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Forest Gully #2
The Home Paddock
Hughey Chalmers is the nicest guy in Forest Gully, and that might be his biggest downfall. Nice won’t help him win over Meg Sommers, the sharp-tongued barista he’s loved forever, or convince her to join his bold business idea that could finally put their sleepy town on the map.
Meg has spent a lifetime keeping Hughey at arm’s length. In Forest Gully, memories are long, forgiveness is rare, and one saucy scandal has already ruined a family name. Getting close to Hughey risks reopening old wounds she’s worked hard to bury. Desire is dangerous. Hope is even worse.
But when a meddling stray cat intervenes, sparks fly, secrets surface, and the future starts to look dangerously tempting. As Hughey fights to rebuild from the ashes and Meg faces the truth about what she truly wants, Forest Gully may never be the same.
Can attraction, and a little feline interference, be enough to rewrite their story?
Meg has spent a lifetime keeping Hughey at arm’s length. In Forest Gully, memories are long, forgiveness is rare, and one saucy scandal has already ruined a family name. Getting close to Hughey risks reopening old wounds she’s worked hard to bury. Desire is dangerous. Hope is even worse.
But when a meddling stray cat intervenes, sparks fly, secrets surface, and the future starts to look dangerously tempting. As Hughey fights to rebuild from the ashes and Meg faces the truth about what she truly wants, Forest Gully may never be the same.
Can attraction, and a little feline interference, be enough to rewrite their story?
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 4, 2026
About the author
Laurelle Cousins
6 books29 followersI’m a country girl at heart, having grown up around all things smelly, damp, dirty and awe inspiring.
Animals have always been a huge part of my life, so when I changed career, it was obvious to me what I’d choose to work with. Sheep.
But deep down, a little thought niggled. So … when a speaker said ‘If you want to write, go do it’, I scraped my jaw off the carpet and began to dream.
Many self-help books later along with writing conferences, workshops and a couple of writing mentorship with Lisa Ireland and Pamela Cook, I practiced the craft. And I had a go.
I love creating characters that become my best friends, and my worst enemies. I write the books I’d love to read. I hope you will too.
PS: Tea and cake, or biscuits, or slice, or truffles, or salted caramel fudge (need I say more?) go wonderfully with a good book! Have I mentioned that already?
What makes a book so memorable?
For me, an unforgettable book is the make up of many aspects. It’s the characters who become your best friends; the ones you wish you knew for real or the ones you can relate to on so many levels it’s uncanny.
And yes, there needs to be a great story line, one so striking you could almost feel yourself living their lives or doing life beside them.
That’s where I want to take you, on a rural journey with all the highs and lows, with the outcomes so intrinsically wound you’ll feel the need to celebrate at the end of it. And wish for more.
And there’s the romance entwined in it all that seems insurmountable to the very end, before you find relief for the characters you’ve fallen in love with. Forever.
Animals have always been a huge part of my life, so when I changed career, it was obvious to me what I’d choose to work with. Sheep.
But deep down, a little thought niggled. So … when a speaker said ‘If you want to write, go do it’, I scraped my jaw off the carpet and began to dream.
Many self-help books later along with writing conferences, workshops and a couple of writing mentorship with Lisa Ireland and Pamela Cook, I practiced the craft. And I had a go.
I love creating characters that become my best friends, and my worst enemies. I write the books I’d love to read. I hope you will too.
PS: Tea and cake, or biscuits, or slice, or truffles, or salted caramel fudge (need I say more?) go wonderfully with a good book! Have I mentioned that already?
What makes a book so memorable?
For me, an unforgettable book is the make up of many aspects. It’s the characters who become your best friends; the ones you wish you knew for real or the ones you can relate to on so many levels it’s uncanny.
And yes, there needs to be a great story line, one so striking you could almost feel yourself living their lives or doing life beside them.
That’s where I want to take you, on a rural journey with all the highs and lows, with the outcomes so intrinsically wound you’ll feel the need to celebrate at the end of it. And wish for more.
And there’s the romance entwined in it all that seems insurmountable to the very end, before you find relief for the characters you’ve fallen in love with. Forever.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 4, 2026
Forest Gully, Victoria. Hughey Chalmers butchers shop burnt down, he was extremely upset but Lexi in the bakery offers him some space to use and he can still trade. Hughey has plans to reopen, he wants to build something better, and showcases other local businesses and products and create a providore.
Hughey has known and had a crush on Meg Sommers since they were kids, she runs a café and makes the best coffee in town and he really wants her to be part of his new venture. Every time he tries to discuss it with her, she shuts him down and years ago her parents and his were friends and then they had a big falling out over a sauce recipe.
The council gives Hughey the green light, his brother is a brickie, and best mate Gus is handy and it’s all systems go and all he needs to do is convince Meg and he hope’s Gus’s partner Kate will help and surely she will see it makes sense?
Meg is torn between her loyalty to her parents and keeping the café they once owned afloat, Lexi’s bakery is very busy and she’s sure Hughey being there is the reason and she’s torn.
I’m a big fan of rural Australian fiction, reading about people living in small country towns, I was very happy to return to Forest Gully, I’m familiar with the characters from the previous book in the series Sheep Gully Road and are like old friends.
A story about a town and its residents, with a stray cat who seems to have made himself at home, I’m jealous and I want to live in Forest Gully.
A narrative about a community, the CWA ladies, how shops are very important, once they close the town is in serious trouble, great coffee, comradery, friendship, and combined with a little drama.
Hughey and Meg have to overcome many obstacles, they learn important life lessons, like don’t get caught up in your parent’s grudges, never give up, you don’t know what’s around the corner and it could be cupid.
Five stars from me, I highly recommend The Home Paddock (Forest Gully #2) by Laurelle Cousins and I did cry happy tears at the end. I’m trying to work out who will feature next in the series, maybe a brickie with dreads and ladies like hot tradies?
Hughey has known and had a crush on Meg Sommers since they were kids, she runs a café and makes the best coffee in town and he really wants her to be part of his new venture. Every time he tries to discuss it with her, she shuts him down and years ago her parents and his were friends and then they had a big falling out over a sauce recipe.
The council gives Hughey the green light, his brother is a brickie, and best mate Gus is handy and it’s all systems go and all he needs to do is convince Meg and he hope’s Gus’s partner Kate will help and surely she will see it makes sense?
Meg is torn between her loyalty to her parents and keeping the café they once owned afloat, Lexi’s bakery is very busy and she’s sure Hughey being there is the reason and she’s torn.
I’m a big fan of rural Australian fiction, reading about people living in small country towns, I was very happy to return to Forest Gully, I’m familiar with the characters from the previous book in the series Sheep Gully Road and are like old friends.
A story about a town and its residents, with a stray cat who seems to have made himself at home, I’m jealous and I want to live in Forest Gully.
A narrative about a community, the CWA ladies, how shops are very important, once they close the town is in serious trouble, great coffee, comradery, friendship, and combined with a little drama.
Hughey and Meg have to overcome many obstacles, they learn important life lessons, like don’t get caught up in your parent’s grudges, never give up, you don’t know what’s around the corner and it could be cupid.
Five stars from me, I highly recommend The Home Paddock (Forest Gully #2) by Laurelle Cousins and I did cry happy tears at the end. I’m trying to work out who will feature next in the series, maybe a brickie with dreads and ladies like hot tradies?
May 17, 2026
It was an absolute delight to be back in the small town of Forrest Gully, where life is busy and everyone is looking out for each other.
This is the story about Hughey and Meg, and how a rift between both their parents is keeping them apart. Hughey is a fun-loving, happy go lucky, good-looking fellow who has loved Meg from afar for years. But he has lost his butcher shop due to a fire and, with the help of his brother, is rebuilding.
Meg is a wonderful humble human running her cafe whilst trying to please everyone, especially her mum. She has a huge attraction to Hughey but must hide her feelings due to a huge misunderstanding due to a sauce recipe.
The addition of a cat into the story is adorable and really adds heaps of connection between Hughey and Meg. And let's not forget the crow that is looking for scraps.
What I loved about this book is the realness to life happenings when past mistakes and misunderstandings can cause havoc in your life and others' lives. There is also the addition of a great tomato sauce recipe for you to make once you finish reading.
Thanks for my ARC copy, Laurelle Cousins 📚🥰
This is the story about Hughey and Meg, and how a rift between both their parents is keeping them apart. Hughey is a fun-loving, happy go lucky, good-looking fellow who has loved Meg from afar for years. But he has lost his butcher shop due to a fire and, with the help of his brother, is rebuilding.
Meg is a wonderful humble human running her cafe whilst trying to please everyone, especially her mum. She has a huge attraction to Hughey but must hide her feelings due to a huge misunderstanding due to a sauce recipe.
The addition of a cat into the story is adorable and really adds heaps of connection between Hughey and Meg. And let's not forget the crow that is looking for scraps.
What I loved about this book is the realness to life happenings when past mistakes and misunderstandings can cause havoc in your life and others' lives. There is also the addition of a great tomato sauce recipe for you to make once you finish reading.
Thanks for my ARC copy, Laurelle Cousins 📚🥰
Review of advance copy received from Author
We are back in the best country town, Forrest Gully this time the author is telling us about town favourites Hughey Chalmers and Meg Sommers, we did get to know them in the first book and I was eagerly awaiting their story and I was not disappointed.
After Hughey lost his butcher shop in that terrible fire, the town has got behind him and Hughey has kept his business going sharing a space in Lexie’s bakery but he is now re-building a new shop but with big plans to make it a Providore and he has high hopes that the girl he has always loved, Meg Sommers, the best barista there is will join forces and move her café into the new shop, but can he get her to break down the walls she has built after all that happened with their parents and tomato sauce all those years ago?
Meg loves her café and her coffee machine and she loves this town but one thing she feels she has to do is keep Hughey at arm’s length because of the hurt his parents caused hers, with both sets of parents not residing in Forrest Gully anymore, she is happy to make coffee for Hughey and she knows how caring and helpful he is and she does know how hard it is to keep her heart safe against the feeling she truly has for this man the one who has been a part of her life since childhood, her friend but he can be no more than that.
Things are moving fast for Hughey and his Providore and Meg is determined to hold her own in her café not with Hughey but then things change for her and with parents arriving back in town the pressure is on, how will Meg make things work could she do her own tomato sauce or was that going too far, add to that the arrival of a cat never seen before but he befriends both Hughey and Meg and seems to want them to get closer, will it happen?
This is another wonderful story in this series, I loved catching up with Gus, Kate and Riley as well as the other CWA ladies and residents, and as usual from this author the food delights are amazing, I am sure I gain weight reading these books, this is a story that I highly recommend, a visit to a small country town with all of the support that abounds in these towns, don’t miss this one and as always I look forward to the next one.
My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
After Hughey lost his butcher shop in that terrible fire, the town has got behind him and Hughey has kept his business going sharing a space in Lexie’s bakery but he is now re-building a new shop but with big plans to make it a Providore and he has high hopes that the girl he has always loved, Meg Sommers, the best barista there is will join forces and move her café into the new shop, but can he get her to break down the walls she has built after all that happened with their parents and tomato sauce all those years ago?
Meg loves her café and her coffee machine and she loves this town but one thing she feels she has to do is keep Hughey at arm’s length because of the hurt his parents caused hers, with both sets of parents not residing in Forrest Gully anymore, she is happy to make coffee for Hughey and she knows how caring and helpful he is and she does know how hard it is to keep her heart safe against the feeling she truly has for this man the one who has been a part of her life since childhood, her friend but he can be no more than that.
Things are moving fast for Hughey and his Providore and Meg is determined to hold her own in her café not with Hughey but then things change for her and with parents arriving back in town the pressure is on, how will Meg make things work could she do her own tomato sauce or was that going too far, add to that the arrival of a cat never seen before but he befriends both Hughey and Meg and seems to want them to get closer, will it happen?
This is another wonderful story in this series, I loved catching up with Gus, Kate and Riley as well as the other CWA ladies and residents, and as usual from this author the food delights are amazing, I am sure I gain weight reading these books, this is a story that I highly recommend, a visit to a small country town with all of the support that abounds in these towns, don’t miss this one and as always I look forward to the next one.
My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The feud between Hughey Chalmer's parents and Meg Sommer's parents had been ongoing for years. Meg was torn between the kindness Hughey continued to show her, and the anger from her mother every time the word "sauce" was mentioned. With Hughey rebuilding after the fire which took his shop and turned it to ash, he badly wanted Meg to join him with her cafe, putting them together as a complementary unit. Forest Gully was their home, and the home of loved ones. The locals supported Meg's cafe, as well as Hughey's butchery abilities - together, the two would create "paddock to plate". Could the friendship Hughey wanted and Meg continued to reject, become more? Hughey was doubtful...
The Home Paddock is the 2nd in the Forest Gully series by Aussie author Laurelle Cousins. Catching up with Gus, Kate and Riley as well as the CWA ladies, especially Steph who started every speech with "We are gathered here today..." and the response was always "This is not a wedding Steph.." was special. Hughey was a terrific character, with a LOT of patience! Recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read and review.
The Home Paddock is the 2nd in the Forest Gully series by Aussie author Laurelle Cousins. Catching up with Gus, Kate and Riley as well as the CWA ladies, especially Steph who started every speech with "We are gathered here today..." and the response was always "This is not a wedding Steph.." was special. Hughey was a terrific character, with a LOT of patience! Recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read and review.
May 11, 2026
I absolutely loved this book. I adored the first book in the Forest Gully series, so returning to this beautiful small-town community felt like coming home to old friends.
Hughey and Meg’s story was heartfelt, emotional, funny, and completely addictive. Hughey was such a genuinely lovable character, and I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning. Meg also became more lovable as the story unfolded, and I really enjoyed watching her walls slowly come down throughout the book.
As always, Laurelle Cousins has an incredible way of transporting readers straight into the heart of rural Australia. Forest Gully felt vivid, warm, and real, and I honestly felt like I was part of the community while reading. Her stories always leave me with such a sense of comfort, happiness, and contentment, while still delivering emotional depth and characters you truly care about.
I also loved catching up with Gus and Kate again from the previous book. Seeing more of their story woven through this one made returning to Forest Gully even more special.
There honestly wasn’t a single thing I didn’t enjoy about this book. From the small-town charm and emotional moments to the humour, romance, and even the meddling stray cat, I loved every part of it.
Another absolute winner from Laurelle Cousins. Highly recommended for readers who love warm, heartfelt Australian rural romance filled with community, emotion, humour, and unforgettable characters.
Hughey and Meg’s story was heartfelt, emotional, funny, and completely addictive. Hughey was such a genuinely lovable character, and I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning. Meg also became more lovable as the story unfolded, and I really enjoyed watching her walls slowly come down throughout the book.
As always, Laurelle Cousins has an incredible way of transporting readers straight into the heart of rural Australia. Forest Gully felt vivid, warm, and real, and I honestly felt like I was part of the community while reading. Her stories always leave me with such a sense of comfort, happiness, and contentment, while still delivering emotional depth and characters you truly care about.
I also loved catching up with Gus and Kate again from the previous book. Seeing more of their story woven through this one made returning to Forest Gully even more special.
There honestly wasn’t a single thing I didn’t enjoy about this book. From the small-town charm and emotional moments to the humour, romance, and even the meddling stray cat, I loved every part of it.
Another absolute winner from Laurelle Cousins. Highly recommended for readers who love warm, heartfelt Australian rural romance filled with community, emotion, humour, and unforgettable characters.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Big thanks to Laurelle for gifting us a copy to read and review.
A country town has a lot of heart and soul and has a variety of folk that call them home.
Community is at the core while gossip and secrets hide in the periphery.
Forest Gully welcomes us back with a spotlight on some unresolved feelings and resentments.
Meg and Hughey have known each other since childhood, a family connection that brought joyful memories and in recent years a haunting where accusation and jealousy have tainted hope for a romantic relationship.
Both are local business owners and dedicated to the town’s prosperity while fulfilling their own aspirations.
Both have feelings for each other but they are suppressed and heart flutters have obstacles to endure.
A sauce recipe has created contention that threatens any type of relationship.
A story that oozes natural charm and an authentic Aussie setting that evokes community ethos, the sights and smells of a rural town and the struggles that are real.
An enjoyable read that gives closure and updates on characters we met in Sheep Gully Road.
A country town has a lot of heart and soul and has a variety of folk that call them home.
Community is at the core while gossip and secrets hide in the periphery.
Forest Gully welcomes us back with a spotlight on some unresolved feelings and resentments.
Meg and Hughey have known each other since childhood, a family connection that brought joyful memories and in recent years a haunting where accusation and jealousy have tainted hope for a romantic relationship.
Both are local business owners and dedicated to the town’s prosperity while fulfilling their own aspirations.
Both have feelings for each other but they are suppressed and heart flutters have obstacles to endure.
A sauce recipe has created contention that threatens any type of relationship.
A story that oozes natural charm and an authentic Aussie setting that evokes community ethos, the sights and smells of a rural town and the struggles that are real.
An enjoyable read that gives closure and updates on characters we met in Sheep Gully Road.
May 22, 2026
the home paddock
A great read, surounding everlasting love finally, coming to the fore. A disagreement, around a so called stolen recipe. That in the end was resolved. Dreams coming true through hard work and a small community working together.
A snap shot of how a small community looks after its own
A great read, surounding everlasting love finally, coming to the fore. A disagreement, around a so called stolen recipe. That in the end was resolved. Dreams coming true through hard work and a small community working together.
A snap shot of how a small community looks after its own
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews