We are so excited for the release of Rachael Johns’s new book Something to Talk About… so we got her to recap the previous book in the Rose Hill series, Talk of the Town!

I’m super excited about the upcoming release of Something to Talk About, which is the second of my Rose Hill books. It’s been a little while between rural romances for me, so I thought I’d give you a cheat sheet to refresh your memory. If you haven’t read the book, hopefully this will pique your interest but not spoil the plot!

The Setting:

• Rose Hill – a fictional ghost town in Western Australia. Is anyone else as fascinated by ghost towns as I am? They break my heart and intrigue me all at once. No wonder I wrote a book (or two) set in one.
• Nearby Walsh, the bigger town where most of the characters live, is also fictional but loosely based on a number of real dairy farming communities in the south-west of WA.

The Characters:

• Lawson Cooper-Jones – such a strong Aussie name for a strong, sexy, single dad and Aussie dairy farmer. I challenge you not to fall in love with Lawson – there are certainly plenty of local ladies interested! But between his cows, his son and the fact he’s still grieving the tragic loss of his wife, he doesn’t make time for romance, something that his sister Tabitha ribs him for.
• Tabitha is a great support for Lawson in Talk of the Town, but readers who were desperate for more of Tab’s spunk and no-nonsense passion for life will be happy to hear she’s the star of the show in Something to Talk About! She’s such a strong, gutsy heroine, and I have to say I’m a little bit in love with her, so no wonder new teacher in town Fergus McWilliams falls head over heels for her. Tab is not only an ice-cream connoisseur, but she’s managed to make a profitable little business making the cold stuff herself. Needless to say, there are lots of references to delicious and unique flavours of ice-cream in both books. Warning: do not read either book on an empty stomach or you might find yourself rushing down to your local ice-creamery!
• Ned is Lawson’s son and almost so cute its annoying. But hey, as well as looking like a cherub, he gives Cupid a run for his money and becomes a bit of a matchmaker between his dad and the mysterious Meg.
• Meg McCormick – way braver than me, Meg is a mysterious woman who buys a run-down building in deserted Rose Hill and sets up house there. She has my admiration, not only because of the trauma she survived before the start of the book but because she lives in a freaking haunted house! Oh yeah, Rose Hill isn’t just deserted, it’s definitely housing some old souls. I’m still scared of the dark and there’s no way I could live on my own in such a building, but Meg figures she has plenty of skeletons in her closet, so she can deal with a few ghosts.
• Adeline – every good story needs a villain!! She’s the town gossip and is also in love with Lawson. She’ll stop at nothing to get between him and Meg, but she does have one redeeming quality. She breeds Maremmas (the dogs that star in the movie Oddball). And, as an owner of one of these gorgeous dogs myself, I take my hat off to her. They may be cute and fluffy but they’re definitely not for the faint-hearted and one is more than enough for me!

Other Random but Important Stuff:

• The issues – people might think romance novels are light and fluffy, but this is rarely the case and Talk of the Town addresses some of the hardships that our wonderful dairy farmers have endured recently. It also deals with recovery from grief and addiction and explores the effects of isolation and how rural towns can be welcoming and also the loneliest places on earth.
• A real live ghost and a mystery – but I promised no spoilers so that’s all I’ll say on the issue.
• Did I mention the knitting? Boy, can these women knit!! Tabitha creates amazing tea cosies and she only has one arm.

Talk of the Town is about a hot single farmer who falls for a mysterious woman who isn’t scared of ghosts. A local dog breeder digs up the dirt on this woman and it looks like all might be lost for our perfect match. Luckily the hero’s cute son saves the day and the ghost might have a hand in it all as well. Something to Talk About kicks off not long after the first book ended, so you get a lovely glimpse into Meg, Lawson and Ned’s life again and also get the chance to fall more in love with Tabitha.

Happy Reading, Rach! x

Rachael Johns