Setting: Australia
Time Period: 1871

Suddenly orphaned and left penniless, Boston born Rebecca marries Aussie Daniel Thornton and leaves for Australia with her new husband. In this first novel in the Queensland Chronicles, author Bonnie Leon takes a marriage of convenience to the outback where Rebecca is put to the test on whether she has what it takes to be a true Australian.

I’m torn about what to write in this review! In some ways, I enjoyed the book but in other ways, I didn’t. The descriptions of the landscape, animals and way of life made me feel like I was right there on the station; I loved those parts! I also really grew to really enjoy some of the characters like Cambria, Willa and even Jim. But, I didn’t care for Rebecca. I felt she was kinda selfish throughout the book and even at the end, made little effort to reconcile with the other characters though she spoke of God and the Bible a lot. Plus, she and Daniel fought the whole time – y’all, I mean the whole novel! The strain in their relationship made the book a rather heavy read and kinda sad. Though the book picked up towards the end and had an interesting wrap up, it wasn’t enough to make me want to continue the series.

Conclusion: After reading “To Love Anew” from the Sydney Cove Series I couldn’t wait to read “The Heart Of Thornton Creek” as well. I found out that though the story was okay and may be a very real reality for some, I just wasn’t up for a story where the characters were so at odds with each other in their marriage. I’m not going to say it was a bad book or poorly done, just that it wasn’t my cup of tea. If you’re looking to try out an Australian novel from this author with a romantic theme, I’d suggest “To Love Anew.” But, if you’re okay with a read that doesn’t have a happy romance in it, then you might enjoy this book.