An Australian rural romance about an unexpected inheritance that sends a city girl down deep into the country...
When Cassie Taylor inherits Yallandoo, a cattle station near Cairns in Far North Queensland, she is shocked. What does she know about running cattle? But the property has been in her family for generations, and Cassie is not a quitter. She leaves behind her Sydney life and heads to the station, determined to make a go of it.
But a long drought and falling prices mean challenges Cassie doesn’t expect. To save her heritage, she’s going to have to come up with some new ideas — and fast. Then the threatening letters start to arrive. Someone doesn’t want Cassie to succeed, and they’re willing to go to any lengths to stop her...
Kate Loveday grew up in a seaside suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. Her two passions as a child were to spend as much time as possible at the beach, and to curl up with a book. Her love of books never left her.
She always wanted to write, and dabbled a bit, but it was not until an extended caravan holiday around Australia with husband Peter that she began writing in earnest. She started with travel articles about places they visited. When these were accepted for publication by travel magazines she began to write fiction. Her first novels, Inheritance and ‘Black Mountain, were inspired by the beautiful, rugged far north of Queensland, and the interesting characters she met there.
A love of history prompted her to research the past of the rural area of the mid north coast of NSW while spending time there. Along the way she looked into the conditions for women in the nineteenth century, when women had few rights and were dominated by the men of the time. This provoked her to write An Independent Woman, the first book in the Redwoods series, which chronicles the life and passions of Kitty Morland, a woman of that era, followed by ‘A Liberated Woman’ and ‘An Ambitious Woman’. This series is set in and around Bulahdelah, an old, historic town situated on the beautiful Myall River.
Her writing career has included publication of travel articles and short stories, as well as novels. She previously worked in real estate and building, as an office manager, and finally as a natural/ beauty therapist, running her own business for many years. She now writes Australian contemporary and historical women’s fiction/romance.
When she is not writing she enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with husband Peter and her family and friends. She loves chocolate, good food and wine, dogs, music, and seeing new places.
Inheritance is a wonderful romantic suspense novel that focuses on the strength of an young Australian woman who must find a way to save her uncle’s beloved livestock station (ranch) Yallandoo after he and his wife are killed in a car accident. Cassandra Taylor loves the ranch, but she is not sure her business experience offers what it takes to keep the place going in the third year of a terrible drought. The people who have worked the ranch promise to stand by her so, refusing to give up on the land that has been in her family for over 100 years, Cassie decides to develop a part of the ranch for tourism. All the things that she loves about the land make it perfect for a small tourist encampment. Once she starts believing in the possibilities. she discovers that the handsome divorced neighbor, who by the way wants to buy her land, has almost completed a large resort complex. Then someone seems willing to do almost anything to keep the business from come to fruition. Problems seem to strike from every corner, but she refuses to give up. The wonderful friendships she has with the other characters add to the action and to the delight I found in the book. Her love and respect of the land and its heritage are woven beautifully through the story. The romance is not surprising but I loved it. I look forward to more of Mrs. Loveday’s books.
Note: I seldom give 5 star rating on Goodreads because I am comparing these books to the best I ever read. At other sites, I rate just to show much I recommend a book. This is a 5 star recommendation.
“Cassie kicked at the parched earth with the toe of her boot. Spurts of dust flew up. ‘It seems hard to believe that this is usually covered with green feed. With everything so dry I guess we’re lucky to have as many calves as we’ve had this year.’” –Inheritance
Set in Far Northern Australia, Inheritance is an engaging romantic mystery. It is wonderfully sensory with a rich sense of place – it couldn’t be set anywhere but Australia – with a cast of interesting and well-drawn characters. Cassandra Taylor, Inheritance’s heroine is no meek country girl able to be pushed around. More than anything, this story is about her journey from girl to woman.
Highly recommended. I look forward to reading more from Kate Loveday.
Set in rural Australia, Inheritance is an engaging contemporary romantic suspense novel by Kate Loveday. Cassie Taylor is stunned to learn she has inherited Yallandoo, a cattle station in the Far North, after the tragic death of her aunt and uncle. Though intimidated by the challenge, she is determined to honour the family legacy and refuses to sell, much to her neighbour's chagrin. Eager to ensure the drought stricken station continues to thrive, Cassie plans to supplement the farm's income by diversifying into eco tourism, but her efforts are sabotaged by complaints, threats and arson. Facing increasing financial pressure, unless Cassie can put a stop to the disruptions she faces losing the place she now calls home.
Cassie proves to be a likeable protagonist, she takes on her inheritance with the best of intentions and though she is not completely inexperienced, she recognises she has a lot to learn. I really liked the way in which Loveday portrayed Cassie's bond with Yallandoo, both with the land and it's people. Yallandoo is vividly described from the dusty cattle yards to the lush tropical rainforest. Loveday is respectful towards the Indigenous, weaving their history with the land seamlessly into the story.
The romantic element of the story takes the familiar path through denial, wild attraction and misunderstandings before reaching it's happy ever after. I have to admit, I wasn't such a fan of Mark, there were a few elements to his character that I found quite unappealing, and as such I was lukewarm about the burgeoning relationship between the pair, though eventually I was reconciled to it.
While I felt the thread of suspense started too late in the story, I thought the author developed a strong line of intrigue. Neighbour Mark makes no secret of his desire for Cassie's property to expand his own, and with his brother pushing for him to close the deal, his romantic interest in Cassie could be seen as little more than an expedient business move. Ben's unscrupulous deal with Stella gives them both motive for delaying Cassie's plans, and both seem more than capable of carrying out the sabotage designed to undermine Cassie. Or is it someone from her past who wants to see Cassie fail, hoping she will return to the city to find comfort in his arms? Discovering the identity of at least one of the culprits provides an unexpected twist to the mystery.
Inheritance fits neatly within the popular 'farm-lit' genre, incorporating romance and intrigue against the backdrop of rural Australian life. I found Inheritance to be an enjoyable, well written story and would happily recommend it.
Inheritance – by Kate Loveday is listed as a “romance mystery novel” yet the book is so much more.
It is the story of young Cassandra Taylor who inherits a cattle property from her uncle. The property – Yallandoo - in Northern Queensland, though suffering from the long-term effects of the drought, is in dire need of Cassie’s wholehearted efforts to keep it self-sustaining.
The male interest – Mark Pierce - is a man who comes with his own set of personal issues and a child in tow while attempting to woo Cassie into selling him Yallandoo for his own business development purposes.
If the story ended there it would be a typical romance novel yet the author has incorporated so much more into this book. Apart from Cassie’s childhood memories and emotional bond with the property and the staff who run the cattle station, the girl has a feel for the land, the rainforest areas, the aboriginal heritage and the descendants who still remain, now working for Yallandoo.
With lots of characters, each with their own personality, perspective, and in some cases – agendas, Kate has done a terrific job of weaving them all together.
Overall I found the book compelling. Kate Loveday has a wonderful talent for into each and every character’s head and telling the story from their point of view. The different twists and turns in the story retain the reader’s interest while not all the outcomes are as one would expect!
A very believable story; one that draws the reader in and leaves them feeling as though they have not only met these people but have really managed to get to know them all, very well.
With her first novel ‘Inheritance’ Kate Loveday has created a fantastic read. I for one, applaud her wonderful talent. Great work! Can’t wait for her next book!
INHERITANCE BY Kate Loveday (Contemporary Romance) Set in Far North Queensland amongst tropical forests, sparkling Coral Sea and lush banana plantations, Cassie Taylor finds her life turned upside down. Attending the funeral of her beloved Aunt and Uncle, following their tragic car accident, Cassie is told that she will inherit the cattle station that has been in her family for generations. Totally un-prepared to take on this task Cassie relies upon the property Manager to guide her through the intricate business of the large holding, Yallandoo. She discovers an interesting man as her neighbour, but soon discovers that he is only after her property at his price. Many trials beset Cassie, but she is strengthened by her close friendship with Rosie, daughter of the Manager. Deciding to diversify the stations assets Cassie undertakes to build tourist lodges, but soon finds a saboteur in the area. She suspects Mark, the neighbour, but he convinces her of his innocence and Cassie soon finds herself attracted to Mark. If the story ended there it would be a typical romance novel yet the author has incorporated so much more into this book. Apart from Cassie's childhood memories and emotional bond with the property and the staff who run the cattle station, the girl has a feel for the land, the rainforest areas, the aboriginal heritage and the descendants who still remain, now working for Yallandoo. With many characters, each with their own personality, perspective, and in some cases agendas, Kate Loveday has performed the clever task of weaving them all together. The different twists and turns in the story retain the reader's interest while not all the outcomes are as one would expect! A very believable story; one that draws the reader in and leaves them feeling as though they have not only met these people but have really managed to get to know them all, very well.
Four Stars * * * * Available on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords, B&N Nook, Sony, Apple and Diesel. Published in 2009 in Paperback. ISBN: 978 0 646 52486- 3(pbk)