What Cathryn Read – The June Round Up (by bestselling author Cathryn Hein)

Popular Australian novelist Cathryn Hein, author of Rocking Horse Hill, Heartland and more gives her verdict on the books she’s been reading.

What a great reading month! From a literary award winner to a labyrinthine thriller to a frolic with a rock god, plus some lovely romances to get gooey over. I’d love to say my to-be-read pile was lowered a little but, as usual, I ended up buying more than I read. Oh well, I’ll just have to read even more in July.

Mariana

by Susanna Kearsley

I’ve been hooked on Kearsley since reading The Shadowy Horses. It, The Winter Sea (aka Sophia’s Secret) and The Splendour Falls are my favourite Kearsleys. In Mariana, the heroine, Julie, buys Greywethers, a house she’s been drawn to since childhood, only to find it acts as portal between times. As Julie explores the past she uncovers the mystery of her historical predecessor Mariana. It’s a popular novel among fans but I didn’t warm to it the way I have her other books. Not in the beginning. Then came the last 100 pages and OH! Now I understand why it’s so adored. The ending was completely sigh-worthy. I cried. Love it when that happens. The Shadowy Horses remains my most cherished though. That book was stunning.

Grab a copy of Mariana here

Chocolate Cake For Breakfast

by Danielle Hawkins

Danielle Hawkins has only 2 books out. I wish she’d hurry up and write more because I’ve become a huge fan. Her debut, Dinner At Rose’s, was a wonderful read, heart-warming, romantic and funny. Chocolate Cake For Breakfast didn’t disappoint either. This book is a hoot. Helen McNeil is a rural vet who just happens to trip (literally) into a relationship with an extremely hunky rugby player. And not just any rugby player. A member of New Zealand’s beloved national side, the All Blacks. What follows is a funny and gorgeous romance that will leave you smiling. It even made me feel a little sentimental about the All Blacks. Very unpatriotic!

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 Grab a copy of Chocolate Cake for Breakfast here

Wolf

by Mo Hayder

Crime and thriller writer Hayder never disappoints. The Devil of Nanking (aka Tokyo) remains one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. Her Walking Man series, featuring smouldery Detective Inspector Jack Caffery is a favourite. Wolf is the 7th book in the series and a cracker. A wealthy family is being held hostage in their home and tormented in bizarre ways. Meanwhile, Caffery is challenged by the Walking Man to find who attached a ‘help us’ note to the little stray dog he’s found. As the two mysteries unfold, Hayder takes us through a labyrinth of clues, red herrings and twists you won’t see coming. Brilliant.

  Grab a copy of Wolf here

Burial Rites

by Hannah Kent

The book everyone has been raving about and showering with prizes. With good reason. This was a fascinating read, with beautiful writing, an evocative landscape and masterfully drawn characters. Set in the early 1800s, it tells the story of Agnes, an Icelandic woman condemned to death for the murder of her master. The truth of what led her to this predicament is slowly revealed as she waits her execution. I was immediately drawn by Agnes’s voice, the beauty of her observations, her secrecy and the way she rationalised her terrible predicament. Here’s a small sample:
Sometimes, after talking to the Reverend, my mouth aches. My tongue feels so tired; it slumps like a dead bird, all damp feathers, between the stones of my teeth.

As for the ending, wow. That’s still resonating.

Grab a copy of Burial Rites here

Lick

by Kylie Scott

Oh, what fun! It’s like a girly fantasy come true. Good girl Evelyn wakes up in a hotel room in Las Vegas with the hangover from hell only to discover she’s married a tattooed rock god. Awesome. What follows is a romance that will leave you smiling and barracking these two great characters on. No wonder the book has been such a hit. The dialogue is smart, the hero and heroine hugely likeable, there are witty friends and cheeky rock band members, flash cars, private jets and helicopter rides, and plenty of sex to spice things up. Pure escapism. And there are more books to come as Scott works her way through the Stage Dive band members – Play, the ebook of which is out now, and soon Lead. Rock on!

  Grab a copy of Lick here

Thanks Cathryn Hein, we look forward to seeing what you have read next month!

Cathryn Hein was born in South Australia’s rural south-east. With three generations of jockeys in the family it was little wonder she grew up horse mad, finally obtaining her first horse at age 10. So began years of pony club, eventing, dressage and showjumping until university beckoned.

Armed with a shiny Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture) from Roseworthy College she moved to Melbourne and later Newcastle, working in the agricultural and turf seeds industry. Her partner’s posting to France took Cathryn overseas for three years in Provence where she finally gave in to her life-long desire to write. Her short fiction has been recognised in numerous contests, and published in Woman’s Day.

Now living in Melbourne, Cathryn writes full-time.

Click here to see Cathryn’s author page

Rocking Horse Hill

by Cathryn Hein

Who do you trust when a stranger threatens to tear your family apart?

Ever since she was a little girl, Emily Wallace-Jones has loved Rocking Horse Hill. The beautiful family property is steeped in history. Everything important in Em’s life has happened there. And even though Em’s brother Digby has inherited the property, he has promised Em it will be her home for as long as she wishes.

When Digby falls in love with sweet Felicity Townsend, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Em worries about the future. But she is determined not to treat Felicity with the same teenage snobbery that tore apart her relationship with her first love, Josh Sinclair. A man who has now sauntered sexily back into Em’s life and given her a chance for redemption.

But as Felicity settles in, the once tightly knitted Wallace-Jones family begins to fray. Suspicions are raised, Josh voices his distrust, and even Em’s closest friends question where Felicity’s motives lie. Conflicted but determined to make up for the damage caused by her past prejudices, Em sides with her brother and his fiancée until a near tragedy sets in motion a chain of events that will change the family forever.

Rocking Horse Hill is a moving family drama and passionate love story from the author of Heartland.

Grab a copy of Rocking Horse Hill Here

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