From the hottest writers in Australia comes a scintillating new series. Enter the world of Sydney’s elite, and find out what goes on behind the doors of the most exclusive addresses in the country…
Meet the Housewives of Sydney. They are wealthy, elegant, poised, and constantly in the public eye. But what goes on behind closed doors, in the private homes and parties where the cameras and paparazzi aren’t welcome? Delve into the most personal details of their relationships, their friendships and their lives. The only question is: can you handle the heat?
Darla knows her place at the exclusive Diamond D dinners – she is comic relief, entertaining the rest of the women with tales of her dating woes. Since her divorce, she has been on one bad date after another, and not even a high-class dating agency can help.
But a massive storm front brings a visit from an old neighbour – and suddenly being neighbourly takes on a whole new meaning. When it rains, it pours, and it looks like Darla’s dry spell is about to become a thing of the past.
Tracey O'Hara was born in Tasmania, Australia, but actually grew up in North and Far North Queensland. She discovered a passion for writing when researching her family history and started with an Australian colonial saga.
She grew up reading Stephen King, Raymond E. Feist, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and J. R. R. Tolkien, and developed her taste for adventure and the paranormal thriller. Her love of fantasy, horror, and science fictions soon had her exploring darker subject matter.
Tracey also enjoys listening to heavy metal, reading and writing, and watching action movies with her boys. She lives in Australia with her husband, two sons, and three cats. She is now working on her Dark Brethren Urban Fantasy series.
Fewer than 40 pages. Seemingly no character development. No conflict, thus seemingly no story/plot. (She fancies him; he fancies her. They root; live HEA.) A vignette, more than anything else.
Throughout the Secret Confessions series, we’ve fleetingly heard of Darla’s man-tastrophes and her unenviable dating disasters.
As a result, at least for me, Darla had come across as a dowdy, down-on-her-luck kind of character and certainly I was intrigued, and indeed eager, to see just how O’Hara was going to be able to turn this bumbling character into a central character who fit the Sydney Wives series. Then there it was. A couple of lines into the story and we’re met with this pearler of a line: “Maybe a commitment ceremony with her vibrator was in order”, that’s pretty much when I realised that this story was going to be one hell of a ride… And, boy-oh-boy, O’Hara did not disappoint.
In a scene reminiscent of *that* Nina Proudman’s bath scene (Offspring, Channel Ten), we truly meet Darla. Far from a bumbling mess of a woman, Darla is actually a woman who has been through a tough divorce, a woman who despite this is still open to love and romance, a woman who is independent, strong and not willing to settle for a mediocre love affair. Darla in that instant becomes relatable and likable.
As it happens, Darla has some very agreeable character quirks that make for fun and entertaining reading and her relationship woes do not last long at all.
O’Hara is like the fairy godmother, who with one twirl of her magic wand (or pen!) turns the underdog into the character with the most charm and perhaps the sweetest HEA of the series.
Darla is the last housewife and O'Hara has done a great job of bringing this housewife to life. Although Darla appears down on her luck with men, there is more substance to this gal, than initially appears through the viewpoint of the other housewives in the anthology. O'Hara weaves an entertaining story that gives this series a happy ever after it deserves.
I’ve been stringing out this series of late, because I didn’t want it to end. I’ve loved dipping into the world of these rich Sydney housewives/partners and finding out their secrets, which range from the very naughty to the rather sweet. Darla, our last housewife (I feel rather strange calling her that, given that she’s an independent divorcee) has been something of a joke over the previous books. The majority of the other members of the Diamond Dinner Club look down on her (even though they’ve got a few skeletons tied up in their own closets) but we’ve never really found out why. I liked how this short story tied up a lot of loose ends for the group and made Darla a living, breathing character.
Darla split from her husband in less than ideal circumstances (his mistress was pregnant) and the hurt is still there. But when a storm causes property damage, her sexy neighbour comes over to make a move, oops sorry – apologise for the damage. It all spirals into a case of severe romance, from the missed opportunities to sweet love. My favourite parts of this story was the quick catch up we get about the other housewives – it looks like Meagan’s gone to the gym and Emma is slowly healing. But what was the best scene and show of true friendship was when Virginia came in and saved the day.
This was a lovely story, with some cracking one-liners and the happy ever after that Darla deserves. A gorgeous way to end the series.
Independent Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock.
Darla is book 11, and the last of the ladies to have their say. I have only read book 10.
She knows what the others say about her, laughing at her attempts at dating again after her divorce. But a bad storm brings a neighbour to her door, and her dating days may well be over.
I liked this, more than Camilla. But I really can't say why! Its as short sexy and to the point, with the same amount of down and dirty, and a similar page lenght at 35 pages. Darla and Hunter both get their say too.
Maybe I just liked Darla better, than I did Camilla. I dunno.
As I said in Camilla's review, I think I might have enjoyed it more if: 1. I had read the previous 9 books and got a better feel of the characters and 2. If the books were longer, and a little more in depth.
Again, though, an enjoyable 20 minute read. Perfect for the bath, lunch break or bus ride :-)
4 stars
**same worded review appears on Goodreads, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk**
Another Quick Sexy Read Mixed with some Sweet This is only the second book I've read in the series, the other being book 10. Again I think I may have gotten a fuller picture had I started at the beginning. These are nice quick reads, less than 30 minutes. Perfect if you are looking for a sexy afternoon quickie. Darla is actually an ex-wife and she has been on bad date after bad date. She lusts after her neighbor Hunter and they are thrown together when a storm comes rolling in one day. It turns out that Hunter has a thing for Darla too and they're off to the races. This book has plenty of steamy, sexy scenes, and is well written. I may just go back and check out the rest of the series to get the full picture, as there were characters mentioned that I had no idea about but peaked my interest. I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Darla is another one of the ladies in the Sydney Housewives that is single at the time. Darla daydreams about Hunter, her attractive neighbor, and he pops in for a surprise visit one afternoon and Darla ends up inviting him in. Darla had no clue about Hunters feelings for her until he shocks her and shows her how he really feels about her. Once Hunter opens up about his feelings for Darla, she feels like she can open up about her feelings and fantasies about Hunter. This was a quick, sexy read with a feel good story. I love how Hunter just walked in and started taking care of Darla. Thanks for a good read!!
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.
If you have followed Darla through this series then you know what I mean. This book ended this series on a great note! This whole series has been a fun, short read with each book.