Book Review: Last Bridge Before Home by Lily Malone

Last Bridge Before Home

by

Lily Malone

Publisher: Harper Collins Harlequin Australia 
Imprint: Mira
Series: Chalk Hill #3
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Romantic Suspense
Publication date: 16th December 2019
Pages: 384
RRP: $29.99 AU
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

For Jaydah Tully, the country town of Chalk Hill has never felt like home. Home is a place to feel loved. Home is a place to feel safe. Jaydah's home life is dark in ways the close-knit community could never imagine.
Jaydah knows that the man she loves has never understood her need for secrets. Brix is a Honeychurch, she's a Tully - her family are Chalk Hill's black sheep. It's better for everyone if Brix stays away.
But Brix is a one-woman man, and when he returns to his home town to help his brother, the first person he sees is Jaydah. Independent. Private. Proud. When things are good between them they are really really good but all too soon they're back in the old patterns, caught in the same argument: Her father. Her family. Her life that doesn't include him.
Underneath her tough exterior, Jaydah is drowning. She has one chance to change everything. Is she brave enough to take the risk and let Brix in? Or will her father keep them apart forever?

Last bridge before Home is the third book in the Chalk Hill trilogy. Each book focuses on one of the three Honeychurch brothers but read perfectly as stand alone.

Set in the fictional Western Australian rural town of Chalk Hill. A town were everyone knows everyone else’s business but have no idea what really goes on behind closed doors, especially when it involves the reclusive Tully family, the black sheep of the town.

Lily Malone has written a heart-breaking end to her Chalk Hill series. Braxton (Brix) has always been in love with Jaydah but she won’t commit to a long term relationship. Jaydah has a dark secret that she can never reveal but can she open up to Brix to save her family?

Through Jaydah’s family Malone explores domestic abuse and it’s hold on the abused. Another theme throughout the novel is the rights of a person with a mental disability and caring for a person with special needs. The importance of Family Services and the wonderful and extensive work they do for families is also highlighted during the story.

I found Last Bridge Before Home to be quite confronting. The tension was palpable and the characters were real. The Honeychurch family were welcoming and accommodating. Nothing was too much trouble and they were all happy to help Jaydah even though they had problems of their own.

I love the way Malone gave us a family of three sons and showed how a mother’s connection to her sons can be just as warm and deep as with daughters, with all the boys gathering around their mother in her time of need.

The story ends with a bang as we find out Jaydah isn’t the only one holding secrets!

Last Bridge Before Home is heart-breaking, tear inducing and hope imbued.

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 My rating  5/5

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

and book #38 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

 

photo credit: Goodreads

 Lily Malone trained as a journalist and worked in newspapers before becoming editor of Australia's largest wine industry trade publisher. After the birth of her two boys, she discovered writing romantic stories set in Australia's vineyards was much more fun than writing about diseases of grapevines or the latest French clone. Lily is based in Cowaramup, Western Australia.