BOOK STACK :: Reviewathon Preview

I have been getting so much reading done over the past few weeks, and have been absolutely loving the books I’m reading, so I think it is time for another reviewathon, so that my reviews can catch up with my reading!
I think I’ll start with the books in this stack, which are my most recent reads, so I thought it might be fun to give a little preview of them so you know what’s coming up. I have already reviewed Hex – you can check out that review here. I do also have a few titles that I read a little longer ago that deserve to have their reviews up soon too, and some author Q&As in the works too!
These books were all sent to me by their publishers for me to review, and I’m looking forward to telling you more about them soon!

xo Bron

The Pony Question by Jackie Merchant – out now from Walker Books
Essie doesn’t believe in signs or wishing on stars. She likes facts, and the fact is she’s left her love of horses firmly in the past. She doesn’t want a new horse and she certainly doesn’t need one, not with the price she’d have to pay. That’s a line she just won’t cross. But the universe has other ideas. Essie may not need a pony, but there’s one that needs her. And taking on a pony without a past brings a lot of unanswered questions. In searching for answers Essie must decide if forgiving the past is her only way forward.

Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight – out now from Bloomsbury
Nell Barber, an expelled PhD candidate in Biological Science, is exploring the fine line between poison and antidote, working alone to set a speed record for the detoxification of poisonous plants. Her mentor, Dr. Joan Kallas, is the hero of Nell’s heart. Nell frequently finds herself standing in the doorway to Joan’s office despite herself, mesmerized by Joan’s elegance, success, and spiritual force.
Surrounded by Nell’s ex, her best friend, her best friend’s boyfriend, and Joan’s buffoonish husband, the two scientists are tangled together at the center of a web of illicit relationships, grudges, and obsessions. All six are burdened by desire and ambition, and as they collide on the university campus, their attractions set in motion a domino effect of affairs and heartbreak.
Meanwhile, Nell slowly fills her empty apartment with poisonous plants to study, and she begins to keep a series of notebooks, all dedicated to Joan. She logs her research and how she spends her days, but the notebooks ultimately become a painstaking map of love.

The Vienesse Girl by Jenny Lecoat – out now from Allen & Unwin
In June 1940, the horror-struck inhabitants of Jersey watch as the German army unopposed takes possession of their island. Now only a short way from the English coast, the Germans plan their invasion.
Hedy Bercu, a young Jewish girl from Vienna who fled to the isolation and safety of Jersey two years earlier to escape the Nazis, finds herself once more trapped, but this time with no way of escape.
Hiding her racial status, Hedy is employed by the German authorities and secretly embarks on small acts of resistance. But most dangerously of all, she falls in love with German lieutenant Kurt Neumann — a relationship on which her life will soon depend.

The Goldminer’s Sister by Alison Stuart – out now from Harlequin Mira
1873. Eliza Penrose arrives in the gold mining town of Maiden’s Creek in search of her brother, planning to make a new life for herself. Instead she finds a tragic mystery – and hints of betrayals by those closest to her.
Mining engineer Alec McLeod left Scotland to escape the memory of his dead wife and child. Despite the best efforts of the eligible ladies of Maiden’s Creek, Alec is determined never to give his heart again.
As lies and deceit threaten Eliza’s life, Alec steps in – although he has problems of his own, as he risks his livelihood and those he holds dear to oppose the dangerous work practices at the Maiden’s Creek Mine.
When disaster draws the pieces of the puzzle together, Eliza and Alec must save each other – but is it too late?

The Farm at Peppertree Crossing by Léonie Kelsall – out now from Allen & Unwin
After a fractured childhood spent in foster homes, city-girl Roni has convinced herself that she has no need of anyone – other than her not-as-tough-as-he-looks rescued street cat, Scritches, and her unborn baby, who she’s determined will feel all the love she’s been denied.
Despite facing a bleak future, Roni distrusts the news of a bequest from an unknown aunt, Marian Nelson. But, out of options, she and Scritches leave Sydney behind, bound for the 800-acre property on the edge of the wheat fields of South Australia.
However, this is no simple inheritance: Marian seeks to control her legacy from beyond the grave by setting tasks that Roni must complete before she can claim the property and a life that could change her future. With everything at stake, Roni must learn to trust in the truth of Marian’s most important lesson: everyone deserves love.