Author: Janet Gover
ISBN: 978-1-4892-9428-9
Copy courtesy of Harper Collins Australia
A fractured family. Guilty Secrets. Can the Lawson legacy be saved?
Janet Gover writes stories of strong women, rural communities and falling in love, The Lawson Sisters is the first novel I have read from this author.
When I read the synopsis of The Lawson Sisters it hooked me and once it arrived I did not put it down until I finished it. I found it easy to read and beautifully written – the characters came to life on the pages especially Willowbrook the family’s historic horse stud.
For many years Elizabeth (Liz/Lizzie) Lawson has run the beloved family horse stud herself while her estranged sister Kayla has made a life for herself in the city as a Wedding Planner. After a devastating loss and with the bank visiting Liz is forced to turn to Kayla for help. Kayla returns to her childhood home to find Liz as prickly as ever but can the sisters come together to save Willowbrook.
The story is told through Liz and Kayla predominantly with Mitch (Liz’s first and only love) featuring also. The book switches from the present to the past seamlessly and I found it easy to follow. It is hard to like Liz as she is very stubborn and negative towards Kayla and her ideas and the way she treats Mitch is terrible but as we read we start to understand why she is so hard on the ones she loves.
Can the sisters heal the past, save Willowbrook and become family again? Pick up this beautiful novel and find out. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the chance to read and review it. I am looking forward to reading more from Janet Gover now.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Lawson Sisters by Janet Gover. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
Love reading especially on my train commute to and from work. Read most genres but my favorite would be Australian Rural Fiction. Love to support Australian Authors and Beauty and Lace have shown me some fantastic writers that I now read and follow.
I was fortunate to be able to review The Lawson Sisters -by Janet Gover.
The story was set in the Hunter Valley,which is very close to where I live.
I loved the story, two sisters who had fallen out due to tragic circumstances , which altered their lives forever.
Because of one sister needing help to continue carrying on the family business they are drawn together to find a way to try and make things better.How this happens makes this a great story, read it in 3 days, before and after work.
Would highly recommend – 5/5 -terrific read.
Thanks,
Stacey x
This was my first book by Janet gover and it was a great read so I will be getting all of her other books and thanks to beauty and lace for the opportunity to read this book
Once again I thank Beautyandlace for the opportunity to read a truly enjoyable book.
The Lawson Sisters was way up the list I thoroughly enjoyed joining the sisters Liz and Kayla on this journey.
Growing up near Scone in the Hunter Valley, the girls and their parents happily raise their horses and work to improve the horse stud along with close friends and other property owners in the district.
The older of the two sisters has grown up with friend Mitch and as they near their eighteenth years know that they will always be together and want to marry.
These plans prove to be the start of devastating losses for Liz and Kayla and also Mitch.
The struggle that results is a large estrangement between Liz and Kayla who has moved to Sydney. and works as a wedding planner.
Both very strong women the need to save their childhood home that brings them back together is a great Australian based story by Janet Gover.
This is a great Australian novel – easy to read and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages, It was interesting to read a novel that put weddings and horses together! I have never been to the Hunter Valley… I’m now putting it on the list of places to visit when this COVID crisis is over!
This is the first book I have read by Janet Cover and I enjoyed it very much although I found it a bit frustrating the Liz had based a lot of her life choices on a half heard conversation. The book explores the themes of love, guilt, estrangement and reconciliation. The story is told from the perspectives of the Lawson Sisters – Liz and Kayla and the secrets that have kept them apart. The setting in the beautiful Hunter Valley Region on a Horse Stud is great and the Male Character is very likeable.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins Publishers for my copy for review.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review The Lawson Sisters by Janet Gover. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, I couldn’t wait to really sink my teeth in and read a good book to pass the time.
The Lawson Sisters is story about two sisters whose relationship was fractured due to a devastating life event.
Liz , the older sister, has had to make some tough decisions, she has dedicated her whole life to keep their family horse stud and property running. Whilst Kayla, the younger sister, has managed to rebuild her life in the city where she is now a successful wedding planner. Did Kayla really put her old life behind her and is she happy as a city girl?
When Kayla receives a call from her estranged sister, their lives are once more entwined, they will have to put their differences aside to save their child hood home. Can Liz finally reveal her dark secret that she has been hiding from her sister and will the truth repair their relationship or cause irreparable damage.
Then there’s Mitch, Liz’s first love, what part does he play in this tale. Is he going to be white knight to swoop in to help Liz or does he have other plans to take over the family property.
Set in the beautiful Hunter Valley, Janet Gover works her magic to tell the tale that has really captured my heart. A well written book and a wonderful enjoyable read, I’d give it 5/5, outstanding!
Well another beautiful, gorgeous book to have read and introduced to another author that I am sure I will read again and again.
The cover depicts the place of the Lawson’s Willowbrook which is a historic well known horse stud situated in the Hunter Valley. The name places of Scone and Tamworth brought smiles for me as I have been to these places and they are represented in the storyline so well.
Two sisters Liz & younger Kayla growing up on Willowbrook with their parents who are the most loveliest couple who also idolise the children. Mitch does a lot of work helping out the sister’s dad Sam and is well liked by the parents. Sam treats him like a son.
A tragic accident happens and this is when the sister’s world crashes around them. It is now up to Liz who is 18 to keep the horse stud running as her dad wanted it to be run. Kayla being younger at 12 years of age has to be sent to boarding school as Liz can’t look after her and run Willowbrook.
The sisters become estranged until Liz needs her help although she would rather just clam up and keep to herself and shoulder on. Kayla is now living in Sydney and is a successful wedding planner.
We see a lot of Mitch who is Liz’s first love from when they were teenagers. It’s not hard to visualise Mitch and Liz in their relationship. They get on so well until tragedy tears them apart.
Honestly the storyline of this book is amazing and you just want to keep reading and turning those pages over and over to see where it all ends. There are lot of twists and turns to keep you captivated. There are secrets and lies and you find yourself second guessing on what they could be.
As you read you will be taken back to the past and then the future but in no way do you get confused with this happening. Everything flows perfectly.
I absolutely loved this storyline and would highly recommend it for anyone that loves rural storylines.
Thank you to Beauty & Lace for this book to read and Harper Collins for another fantastic read and to the author Janet Gover, you have such a beautiful flow for writing to keep us readers on our toes. I look forward to reading more of your books down the track.
The Lawson Sisters by Janet Gover is a very easy to read book.
Set between the Hunter Valley and the city this tells the story of sisters, Liz and Kayla.
Liz is the older sister that has remained on the family horse stud to keep the parents dream alive of keeping the property in the family for generations to come.
Kayla was fortunate enough to have been sent to university and has a thriving wedding business in the city.
Trouble comes when the horse stud has money woes and looks like it may be lost to the banks.
The sisters parents died in a mysterious car accident and there are many secrets surrounding this time.
There is also the story of Mitch, who was Liz’s one true love, but the secrets surrounding their parents, has Liz afraid of going back to Mitch.
Can the girls put their differences aside and come together to save the property? Will Mitch and Liz ever get back together?
You will have to read this wonderful book to find out.
A beautiful Australian based story, that is very hard to stop reading.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace.
Thanks to Harlequin and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review this great book.
I absolutely loved the sumptuous cover on this book.
Set in the beautiful Hunter valley on a historic horse stud, we learn the tale of Liz and Kayla Lawson, the tragic death of their parents and a lost love.
I enjoyed the metamorphosis of the homestead from rundown relic to divine wedding venue.
Also the Stockmans challenge, if you have ever been to see these you will understand why.
The setting is divine, Liz is very prickly and Mitch is a saint.
Kayla, the little sister helps to save the day.
A nice story though a little predictable.
As always, thanks to Beauty and lace and Harlequin for the opportunity to read The Lawson Sisters by Janet Gover.
This was my first book by Janet and I am happy to say I really enjoyed it!
I do love my rural fiction, so of course that was a reason I asked for this book, but the other reason was the beautiful cover! I adored the cover, and think it would make a nice addition to anyones bookshelf!
I found The Lawson Sisters easy to read, a quick read that I finished quite fast. At the start of the book I was not keen on main character Liz at all, but as the story went on and secrets were revealed I did sympathise with her.
I quite liked Kayla, and felt sorry for her for the entire story, just felt that she had really had the toughest time out of all of them.
Loved Mitch, perfect dream farm man!
Overall I recommend The lawson sisters for yourself, or a great pressie for your mum, sister or friend that is not a huge reader. A great title to ease them in!
Will keep an eye out for more from Janet!