Review: Stone Castles by Trish Morey

When I read in The Advertiser that South Australian author Trish Morey had penned a novel set in one of my favourite parts of the state, I knew that I just had to wander down to my local bookstore and purchase a copy. Although I do not read a lot of rural romance, I had a gut feeling that I would very much enjoy Stone Castles and I am pleased to report that gut feeling was spot-on about that one. 

Stone Castles tells the story of Pip Martin, a girl born and raised in Kadina, South Australia. The combination of a tragic loss and a lie left Pip questioning everything she knew when she was just eighteen years old. She left Kadina for Sydney, and then New York and has enjoyed a successful career in the finance industry. Now in her thirties, Pip has returned to Kadina to say good-bye to her grandmother and soon finds her past catching up with her ...

As I said before, I enjoyed reading this one. I loved the level of research and accuracy that the author put into her work, depicting the small Yorke Peninsula town. (It was also very eerie reading the depiction of the Moonta cemetery, as I visited there recently.) I loved the completely appropriate mention in there of Not Only in Stone Phyllis Somerville's brilliant historical novel that is set in the region. And then, of course, there is the fact that at its heart, the novel is a well-written and emotionally charged romance. I liked Pip, Luke and the funny coincidences that brought them together at the beginning of the novel. I wanted to know more about their pasts and found myself becoming more and more emotionally invested in the characters as the story continued. 

A thoroughly likeable rural romance, set in one of my favourite parts of South Australia. Recommended.


This book was read as part of the Aussie Author challenge 2015. 

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