidney to a small-town, Inverglen. She took a job as a Pub Manager in the small town where she would be staying a cottage far-away from everything else. Then there this guy who actually owned the cottage where she will live. And the guy was actually having a painful past that had cost him his family in the past. So the story developed and there were more to small town people that what meet the eyes. And love bloomed..
It was a sweet and simple story. But as I have mentioned earlier, this story has not contained enough drama. Although I really like the development of characters in the story, it felt natural and heartwarming.
;)
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Australia..
Review will be also on http://deskynowsky.blogspot.com/
Well, it's a heartfelt adult contemporary romance story really.. a bit short and not so much drama added. Just a quite amount of heartbreak and finding-love story in it.. So well, the girl is a single mother of a boy that just moved from Sidney to a small-town, Inverglen. She took a job as a Pub Manager in the small town where she would be staying a cottage far-away from everything else. Then there this guy who actually owned the cottage where she will live. And the guy was actually having a painful past that had cost him his family in the past. So the story developed and there were more to small town people that what meet the eyes. And love bloomed..
It was a sweet and simple story. But as I have mentioned earlier, this story has not contained enough drama. Although I really like the development of characters in the story, it felt natural and heartwarming.
;)
November 29, 2012
Set in rural Australia in a small country town , we meet single mother Billie Temple and her son Cal . Billie has just arrived in town after recieving a job to manage the local pub. It seems though that their has been a bit of miscommunication as the landlord of her new house expected a male and definitely wanted someone with no kids. Now Billie must help sway landlord Adam's ways as Billie and her son have nowhere left to go. With a bit of city know-it-how, Billie starts to rally around the locals and soon turns the pub into a booming place to be but soon strange things will start occuring from slashed tyres to trampled roses to vandalism. Is somebody out to get Billie ? Do they want her as faraway from this town as possible ?
A quick read at 97 pages, Wish will keep you on your toes as you try and decipher who is doing the vandalism and why ?
A quick read at 97 pages, Wish will keep you on your toes as you try and decipher who is doing the vandalism and why ?
November 27, 2011
Wish was a quick heart-warming little read.
Billie just wants the best for her son and that means taking on a new job and moving to a new home…one owned by Adam Kincaid. When Adam happens upon Billie and her son Cal on move-in day…this is not the “Billie” he was expecting. Adam’s a bit of a loaner and the last thing he wants someone living close by who reminds him of everything he’s loved and lost in life, but Billie’s not about to let her gruff landlord send her on her way. I loved Blue dog!
A cute kid, an even cuter dog and a second chance at love story - what’s not to love?
Kelly Hunter’s trademark Australian touch can be found throughout this story and quite frankly I would read anything written by her.
Billie just wants the best for her son and that means taking on a new job and moving to a new home…one owned by Adam Kincaid. When Adam happens upon Billie and her son Cal on move-in day…this is not the “Billie” he was expecting. Adam’s a bit of a loaner and the last thing he wants someone living close by who reminds him of everything he’s loved and lost in life, but Billie’s not about to let her gruff landlord send her on her way. I loved Blue dog!
A cute kid, an even cuter dog and a second chance at love story - what’s not to love?
Kelly Hunter’s trademark Australian touch can be found throughout this story and quite frankly I would read anything written by her.
March 27, 2012
This is a very short novella, around 80 pages, but it has everything needed to be a convincing love story with quite a hot sex scene included even ^^ - but the great thing is the deftness with which Kelly Hunter makes every character introduced individual and interesting - from heroine and hero, to Cal, to Mollie, to Roly and Arthur, to Simon - who should get his own book ^^.
Oh and of course Blue, the dog! - and Henry the puppy. The villains, past and present, are one-dimensional though, not much else to be done at this length, I would have thought. But even so it's a love story about coping with grief and going on with life and making a fresh start - without becoming didactic, I thought.
Well worth the price.
Oh and of course Blue, the dog! - and Henry the puppy. The villains, past and present, are one-dimensional though, not much else to be done at this length, I would have thought. But even so it's a love story about coping with grief and going on with life and making a fresh start - without becoming didactic, I thought.
Well worth the price.
April 8, 2017
This is a short but sweet novella about Billie and her son Cal who come to a small town in Australia from Sydney to run a country pub. Their landlord Adam is not impressed by the small, beautiful woman from the big city and her son - he was expecting a man called Billy, someone older and someone used to the country. Yet he is attracted to her!
As Billie starts to get involved in the community, make friends and bring the pub into the twenty first century the attraction between her and Adam grows, then someone starts committing acts of vandalism - has Billie brought trouble from the big city or is it someone closer to home?
I liked Billie and Adam, they were both hard-working, kind people, and who doesn't like a book with dogs in it?
As Billie starts to get involved in the community, make friends and bring the pub into the twenty first century the attraction between her and Adam grows, then someone starts committing acts of vandalism - has Billie brought trouble from the big city or is it someone closer to home?
I liked Billie and Adam, they were both hard-working, kind people, and who doesn't like a book with dogs in it?
November 23, 2013
This was close to 4 stars, but held back because there was a lot more scope for the story to develop. 'The End' came far too quickly!
'Wish' had a real Cathy Kelly feel to it with a distinctive Australian flavour which captured what I imagine Country / Small Town life to be like, right down to the long uncertain drive along a road that has you questioning if you're heading in the right direction.
A good quick read (2+ hours?) Would have loved to see a bit more angst thrown in there, without adding a spoiler there was an obvious character that could have come more into play.
'Wish' had a real Cathy Kelly feel to it with a distinctive Australian flavour which captured what I imagine Country / Small Town life to be like, right down to the long uncertain drive along a road that has you questioning if you're heading in the right direction.
A good quick read (2+ hours?) Would have loved to see a bit more angst thrown in there, without adding a spoiler there was an obvious character that could have come more into play.
November 20, 2011
Kelly Hunter proves that her talent extends to crafting a terrific novella. There is no shortage of story here, complete with my favorite kind of hero. Adam is a to-die-for sexy guy with a fascinating blend of self-awareness, humor, and emotional scars - all of which makes for a compelling read! Billie is a warm, spunky heroine who sparks off of Adam in a delightful way. A feel-good,sexy read that doesn't disappoint!
November 25, 2014
For great romantic writing with wonderful characters, love and humour, you can't go past Kelly Hunter. I read Wish in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. My only 'wish' is that Kelly Hunter would write more books and longer ones!
October 29, 2011
Loved this book. It told of how the past can definitely rule the future if you let it, not always for the better. So glad things worked out in the end!
October 30, 2011
I really enjoyed this story so enjoyable a great read
December 9, 2011
Really enjoyed this slice of life story set in a rural Australian landscape. Loved the hero and his tortured backstory.
January 14, 2013
4/5 (B)
January 17, 2013
Rating 3.5 stars
January 26, 2013
Review to come
February 7, 2013
This is a sweet if rather short novella about two damaged people who need to work up the courage to try again. I loved the Australian small town setting.
June 23, 2015
Easy reading, predictable and all... just finished it in a couple of hours, short and sweet romance story.
The simplest of Kelly Hunter I've ever read...
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The simplest of Kelly Hunter I've ever read...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews