Outback Blaze (Bunyip Bay, #2) in Aussie Readers

Feb 13, 2016 Brenda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-read, aussie-authors, romantic-suspense, 2014-release, read-on-kindle

Ruby Jones was wounded and coming home to Bunyip Bay; back to her parents and the home she’d always known was a balm to her shattered heart. Her parents, Lyn and Robert, ran the Bunyip Bay Ag store so Ruby helped out there, as well as set up riding lessons for the local children on her beloved horses Roxie and Riley. When she decided to get involved with the organisation of the annual Bunyip Bay Undies Run with her new friends Simone and Frankie, she welcomed the social aspect of the fundraiser. ...more

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Mar 11, 2014 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-are, aussie-author, provided-by-publisher

In Outback Blaze, Rachael Johns invites us to return to the small Western Australian farming community of Bunyip Bay that she introduced us to in Outback Dreams.

In the time that Ruby Jones has been living with her parents after breaking her engagement, she has begun to feel at home in the community of Bunyip Bay, so when her parent's business is destroyed by fire and investigators determine the cause as arson, Ruby is devastated when rumours start to circulate that her hard working and generous
In Outback Blaze, Rachael Johns invites us to return to the small Western Australian farming community of Bunyip Bay that she introduced us to in Outback Dreams.

In the time that Ruby Jones has been living with her parents after breaking her engagement, she has begun to feel at home in the community of Bunyip Bay, so when her parent's business is destroyed by fire and investigators determine the cause as arson, Ruby is devastated when rumours start to circulate that her hard working and generous spirited parents could be responsible. Local police officer Drew Noble can't let his attraction to Ruby influence the case but he thinks it unlikely the Joneses are capable of committing insurance fraud. Left with few investigative options, Drew begins to suspect that someone deliberately targeted the family and when Ruby is the victim of a second tragedy, he will do anything to protect her.

Readers familiar with Outback Dreams will recognise Ruby as the character who briefly dated Monty before he and Faith finally worked things out. A relative newcomer to Bunyip Bay, Ruby has escaped an abusive relationship and sought refuge with her parents, working part time in their agricultural store and providing horse riding lessons to local children, while getting involved in community events like the upcoming Bunyip Bay Festival. Despite her painful past Ruby has worked hard to rebuild her life when the fire, and subsequent events, threaten to destroy everything she has achieved.

Like Ruby, Drew is a newcomer to Bunyip Bay. A British police officer forced to participate in an exchange program, he doesn't plan to stay for long, but is nevertheless determined to work hard and do his best for the community. Drew's attraction to Ruby is a complication he can do without, but when Ruby is in danger he realises he can't live his life in limbo forever.

Johns brings these two characters together based on both their physical attraction and their need for company and comfort. It's a fine line for her to walk, due to the ongoing investigation, but the author neatly sidesteps those concerns and carefully develops a believable romance between Ruby and Drew.

This is the first of Johns’ rural romance novels to develop a plot that also includes an arc of suspense. Though I think there was potential for the author to push this a bit further, I enjoyed the addition, and was somewhat surprised by the identity of the culprit.

With its appealing characters, sweet romance and interesting mystery, Outback Blaze is another wonderful novel from Rachael Johns. I am already looking forward to revisiting Bunyip Bay in Outback Ghost, due for release in October 2014.
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Jan 16, 2014 Ceri rated it it was amazing

The fact that I loved this book will come as no surprise. Rachael Johns has fast become one of my favourite Australian authors and her books have introduced me to rural romance, a genre that I didn't normally read, now I can't get enough of them!

In Outback Blaze we return to the lovely community of Bunyip Bay to find out Ruby's story. Ruby has returned home to pick up the pieces after a failed relationship and get her life back on track, but a whole new set of problem occurs when her parent's bu ...more

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Apr 07, 2014 Bree T rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, arc, series, australian, suspense, rural-lit, aww2014

A painful break up has seen Ruby Jones back living with her parents in the town of Bunyip Bay looking to start over. She works in her parent’s feed store while she gets her small business teaching people to ride off the ground. Ruby’s horses are her pride and joy and she loves spending time with them and introducing others to the pleasures of riding. While she’s looking to start afresh and get her life going again, the last thing Ruby is looking for is romance. That is something she’s definitely A painful break up has seen Ruby Jones back living with her parents in the town of Bunyip Bay looking to start over. She works in her parent’s feed store while she gets her small business teaching people to ride off the ground. Ruby’s horses are her pride and joy and she loves spending time with them and introducing others to the pleasures of riding. While she’s looking to start afresh and get her life going again, the last thing Ruby is looking for is romance. That is something she’s definitely not interested in.

For police officer Drew Noble, Bunyip Bay isn’t somewhere he plans to be permanently. In fact, he’s only here at all because of some unfortunate circumstances and a favour called in. He’s keeping his head down and doing his job despite the fact that he really outranks pretty much everyone else around him. One day it’ll all be over and he can get back to doing what he does best, devoting his life to his career. Drew definitely isn’t looking for romance either. He’s been there, done that and it didn’t end too well.

Then Ruby and Drew meet each other.

The attraction is mutual and immediate but it’s a little complicated by the fact that Drew is investigating a fire at Ruby’s parents’ place of business, one that is incredibly suspicious. The locals want to pin it on a couple of young kids who have been in a little bit of strife but Drew is convinced it’s not the teenagers. That means he has to look at other options, including Ruby’s parents. After all, they’re the owners and the property is insured and Drew is trained to look at all the angles. Even if they come with a beautiful woman who distracts him as a part of them.

The more Drew digs the more he becomes convinced that Ruby is the target and that she’s in danger. He wants to make sure she’s safe, even if there can’t be a future for them. But what was meant to be casual, something Drew could walk away from when the time came, is proving to be anything but.

Outback Blaze is the second novel in the Bunyip Bay trilogy and we return to the small town for Ruby’s story. Ruby was introduced in Outback Dreams when Monty tried to date her, which obviously didn’t work out. Ruby has had a rough time of it and tends to keep to herself a bit, or did before she got dragged into the Bunyip Bay community. Whilst she experiences the friendliness and inclusion, Ruby also experiences the negative side after her parent’s store is set on fire deliberately when some people begin to suspect that it was done by her parents for an insurance job. Despite the fact that Ruby has an alibi for the fire (and it’s a pretty good one) the suspicion and judgement seems to extend to her as well as people snub her in the street and cancel horse riding lessons for their children. She retreats, with only Drew and a close friend or two really sticking by her.

I loved the pairing of Ruby and Drew, even more than I did Monty and Faith in Outback Dreams. Drew is just the sort of character I like – tall, dark, little mysterious, man in a uniform….come on, what’s not to like?! Plus he agrees to get his gear off for a local community event and run in his underwear (ok he doesn’t know that’s what he agreed to but he takes it pretty well in stride when he finds out!). He and Ruby have a great dynamic with both of them feeling the attraction but also keeping secrets and trying not to get too involved, more in the case of Drew there. It’s obvious he’s a man hiding things, a man with a few secrets but the snippets and the reveal was very good. What I liked about Drew was even though he had to examine all of the angles, he supported Ruby 100%, especially when she ended up nearly all on her own. He is part of the investigation and he has to look at all the possibilities and he was questioning people and doing some digging but he still spends pretty much every night with her, giving her that presence and support that she needed when many others in the community were shunning her. And his thoughts are always primarily with her and her safety which made me love him a lot!

This is Rachael Johns’s first go at adding a suspense element into her story and I think it played out pretty well. There were definitely some things that I did not see coming and one of which always manages to push my buttons! I had some suspicions about the culprit – not my first guess but I think all of the pieces fell into place really well and gave the reader a good chance to puzzle it out along with Drew, who probably goes above and beyond to get to the bottom of the mystery, especially once it becomes obvious that Ruby is the real target and that her life is probably in danger. And Ruby being in danger also makes Drew realise that the life he is leading isn’t anywhere near as fulfilling as it could be and that he has some choices to make.

There’s one book to go in this trilogy, Outback Ghost which is due out late this year. It will be Adam’s story, a character who has appeared in both books and is part of a small story that’s been running the whole way through. You can read them stand alone but the experience and overall feel of the small community and the people in it is better if you read them in order, especially to get a bit of Adam’s background before his own book comes out. I can’t wait to read Ghost - I’m looking forward to catching up with all of the Bunyip Bay residents again and seeing what is in store for Adam!

Rachael Johns is fast becoming one of Australia’s most popular authors and with each release she justifies why – realistic, relatable characters, small towns with a great feel and storylines that keep the reader hooked and always wanting her next book. Waiting sucks! ...more

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Oct 03, 2018 Janine rated it it was amazing

I haven't read a book by Rachael that I haven't loved! I have read all her recent books, but am so far behind on her back catalogue! Outback Blaze is the second book in the Bunyip Bay series and tells the story of Drew an English cop who has just begun working in the bay to escape a situation back home. Ruby works in her parents Ag store as well as teaching horseriding. When her parents store burns down suspicions rise everywhere especially seeing her mother has recently been diagnosed with MND. ...more

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Jun 26, 2014 Tanya rated it really liked it

What a great book to while away the hours!

I wasn't a huge fan of Ruby when we first met her in Outback Dreams, but seeing inside her head, hearing her story, made me like and appreciate her a lot more. And as for Drew? Well, what's not to love?

One of the things I love most about the Bunyip Bay novels is how they perfectly capture that small town feel and atmosphere. The whole having no secrets, the gossip where the rest of the town knows everything before the people involved do, but also the com ...more

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Mar 14, 2014 Helen rated it it was amazing

This is a fantastic story I was really looking forward to Drew and Ruby's story and I was not disappointed this one has everything in it suspense secrets danger and a very sensual and wonderful journey to a HEA for Drew and Ruby. Being back in Bunyip Bay was very enjoyable re visiting the characters from the previous story this is a small town where everyone knows everyone and when a fire destroys a shop and the finger is pointed at the wrong people Drew one of the local policeman is determined ...more

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