A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate Blog Tour and Giveaway

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback
By Jessica Kate
Christian Contemporary Romance
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 368 Pages
January 28th 2020 by Thomas Nelson

How far will a girl go to win back a guy she can’t stand? This funny, sweet, and romantic story proves that opposites do attract—and that God has a sense of humor.

Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but below the surface, he’s still recovering from the blow of a failed business and insecurities he can’t shake. His coworker, start-up expert Kimberly Foster, is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but years of personal rejection have left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds—or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks sure do fly.

When Kimberly’s ambitious plans for Sam’s ministry butt up against his risk-averse nature, Sam decides that obligations to family trump his work for the church. He quits the ministry and heads home to Australia to help his sister, Jules, save her struggling farm. As Kimberly’s grand plans flounder, she is forced to face the truth: that no one can replace Sam. Together they strike up a deal: If Kimberly comes to work on Jules’s dairy farm and lends her business brains to their endeavor, then maybe—just maybe—Sam will reconsider his future with the church.

As Kimberly tries her hand at Australian farm life, she learns more about herself than she could’ve ever expected. Meanwhile Sam is forced to re-evaluate this spunky woman he thought he already knew. As foes slowly morph into friends, they wonder if they might be something even more. But when disaster strikes the farm, will Sam find it within himself to take a risk that could lead to love? And will Kimberly trust God with her future?

My Review

Samuel Payton was an idiot.

With that opening line, I was instantly drawn into the world of Kimberly Foster, the smart, cool-headed business manager of Wildfire, an outreach started by Aussie Samuel Payton. Right from the start, Kim and Sam clash as they fight over what they both think is best for the outreach. And after a particularly nasty fight, Sam leaves the U.S. and head back home to Australia.

That is when we are introduced to Julia, a.k.a. Jules, Sam’s stubborn, independent older sister, who runs a dairy farm that has been in the family for well over one hundred years. Her snappy wit and devil-may-care attitude bring the story to life as she blazes her way through the story, meddling with Sam and Kim’s relationship.

Kim must make her way to Australia in order to win Sam back to the U.S., and back as the leader of Wildfire, as the whole outreach is threatened to crumble.

My biggest reason for picking up this book is my fascination in Australia, as I know several people from Queensland. And I was not disappointed! A Girl’s Guide to the Outback is infused with Aussie culture and slang.

Jessica Kate imbues the story with wit and humor all the way, adding an element of pure fun. But that doesn’t mean things don’t get heavy, as emotions spike and relationships go sideways. And even though things don’t work out the way they were expected to, the end of the story is satisfying enough to make any reader melt in her seat.

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback is a humorous story filled with life, laughter, and a whole lot of cows, perfect for those who love clean romance with a little bit of comedy.

I Rate It: 4 stars

About the Author

Australian author Jessica Kate writes inspirational romances with wit, sass, and grit. Jessica is a screenwriting groupie, cohost of the StoryNerds vlog and podcasts, and her favorite place to be—apart from Mum and Dad’s back deck—is a theme park. She has traveled North America and Australia, and samples her favorite pasta wherever she goes—but the best (so far) is still the place around the corner from her corporate day job as a training developer. She loves watching sitcoms with her housemates and being a leader in a new church plant.