When the sudden death of his mother forces outback opal miner Jack Hargreaves home to Wirralong, his plan is simple: mourn his mother, sort out the family farm, and get the hell out of the town that has always hated him. But Elsa O’Donoghue, the beautiful hairdresser with a big heart and even brighter smile, has other plans. From the moment Jack strides into her salon and helps himself to her … to her clippers, Elsa is in lust. He might be a poster boy for the strong silent type, but she senses there’s a good man behind that stoic facade. With her business taking off, Elsa is finally ready for a relationship and Jack is just her kind of man. Not to mention, she’s never said no to a challenge.
Worried their association will harm Elsa’s business, Jack tries to avoid her, but Elsa is irresistible. Soon, she has him believing and hoping for a future with her in Wirralong, but another family tragedy shatters Jack’s fragile dream. Jack knows he must leave Elsa to protect her, no matter the cost to himself.
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The story of opal miner Jake and hairdresser Elsa is a sweet romance. This is part of the Outback Brides Series. Emotional and full of twists, but a great romance. Elsa and Jake are great characters and it’s hard not to fall in love with them. I read a reader copy via Booksprout and voluntarily chose to write a review. A great ending to this book.
I really liked it
The story starts out with a lot of hardship. Sadness, anger. Jack’s a miner, wanting to find black opal. Elsa’s a hairdresser. The way they meet was quite original! Alternating POV’s, Jack and Elsa. Jack has a bad reputation only because of his father. “Sons automatically bear their fathers’ sins” seems to be the sentiment. And Jack runs away from that, he can’t handle it. He has yet to learn that it doesn’t matter: love matters. When you find it, you hold on to it.
I really liked it. A sweet story full of emotions. I liked Elsa: compassionate and kind but also fiery when she needs to be. And she is a bit of a tease. I liked Jack too, although he was a little harder to get to know. Withdrawn. Attractive but not arrogant. A diamond in the rough. Or better: a sapphire in the rough 😉
I would advise the author to choose between clean or steamy. The way it is now (quite explicit and graphic until you get to the real deal, then the door closes) it’s neither fish nor fowl and I think it’d be better ‘either’ ‘or’ to attract more readers. I prefer clean myself but with the build-up in this book even I was kind of disappointed when the door closed. It felt like an anti-climax. And another minor thing: the third time a shaving session was described in great detail it felt a bit repetitive.
But on the positive again: I liked the connection between Jack and Elsa: I really felt it. And I also felt the bond between dog Daisy and Jack. All in all, a good book that I’ll happily recommend!
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Hidden Gems. I’m not required to leave a review; I voluntarily posted an honest review. My opinions are my own. I received no remuneration for it.