Outback Secrets (A Bunyip Bay Novel, #5)

Written by Rachael Johns

Narrated by Casey Withoos

Keeping secrets comes naturally to him ... but will it ruin his chance at love?

Liam Castle knows the secrets of everyone in Bunyip Bay. As the owner of the pub, he's heard it all - from marriage proposals and farming disasters to family rifts and everything in between. The locals love to confide in him, but no one knows he's hiding a tragic past.

And he wants to keep it that way.

Agricultural pilot Henrietta Forward lives for her job, choosing work over romance. But when an incident in the air brings Henri home to Bunyip Bay earlier than planned, she finds herself questioning everything she believes about herself.

But Henri's secret isn't her only problem.

Her mother will stop at nothing to have her settled down back in the Bay, and while Henri had always known domesticity wasn't the life for her, now she wonders what her future holds. So when Liam - always the first to lend a hand to those in need - agrees to play along with Henri's scheme to ward off her mother, she has mixed feelings. What happens when a pretend romance starts to feel like the real thing?

Will Henri's demons and Liam's traumatic past prove too great a barrier to love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781460789803

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 Secrets (A Bunyip Bay Novel, #5)

[shelleyraec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m delighted to finally return to Bunyip Bay with Rachael Johns! Outback Secrets is her fifth rural romance set in the Western Australian community, and pairs publican Liam Castle, with agricultural aviator, Henrietta ‘Henri’ Forward.

Liam has been The Palace publican in Bunyip Bay for a decade, having arrived from Colorado in the wake of a tragedy. Though he’s privy to the many secrets of the community, no-one can claim to know his. When Henri, spending Christmas at the family farm, confides in him the need for a fake beau to distract her mother from nagging her to stay and settle down, Liam surprises both Henri and himself by agreeing to the plan.

Unsurprisingly, though delightfully so, real feelings quickly develop between Liam and Henri. Johns is adept at establishing chemistry between two characters and then deepening the relationship in a believable way as they learn more about one another. Liam and Henri complement each other well and their romance is fun and heartwarming.

It’s refreshing to have a heroine in a romance who actually isn’t all that interested in the traditional ‘happy ever after’ that leads to marriage and babies. A confident, independent woman, Henri loves her job as a pilot and I liked her passion for her chosen career.

Liam, who has played a minor background role in previous Bunyip Bay novels, is an appealing romantic hero, thoughtful, discrete and generous. The tragedy in his backstory is an unexpected element that introduces some sensitive subjects to the novel, including trauma, PTSD, grief, and suicide.

I was surprised to realise it’s been five years since the last Bunyip Bay book was published as the community and its characters all still feel very familiar. Though Outback Secrets can be read as a stand-alone, it’s a joy catch up with the lives of the couples who have featured in earlier novels including Faith and Monty (Outback Dreams), Ruby and Drew (Outback Blaze), Adam and Stella (Outback Ghost), and Frankie and Logan (Outback Sisters).

Outback Secrets is another engaging and charming story of romance, family and community, and I hope to visit Bunyip Bay again soon.