Can Zoe protect the reef she loves? Or will fighting to save it mean she loses everything? From the bestselling author of Billabong Bend, Brumby’s Run and Currawong Creek comes a wonderful novel set against the spectacular beauty of Queensland’s far north coast.Unlucky-in-love zoologist Zoe King has had enough of Sydney. Seeking a fresh start, she moves to the small sugar town of Kiawa to take up … a fresh start, she moves to the small sugar town of Kiawa to take up an exciting new role in marine science. She is charmed by the region’s beauty – by its rivers and rainforests. By its vast cane fields, sweeping from the foothills down to the rocky coral coast. And by its people – its farmers and fishermen, unhurried and down to earth, proud of their traditions.
Her work at the Reef Centre provides all the passion she needs, and Zoe finds a friend in Bridget, the centre’s director. The last thing she expects is to fall for her boss’s boyfriend, cane king Quinn Cooper. Zoe focuses on her research and tries to ignore the growing attraction between them. But things aren’t quite adding up at the Reef Centre, and when animals on the reef begin to sicken and die, Zoe’s personal and professional worlds collide. She faces a terrible choice. Will protecting the reef mean betraying the man she loves?
– Praise For Turtle Reef –
’Scoullar writes with such radiant colours I could almost see myself underwater exploring the Great Barrier Reef. What a special book.’ Reading, Writing and Riesling
‘Vivid, suspenseful and lush in its setting. Zoe is a fabulous heroine – brave, intelligent, honest and passionate.’ My Written Romance
’Turtle Reef is a lovely novel from a storyteller whose fiction evokes the romance of the Australian landscape and the heart.’ Book’d Out.
Bestselling Aussie author Jennifer Scoullar writes about the land, people and wildlife that she loves. Turtle Reef is Book 4 of The Wild Australia Stories. Buy it now to discover why Jennifer Scoullar is one of Australia’s favourite storytellers!
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I love all of Jennifer Scoullar’s books because she is an informed environmentalist sharing real life nature issues in a fictional format. She gives the characters rich and believable relationships and situations that are not predictable. The story lines are full of twists and turns that kept me coming back to reading her entire series.
Jennifer Scoullar has an unmatched ability to bring Australia’s natural environment to life through her well-researched, descriptive stories. In Turtle Reef, we explore part of the Great Barrier Reef near Bundaberg, Queensland, and learn about its fascinating marine mammals: whales, dolphins, manta rays, octopuses, dugongs, sharks, moray eels, turtles and more.
The lives of the animals are skillfully interwoven with those of the story’s humans: Zoe, a young zoologist who works at a marine park near the reef; Quinn, the handsome owner of a sugar cane plantation; Bridget, Quinn’s fiancee and the director of the marine park; and Josh, Quinn’s teenage brother, who suffers from a brain injury.
Though the first half of the book deals mainly with the reef and its animals, the second half focuses on the growing attraction between Zoe and Quinn and the various obstacles they face. I won’t spoil this with details, but there’s plenty of suspense, secrets, and nefarious goings-on to keep you turning the pages. Hold on for an exciting ride!
There’s one sweet love scene but no explicit sex, and the book contains no foul language. Educational, suspenseful and deeply touching, Turtle Reef is a keeper. Highly recommended.
The Wild Australia Stories Series:
Brumby’s Run #1 – This is my first read by this author and I love it. I felt like I was there in those areas of AU. The vivid descriptions, the variety of everyday characters, the horses and all the background information just kept me glued to the pages. I could not put the book down and I had another book to review: this book came from my library. I took my time savoring every word and the storylines and was happy the author stayed home, instead of writing about the US or some other place, sharing the lifestyles and traditions in her neck of AU. The extra material not usually found in many books was extremely interesting and enjoyable to read about: the depth of the training; horse breeds; and even the proper handling of the environment. All the background information added substance to the tapestry of the story. I will read every book I can find from Ms. Scoullar. 5*
Currawong Creek #2 – This book is just as great to read as Brumby’s Run. Clare is a difficult person to like. She flip-flops between sensible and plain stupid too much and to extremes. She does running away well but not working out problems. Good storylines full with plenty of love, sacrifice and the power of healing with the use of therapy animals. The other main characters were good and interesting, along with most of the secondary characters. There are good expectations and a couple of surprises concerning friendship. Again, I felt as if I was there through Ms. S’s vivid descriptions. This is a feel good story complete with romance and shared loves. 4*
Turtle Reef #4 – This story is wonderful and heartbreaking. I found Ms. S’s vivid descriptions about the sea and her creatures, and the reefs, their functions and survival against man interesting and intriguing. The dugongs are very interesting and I learned quite a bit about them. Through Einstein the octopus, I gained a respect for the species, especially after learning about the sacrifices the females make for their young. This is y favorite of the three books that I’ve read so far. As interesting as the creatures were, the human characters held up their end – interesting, talented and varying from wonderful to damaged but always believable. Einstein and Aisha were my favorites with Zoe pulling in third. 5*
Journey’s End #5 – Wonderful and heartbreaking, this heartwarming story has a touch of romance making Journey’s End another top favorite of mine. All four stories were great, but Turtle and Journey grabbed my heart and made tears flow. I enjoyed Ms. S’s wild AU stories with her well-written characters and her vivid descriptions placing the reader deep into the tapestry of intriguing storylines and interesting background on AU and her wildlife. Dusty was my favorite character and Taj lent a mysterious element to a well-written story. 5*
The Wild Australia Stories Series end.
The Tasmanian Tales:
Fortune’s Son #1 – So sad and so heartbreaking, the heartwarming multiple storylines about Tasmania, her culture and her creatures was so interesting and intriguing; it was another hard to put down story. The well-written characters, the author’s vivid descriptions, and talented storytelling abilities place the reader deep into the weave of a beautiful tapestry of love, sacrifice and the culture and wildlife of Tasmania, with glimpses of AU. Bear is my favorite character next to Tasmania. 5*
The Lost Valley #2 – This story begins in 1929 with most of the family involved from Fortune’s Son. This book is so sad and so heartbreaking, as well as so heartwarming, intriguing, interesting and uplifting. The vivid descriptions woven with the old and new storylines make a substantial tapestry of love and sacrifice amongst the history of Tasmania, her people and her creatures and her culture. The 600 plus pages just flew by and I could not put this book down until I read the last page. I chain read all the books I had by this author and never once was bored or tired of reading about AU and Tasmania. the excitement over finding such a talented and creative storyteller/author never stopped. Rereading these books in the future, which is something I seldom do anymore, is a certain possibility. 5*
The Tasmanian Tales end.