Wild Kingdom

by Anne Rouen

From six-time Global eBook Award medallist, Anne Rouen, comes Wild Kingdom—the second novel in her collection of Australian Outback romantic suspense dramas set in Queensland in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Sudden tragedy places Laura’s life on a new and unexpected path, leading her on a journey back to her roots at a remote cattle station in the Gulf of Carpentaria. While she expects to find the long-lost sanctuary of her childhood, she is instead greeted with chaos and a dream set in ruins.

Laura finds herself burdened with the unyielding task of rebuilding her great-uncle’s cattle station, where the anticipated struggles of this harsh environment are superseded by a more imminent danger in the form of a cunning, daring stock thief who will stop at nothing to break her.

Strong-willed and determined, Laura digs in her heels to battle all obstacles in order to keep the station afloat. But all too soon, she faces the greatest challenge of all: desperately trying to stop herself from falling for the one man she can’t be sure she can trust.

Is Laura in love with a traitor, and is she being set-up to fail?

Genres: Western Romance, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Historical Romance

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2022

About the author

Anne Rouen—the nom de plume of Lynn Newberry—is the award-winning author behind the successful historical fiction series, Master of Illusion and, more recently, a set of standalone contemporary historical fiction romance and suspense novels set in the Australian Outback.

Lynn is a retired Australian country woman, currently living in the north-west region of New South Wales. A graduate of the University of New England, she is a former teacher, dressage rider and cattle breeder. A life on the land, including eleven years in Outback Queensland, has mixed nicely with her penchant for writing romantic suspense in historical settings.

More recently, Lynn exchanged her farm for a delightful small acreage on the edge of a village, where she writes full time. As horses and writing are her greatest passions, Lynn now embraces an idyllic lifestyle, since she has time to delve into the historical research she so loves.

Writing as Anne Rouen, Lynn self-published her historical romance/mystery series Master of Illusion with great success, winning four literary awards across the entire set. Book I (Master of Illusion Bk I) and Book III (Angel of Song) achieved Silver (2014) and Bronze (2016) respectively in the Global Ebook Awards for Modern Historical Literature Fiction. Book IV (Guardian Angel), the final in the series, was awarded Silver (2018) in the same category and Bronze (2018) for the Global Ebook Awards Best Ebook Cover.

Lynn has seen continued success in the Global Ebook Awards with her Australian Outback romantic suspense novels. In 2022 Winter at Medora Downs achieved a Gold Medal for the Best Ebook Cover, Silver for Best Suspense Fiction and Bronze for Best Modern Historical Literature Fiction in a contemporary setting. Wild Kingdom scooped the pool in the 2023 Global Ebook Awards with four gold medals (Best Ebook Cover, Best Historical Literature Fiction—Contemporary, Best Romance Fiction Historical, Best Western Fiction) and the prestigious Dan Poynter Legacy Award for Best of Fiction. Again, in 2024, Secrets of the Rock followed in the footsteps of its predecessor Wild Kingdom and achieved the same four gold medals across the same categories.

Lynn also achieved a Highly Commended in the 2011 Rolf Boldrewood Literary Awards for her short story The Scent of a Criminal and a Commended in the 2018 Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Fiction for The Min Min Light.
You can find more information about Anne Rouen and read her blog at www.annerouen.com.

Reviews

[Web · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Kingdom is an Australian Outback romantic suspense set in the Gulf of Carpentaria country in Queensland, Australia. It is set in the early 90s, and although not a sequel, it is linked with Winter at Medora Downs- Anne Rouen's first Outback Aussie romance - you will find a cameo appearance by a few of the characters.

Our protagonist, Laura, has had some pretty awful things happen to her, which I won't reveal as a spoiler. As a child, she used to go to her great-uncle's property Polaris frequently and considers herself capable on the land. So, when her great-uncle passes away and leaves her his station, she eventually decides to head up there and start making a go of it.

Laura soon realises that in her uncle's absence, the manager has let the place go to rack and ruin, so not only does she have to practically start from scratch, it seems someone has been criminally undermining the operation. And to add to the drama, she quickly enters a massive battle between her heart and head when she starts to fall for one of the potential suspects who could be undermining her business.

Laura is a strong character and is fairly hard headed. She is to be admired for her never-say-die attitude, and she has no qualms in playing with the big boys of the land. This sometimes lands her in some fairly hot water. She is lovable and you'll find yourself cheering her on, even though she causes some of her own problems from being so stubborn.

If you love romance, you'll love this story. You'll constantly feel like pulling each character aside and knocking some sense into them! But this battle of wills creates a great romantic suspense and keeps you turning the page to see what's going to happen next. It's definitely for fans of Outback romance, or Western romance novels. The descriptions of the Outback are very accuate and beautifully described to transport you to what life was really like there in the late 80s, early 90s, which accompanies the suspenseful and dramatic storyline beautifully.

I wholly recommend you pick up this book, it's truly a great read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Rouen is a new-to-me author. I enjoyed this story set in Queensland, Australia, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After the death of her great-uncle, Laura returns to take over the remote cattle station she inherited from him. She loved going there in her youth, but is disheartened when she sees the condition it’s in. She doesn’t know who to trust but vows she will rebuild the station to its former glory, despite the danger it puts her in. Stock thieves aren’t the only thing working against her.

I like the fact that Laura is a strong individual, determined to make it in a land most women want no part of, but there were many times she was downright annoying and let people walk all over her.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sort of a romantic thriller. Takes place in the Outback around 80’s/90’s. The main character, Laura is a strong willed/minded woman who does not take “No” for an answer. She can stand on her own against others in opposition (not always a good thing). She is lovable and dramatic.
She decides to go to her great uncles house after his passing that she has not returned to since childhood but decides to stay. As time was not so nice on her uncle’s place, she must start over.
She falls for a man, but the question is: is he good for her or is he trying to destroy what she’s built business wise?
Great read! Definitely recommend.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too Stubborn

I won this book, Wild Kingdom, through a Goodreads giveaway. This is my honest review. Laura has tried to get over her horrible marriage, but it hurts. So finally decides to accept her deceased Uncle Jonas bequest and return to Polaris. Things are bad when she arrives and hope it’s not too late. Boss Rick, from the neighboring Juliana is always there. Is this his way to takeover Polaris or can she truly trust him. Laura is fighting him, every step they take. Is it too late for love or do they still have a chance. Great story!

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story liked the setting, just not a big romance fan hence 3 stars. Received book through a goodreads giveaway, thanks for the opportunity to read this book and learn a bit about life on the Outback.

[Mikaela Nabity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hallmark Movie in a Book

A quick entertaining read set in the Austrailian outback. Anyone that enjoys hallmark movies or soap operas will have a very difficult time putting this book. I thoroughly enjoyed getting caught up in the romantic drama.

[Lindy Paddison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this new story from Anne Rouen. It illustrates the challenges and beauty of living and working in outback Australia and the characters who call it their home. A nice romance too!

[susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Its about a strong woman Laura who finds herself starting in anew place. She met someone who may be the love she deserves or is he really all he seems.

[Kendra Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistic

I loved this book it seemed so realistic. This is not a fantasy style book because it feels like this really happens in real life. It was written very tastefully.