REVIEW: A CHANCE OF STORMY WEATHER BY TRICIA STRINGER

Due to time restraints while I work on my own novel, reviews on this site will now comprise a book blurb and a short response.

My introduction to Tricia Stringer’s writing was a good one. There might be a chance of stormy weather in the story, but at least this is a book you can curl up with. Here’s the blurb:

City girl Paula married her lovely farmer, the only problem is he comes with a farm… Another heart-warming rural romance from the queen of Australian story-telling, Tricia Stringer.

Self-reliant Sydney girl, Paula, is looking forward to a new life in the country. Just married to sheep farmer Dan Woodcroft she can’t wait to escape her protective family and exchange her busy existence for a new life down on the farm in rural South Australia.
But life on the farm proves rather different to what she was expecting. Why does everyone talk about the weather all the time? Why does no one seem worried by the mice plague? And how is she supposed to feed all those shearers?

With Dan’s brusque Aunt Rowena to contend with, his gorgeous ex-girlfriend showing up with a grudge, and communication between her and Dan breaking down, Paula begins to question whether she can cope — is the life of a farmer’s wife is really for her? Forecast: stormy weather.

More rural fiction than rural romance, A Chance of Stormy Weather tells the story after the romance that led to Paula and Dan’s quick walk down the altar and a new life on the farm. I felt for Paula as she adjusted to mice in every nook and cranny (including a memorable scene in the bath) and the expectations of being a farmer’s wife. She held up well, despite the pressure.

Stringer delivers a warm and engaging novel that hit the spot for me, especially because I love stories that take the romance further … I always wonder what happens when reality sets in and the first-love/lust gloss fades. The story is peppered with interesting characters and insights into the challenges of rural life, which for a city girl like me, is always illuminating. Stringer made me feel for both lead characters as they juggled responsibilities and ever-changing priorities … and she made me want to read more of her warm-hearted novels.

Available from good bookstores (RRP $29.99AUD). My copy was courtesy of Harlequin Books.