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Return To Wallaby Creek
"Will you marry me?" she blurted out
Raina could hardly believe the words had come from her lips. How could she ask Dev Masters, of all people, to enter into such a relationship?
Dev Masters despised her. He thought she was a good-for-nothing greedy socialite who had neglected her father. Yet Dev Masters was the one man qualified to run her father's outback station, the only one who could help save her inheritance.
Dev eyed her flushed cheeks intently as she rushed on to explain. "Of course, it would be only a platonic business arrangement. Nothing else!"
Raina could hardly believe the words had come from her lips. How could she ask Dev Masters, of all people, to enter into such a relationship?
Dev Masters despised her. He thought she was a good-for-nothing greedy socialite who had neglected her father. Yet Dev Masters was the one man qualified to run her father's outback station, the only one who could help save her inheritance.
Dev eyed her flushed cheeks intently as she rushed on to explain. "Of course, it would be only a platonic business arrangement. Nothing else!"
266 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1985
About the author
Kerry Allyne
69 books49 followersKerry Allyne was born in England, UK. Her early childhood was uneventful, she remembered, until her father came home one day and began talking about emigrating to Australia. When they eventually arrived in Australia, Kerry took to her new land with a passion. During the family's first years "down under," she explored as much of the country as she could, journeying northward into Queensland and out onto the Great Barrier Reef, and sometimes south through New South Wales into Victoria. As a adult she returned to England for a short time. A long working holiday enabled her to travel the world before returning to Australia where she met her engineer husband-to-be, and they had a couple of children. The family eventually moved to a rural area and she started to write. She used the people and countryside as inspiration for her romances. She was published by Mills & Boon from 1976 to 1994.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 31, 2019
Marriage of Convenience Checklist:
1.The proposal
*Heroine needs hero to secure her inheritance/keep all the station hands employed – check
*Hero doesn’t need the land since he owns many stations already – check
2.How they handle mutual attraction
*Heroine lies, is prickly, says things she doesn’t mean, keeps to herself – check
*Hero thinks heroine is a spoiled city girl who will leave him – check
3.How they handle sex
*H/h go to bed on their wedding night and chalk it up to the heroine’s emotionalism over her father’s death and regret they weren’t close – check
*Heroine moves out of the bedroom – check
4 Add and OM and OW to keep everyone jealous
*Stockman teaches heroine to ride- check
*Heroine’s cousin arrives and takes up hero’s time-check
5.The Black moment.
*Heroine over hears the cousin telling the hero they should tell the heroine of their affair – check
6.Explanations
*Hero was keeping the cousin out of the heroine’s way because she was so mean -sure, Jan
*Heroine was learning to ride so she could join her husband -check
*Hero loved her all along -check
*Heroine – ditto
And that’s our by-the-numbers marriage of convenience story. There is a nice Outback atmosphere described, but the heroine was an annoying ninny and there wasn’t all that much interaction between the H/h. The first four chapters were all about the will and the extended family. So lackluster is the adjective I’m going for here.
1.The proposal
*Heroine needs hero to secure her inheritance/keep all the station hands employed – check
*Hero doesn’t need the land since he owns many stations already – check
2.How they handle mutual attraction
*Heroine lies, is prickly, says things she doesn’t mean, keeps to herself – check
*Hero thinks heroine is a spoiled city girl who will leave him – check
3.How they handle sex
*H/h go to bed on their wedding night and chalk it up to the heroine’s emotionalism over her father’s death and regret they weren’t close – check
*Heroine moves out of the bedroom – check
4 Add and OM and OW to keep everyone jealous
*Stockman teaches heroine to ride- check
*Heroine’s cousin arrives and takes up hero’s time-check
5.The Black moment.
*Heroine over hears the cousin telling the hero they should tell the heroine of their affair – check
6.Explanations
*Hero was keeping the cousin out of the heroine’s way because she was so mean -sure, Jan
*Heroine was learning to ride so she could join her husband -check
*Hero loved her all along -check
*Heroine – ditto
And that’s our by-the-numbers marriage of convenience story. There is a nice Outback atmosphere described, but the heroine was an annoying ninny and there wasn’t all that much interaction between the H/h. The first four chapters were all about the will and the extended family. So lackluster is the adjective I’m going for here.
December 3, 2024
2.5 stars
‘I mean, you expect others to keep to their part of a bargain even though you chicken out of yours, don't you, sweetheart?’ he bit out.
‘So maybe it's time for me to ask just what my participation in this is worth to you!’
‘You're making th-that a condition for you helping me?’
A muscle corded beneath Dev's tanned cheek as he stared at her for a long unnerving second, and then he let out an irritated sigh, dragging a hand roughly around the back of his neck.
‘No, I'm not making that a condition!’ he rasped. ‘I was simply wondering if you're prepared to do anything in order to retain Alliance, because to date you sure haven't contributed much to the damned arrangement! So far it all seems very similar to your normal method of operation ... you get the advantages while someone else does all the work!’
‘But our sleeping together would make less work for you?’ she sniped, her eyes widening facetiously.
‘No, but we would then have a proper marriage at least ... and that could make it rather more worthwhile than it is at present!’
The h decides to save her father’s estate from selling. The solution is to marry a grazier. There’s one nearby. Very hostile and unforgiving. He believes the h is a social parasite who’s abandoned her father callously.
It’s funny that the h doesn’t stop to think before proposing to the H. He’s rich in his own right, his property is even bigger than her late father’s and the problematic kin she brings into the marriage would dissuade any reasonable man. What is there for him?
Apart from a woman in his bed?
And the h makes the relationship very difficult. Who can blame her? They go from the first chaste kiss on the wedding day, to him casually walking on her in the shower and having sex the same night. That’s fast considering they’ve only met.
‘I mean, you expect others to keep to their part of a bargain even though you chicken out of yours, don't you, sweetheart?’ he bit out.
‘So maybe it's time for me to ask just what my participation in this is worth to you!’
‘You're making th-that a condition for you helping me?’
A muscle corded beneath Dev's tanned cheek as he stared at her for a long unnerving second, and then he let out an irritated sigh, dragging a hand roughly around the back of his neck.
‘No, I'm not making that a condition!’ he rasped. ‘I was simply wondering if you're prepared to do anything in order to retain Alliance, because to date you sure haven't contributed much to the damned arrangement! So far it all seems very similar to your normal method of operation ... you get the advantages while someone else does all the work!’
‘But our sleeping together would make less work for you?’ she sniped, her eyes widening facetiously.
‘No, but we would then have a proper marriage at least ... and that could make it rather more worthwhile than it is at present!’
The h decides to save her father’s estate from selling. The solution is to marry a grazier. There’s one nearby. Very hostile and unforgiving. He believes the h is a social parasite who’s abandoned her father callously.
It’s funny that the h doesn’t stop to think before proposing to the H. He’s rich in his own right, his property is even bigger than her late father’s and the problematic kin she brings into the marriage would dissuade any reasonable man. What is there for him?
Apart from a woman in his bed?
And the h makes the relationship very difficult. Who can blame her? They go from the first chaste kiss on the wedding day, to him casually walking on her in the shower and having sex the same night. That’s fast considering they’ve only met.
November 9, 2020
Poor execution and overly long conversations is her writing style. So much boring yapping going on. I got bored.
This is the second book I read by this author & I guess it’s safe enough to say she’s not my bias. Kind of sad, I do like her tropes though.
This is the second book I read by this author & I guess it’s safe enough to say she’s not my bias. Kind of sad, I do like her tropes though.
July 31, 2016
This is the story of a girl who returns to the outback for her father's funeral. There she discovers that contrary to her belief, her father did love her and wanted to spend time with her - he just didn't know how to make a connection with her. This discovery makes her realize that she wanted to operate the family's outback station, the only problem is that her family wants to sell it and she has to be married to operate it. She impulsively asks her father's friend and neighbor to marry her. When he agrees, but with conditions, Raina has to figure out what she really wants from her new husband. This becomes increasingly difficult once her family tries to breakup her marriage in order to sell the station.
The best part of the book is how Raina and her new husband struggle to become a real couple in spite of all the unusual circumstances surrounding their marriage.
The best part of the book is how Raina and her new husband struggle to become a real couple in spite of all the unusual circumstances surrounding their marriage.
March 31, 2013
The Cameron family had vast holdings in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and it was to be broken up and sold unless Raina could prevent it. To achieve this she needed a husband...any husband would suffice!
http://www.amazon.com/RETURN-TO-WALLA...
http://www.amazon.com/RETURN-TO-WALLA...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews