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Zoe's Muster

by Barbara Hannay (Goodreads Author)

4.54 of 5 stars 4.54 · rating details · 65 ratings · 16 reviews

Three women ... two families ... one secret ...

When Zoe, restless black sheep of the Porter family, discovers that her biological father is a North Queensland cattleman, Peter Fairburn, her deep desire to meet him takes her from inner-city Brisbane to a job as a stockcamp cook.

Zoe's mother, Claire, is wrestling with guilt over Zoe's discovery. She swears Zoe to secrecy,...more

Paperback, 304 pages

Published July 25th 2012 by Michael Joseph (Penguin Australia)

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The Girl in Steel Capped Boots by Loretta Hill

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Australian Rural Fiction

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Aug 22, 2012 Sonya Heaney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: australia, women-s-fiction, some-of-my-favourites

Originally posted here.

I don’t know why I was surprised to see Barbara Hannay jumping in on the Rural Lit craze. After all, she was writing shorter rural romances years before the trend took off, and I’ve enjoyed everything of hers I’ve read. I knew she’d deliver a good story, and I knew she’d come up with something original in a completely saturated field.

As I’ve said before, it’s hard to know what to pick from the current sea of book covers featuring twenty-something women in Akubras. I’ve bee...more Originally posted here.

I don’t know why I was surprised to see Barbara Hannay jumping in on the Rural Lit craze. After all, she was writing shorter rural romances years before the trend took off, and I’ve enjoyed everything of hers I’ve read. I knew she’d deliver a good story, and I knew she’d come up with something original in a completely saturated field.

As I’ve said before, it’s hard to know what to pick from the current sea of book covers featuring twenty-something women in Akubras. I’ve been very successful when following established authors whose work I’ve read in other genres (such as Karly Lane, whose most recent book I thought was really good).

Zoe’s Muster hovers somewhere between Women’s Fiction and Romance, focusing mostly on Zoe, but also giving attention to two other women in Zoe’s life: her mother, who has some big secrets, and the wife of Zoe’s biological father.

I was curious about how Hannay’s writing would transition from the “Sweet” line she has written for in the past to the less-sweet atmosphere of a full-length rural novel. I was pleasantly surprised to find the language appropriately – uh – “rural male” when it needed to be, amongst other things.

I was also thrilled that we were shown a nice view of both city and country lifestyles; in fact a sizeable portion of the book was devoted to time in more developed areas.

I do plan to buy this in paperback soon, but I read the Kindle version this time, and I do have a complaint. This: SeEB03BodyTextINDENTEDte kept appearing in the middle of paragraphs, sometimes eliminating key words in sentences (I gave up trying to figure out what some of them were meant to say!). I am becoming tired of seeing this in Kindle books in general, but especially in books put up for sale by major publishers. Not that I understand much about Kindle formatting, but surely this is an issue that could be taken care of.

Though I’ve struggled through a few Rural Lit books in recent months, I’ve been pretty lucky recently. Zoe’s Muster was definitely a success for me!
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Apr 05, 2013 Jenn J. McLeod rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: rural romance readers and contemporary women's fiction lovers

I loved everything about Zoe’s Muster. Barbara Hannay brings a maturity and complexity to what the publisher (Penguin) has clearly branded – by the title and the cover image – a rural romance. But I have to stress that this savvy author’s venture into the farm-lit genre really offers readers so much more. Yes there’s a love triangle (well, a kind of triangle) and all the emotional angst you’d expect from a ru-ro, but what I wasn’t expecting was the depth the author brought to the story and the c...more I loved everything about Zoe’s Muster. Barbara Hannay brings a maturity and complexity to what the publisher (Penguin) has clearly branded – by the title and the cover image – a rural romance. But I have to stress that this savvy author’s venture into the farm-lit genre really offers readers so much more. Yes there’s a love triangle (well, a kind of triangle) and all the emotional angst you’d expect from a ru-ro, but what I wasn’t expecting was the depth the author brought to the story and the characters, taking this novel to the next level by weaving two sensational sub-plots – one covering Zoe’s parents (in particular her relationship with a father too caught up in his political career to notice his wife and daughter slipping away emotionally) and one that delves into her mother’s long ago links to the Fairburns (the people who own the property where Zoe goes to be the camp cook for a six-week muster).

Confession: I am an author, but my review is genuine and while I know of Barbara Hannay (she’s written some 40 books) I have not met her. Why I read Zoe’s Muster was because I love stories about secrets. (If you’ve read my House for all Seasons you would know how much I LOVE a secret – or as reviewers are calling it ‘the twist they never saw coming’!) I am used to reading and writing stories about secrets that generally reveal themselves at the end. I wanted to read a novel in which the author reveals the secret to the reader up front. I wanted to see what it takes to keep a reader reading. I’m still not sure how the author did it because I stopped trying to analyse the plot and I fell in love with the very real characters and their circumstances.
The main character, Zoe, learns up front that the man who raised her is not her birth father and, against her mother’s wishes, heads off to country Queensland to get up close and personal and learn more about her ‘other family’. Zoes hadn’t planned on the charming and somewhat fervent Luke – her half-brother – wanting to get a little too close and personal to the attractive city chef! Hmm, a tricky situation made even more complex by hunky cattleman, Mac McKinnon who is wary of city chicks (and with good reason).

This book was a delight from beginning to end, not a sagging middle to be found. I hear there will be a sequel to Zoe’s Muster, to be set on the same country property with ‘new’ Fairburn family members. I look forward to that story very much and highly recommend you check out Zoe’s Muster. The five star rating is definitely warranted.
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Nov 15, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wonder if it's partly because I live in New Zealand but I have always had a soft spot for rural romances. Some are better than others I have found and one of those ones that I have really enjoyed was Zoe's Muster by Barbara Hannay.
In Zoe's Muster, we meet Zoe who has always found that she is like the black sheep of her perfect family and with a peek at her dad's blood test results, she will soon discover that he is not her real father and that her perfect family is really her half-family. Wan...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Dianne rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who loves a great story with romance.

Recommended to Dianne by: Reviews read

First off I wanted to congratulate Ms Hannay on her 2013 RITA Awards nomination. Congratulations! I was thrilled to see you nominated - I wish you the best of luck...Zoe's Muster deserved its nomination.

I absolutely loved this book! I know being Australian I am probably biase, but there is nothing better than a well written outback romance that has a strong and interesting storyline, great character development both primary and secondary characters. The use of Australian colloquialisms was not o...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Chanpreet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mar-yc-aussie

Zoe Porter's whole world has fallen apart after learning her parents blood type. She always thought she was different from the rest of her family, and now her fears have been confirmed. Claire, her mother, is also hit hard by this revelation. And she takes a hard look at herself and the state of her marriage.

Lost and looking for answers, Zoe decides to give up her high profile job, and go to Mullinjim, her birth father, Peter Fairburn's property to see him and learn more about him.

Talk about bl...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Bree T rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, australian, aww2012, chick-lit, contemporary, romance, rural-lit, women-s-fiction

Brisbane girl Zoe is stunned when she finds out quite by accident that the man her mother is married to, the man that has raised her, is not actually her biological father. Zoe’s real father is a north-Queensland cattle station owner and suddenly the insecurities Zoe has always had about not fitting into her family, about not knowing what she wants to do with her life in a family of decision makers, seem like they might go away if she got to know her father. And almost by divine intervention, th...more Brisbane girl Zoe is stunned when she finds out quite by accident that the man her mother is married to, the man that has raised her, is not actually her biological father. Zoe’s real father is a north-Queensland cattle station owner and suddenly the insecurities Zoe has always had about not fitting into her family, about not knowing what she wants to do with her life in a family of decision makers, seem like they might go away if she got to know her father. And almost by divine intervention, the cattle station that Peter Fairburn (her biological father) owns is advertising for a stockcamp cook to provide food for the men while they’re mustering all the cattle. Zoe is a chef, currently running a high tea business in Brisbane and feeling restless. Looking for a change. Ignoring the fear her mother has of only bad coming from this, Zoe applies for the job and not long later finds herself arriving in far north QLD. She’s not quite sure what to expect, especially when she discovers that her accomodations are quite some way from the homestead. She’s not sure she’ll even get a chance to glimpse the man that fathered her, especially when she learns that he’s laid up at the moment recovering from a heart attack.

Despite this disappointment, Zoe throws herself into the work, dishing up hearty food for the busy men and scrumptious desserts. Well fed men are grateful men and they’re quite happy to have Zoe around. Awkwardly, the man that is her half brother (although unbeknownst to him) takes a shine to her, flirting with her and making no secret of the fact that he’d like to get to know her…more. He’s her boss though and Zoe is loathe to shut him down too harshly even though with her knowledge, she knows that she should. Besides, she’s more interested in his dark and brooding friend Mac, who owns a nearby property. Mac is helping with the muster as it’s Luke’s first time overseeing one with his father still not quite back on active duty. Mac is suspicious about Zoe’s arrival on the property – in fact he’s suspicious of all city girls he thinks are heading out to try and pick themselves up a station-owner husband. Mac has been burned before, but that doesn’t stop the attraction he feels for Zoe, even though he knows he will hurt Luke.

But it isn’t just Luke that stands to get hurt by Zoe’s secretive employment. If her secret were to come out – and let’s face it, all secrets do eventually- then a whole family stands to be hurt, including the man who raised her as if she were his own. Zoe’s impulsive search to help her understand herself has suddenly become very serious in that now she knows these people. And if they discovered who she truly is, it could change everything.

The rural literature keeps coming as strong as ever and this latest offering, from experienced romance author Barbara Hannay is a really enjoyable book. I really liked Zoe, right away she’s portrayed as a hard worker but perhaps a bit lacking in fulfillment in her job and at a bit of a loss with what she wants to do with her life long-term. She looks different to the other members in her family and she is different, temperament wise. Her father is a federal politician, her younger sister a lawyer. When Zoe discovers that the man she has always thought was her father actually isn’t, she’s naturally devastated, but also curious and things start making a little more sense for her. She’s always passionately loved cooking, but never known where that comes from. She has curly dark hair and she’s curvy whereas her mother and sister are thin with straight, lighter hair. When she googles her newly-found biological father’s name she discovers that the station is hiring a cook for their upcoming muster and that’s all the invitation Zoe needs. She just wants to go there and see for herself. She has a whole other part of her family that she knows nothing about and maybe she can finally understand herself.

I think that if I were in Zoe’s position, I’d want to do exactly the same thing – in fact no one could probably have stopped me from doing that. To find out that a totally strange man was actually her father and that was a whole part of her family she didn’t know about, I don’t blame her at all for taking off up there given the opportunity. She immediately likes the property and she enjoys the work of feeding the hungry working men. She meets Peter’s wife Virginia and bonds with her and she also likes her younger half-brother Luke, although Luke likes her a little too much! That had potential disaster written all over it, especially when Luke’s friend Mac was added in to the mix! What I loved about this was that it wasn’t really a love triangle, because there was only ever one option for Zoe, given she was related to the other one!

Mac has his own issues and this colours his opinion of Zoe from the very beginning. He’s wary of her even before she arrives and given he feels she’s hiding something about her real reasons for coming to the station to work (she is, just not what he thinks) he’s even more suspicious of her and isn’t shy about showing it. However the two actually work really well together, especially once Zoe confesses to him and his understanding was very refreshing. I half expected him to blow up about her deceiving the family but he was actually very supportive of her, although he did urge her to tell them, especially Luke, before he made a fool of himself.

The characterisation in Zoe’s Muster is incredibly strong and it’s not just limited to Zoe and Mac. Zoe’s parents are equally well established, especially her frustrated musician mother Claire. We get Claire’s story in bits and pieces throughout the book and it really helps to flesh out the story and give the reader a real understanding of just how this situation came about. I found every part of the story really engrossing and would love to revisit this world one day! Maybe through a HEA story for Luke…? Just a thought!(less)

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Jul 26, 2012 Lauren Murphy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aww2012, aussie-author, rural-lit, romance

4.5 stars

Barbara Hannay is a well-established romance author for Harlequin and despite many of her stories featuring the Australian outback; Zoe’s Muster is the first of her novels to be marketed purely in the rural romance domain.

In Zoe’s Muster, Hannay clearly displays how proficiently she creates a steamy love story amidst the backdrop of Australian’s rugged land. This story explores various character viewpoints: Zoe, her love interest, Mac, her mother Claire and her biological father’s wife...more 4.5 stars

Barbara Hannay is a well-established romance author for Harlequin and despite many of her stories featuring the Australian outback; Zoe’s Muster is the first of her novels to be marketed purely in the rural romance domain.

In Zoe’s Muster, Hannay clearly displays how proficiently she creates a steamy love story amidst the backdrop of Australian’s rugged land. This story explores various character viewpoints: Zoe, her love interest, Mac, her mother Claire and her biological father’s wife Virginia which creates a multidimensional view of the issues facing each of these characters.

I immediately aligned myself with Zoe, twenty-eight years old and running a successful high tea (and cupcakes) business in Brisbane, trying to live up to the expectation of her politician father, Rex Porter. When she accidently stumbles across medical forms which states her parents blood types are completely at odds with her- Zoe and Claire must come to terms with the discovery that Rex isn’t Zoe’s biological father. Claire’s brief affair with cattleman Peter Fairburn up in the northern Queensland before she resumed a relationship with Rex and hastily married is the story behind Zoe’s conception.

Zoe’s curiosity about her father and siblings she’d never known motivates her to accept a job as a cook on Mullinjim farm during a six-week muster. Much to her mother’s dismay, she makes Zoe promise to keep the secret of her lineage until after the election or she will risk Rex’s career. Zoe leaves a friend in charge of her business and arrives at Mullinjim, eager to try bush cooking and to meet her family. She instantly hits it off with her half-brother Luke but is upset by the news of Peter’s heart-attack, though he was recovering steadily. What she doesn’t expect is to be attracted to Luke’s best mate and neighbour Mac McKinnon the brooding, handsome cattleman who seems to take an instant disliking to her. Zoe struggles to keep her secret when Luke (her half-brother!) asks her out on a date and Mac is suspicious of her past.

Hannay cleverly fleshes out each of the characters and provided Zoe and Mac with believable conflicts that keep them from pursuing a serious relationship. Zoe couldn’t bear to get in between Mac and Luke’s friendship with the secret hovering over their heads and Mac could never trust another city girl after his former fiancé broke his heart. But Zoe can’t help be attracted to Mac’s quiet, strong presence and he is drawn in by her adaptive, hard-working approach to the muster that makes her perfect for a cattleman’s wife. And the sexual tension between them? WOW. I couldn’t stop turning the (electronic) pages during those scenes because the emotional and physical connection between Zoe and Mac was clearly expressed and at times, quite moving.

I highly recommend Zoe’s Muster for any romance fans who enjoy strong characterisation, steamy love scenes and a vivid Australian setting. I’m going to hunt down some of Hannay’s former titles because I enjoyed her writing style so much!

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Jul 16, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-are, aussie-author, netgalley-reviews

An engaging story, Zoe's Muster doesn't stray far from familiar ground for Barbara Hannay, the award winning author of over 40 category romance novels published by Harlequin, blending romance and an Australian rural setting.
Zoe Porter is stunned to learn that a North Queensland cattleman, Peter Fairburn, is her biological father, not the high profile Brisbane politician who raised her. Against her mothers wishes, but agreeing to keep her secret, Zoe abandons her cupcake business and takes a tem...more An engaging story, Zoe's Muster doesn't stray far from familiar ground for Barbara Hannay, the award winning author of over 40 category romance novels published by Harlequin, blending romance and an Australian rural setting.
Zoe Porter is stunned to learn that a North Queensland cattleman, Peter Fairburn, is her biological father, not the high profile Brisbane politician who raised her. Against her mothers wishes, but agreeing to keep her secret, Zoe abandons her cupcake business and takes a temporary position as the stock camp cook at Mullinjim, the Fairburn's property, eager to learn more about her father and his family. Zoe expected cooking for half a dozen ringers over an open fire during muster would be challenging but not revealing her true reason for taking the position proves more difficult, especially under the scrutiny of Mac McKinnon.

Zoe's Muster is well plotted with a credible storyline and I like the way in which Hannay expands this story beyond her main protagonist. This is not just Zoe's story, her discovery, and her desire to learn more about her biological father, has implications for both the Porters and the Fairburns. Claire's relationship with her husband is already under strain when Zoe discovers the truth of her paternity and though her instinct is to protect her husband, who is standing for re-election, Claire's guilt proves to be a catalyst for change.
Virgina, Peter's wife, is impressed with Zoe and considers her a possible partner for her son, Luke, who makes his interest known. Obviously Zoe's secret precludes that relationship which creates some tense situations. When Zoe's identity is revealed Virgina feels betrayed which is magnified by her insecurities stemming from Peter's past relationship with Claire.

The characters of Zoe's Muster are credible and Zoe is a likeable protagonist. Her motivations are easily understood and she is a well developed character. I loved the scene in which she gets her own back on Julia in regards to the spider and admire he willingness to awake in the pre dawn hours to feed half a dozen ravenous men.
The romance between Zoe and Mac has its own challenges, aside from the secret Zoe is keeping. Mac is wary of Zoe at first simply because she is a city girl, reminding him of previous heartbreak, but he also suspects she is hiding something. There is for me the right amount of heat in this novel, smouldering looks and a passionate encounter or two.

While romance is at its core, Zoe's Muster combines an engaging story with appealing characters set in a wonderful landscape. I enjoyed reading Zoe's Muster and consider it another fine example of the growing rural fiction genre being published in Australia.

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Apr 10, 2013 Merry Farmer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Zoe's Muster was a really enjoyable read. The love story between Zoe and Mac is everything that a Romance should have. But in a way the character of Zoe's mother, Claire, was even more of a treat for me. She wasn't just a support for the heroine, she was a heroine of her own. It was Claire's story and the choices she faced that kept me up way past my bed time reading. Fantastic!

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Oct 05, 2012 Bettina rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book that I've read by this author and I absolutely loved it! All the time I was reading this book, I kept picturing Nikko's farm from "Farmer Wants a Wife'! :) Can't wait for the sequel to this book!! :)

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Aug 06, 2012 Carmen rated it 5 of 5 stars

What can i say i couldn't put it down, i was just so caught up in Zoe's emotional jounery it was fantastic!!

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Mar 08, 2013 Dale Harcombe rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wish I could do three and three quarter stars. review to come.

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Aug 27, 2012 Kara Duncan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved it...

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Aug 28, 2012 Christie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! Easy reading & hard to put down

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Dec 11, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I do enjoy country based books and again I wasn't disappointed. Lots of real life issues and an outback feeling. An excellent read if you enjoy Australian rural romance.

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Jul 31, 2012 Rachael Johns rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely LOVED Zoe's Muster!! A really well-developed storyline, with fab characters and some laugh out loud moments. Can't wait for Barbara Hannay's next book!

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Sep 26, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Loved this book. Always enjoy Barbara Hannay's Sweet line so was looking forward to this and it didn't disappoint. Would definitely recommend.

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About Barbara Hannay

Multi award winning author, Barbara Hannay, is a city bred girl with a yen for country life. Most of her 40 plus books are set in rural and outback Australia and they've been enjoyed by readers around the world.
In her own version of life imitating art, Barbara and her husband currently live on a misty hillside in beautiful Far North Queensland where they keep heritage pigs, hens, ducks, turkeys an...more

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