Beauty & Lace Book Review: A Country Mile by Mandy Magro

Beauty & Lace Book Review: A Country Mile by Mandy Magro

Title: A Country Milea counry mile small

Author: Mandy Magro

Published: April 23rd 2018

Publisher: Harlequin – Mira

Pages: 336

Genres:  Fiction, Australian, Contemporary, Romance, Rural

RRP: $29.99

Rating: 4 stars

Secrets.
Everyone has at least one…

When Sophie Copinni’s love life turns sour, a trip to her hometown in Far North Queensland is the perfect time for her to take stock of her future. There, two weeks before she turns thirty, she finds a bucket list from her teenage years. Most of the challenges are fun, although one thing on the list scares the hell out of her: she is to reveal a long–held family secret – the very reason she ran away eight years ago.

A road trip home is Dylan Stone’s chance to escape the shady operations he has uncovered at the Sydney tattoo parlour he runs. Surrounded by the landscape and loved ones he’s missed so fiercely, Dylan starts to think that maybe it’s time to make his homecoming permanent. But there is still the unresolved matter of Sophie – the woman who broke his heart and skipped town so long ago.

Dylan and Sophie try to keep their distance but they can’t deny the intense chemistry between them. But if Sophie tackles the scariest challenge on her list, will it push Dylan away forever? And will her family ever be the same again?

My review:

Australian rural romance queen Mandy Magro delivers another stellar new release. Magro’s latest, A Country Mile, is a solid example of classic Australian rural fiction. It a features a cracking storyline that you can’t help but delve into – headfirst. A Country Mile is a tale of secrets, lies, family, second chance love and heartache, which is all set to a spectacular Australian stage, country Queensland.

A Country Mile features leading lady Sophie Copinni who is dealing with a relationship breakdown and sees the best option to mend her broken heart is return to her home, based in Far North Queensland. With her thirtieth birthday looming, Sophie decides it is high time to dig out her bucket list, a list she compiled in her teenage years and begin embarking on some challenges. On Sophie’s list is one life changing item, to reveal an explosive family secret. This secret forced Sophie to move far away from her home town years earlier. Linked to Sophie is Dylan Stone. Dylan is also making the trip home, after his work in the city of Sydney as a tattooist takes a criminal turn. Soon after Dylan arrives home, it begins to dawn on him that his country home is where he belongs, not the city. However, complications arise in the form of Sophie, his ex, who broke his heart into pieces years ago. As Sophie and Dylan grapple with some unresolved feelings, the secret Sophie holds close to her chest has the power to change their relationship dynamic forever.

In the ‘Acknowledgements’ section of her brand new novel, A Country Mile, Mandy Magro has a special wish for her all her readers. She hopes that when they pick up her latest novel they will be able to escape from the grind of daily life. Magro hopes readers of A Country Mile will laugh, cry, swoon and fall in love with the hero or heroine (or both). Well Mandy, I am happy to report you wish was definitely fulfilled for this particular reader. I experienced all these emotions and responses while reading A Country Mile.

It is best to begin with setting when reviewing A Country Mile. Magro encapsulates the natural beauty, clean fresh air and the healing quality of getting back to the basics. I loved Magro’s setting descriptions, they were authentic, vibrant and a wonderful rendition to country life in Australia.

Along with the stunning setting descriptions there is a full bodied and intriguing tale that runs right through A Country Mile. Although the overall tone of this novel is light and easy to read, there are a number of serious themes covered. Magro zones her latest story in on the criminal underworld, domestic abuse and explosive family secrets. There are moments of sadness, despair and heartache, but these are carefully balanced with glimmers of hope for the majority of the characters of this novel.

The entire character set that fill the pages of A Country Mile are well depicted. By the time I reached the end of the novel I felt like I knew the leads inside and out. Sophie is very likeable and you want her to find her Prince Charming! Dylan, the male lead, had a great back story. I liked the tough guy edge Magro added to his character. Faith was the character I felt the most for, once you discover her dire situation, you will hard pressed not to feel a great deal of sympathy for this woman. There is no doubt that the personalities of each character shines through in A Country Mile. The secondary characters compliment the overall story arc well and I enjoyed sinking my teeth into the good, as well as the bad figures of this novel.

Romance is Mandy Magro’s speciality. Magro can always be relied on to deliver a finely tuned love story. The main relationship featured in A Country Mile comes complete with a tragic past, unresolved feelings, secrets and lies. There is also a mind blowing family secret connected to the romance that I didn’t see coming! If you are a fan of second chance love stories, this one will be sure to draw appeal. I enjoyed the interplay of events in the Dylan/Sophie romance, this is perhaps the book’s strongest asset.

Mandy Magro’s stories always leave you feeling good inside. A Country Mile is another example of Magro’s signature style, she combines a genuine love of the land, with a complicated love story and she issues the reader with secondary themes that add intrigue to the overall reading experience. With a gentle touch of music thrown in for good measure, A Country Mile is another appealing read from Mandy Magro.

A Country Mile by Mandy Magro was published on 23rd April 2018 by Harlequin  – Mira. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.

To learn more about the author of A Country Mile, Mandy Magro, visit here.

*Please note that a free copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes through Beauty & Lace and Harlequin – Mira. To read the original review on the Beauty & Lace website please visit here.

A Country Mile is book #56 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge

 

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