"The Rivertown Vet follows the story of local vet Jana Malinski. She runs the wombat sanctuary in her spare time with her sister Sasha. One day while out in the field she unfortunately gets stuck in a wombat hole and is unable to get back out. To her prevail none other than the man that broke her heart in high school comes to her rescue - Mark. This chance encounter brings on a lot of different emotions for Jana. This also brings her the opportunity of a lifetime when Mark asks her to run Wildfell park, a zoo that is in dire need of help. Jana must put aside her emotions to work with Mark to get the zoo up and running again. Will she be able to do that for her dream job?

I absolutely loved this book. The characters, the setting, the animals and also how sanctuaries and zoo's work. I just wanted to hug this book when I finished. This is the first rural romance I have read and also the first from this author. It is safe to say I will definitely be reading more in the future.

A big thank you to Penguin Australia for sending me a gifted copy of this book for my honest book review."

"4.5�s

Veterinarian Jana Malinski and her sister Sash ran Odessa, the wombat sanctuary on the banks of the Murray River in South Australia. Working from dawn to dusk, the sanctuary ran on a shoestring, drawing only enough in wages for themselves to survive. When Jana was approached to run Wildfell Park, a zoo which had run into disrepair since the elderly owner had died, with his wife Hazel in her eighties, unable to care for the animals and their enclosures like she used to, Jana was excited. Here was their opportunity to extend Odessa, and build Wildfell Park into a place which could save native species which were in danger of becoming extinct. They could have Tasmanian Devils there, among others, and would become affiliated with Aussie Ark, a well-known saviour of native animals.

But Jana had a secret from her past that she'd told no one. One that affected her life; damaged her parents; and ruined her trust in people. And when a person she'd gone to school with turned up - a person important to Wildfell Park - Jana knew she had to bury that animosity for the future of her dreams. Renovations of Wildlife Park stirred up the protesters, and suddenly dangerous things began happening in the Park. What was going on? Who was doing it? It seemed like someone was putting everything in jeopardy...

The Rivertown Vet by Aussie author Jennifer Scoullar is another excellent rural romance which I enjoyed very much. Jana and Sash were great characters, twelve year old Karly was adorable while her dad Mark was a bit "eye-rolly" at times! And Hazel was a strong, determined and well-loved character, not taking any rubbish from anyone! I always enjoy this author's work, and The Rivertown Vet was no exception. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Penguin Random House AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review."

"Perfect for lovers of animal conservation, single dad and second chance vibe romance. "