Outback Blaze (A Bunyip Bay Novel, #2)

Written by Rachael Johns

Narrated by Casey Withoos

Ruby wasn't looking for love, Drew wasn't looking to stay...  until they found each other. Can their fling survive the darkness of Ruby's past and Drew's desire to move on?

Ruby Jones was always an optimist, but the trauma of her past had made her wary.  So when she flees to the small rural community of Bunyip Bay to start afresh, she has her sights firmly set on establishing her horse–riding business and rebuilding her life.  The last thing Ruby wants is a romance. In fact, after all she has been through, she can't imagine she will ever  believe in love again.

Police officer Drew Noble has no intention of staying in Bunyip Bay – he is just an outsider seeking temporary refuge. But as the charm of the town sways him, Drew finds himself increasingly drawn to the  community and its inhabitants, as well as another newcomer, the lovely Ruby Jones.

When Drew investigates a suspicious fire at Ruby's parents' business, he finds himself feeling strangely protective of the girl with the flowers in her hair. As the details of Ruby's past emerge and she comes once more under threat, Drew realises he will do all in his power to save her.

Soon  these outsiders discover they have both lost their hearts – not only to the town but to each other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781460785669

Rachael Johns

Once upon a time (briefly) Rachael Johns was an English teacher, then her dreams of becoming a novelist came true. Now she spends her days writing romance and women's fiction in the Swan Valley, Western Australia. She is the bestselling, ABIA-winning author of The Patterson Girls and a number of other romance and women's fiction books including The Art of Keeping Secrets, The Greatest Gift, Lost Without You, Just One Wish, Something to Talk About, Flying the Nest, How to Mend a Broken Heart, The Work Wives and The Other Bridget. When she's not writing, you'll find Rachael reading, hanging with her adorable sheepadoodle, listening to audiobooks while cleaning up after her three teenage boys, or running the Rachael Johns' Online Book Club on Facebook. Rachael loves to hear from readers and can be contacted via her website rachaeljohns.com. Rachael loves to hear from readers and can be contacted via her website rachaeljohns.com

Reviews for Outback Blaze (A Bunyip Bay Novel, #2)

[shelleyraec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Outback Blaze, Rachael Johns invites us to return to the small Western Australian farming community of Bunyip Bay that she introduced us to in Outback Dreams.

In the time that Ruby Jones has been living with her parents after breaking her engagement, she has begun to feel at home in the community of Bunyip Bay, so when her parent’s business is destroyed by fire and investigators determine the cause as arson, Ruby is devastated when rumours start to circulate that her hard working and generous spirited parents could be responsible. Local police officer Drew Noble can’t let his attraction to Ruby influence the case but he thinks it unlikely the Jones’s are capable of committing insurance fraud. Left with few investigative options, Drew begins to suspect that someone deliberately targeted the family and when Ruby is the victim of a second tragedy, he will do anything to protect her.

Readers familiar with Outback Dreams will recognise Ruby as the character who briefly dated Monty before he and Faith finally worked things out. A relative newcomer to Bunyip Bay, Ruby has escaped an abusive relationship and sought refuge with her parents, working part time in their agricultural store and providing horse riding lessons to local children, while getting involved in community events like the upcoming Bunyip Bay Festival. Despite her painful past Ruby has worked hard to rebuild her life when the fire, and subsequent events, threaten to destroy everything she has achieved.

Like Ruby, Drew is a newcomer to Bunyip Bay. A British police officer forced to participate in an exchange program, he doesn’t plan to stay for long, but is nevertheless determined to work hard and do his best for the community. Drew’s attraction to Ruby is a complication he can do without, but when Ruby is in danger he realises he can’t live his life in limbo forever.

Johns brings these two characters together based on both their physical attraction and their need for company and comfort. It’s a fine line for her to walk, due to the ongoing investigation, but the author neatly sidesteps those concerns and carefully develops a believable romance between Ruby and Drew.

This is the first of Johns’ rural romance novels to develop a plot that also includes an arc of suspense. Though I think there was potential for the author to push this a bit further, I enjoyed the addition, and was somewhat surprised by the identity of the culprit.

With its appealing characters, sweet romance and interesting mystery, Outback Blaze is another wonderful novel from Rachael Johns. I am already looking forward to revisiting Bunyip Bay in [book:Outback Ghost|18715339], due for release in October 2014.