Meet Me in Bendigo in Aussie Readers

Aug 08, 2021 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, 2021-release, reviewing-by-request, 5000-2021, arc, own-read, romance, rural

Annalisa Cappelli ran Cappelli’s Hardware Store alongside her Nonna, which had been in the family for three generations. There were only the two of them left in the family after Annalisa’s parents had been killed when she was a child. Now she’d returned to Wongilly in Victoria from Melbourne after the tragic death of her partner. Her grief overwhelmed her at times, but with her best friend Mel, the old guys who joined her in the store every day to drink coffee and play cards, and of course her N Annalisa Cappelli ran Cappelli’s Hardware Store alongside her Nonna, which had been in the family for three generations. There were only the two of them left in the family after Annalisa’s parents had been killed when she was a child. Now she’d returned to Wongilly in Victoria from Melbourne after the tragic death of her partner. Her grief overwhelmed her at times, but with her best friend Mel, the old guys who joined her in the store every day to drink coffee and play cards, and of course her Nonna on her side, she was gradually making her way out of the mire. But the threat of the Carpenter’s Warehouse hardware superstore opening only 15 minutes away saw Annalisa determined to keep the family’s hardware store open come what may.

Ed Carpenter was the ‘black sheep’ in the Carpenter family. His siblings scorned him, despised him and gave him the jobs they didn’t want to do themselves. So saw Ed heading to Wongilly to supervise the opening of their new hardware store, and also to approach the owners of the small store in town to buy them out. He had no idea that the young woman running the shop was the recipient of the online persona he enjoyed chatting with on a regular basis. Would he be able to keep his two identities from Annalisa until he was ready to share? And when at first Annalisa didn’t realise who Ed was, she exploded with rage once she knew he was part of the hardware store. She would have nothing to do with this devil in sheep’s clothing. With lies by omission, twisted secrets and a heart that was betraying her, Annalisa and Ed were destined to fail – weren’t they?

Meet Me in Bendigo by Aussie author Eva Scott is an entertaining, heartbreaking but hopeful look at the other side of the pandemic (will we ever get there!), at second chances, at friendship and at love. This is my second book by Eva Scott and I enjoyed it. Annalisa is a strong and feisty young woman who thinks too much, but with her Nonna and Joe (one of the oldies) there to help lift her spirits and give her advice (whether she wanted it or not) Annalisa could feel happy in Wongilly. Recommended.

With thanks to HarperCollins AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
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Jul 29, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

What a great story this one is, I loved meeting Annalisa and Ed and thoroughly enjoying their journey to a gorgeous HEA one that is fraught with ups and downs and friends and families helping and maybe not helping along the way, filled with witty banter this one is sure to keep you turning the pages.

Annalisa Cappelli arrived back in her small home town on Wongilly with a broken heart but ready to look to the future and run the family hardware business that was started over one hundred and sixty What a great story this one is, I loved meeting Annalisa and Ed and thoroughly enjoying their journey to a gorgeous HEA one that is fraught with ups and downs and friends and families helping and maybe not helping along the way, filled with witty banter this one is sure to keep you turning the pages.

Annalisa Cappelli arrived back in her small home town on Wongilly with a broken heart but ready to look to the future and run the family hardware business that was started over one hundred and sixty years ago. Things have been hard with the pandemic and now a huge new hardware warehouse, Carpenters is opening spelling doom but rest assured Annalisa is not going to let her ancestors down without a fight.

Annalisa has happily made friends with someone online GardenerGuy94 and he is always there to boost her morale and help with ideas, he is just what she needs in these trying times, then enter Ed Carpenter the man is truly handsome, sexy as but he is the enemy and here for one reason and that is to destroy Cappelli’s. Her emotions are all over the place.

Ed has arrived in Wongilly to make an offer for a payout to the Cappelli family never expecting to find that the owner is none other than the woman he has built up a friendship with online and that his feelings for her would hit him so hard. Ed has had a few ups and downs in his life and working for the family is not a happy place to be, helping Annalisa is what he wants more than ever.

I loved this story so much, it is filled with emotions, it is witty, Ed has his work cut out for him to win Annalisa’s heart in this one, and can he combine both men? He is caring, strong and loving and Annalisa is such a beautiful strong person filled with love for so many people she wants so hard to not be the one to let Cappelli’s down. This is a roller coaster ride that had me cheering them on, smiling, laughing and teary at times, beautifully written another winner and I have to say the old guys Jo, Dave and Terry are the best I loved them and Nonna all fabulous characters that added so much to this fabulous, moving and witty story that I highly recommend, it is a must read.

My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.
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Sep 21, 2021 Janine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: for-review

Meet me in Bendigo is an Australian rural fiction book by a new to me Australian author Eva Scott. A story where tradition beats romance in Annalisa's eyes. She is the last remaining shop holder of the Cappelli family's hardware store which has been in the family for generations. Unfortunately the big bad Carpenter chain are building a superstore nearby and she has been offered a sum of money to go away quietly!

At the same time she starts up a friendship online with GardenerGuy94 who becomes her ...more

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Aug 01, 2021 Bree T rated it it was ok

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