Jack and Eva by Frances Dall’Alba is a heartwarming story of romance, with family trauma and the resilience to move forward. It is set in the amazing scenery of the Atherton Table Lands in far North Queensland.
Eva Stamford volunteers for Dr Karen who owns and runs the Tree Roo Rescue Park for a rare kangaroo species only found in the rainforests of the Atherton Table Lands. If the community doesn’t do something to protect their rain forest habitat, they are in danger of becoming a threatened species.
Eva was asked to rescue a roo that has become trapped in the local hardware store. Eva calls for a volunteer from the many customers filming her capture efforts. She needs someone to hold the cage, and Jack volunteers.
Eva has lived in Malanda for five years, living every day as if it is her last. She has never seen this good looking guy before. She suddenly realises she actually might know who he is – and why he is in town.
Jack Walker has been away for thirteen years. The rainforest around the stunning 100 year old Queenslander his grandfather built has become denser. Jack has no happy memories of his childhood home, left to him by his mother. He has no plans to visit his father.
The quicker he sells it to a developer, the quicker he can get back to his life in Brisbane.
Jack watches with amazement as Eva pulls up in his driveway, shouts, “Won’t be long, I’m just checking my babies” and disappears into the rain forest on his land. He follows her to tell her she is trespassing and has no right to release the roo onto his land. He had lived here for seventeen years and had never seen a tree roo before.
How can Jack make Eva understand how important it is to him to destroy this house to remove his troubled childhood memories?
How can Eva make Jack understand how important the roos are to her and how important his land is to the roos?
Jack and Eva, brought together by fate, both have secrets and had troubled childhoods. If they could open up to each other maybe their friendship could develop further.
It is a lovely story, easy to read with very likable characters. Complicated family relationships and an emotional journey to heal the past keep you engaged.
Dr Karen’s character is based on the real Dr Karen Coombes. She and her husband have converted their property to a Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre for the Lumholtz tree kangaroo.
I love how Frances Dall’Alba’s descriptive writing brings the countryside to life. It makes you want to book your next holiday there and visit the Tree Roo Rescue Centre!
Another excellent story, I so enjoy reading her books.
Thankyou to Poinsettia Publishing and to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read this great book.
A selection of our members are reading Jack and Eva by Frances Dall’Alba. You can read their reviews in the comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
I’ll admit I did find it difficult to get hooked on the story as I did with another of the authors books however I did not give up and found I really enjoyed the story.
The story focuses deeply on Jack’s childhood and the links to the house he inherited whereas you are left guessing about Eva’s past and what she may be holding onto.
I am really enjoying this authors style of writing especially when you notice the amount of research that went into writing such a story. In the case of Jack & Eva, I learnt alot about the Lumholtz tree kangaroo and the people who are trying to stop them becoming extinct.
Thank you Beauty & Lace and Frances Dall’alba for the opportunity to read and review Jack & Eva.
Jack & Eva by Frances Dall’Alba is another interesting read. It is set in the Atherton Tablelands, and the Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo, which is uniquely found in the rainforest there, features as an important part of the story. The care and welfare of these Roos acts as a backdrop to the main story and it is also what draws the main characters together.
Jack & Eva is primarily a story about a blossoming romance between the two main characters. However it also quite delicately tells how two people have grappled with childhood traumas…
Jack and Eva seem like opposites – she is bright, vivacious and chatty while he is dour and brooding, more likely to give a frown than a smile. Both are grappling with their inner demons, neither having been able to face their issues until now. When they meet there is instant chemistry and with each other they start to open up…
A simple but satisfying read.
Jack and Eva is an easy holiday read. It was interesting to read about the kangaroos. It was nice to know it is based on a real life Dr Karen who is saving the lives of the kangaroo.
This novel is ok, but a little too predictable. The storyline was a little weak. I have enjoyed other novels by this author, but this one not so much.
I have been a fan of the real-life Dr Karen Coombs and her amazing work with the Lumholtz tree kangaroo, a beautiful animal that deserves to be protected. I was keen to read this book since it is based on Dr Coombs passion for her life work. I enjoyed the storyline, the characters were likeable and most of all it does highlight the little-known marsupial which is in danger of extinction. Easy to read, romantic and with some childhood trauma to bring depth to the main characters, I would recommend this book.
Jack and Eva depicted in country Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands. Two characters combine around the Lumholtz Tree Kangeroo. As this story unfolds we have the effervescent personality of Eva and the somber personality of Jack. One protective of the Kangaroo and the other ready to destroy his past! A nice story and a little predictable however enjoyable and a light read!
Thank you, so much Beauty and Lace, I was so keen to read ‘Jack & Eva’ by Frances Dall’Alba after enjoying reading ‘The Silk Scarf’ and am looking forward to reading ‘Eight Seconds’ next.
Jack returning home after years of being away, by chance meets Eva when he volunteers to assist Eva, who’s trying to capture a likely blind roo in the plumbing aisle of the local hardware store, and then later that same day, Jack realises that the neighbouring property is where the fearless Eva volunteers, and not only that, Eva’s also been frequenting his property and making herself quiet at home.
I loved the setting of the story set in the beautiful Atherton Tablelands, sprinkled with mentions of Australian flora and fauna and the heroes of the story, the adorable near threatened Lumholz’s Tree Kangaroo’s, which I had never heard of.
I’m really enjoying Frances’s writing style, which make her books quiet easy fun books to read. This is a heart-warming story, with Jack tackling his childhood demons, and Eva doing everything in her power to protect her ‘babies’ amidst a blossoming romance between the pair.
A charming romance set in the Atherton Tablelands Eva has a reason for wanting to save the tree kangaroo. Jack returns to town to face his past and helps Eva defeat the curse of her own past.
Another fantastic book by author France Dall’Alba
I really enjoyed this book. It was something different to get into the rescue of the tree kangaroos and very interesting as the background story.
Jack and Eva’s story was complicated and had you hanging on hoping all would be well.
Thank you for the chance to read the book. Frances Dall’Alba writes a good story.
Jack goes back to his childhood town, his family home now his but with all the memories it contains it isn’t something to bring joy. He made a promise and will do his best to see it through.
Eva is living life on a time clock, trying to live every moment as her last, promoting this small town, helping locals and trying to save a not well understood tree kangaroo. But will the appearance of Jack endanger all shes worked so hard for? She knows about him, the history from anothers perspective, can she change his perspective to save what she loves?
A chance meeting between the two sparks changes and challenge neither anticipated.
A warming and fun story, somewhat unbelievable but we can dream that these situations happen, that connection can be made so easily. My only disappointment was the abrupt open ending, i was a bit like “its finished….”, i expected something different, more complete or definitive.
Thankyou to the author, Beauty & Lace & Booksirens for the chance to escape to the far north forests.
Anther good read from Frances Dall’Alba. I enjoyed ‘Jack and Eva’. An easy read, with the usual difficult family background, but the addition of ‘real life’ by incorporating a Vet based on Dr Karen Coombes, and her Tree Kangaroo’s and rescues.
The story line was quite predictable, and I too found the love story, and the ending very rushed.
The descriptions of the Queensland bush Fauna and Flora were captivating.
Some books, once started, are hard to put down, but this was one you could read a few chapters each night, or ideal if reading on a bus, on holiday etc, as it was easy to put down and pick up at any time.
Thank you Beauty & Lace and Poinsettia Publishing for another great read.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace for for allowing me to review a second book by Frances Dall’Alba this month.
I have really enjoyed Frances’ work.
Jack and Eva was a great read because it pulled me in and had some great story telling of our native flora and fauna which made me feel like I was actually seeing it right in front of my eyes.
Jack and Eva had a beautiful albeit complicated relationship which left me wanting to keep reading to see what happens.
I would have liked the ending to be less rushed but I liked it all the same.