The Vet from Snowy River by Australian author Stella Quinn is a charming, romantic rural novel that I found myself totally and happily immersed in.
With her life in turmoil, Vera De Rossi moves to Hanrahan, a small rural town in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. She is starting her life over and wants to be closer to her Aunt Jill who is in Connelly House diagnosed with dementia. Leaving her journalist career and ex-boyfriend behind she feels hope for the future even though she is waiting for a court date due to her exes’ escapades.
Moving to a small tight-knit community brings obstacles within itself but when Vera opens The Billy Button Café, the residents welcome her with friendship and support. She hires a stranger Graeme to be her manager who becomes a godsend whilst she follows her passion for cooking and pours her heart into the Café.
Josh Cody was once a popular resident of Hanrahan; he left sixteen years ago under dark circumstances and decides to return to join his sister, Hannah in their Vet Clinic. He has a fifteen-year-old daughter, Poppy who is not thrilled about her father’s move to a small town from the city, she is a typical teen who wants to be with her friend’s in the school holidays and a desire to be independent. Josh knows coming back to Hanrahan he will become the subject of much local gossip but is determined to settle in the place he once loved.
When the handsome vet walks into The Billy Button Café romance is the last thing on Vera’s mind, she feels too emotionally unbalanced with her looming court case, Aunt to keep an eye on as well as running a new business. One of the key elements in determining whether a romance works or not, aside from the requisite conflict of sorts, is the chemistry between the leads. I really liked that Vera and Josh started out as friends first.
I felt all characters were well developed and very realistic who jump off the pages. Josh is charming, kind and thoughtful which goes well with Vera’s vulnerability and caring nature. Graeme, Marigold, Kev, and Poppy add depth with layers of adversity, mischief, drama, and humour. As with most romance stories, there were several obstacles which the characters had to overcome to arrive at their happily ever after. Our loves are full of animals and adding a stray dog and cat into the mix was fun and pleasurable to read.
Stella Quinn has made magic happen in The Vet from Snowy River; a simply gorgeous and emotional tale about love and all the different forms it can take. A great escape to rural Australia and a celebration of ties of love and community. I would love to see a sequel continuing with the lives of the characters.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins AU for the opportunity to read and review.
ISBN: 9781867225591
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Vet from Snowy River by Stella Quinn. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.

My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.