Rocking Horse Hill

Levenham Love Story

by Cathryn Hein

Who do you trust when a stranger threatens to tear your family apart ?

When Emily Wallace-Jones's brother Digby arrives home with a secretive new fiancEe, no one knows how to react. The Wallace-Jones are old-money rural aristocracy and Felicity Townsend is from a very different side of the tracks.

But Em is determined not to treat Felicity with the same teenage snobbery that tore apart her relationship with her first love, Josh Sinclair. A man who has now sauntered sexily back into Em's life and given her a chance for redemption.

As Felicity settles in, suspicions are raised about her intentions toward Em's beloved Rocking Horse Hill, the historic family property that Digby owns but has promised will be Em's home for as long as she wishes. Though worried for her future, Em sides with her brother and Felicity, until a near tragedy sets in motion a chain of events that will change the family forever.

An emotional story of family turmoil and second-chance love played out against the dramatic landscape of rural South Australia.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

292 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2014

About the author

Cathryn Hein is a best-selling author of rural romance and romantic adventure novels, a Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year finalist with Santa and the Saddler, and a regular Australian Romance Reader Awards finalist.
A South Australian country girl by birth, Cathryn loves nothing more than a rugged rural hero who’s as good with his heart as he is with his hands, which is probably why she writes them! Her romances are warm and emotional, and feature themes that don’t flinch from the tougher side of life but are often happily tempered by the antics of naughty animals. Her aim is to make you smile, sigh, and perhaps sniffle a little, but most of all feel wonderful.
Cathryn lives in Newcastle, Australia with her partner of many years, Jim. When she’s not writing, she plays golf (ineptly), cooks (well), and in football season barracks (rowdily) for her beloved Sydney Swans AFL team.
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Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Wallace-Jones has loved her family property, Rocking Horse Hill since she was a child. Her brother Digby inherited the property and promised, Em that it would be her home for as long as she wanted to stay. Also living at the property is Em's mother, Adrienne and Granny B as well as Digby. And there are also numerous animals all named with their own personalities such as darling, Muffet the collie, Lodestone (Lod) the horse, Chelsea the duck and let's not forget Kicki and Cutie the donkeys. All the animals were enough keep everyone busy, but Em also owned a small shop called PaperPassion.

Every Tuesday night the family would get together and have a family dinner. This was a chance for them to all catch up with one another seeing as they were all quite busy from one day to the next. On one particular Tuesday night, Digby announces that he's engaged and before they knew it they were being introduced to his fiancée, Felicity Townsend. As shocked as they were they were all pleased to meet, Felicity and happy that Digby had found someone to share his life with. Although, Em was happy for her brother she couldn't help feeling that perhaps things might be set to change in the near future which could effect everyone.

The last person, Em expected to walk through the doors of her shop was, Josh Sinclair. Josh returned home to help care for his mother, but he wasn't expecting to run into Em. Em remembers how badly she had treated, Josh the last time they were together and she wouldn't blame him if he wanted nothing to do with her. Will they be able to work their differences out or is it too late? And it seems not everyone is convinced that, Felicity is the person who she makes out she is. Could there be more to, Felicity than she is letting on?

A truly heartwarming story that leaves you wanting more. HIGHLY recommended.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rocking Horse Hill is about how two people who have a second chance of love. Emily Wallace-Jones as a young girl broke up with local boy Joshua Sinclair and regard it every since. However, after Joshua Sinclair got divorced and his mother's illness he decided to came back home, and this decision changed Emily's and Joshua's life forever. Readers will continue to read Rocking Horse Hill to find out what happens to Emily and Joshua.

I enjoy reading Rocking Horse Hill and allow me to understand the Wallace-Jones better. I made a mistake and read Wayward Heart then Summer and the Groomsman and then Rocking Horse Hill. However, they are not in a series, but you will understand more about what goes on between Digby and his sister Emily if you read Rocking Horse Hill first. I love the way Cathryn Hein portrays her characters and times you can not help but laugh at their antics. Also, I enjoy the way Cathryn Hein intertwines the two main plots in this book.

Readers of Rocking Horse Hill will learn about setting up a small business and the problems sociated with it in small rural communities. Also, the readers will learn about the fears women have about having a double mastectomy due to breast cancer.

I recommend this book.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the small village of Levenham the Wallace family name was well known; for generations the Wallace’s had resided in the magnificent old manor Camrick which was built 125 years prior and still stood regal and majestic. Within the walls of Camrick lived Adrienne Wallace-Jones, her mother Granny B and son Digby, all living in their separate quarters. Adrienne’s daughter Emily lived at Rocking Horse Hill which was owned by Digby, having been passed to him by his grandfather, but his promise for Em to live there as long as she wished was long standing. She loved her home with a passion, and each Tuesday evening the whole family joined together for their traditional dinner at Camrick.

Em worked and owned a small shop called PaperPassion – she was an artist who did magnificent work on old books; poetry and Shakespeare were among her treasures. But she also needed the small income from PaperPassion, with her beloved animals to keep fed and housed being a drain on her finances. With her two donkeys, a horse and her ancient old dog Muffet, plus chickens and a duck – all of whom she loved dearly – there was never enough money to stretch the budget.

The Tuesday night that Digby announced his engagement to a lovely young woman by the name of Felicity Townsend began as every other had. Granny B was as starchy as ever, while Adrienne was dressed beautifully – her long-time friend Samuel calm and sincere, Digby excited but nervous and Emily happy enough to welcome the newcomer into the family.

But slowly, quietly and almost without them being aware, the dynamics began to change within the Wallace family. With Josh Sinclair having entered Em’s life again – something she thought would never happen after the way she had treated him a lifetime ago – her emotions were on high alert. When he and her girlfriends Teagan and Jaz all voiced their distrust of the situation, Em struggled to find a way to overcome her prejudices and keep Digby from becoming angry with them all. Suddenly a disaster which was almost fatal caused chaos within the family and before they knew it, the Wallace family and their lives as they knew it were set to change forever.

I absolutely loved Rocking Horse Hill. Aussie author Cathryn Hein has created a masterpiece with this novel, her best yet in my opinion. Her beautiful descriptions are so well done as to make it easy to feel I was there with Emily and her animals, gazing at the cypress trees, laughing at the antics of the duck, and chasing the donkeys when they escaped their enclosure, ransacking Em’s vegetable garden. A wonderful novel which I have no hesitation in recommending highly.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rocking Horse Hill is Cathryn Hein's fourth novel, blending heartfelt romance with impassioned drama in rural Australia.

Emily Wallace-Jones has led a charmed life, having grown up at Camrick, the country manor owned by her wealthy family in Levenham for generations, she is now a successful businesswoman and lives happily in the shadow of Rocking Horse Hill on the family property she has coveted since childhood. Em has only one major regret - allowing her immature ego to destroy her relationship with Josh Sinclair ten years previously.
So, when Emily's brother, Digby, announces his engagement to Felicity Townsend, a young woman with an unsavoury background, Em is determined to not repeat her teenage mistake, and do all she can to make her future sister-in-law feel welcome, even though the Wallace matriarch, Granny B, seems convinced Felicity somehow poses a threat to the family.
Reconnecting with Josh, who has returned to Levenham to support his ill mother, only strengthens Emily's resolve to defend Felicity but placing her faith in the young woman will prove to have tragic consequences for everyone she loves.

This is the first of Hein's books to develop a plot that also includes light suspense and I think the author does it very well. Hein subtly builds the tension through the novel and I was never entirely sure if Felicity was innocent of the aspersions cast at her by Granny B, and others, or whether she was simply a victim of snobbery and prejudice.

Emily is torn between her family's suspicions about Felicity and her own guilty conscience, and it seems reasonable that Emily would want to give Felicity the benefit of the doubt. I liked Emily who, despite her youthful mistake with Josh, is shown to have become grateful for the privileges she has been afforded. She has a lovely relationship with Granny B and an affectionate, if not close, relationship with her mother and brother, she is also a loyal friend and a hard worker, making a success of her business, PaperPassion.

Hein always creates appealing male protagonists who are unequivocally masculine but not 'macho' and I enjoyed her portrayal of Josh in Rocking Horse Hill. Though he has since been married and divorced, he still harbours some bitterness over the way his relationship with Em ended and he discovers he is still strongly attracted to her, he is reluctant to trust her with his heart again.

Though Em and Josh reconnect physically quite quickly when it becomes evident their mutual attraction hasn't faded, the emotional reunion between the pair was developed slowly, recognising their need to make peace with their past, and renew their relationship as adults.

Additional complexity in the story is provided by the personal struggles experienced by Emily's two best friend's, and Josh's mother's battle with breast cancer. Hein has also again crafted animal characters who round out the story, including an aging dog, a querulous duck and a recalcitrant pair of donkeys who continually escape their paddock.

With its appealing characters, dramatic storyline and vivid setting, Rocking Horse Hill is an engaging read, and paraphrasing my cover quote, Cathryn Hein is a must-read Australian woman writer.

[Lily Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book and I can see why so many reviews are glowing. It's the first of Cathryn Hein's books that I've read, and I won it via Goodreads earlier this year. (So thank you Goodreads!)
What I loved: The setting. I lived in South Australia for 12 years. I've visited the South East and the Coonawarra wine region several times. It's a beautiful part of the country. My knowledge of SA also helped me when it came to the discussions and presumptions that enter the book, based on where the character of Felicity (Digby's fiance and the catalyst for much of the suspense in the story) hails from. They mention: "Elizabeth" for a suburb and my inner snob goes: 'aha, I get it.'
Like other reviewers - I also enjoyed the character of Granny B... she's a tough old bird, and the author gives her some great lines.
And I loved the food and wine... man these characters can cook!
While my personal taste runs to books that are a little rougher or dirtier, in characters and language... which isn't to say Ms Hein doesn't drop the F-bomb here or there... I think I just like my books with a touch more 'mongrel' in them - so it's purely personal preference as to why this wasn't a 5-star read for me.
If you enjoy sweet stories, particularly family-based sagas, I think this book would be a perfect choice.

[MarciaB - Book Muster Down Under · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say that “the kitchen is the heart of the home”! Cathryn Hein, who has become one of Australia’s most loved rural romance authors, is an avid foodie to boot, and she succeeds in Rocking Horse Hill to prove that there is no myth in the above quote. As you turn each page of this suspenseful but heartfelt novel steeped in tradition, your senses are sure to be aroused with taunting aromas, crackling warmth, sizzling romance and a dollop of suspense.

Emily (Em), our protagonist, is from the prestigious Wallace-Jones family. We are introduced to her on a cold rainy night as she locks up her shop, PaperPassion, ready to head to Camrick, the family’s ancestral estate, for their traditional Tuesday evening family dinner.

Arriving at Camrick, she is told that Digby, her brother, and heir to the Camrick fortune, has a “surprise” as well as an announcement to make. His surprise arrives in the form of Felicity (Flick) Townsend and, when he reveals that they are engaged, Em and her family are somewhat taken aback at the girl he has chosen. However, Em is determined to make Flick feel welcome.

While Em goes out of her way to make Felicity feel comfortable and tries to get to know her better, it’s not long after that she begins to fear for her own place within the family and worries that her brother’s promise of long-term tenancy at the farm nestled at the foot of her cherished Rocking Horse Hill will disappear from her life.

Despite some serious misgivings from the illustrious grand dame of Camrick, Granny B, and her best friends Teagan and Jasmine, there’s another dimension to Em’s commitment to doing all she can to make Flick feel welcome and that is the pain and anguish she knows all too well from a snobbish decision she made thirteen years before when she walked away from Josh Sinclair.

Josh, after the break-up of his marriage, is back home with his ordinary working class family to lend support to his warm and loving mother, Michelle, stricken with a terminal illness. He’s been told that PaperPassion is owned by Em, but when he walks into the shop to make a purchase for Michelle and comes face-to-face with Em, all the old feelings of hurt and resentment come bubbling to the surface, as he recalls that the only sin he ever committed was by loving her too much.

The passion between her and Josh is soon reignited, but as Flick continues to make subtle in-roads into the family and begins to emulate both Em and Adrienne, Em’s only solace is at Rocking Horse Hill with her menagerie of animals which include Muffet, her aging Smithfield Collie, a few horses, Chelsea, the Indian Runner duck and her two naughty donkeys, Kicki and Cutie who are hell-bent on escape.

However, when a seemingly innocuous incident involving Granny B sees her being rushed to hospital and Adrienne’s state of mind begins to deteriorate, it appears that not is all as it should be at Camrick! But, Rocking Horse Hill, it seems, will not allow its guardians to be thwarted!

I’m a bit of a sucker for a suspenseful story and this reviewer especially liked that Cathryn has, for the first time, interwoven these elements into one of her stories. While the taunting aromas of good food and wine permeate the pages, as the plot is juggled brilliantly with the dramatic conflict building at a steady pace, we
get to know all the characters, their baggage and the familial issues surrounding them.

Em’s story takes place in the beautiful south-east corner of South Australia, with Rocking Horse Hill, the extinct volcano in this story, being inspired by both Mount Elephant in Victoria and Mount Schank, sister to Mount Gambier, where Cathryn Hein grew up.

Its majestic but austere presence along with its abandoned quarry seeps ever so effectively into the storyline so that it almost becomes a character in itself, and I thought it especially ingenious when a severe storm sees one of the decades old cypresses leaving a gaping hole in the farm's Avenue of Honour - like an omen of things to come – atmospherically adding to our protagonist’s hopes, fears and anguish.

While on the subject of characters, Cathryn knows how to build them into well-rounded, likeable people, from Em who is still guilt-ridden for the manner in which she treated Josh in their late teenage years, Felicity who is from the wrong side of the tracks and a mystery to all, to Josh, our disfigured but oh so sexy, charming and gentle hero who has always felt that he wasn’t good enough for Em due to her wealthy background. Her secondary characters are just as well developed, adding layers to the story and I couldn’t help falling in love with Josh’s mom who is warm and motherly, while Granny B, steals the show with her wry sense of humour and a hint of snobbery. Of course, Cathryn's delightfully endearing animal characters always lend a bit of comic relief, this time with Kicki and Cutie keeping our protagonist on her toes.

Populated with real life problems, which Cathryn always handles with skill and compassion, this is a story about families whose homes are not only built by bricks and mortar but also by love, loss, betrayal, forgiveness, second chances and mouth-watering home cooked meals.

All in all, Cathryn has given us a great winter read that is sure to tug at your heartstrings and tickle your tastebuds while you warm yourself next to a crackling warm fire.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cathryn Hein is an author who has been on my radar for some time, but I’ve never got round to reading – perhaps it’s because those ‘must read!’ moments for me come at inopportune times (like driving, flying and while daydreaming in meetings). Perhaps it’s because some of her books feature horses on the front – and I’m a car girl (although Emily with her Nissan Patrol would not be as good a cover as it would only attract 4WD enthusiast/romance readers like me as we are few in number). Anyway, I need to stop finding excuses and tell you that now I’ve gotten around to reading Rocking Horse Hill, it’s brilliant. The atmosphere Hein creates sparkles and crackles on the page, whether it’s a foreboding landscape or a heated argument between family members.

Rocking Horse Hill is set in a country town in South Australia where Emily’s family is one of the few pioneer families in the district. Not only do they have a gorgeous colonial house (complete with balcony and converted stables) but they feel that they are quality, a few notches above other people in town. However, this has come at a price for Emily after she discarded her first love Josh in cruel circumstances as his family status didn’t match hers. Many years have gone by and Josh has returned home, now divorced, to look after his ill mother. Emily’s family is in for a shock when her brother Digby brings home a fiancé who is from the ‘wrong’ part of Adelaide. This time Em is determined not to be a snob and accept Felicity in addition to apologising to Josh. They become a casual couple again, but things become rocky as Felicity starts to emulate Em and family ties are strained.

Rocking Horse Hill contains a little of everything I like, adding up to a fine story. There’s the lost love reunited in Em and Josh and there’s a strong personal growth in Emily as the plot progresses. She’s truly sorry for the way she treated Josh as a teenager and keen to make amends. Likewise, she’s determined to look over her granny’s concerns about Felicity and see the best in her. This could have Em coming across as a goody two shoes but Hein gives her enough quirks and faults for her to be likeable. What also made Emily easier to relate to for me was the great pets she keeps out at Rocking Horse Hill – two abandoned donkeys that are skilled escape artists, a duck called Chelsea and some hens. Plus there are also some horses and horse-y scenes with Emily and her friends, but not enough to turn the petrolheads off!

Rocking Horse Hill – a former volcano – is almost a character too in this story. A former volcano, it’s slightly creepy and eerie in the way it watches over Emily and the house. Emily feels very close to the hill and it stars in several of the momentous scenes in the book. It’s part of her life and where she goes to think or relax. The final scenes on the hill have a completely different pace to them and you’ll be hooked until you find out the fate of those on the hill.

There are also some great minor characters in this book, and my number one ranking would have to go to Granny B. She’s a cigar chomping grandma who calls it as she sees it and isn’t afraid to use her charms or age to get what she wants. This is generally the best outcome for Emily and her family – Granny B is wise beyond her years. Josh and his family are also hardworking, good-natured types – they sound like the type of people who would fiercely and passionately look after each other. That’s something that Emily hasn’t quite experienced in her own family life, but after some false starts, she’s keen to learn.

I found the settings of Rocking Horse Hill to be beautifully and lovingly described – it’s got me wanting to visit that area of South Australia once again. I loved the sense of rediscovery between Josh and Emily but I wish that things with Felicity had picked up the pace a little sooner before things really heated up with the finale on the hill. Apart from that minor quibble, Rocking Horse Hill is a stunning example of the Australian rural romance genre – give it a go.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Sally906 · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROCKING HORSE HILL is Cathryn Hein’s fourth novel but the first one I have read. After finishing it I just know I have to go back and hunt out her previous three. Em (Emily) is lucky, she has wanted for nothing growing up and she is now a successful business woman running her own shop. She lives on the family’s property, Rocking Horse Hill, and even though it is in her brother Digby’s name he says it is her home as long as she needs it. Em is at peace with who she is as a person; but she has a single regret – breaking up with the love of her life Josh ten years previously because she was rich and he wasn’t. She convinced herself that she believed he would always be uncomfortable in her world so was kinder to set him free. She realises what a horrible person she was then and this is why she is determined to not to repeat her teenage mistake with her future sister-in-law. When Digby brings his surprise fiancé Felicity home, Em and her mother welcome her with open arms; however Granny B takes an immediate dislike to the young women and is convinced that Felicity poses a threat to the family.

However, Felicity is not the only arrival in town – Josh is back as his mother is being treated for life-threatening breast cancer. Em and Josh start to tiptoe around each other but the memories of how she treated him only reinforces Em’s determination to be nice to Felicity and give her a chance despite mounting evidence that Felicity is not what she appears to be. The tension and suspense slowly build through the story and the reader is never quite sure if Felicity is a genuine threat or another victim of snobbery and prejudice as Josh experienced. Em is torn between her family’s suspicions, mounting evidence and her own guilty conscience and she needs to take a side otherwise someone is going to get hurt. The romance between Em and Josh is rekindling, with a satisfactory number of misunderstandings threatening to nip it in the bud before it gets going including Em’s guilty conscience, and Josh nursing bitterness at how he was treated. Egos have to be soothed and put aside otherwise somebody is going to get hurt. After the inevitable dramatic and heart stopping climax all the loose ends are tidied up and ROCKING HORSE HILL finishes on an optimistic hope for the future.

The characters, both major and supporting, were very well written. Even the animal characters come to life on the pages with Em’s aging dog Miss Muffet , a bad-tempered duck, chooks, horses and a mischievous pair of rescued donkeys who continually escape their paddock all stealing their scenes. The two back stories of Josh’s mum and one of Em’s best friends are well covered also. Felicity as a character is not always front and centre, she appears rarely but her story is told by the other characters interacting with her. I really couldn’t make my mind up if she had an ulterior motive or just wanted a chance to make a new life and was being portrayed as untrustworthy through the eyes of characters who distrusted her. The property of Rocking Horse Hill is vividly described, along with it’s namesake hill. Em also cooks for pleasure and the meals she creates and are vividly described as well and left me with pangs of hunger and a slight drool as I read. I can thoroughly recommend ROCKING HORSE HILL.



Rating: B – Great. I really enjoyed reading it and it is a book I will be recommending to all my friends who like this genre.



With thanks to Penguin Books and the author Netgalley for my copy to read and review

[Helene Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story from Cathyrn Hein. There's a real depth of emotion in this one on so many levels. The secondary characters are engaging, quirky and memorable. And Rocking Horse Hill has presence all of its own.

Highly recommended!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book!

[Bree T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since she was a child, Emily Wallace-Jones has loved the family property Rocking Horse Hill. Even though her brother Digby inherited the property and technically owns it, he has promised Em that it will always be her home and that she need never fear losing it. Emily lives there with her assortment of animals including horses, donkeys, chooks, a duck and her beloved Miss Muffet, a Smithfield collie.

When Emily hears that her brother is engaged, she is happy for him. Digby deserves happiness and even though none of them know Felicity, the family makes a big attempt to welcome her with open arms. Only Emily’s eccentric grandmother doesn’t quite see the news as a happy occasion, making her suspicions about Felicity’s past known to Emily, who doesn’t want to hear it. It seems Felicity is slipping right into the family, almost too easily. She leaves Emily feeling a bit left out when she begins learning to cook with Emily’s mother, starts wearing the family jewellery and when Digby brings her out to Rocking Horse Hill, Felicty is delighted with it. Perhaps a little too delighted. And when Digby agrees to let Felicity buy and keep a horse there without consulting Emily, she begins to wonder just how much she can see Rocking Horse Hill as her permanent home.

But Emily once made a big mistake with snobbery, ending a relationship with her first love in a way that devastated him and made him feel as if he wasn’t good enough for one of the esteemed Wallace-Jones family. Now Josh has returned to the local area and he seems willing to give Emily a second chance. When even he seems to have suspicions about Felicity, Emily feels compelled to stand up for her, to back her brother and his fiancee all the way, determined that no one should judge her for being poor or from a bad area. In her choices, Emily could not only be making a huge mistake for her and Josh but she could also be putting her own life at risk.

Rocking Horse Hill is Cathryn Hein’s fourth novel and this book blends a delicious rural romance story with a healthy sprinkling of suspense and family drama as well. Emily is a member of a very esteemed and also quite wealthy family (although she herself is not wealthy really, given the way the family structure and inheritance works). She does have a home to live in courtesy of her brother and she’s passionate about the property and she also has a very deep love for her family. Emily is somewhat shocked when she gets hit by two pieces of news at once – her first love is back in town to support his mother through an illness and also, her brother has become engaged to a woman no one in the family has ever met before.

Cathryn Hein creates some stellar heroes in her books (I still have a girly sigh and a soft spot for Aaron in Promises, her first novel) and the lovely Josh is no exception here. Although he’s still a bit bitter towards Emily and the savage way she ended their relationship when they were younger (with good reason), the two of them find that the old attraction is still simmering away and they fall into what is totally a relationship again, even if they’re both trying not to label it. The two of them are very easy together, even when a bit uncertain about what’s going on, there’s a comfortableness in their interactions. They know each other and they are quite perfectly suited but they do need to deal with their past together and make sure they can both move forward cleanly.

I really felt the suspense was built very well throughout this book – I kept dithering back and forth about whether or not Felicity could be trusted, if she just seemed a bit sinister because they were looking at her through suspicious eyes or if she was really causing the family to begin rotting from the inside out. It kept me guessing right up until the moment that revealed all but I also loved how it wasn’t quite so black and white in that was she evil or was she not. Despite the fact that she’s only really a peripheral character and there are very few interactions with her in the novel one on one, she’s fleshed out very well and evokes everything from frustration to sympathy.

Rocking Horse Hill is full of such beautiful descriptions, especially of the property and the landscape that surrounds it as well as the homestead in ‘town’ that Emily’s mother and grandmother reside in. Emily is a bit of a foodie (much like the author) and the meals she prepares for herself and her two friends or herself and Josh are mouth-wateringly to die for! There’s also lovely imagery of Emily’s passion of recreating old manuscripts and Josh’s cabinetry and wood-working skills. And if Cathryn Hein ever decides to try her hand at stepping back in time for a bit, maybe to the 40s or 50s then I think there’s definitely a story in the character of Granny B! I know that several ‘spin off’ novels are planned after this one, perhaps for Emily’s two friends and maybe another character or two. I think that Granny B has potential for her own story too one day, should it ever decide to make itself known!

I think with each novel, Hein takes a step forward. Hers have always contained exploration of family dramas and emotions but she’s refining her skills and creating more depth and trying new things. The romance is strong in every book but it’s never just the focus – there’s always so much more going on and the talent is that everything blends together seamlessly without feeling crowded and the focus never feels uneven. I think that without a doubt, this is her best book yet.

[Vicki Robe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a book with two love stories involved.... a new one and a rekindled one. When Digby Wallace-Jones falls for Felicity Townsend and comes back home to introduce his fiance things start changing within the family. At the same time his sister Emily starts seeing a past love,Josh Sinclair, who got away because of snobbery within her family.

As the story evolves there is reason to believe things are not as they seem with Felicity and cracks start to appear within the Wallace family and in each of their relationships.

A riveting story with plenty of action and suspense!

[Seadaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this.

Another one of Cathryn’s that tugs on the heartstrings.
Loved the rural setting and strong characters, and a troop of pets.

Em did wrong by her first serious boyfriend, all these years later can they overcome the trust issue and become a couple again?

Throw into the mix some friends going through their own issues, a very headstrong gran, a brother and his new fiance who is from the wrong side of the tracks and hides a dark secret, and wants Em’s life.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED this book from start to finish, would highly recommend.
Everything I read from Cathryn Hein is amazing, character development, emotions and lots of touchy topics often not written about.
This book had a solid family base and something everyone can relate to, and all the good guys win :)
Absolutely wonderful, cant wait to read more.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some twists, some romance, and thrilling parts altogether a great read

[Lorraine Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book from front to back. Havnt read alot of Cathryn's books but really enjoyed this one.

[pollymuz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook 3.5⭐️ this book held drama, danger, guilt and romance.

[Kerryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light fluff.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Ausie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing that kept me reading this was wanting to find out what’s Felicity’s next move 😅

[Talking Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story Summation
Emily Wallace-Jones lives on Rocking Horse Hill - she has done her entire life and she cherishes it. Although her brother Digby has inherited the land, he has let Em live there for however long she desires, so long as she keeps the place maintained.

Digby falls in love with Felicity, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks and things start to change. Em fears about her future - her agreement with Digby and all that could be affected if he goes back on his word. Em is determined not to judge Felicity on where she came from, like she did to people when she was a teenager. The snobbery in her youth ripped apart her relationship with her one true love Joshua Sinclair so she strives never to be like that again.
With Josh making an appearance back in Emily's life once again, Em see's it as a way of fixing her past wrongs towards Josh.

The once close family of the Wallace-Jone's starts to come apart as Felicity makes her presence known in subtle ways - suspicions are raised, thoughts aired and tensions rise. Emily is determined not to pass judgement until all the facts are clear. A near tragedy sees the family at breaking point where a confrontation sets in motion a chain of events that could have tragic consequences.

Thoughts On The Book
A book of charming characters from Emily, Josh and to the infamous Granny B, Rocking Horse Hill is a well written story set in South Australia, that has suspense, friendship, loyalties, family relationships and second chances all put to the test for each of the characters in the book. An enjoyable read that takes the steadfastly close Wallace-Jones family through challenges and circumstances that have you on edge in so many pages. Heart wrenching moments and tension that will keep your eyes to the book. Character stories intertwine to form one big story that was a impressive read.
4 Stars
*ARC received from Publisher for an honest review

[Stacey Houllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about family whose well off and the love of two people who were together as teenagers and meet again after years when the return of Joshua after his mother's illness and divorce from his wife. Emily loved Rocking Horse Hill her family Property who brother Digby inherited and promised Emily that it will be her home for long as she wants.
Until her brother Digby falls in love with Felicity Townsend at girl who is from the wrong side of the tracks. Emily begins to worry about the future of her home. Emily tries to treat Felicity with the same respect as her as relationship with Josh when they were young. Emily and her Grandmother have suspect that Felicity is up to something when her grandmother is locked out of her home and Felicity was the person close and here het grandmother screams for help. Emily and Josh break up. But Digby believe Emily was was right in her suspicion of Felicity. Together with Josh Digby drive to Rocking Horse Hill to check on the Emily. Will the help of his family Josh finds away back to Emily the woman he always loved.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful heartwarming and moving story set in the Adelaide countryside and in the background Rocking Horse Hill Emily Wallace-Jones is from rich country gentry and Joshua Sinclair from the other side of town the working class but they fell in love as teenagers but Em did something that has haunted her for many years and now Josh is back in town and the spark is still there but with so much guilt. This is a story that will pull you in from the start the charachters are rich and add so much to the story as do the wonderful pets that Em has on the farm. Josh and Em have a lot to overcome and with a bit of danger added to the mix and Granny B meddling they will get to their HEA. This is a story of family and friendships and love lost and won again don't miss this one.

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took a little while to hook me in, but then I couldn't put it down. I've always loved Cathryn Hein's books in the past. Growing up in south west Victoria, she always sets her books around places that I know quite well. Since reading this book, I feel like taking another trip to the Coonawarra region :) My brother is a bit of a wine freak and knows everything there is to know about wines. And there was so much cooking in this book that it's inspired me to experiement in the kitchen more. I loved Josh's character and even with his imperfections (his missing fingers) he was still amazing in my eyes :)

[Paula Beavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing wrong with this book is that it's not long enough. Cathryn Hein triumphs yet again with this wonderful story full of fabulous people that make you care. Animals that are as full of personality as you could hope for and a setting that captures your heart. I cried and laughed and cried when it was over. I've read all of Cathryn's books and they just get better and better. My first and favourite was Heart of the Valley, this one has just eclipsed it.

[Cookie1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Cathryn Hein book, but it won't be the last. I love it when I find a new author I like and then I can be assured of good books by going back and reading their previous books. I could easily imagine the setting of this book, it sounded so beautiful and restful. Although the happening weren't all the restful. Was the new fiancée all she said she was? Or did she have an alternative plan? Should we feel sorry for her?
A very good read if you enjoy rural romance genre.

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author. I was expecting something a bit better than this. I know that Rural Romance is a huge category and very popular but I felt that the storyline was so predictable and the outcome of that storyline as well. Its a pity as I really respect this author.

[Delores Bebbington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Cathryn's books that I have read and I really enjoyed this well-constructed story with believable characters and a few plot turns that were surprising.I am very impressed overall with the quality of writing by Australian Romance writers.Well done Cathryn I will be searching the library for your previous novels.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story with equally great characters, including the two naughty donkeys. My favourite character was Granny B - I just love that she was a bit "out there" and had her finger on the pulse all the time.

Second chances was the main theme of this novel, however there were a couple of smaller themes woven in.

[Gillian Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. The plot was good. The description of the region was good. I found that I did not really warm to the characters. Communication was an issue. Relationships could have been so much closer if the characters had been more brave and honest. Not my favourite of Cathryn's !