Aussie Book Review: Jilted by Rachael Johns
Rachael Johns- Jilted Format- Paperback Source- Review copy courtesy of DMCPRmedia Publisher- MIRA/ Harlequin Publication date- June 2012 Synopsis-She left him at the altar, but her heart was always his...After more than ten years away, Australian soap star Ellie Hughes returns to the small country town of Hope Junction, determined to remain anonymous while caring for her injured godmother, Matilda.But word spreads fast in the tight-knit community. It isn’t long before the people of Hope’s are gossiping about the real reason for Ellie’s visit and why she broke the heart of golden boy Flynn Quartermaine all those years ago.Soon Ellie and Flynn are thrown back together again, forced to deal with the unresolved emotions between them. For Ellie is not the only one with secrets. Flynn has his own demons to battle, and Matilda is hiding something from her much-loved goddaughter.When all is uncovered, can the ill-fated lovers overcome the wounds of their past? Or is Flynn destined to be jilted again? Review- I read Jilted in one day and I loved it!Ellie Hughes has returned to her home town, Hope Junction to help care for her godmother, Matilda. It’s the first time she’s been back in ten years, since she left her high school sweetheart, Flynn Quartermaine at the altar.After that dreadful mistake, Ellie made a life for herself on the other side of Australia, in Sydney as a television soap star, but she’s never really stopped loving Flynn. He on the other hand continues to run a successful farm and after a decade without Ellie he still can’t quite find his feet in the world, he avoids dating and now avoids alcohol after his broken-heart led to an unhealthy addiction.Protective of their star football player, the town make Ellie’s return difficult and she realises she can’t just hide out at Matilda’s; she actually has to face the ghosts of her past.At first, Ellie avoids Flynn but when the journalists begin to hound him and regurgitate their tragic past she decides to make amends with Flynn- even though an apology wouldn’t take away the grief she had caused him.Initially, Flynn made it clear they could never be friends, but when he sees the locals bullying her, he steps in to help her without thinking. The beginnings of a friendship is sparked and both Ellie and Flynn experience the dilemma of trying to move forward with their lives when so much was unresolved in their past. Ellie tries to tell Flynn why she really left him, but is too ashamed by the truth that she denies him this. In turn, Flynn’s insecurities heighten as he wonders whether Ellie really loved him and whether she ever could again.I think both Ellie and Flynn were quite well-developed as characters as the story switched POV between the two of them. Ellie loves Flynn but has never experienced unconditional love, coming from a troubled home and doesn’t know how to trust him completely. Flynn struggles with his mixed feelings for Ellie- both love and pain. I was quite moved during the story, even getting teary at times as the author adeptly expressed the character’s emotions through the pages. I really can’t fault Jilted- I was drawn in by the emotional experience of the characters, their internal conflicts seemed very real and I think they were overcome in a natural, realistic way. I was also very satisfied by the ending. If you haven’t picked up one of the many rural lit novels on the market yet, then perhaps you should start with Rachael Johns! A tear-jerking, moving love story set in a small country town, bound to have you anxiously awaiting another title by this Australian author.
rating 4.5/5
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About the author: Rachael Johns is an English teacher by trade, a mum 24/7, a supermarket owner by day, a chronic arachnophobic, and a writer by night. She rarely sleeps. She lives in rural Western Australia with her hyperactive husband and three mostly-gorgeous heroes-in-training
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This book was read as part of the AWW2012 challenge: