Home to Echidna Lane by Eva Scott
(Reviewed by Kate Jackson @kate_thebooklover)
Back in late 2021, Eva Scott and her family made the Coal River Valley their home after moving to Tasmania from Queensland and, excitingly, her 2023 release is set in the very area she now calls home.
Her recent books have followed tropes from '90s romcoms and Home to Echidna Lane (Harper Collins Australia) is no different, drawing comparisons to the Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr movie Hope Floats.
I couldn’t get enough of the local Tassie references. There were just so many moments this book made me smile due to the mention of something like a familiar place, the aurora australis, or even just a reference to the Tasmanian way of life.
Although the main setting of the book, the town of Winton, is fictional, quite a few Southern Tasmanian towns and locations get a mention, like Richmond and Sorell—and even Eva’s favourite coffee shop, Czegs’ Café, makes a cameo.
I just adored the characters in this book; Shane, a local lad, widower, a single father who makes a living walnut farming; and Lacey, Shane’s high school crush, is a local girl who only ever wanted to escape the small-town life for the glamour of the big city.
Lacey finds herself back living with her parents in Echidna Lane after her perfect life crumbles live on television.
She brings her two boys and a broken heart and it’s her parents and Shane that help to piece it back together.
I really enjoyed the banter between Shane and Lacey, and the way they navigate through this new chapter in their lives. The minor characters also really added to the story. Lacey's father had me smiling with his bedtime stories.
I loved the walnut-inspired recipes included at the end of chapters. I am definitely going to give some of them a try as they sound utterly delicious! First up will be the Sunday Lunch Tortellini with Burnt Butter, Sage and Walnuts.
Chatting via Instagram, Eva has told me that this will be her last Rural Romance novel for a while, and I can say that without a doubt she has gone out with a bang. This one would have to be my favourite of her recent books.
I have no doubt that Home to Echidna Lane will be very popular with Tassie readers and lovers of rural romance. Home to Echidna Lane, published by Harlequin Australia, is set for release on August 2 around Australia.
Kate Jackson is a prolific bookstagrammer and you can follow her reviews and snippets of life on Instagram @kate_thebooklover