Hide Away: A Golden Peaks Country Club Novel

by Joanna Kimber

Even after landing the job of my dreams and moving in with my long-term boyfriend, I still felt like something was missing. So one day I blew it all up and took a solo trip to one of my dream vacation destinations.

I was only planning to fall back in love with myself and my life. Then, River blew in like a breath of fresh air. I've never experienced such a strong and instant connection with anyone else. Still, dedicated to my healing journey I make him promise that when our trip ends, so do we. But after a week of passion, we just couldn't seem to say goodbye.

So we made another one year later, we'll meet at the same time at the same place.

It's easy to fall in love against the backdrop of a tropical paradise, but when we finally return to family, friendships, and careers pose devastating challenges. I worked hard to be comfortable in my skin again and River is the only one left with the power to unravel me.

A power I swore I would never give to anyone else, ever again.

Cleo finds herself ready to let go of it all before she realizes that sometimes, choosing yourself means choosing the one you love.

Genres: Romance

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2024

Reviews

[Breesayshey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the E-Arc of HideAway and I don’t want to spoil it but loved this book even more than the first one. Getting to really flesh out Cleo and Rivers love story. It not just being a cute vacay fling and being a real beautiful relationship. I’m hoping there will be another book in the series!!!! 5 STARSSSS 🤩

[Brionna Nicole Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this this summer so I pushed it way up on my list and it was fine. The storyline was fine. The spice was written well and was relatable. There was a point where the FMC really pissed me off and then she did it again not so long after that it was really hard to forgive her 😂 I had more fun towards the end of the book which made up for the beginning and middle. It was a really cute relationship between River and Cleo and seeing them navigate it was interesting to a point until I got annoyed.

[Breana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this continuation of Cleo and River's story. This book was adorable, warm, and fuzzy. You definitely need to start with Pepper Lights first because the characters only grow from there. Hide Away has definitely been one of my top tier reads so far this year and I can't wait to see what happens next in Cleo and River's story!!

[Sherley's Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series out of order. I enjoyed Dry Cry, which is book 2 in the Golden Peaks Country Club series, so much that I had to go back and read book one. And it was this book, Hide Away, that cemented it for me—Joanna Kimber is a very talented storyteller. Hide Away was an extremely powerful and moving story that draws on your emotions and pulls at your heartstrings. It is a story packed with emotion that is rich in culture and is the perfect blend of plot and character building.

I experience a rollercoaster of emotions while reading this book. The first half is kind of light-hearted. I say kind of because Cleo is going through some things. After years of dating her boyfriend, she feels stuck. Not only in her relationship, but in life. So, she decides to take a vacation to get away and work on herself. She goes on a journey of healing. It is in Jamaica that she meets River. A plan to just enjoy each other while in Jamaica turns to more. And the “more” is absolutely riveting.

I both laughed and cried while reading this story. Though the story touches on some heavy stuff, it does it in such a caring and respectful way. River and Cleo were meant for each other. The author took her time to establish the relationship between the characters making the chemistry between River and Cleo palpable. I just enjoyed this story so much that I did not want it to end. There was no point of stagnation, and the pacing was perfect.

If you are in a reading slump and you need a good book to get you back in the mood to read, this one is for you! 10/10 would definitely recommend.

[Treasure · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

--Make sure you read Pepper Lights first , as this is the follow on story .

A year of self discovery Cleo and being alone, she realised that she is still in love with River and will be going back to Jamaica to claim what's hers. River was ready and waiting for Cleo at the arranged spot in Jamaica and they had a lovely time on vacation together but how will their love story play out in the real world aka Houston. Expect drama, tears, betrayal and unexpected plot twists. I was engaged from start to finish

[Shy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing first, I definitely suggest reading Pepper Lights first, as it gives you some context on how the two meet. I absolutely adored this book! Cleo and River are the 6 relationship goals. River absolutely worships her (as he should!), and she's just so in love with him. It was nice to see that even after talking an entire year to work on herself, Cleo still had things she had to work through, self improvement truly never ends! If you're looking for a cute romance, definitely give this one a go!

[Amara · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you need a new book boyfriend River is him!! there were so many other quotes i could have selected but this one definitely sums him up perfectly. this man fell first, fast AND hard. if my man don’t love me as much as River was loving Cleo, i don’t want him!

pros: River.

cons: the plot is a little show to start but once we get to Jamaica it’s full speed ahead. i also struggled with relating to the FMC at times, but she honestly had the best character growth throughout the entire novel.

[Latasha Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know it’s good when you yell at characters

So I read the books out of order I discovered this series from a TikTok post on good reads. Glad that I immediately ran to kindle to download.

Cleo pissed me off to no end with her decisions. I constantly found myself yelling at her for her decisions, but that’s how I know that character development was top tier lol. I can’t wait to see what happens with Mena and Kim’s stories when they come.

[Malena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! A romance with different tropes in it, from miscommunication to some kind of second chance love, friendship, and it even discusses different topics that everyone goes through in life: confusion, self confidence, standing up for yourself, and more. I loved the characters and their plots!!

[Rachel Hornbuckle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book that visits Jamaica will always be a favourite of mine.
Cleo and River met by chance at a hotel on the west coast of the island. This is their story and the trials and tribulations from their first meeting until they finally work everything out.
Thank you for some sunshine through your book Joanna. Now I want to go back to Jamaica even more than before.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

😫 I was so stressed, I thought for sure River was done with Cleo. As frustrated as I was with her I under why she didn’t want to give up what she thought was her independence. Low key, when rice said he was so upset with Cleo he wasn’t sure if it was safe for her to be around him?????? What the heck does mean cause it was giving very much 🚩🚩🚩🚩

[Jada Sowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a cozy read. I loved the character development our main characters but I do wish there was more “push back” or more from Cleo in standing up for herself against the villains of this story. She did frustrate at time because her self-sabotage was frustrating to watch unfold. I’m glad River stuck by her though!

[Tanisha (Nishagotbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beach read

In Book 1, we see Cleo & River meet and experience a beautiful vacation together.
In Book 2, we see whether those vacation vibes translate to the real world.
This was a fun read. It's great on a car ride or at the beach.

[Tabitha Elder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer Feel Good

Loved this story. Read Dry Cry first and then Hide Away. Love the friendship dynamic and look forward to reading all the other books in this series!! Love to see women being loved unconditionally

[Chevy · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

why was literally every character absolutely insufferable

[io greymoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very excited about this new little series! Cleo and River. Yummy slow burn. Palate cleanser from my dark romance.

[Megan Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

She thought she had her life together. But…so she went on vacation by herself to find that last piece and then she met River. Is he her destiny or a vacation fling? A lot of fun!

[Raven Universe · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute!!

I was reading this and I kept saying out loud, “OMG this is is so cute!” Very easy to read and I loved reading about how much River cared for Cleo. Gives me hope!

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute but beginning was a little too flowery and too good true. Cleo was getting in my damn nerves for like 3/4 of the book.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went backwards with this series and I am really enjoying them. This was very cute and I adore Cleo and River. This books deals with insecurity, trust and learning to love and it is heartwarming. I am looking forward to rest of the series.

[✨ Brianna Raquel ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Romance Book Fest 2025 Reading Challenge 42/129

[Shamonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILERS BELOW...

This was such a good read! I can't believe that more people aren't reading this book. Cleo and River are such a cute couple. Cleo has a strong group of friends and a loving family. She is perfectly imperfect and has a hard time realizing it while she's with her ex. Sometimes you gotta let go of the dead weight. She needed this vacation to Jamaica because who doesn't! She meets River there and its like Stella got her groove back but with a white guy😂. Oh...did I mention that Cleo is biracial. Anyway, she is hard-headed and strong willed and according to her momma...she's always been that way even as a child. River fell in love at first sight...he cannot get enough of Cleo. I don't know why Cleo couldn't see this...that no matter what she was going through or dealing with, River had her back. River has been through so much with family that he has a hard time just letting people in. Even through everything that went down with Mateo and Tierra, they had their happily ever after. I love to see these kind of endings cause I was definitely there for the drama! I need to see if there is a Book 2 to this cause...This was sooo good!