Review: A fantastic rural romantic suspense, Rocking Horse Hill is another winner from the pen of Cathryn Hein
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2014
I've had this review written for a while now, but for some unknown reason, I kept forgetting to post it.Rocking Horse Hill is another wonderful example of Australian rural romance, brought to us by Cathryn Hein. As regular visitors to this site will know, I am a massive rural romance fan, and will take any opportunity to explore it. What I loved about this example was that it brought in elements of mystery, suspense, family drama and incredible food, and weaved it all together to make a thoroughly intriguing read.Here are my thoughts on Rocking Horse Hill:I love food, I love reading, and I love reading about food. There were moments throughout reading Rocking Horse Hill that I actually heard my stomach growl. The descriptions Cathryn gives of the meals prepared by Emily for friends and Josh are mouth-wateringly good. Trust me, you will walk away from this book jonesing for a rack of lamb!Getting away from the food, and on to the story, Rocking Horse Hill  has all the ingredients to make it a truly absorbing read (yes, I realise I just made a food pun). It takes us into the Wallace-Jones family, and shows us the power that snobbery and false assumptions can have on even the closest family.Emily may have once been that girl – the one who judged without knowing – but I loved that she realised that doing so can drive away the people she loves, that she grew. She’s determined, strong and yet still vulnerable in a lot of ways, particularly when it comes to Josh.Josh’s subsequent marriage and divorce have done nothing to dampen his memories of Emily and what passed between them. Sure, at first, he is rather abrupt and standoffish with her as result (fair enough, I think), but when there is this kind of inherent chemistry between them, you just know that it won’t be long until sparks of a different kind fly…..which they do.The uncertainty around Emily’s future at Rocking Horse Hill and the mystery surrounding Felicity and her past make for some genuinely suspenseful and tense moments throughout the book, and I can most definitely say that I had NOT been expecting it to come to the resolution that it did. No spoilers here….you’ll just have to read it. There are going to be moments where you just sit back and go “Whoa, didn’t see that one coming!”.A fantastic rural romantic suspense, Rocking Horse Hill is another winner from the pen of Cathryn Hein.