Where There’s Smoke is written with Karly Lane’s signature warmth, and while I didn’t entirely connect with the main characters, fans of the author will find this to be a lovely story of a connection rediscovered.
Kenzie Knight has built a successful life as a wedding planner, despite having her early plans thrown into disarray by an early curveball. The last five years have been tough but satisfying. Then one day, a routine meeting with a bride and groom upends her life again. She and the groom, Ewan, have a past.
Kenzie is faced with a dilemma: tell Ewan the result of their one-night stand, and risk ruining his relationship and her business. Or tell him, and watch lives explode.
Now I have to say that it was quite obvious, pretty much immediately, what Kenzie’s secret is. This is a familiar plot, and you’d have to be fairly dim not to spot it. However, Lane is a skilled writer and infuses the familiar plot with freshness and energy.
Very early on, Kenzie and Ewan both made decisions that left me unsympathetic towards them. I also found Kenzie surprisingly irresponsible as a business owner. Still, whether you like or dislike them, they’re real and grounded characters. Many readers will find them believable and sympathetic. And, the involvement of other people makes Kenzie and Ewan’s story relatively high stakes.
Lane writes with warmth and sympathy. Her long list of novels, such as Twist of Fate, deservedly, have a place in many readers’ hearts.
This book is well written, with strong characters and a vivid setting. It’s an easy read and an engaging one. Although this wasn’t the novel for me (sadly), it is one I think many readers will enjoy.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Where There’s Smoke by Karly Lane. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, and I love sharing that joy.
I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, across all genres. There’s not much I won’t at least try. I’ve been an enthusiastic book reviewer for years. I particularly enjoy discovering writers new to me, and sharing good writing with others.
My career has included time spent writing and editing technical documents, but it’s fiction that really moves me. I’ve reviewed for a number of different outlets over the years, and have been a judge in literary competitions.
I’m now raising little bookworms of my own, which brings a whole new kind of joy to sharing books.
More of my reviews can be found on my review blog www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog .
Where There’s Smoke by Karly Lane is a wonderful story of second chances which also showcases Australia.
It’s the story of Mackenzie Knight who is a wedding planner with her own business. She is meeting her latest client and her fiancé Ewan Campbell and realises there’s something familiar about him. When she realises he is a past partner she couldn’t contact from a passionate one night encounter – and they have a child, Poppy, he knows nothing about – she has a decision to make. Does she tell him and risk upending her life and business or try and get out of working for them. This is a well flowing story involving people you want things to work out for and the ups and downs they face as they navigate their new lives. They definitely have chemistry and this ebbs and flows really well. The side characters have their own strong personalities one way or the other and made me invested in them as well. I would love to see them in future stories. We were also hit with one or two curveballs which made everything all the more interesting.
I thoroughly recommend this rural romance, loving Karly’s previous books, and now waiting for another.
Where Theres Smoke is not the first of Karly Lanes books that I have read and it certainly wont be the last. I really love her writing and find that she has a way of making fall in love with the characters and I become so invested in their lives that it’s hard to put the book down when life’s demands get in the way.
Kenzie is doing a wonderful job of raising her four-year-old daughter on her own while at the same time running a very successful wedding planning business which has just scored a couple of very big society weddings that she knows she needs to get just right. When she meets with the Bride and Groom for one of the weddings things don’t go quite to plan and the chain of events to follow put her reputation at risk.
I read this book while we had house guests so of course had to keep stopping and spend time with my guests which meant reading this book took a lot longer than it would have under normal circumstances. This is the perfect book for a lazy weekend or it would have been spot on for my plane flight next week.
If you have never read a Karly Lane book ‘Where Theres Smoke’ will drag you in and leave you wanting to read more of her books which is awesome as there are quite a few to select from.
An absolutely brilliant read by Karly Lane. I have read nearly all of her books and never been disappointed in any of them.
The story of McKenzie and her 4-year-old daughter Poppy will delight you as Poppy is just so lovely. Poppy was conceived by a stranger on a one-night occasion and later on he comes unexpectedly into McKenzie’s life.
Just loved the storyline of how he comes into their lives, how they explore their options of parenting. There are pages where you find yourself smiling and giggling
All the other characters are lovely, and I did recall having heard of McKenzie’s mum and her husband in another story which I found at the end so lovely to see them in this book. Obviously two nasty characters that didn’t appeal to me. Always have some that must give some adventure to the storyline.
If you like rural romances showing country characters then this one is just one of those, you start reading and cannot put it down.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for sending me this book to read. To Karly Lane, keep those books coming as I totally enjoy reading your stories. Actually, have one on my pile to read.
I love a Karly Lane book, her latest Where There’s Smoke is another brilliant read!
Mackenzie Knight runs a successful event planning business, her life is running smoothly until her world is rocked when Ewan Campbell, an old flame shows up with his fiance at there wedding planning session.
Mackenzie has a secret that will alter all of there lives, she’s faced with a tough decision weather or not to reveal it.
I loved all the characters in this book, Mackenzie and Ewan were lovable characters that had you cheering for them and a happy ending. The sideline story of Ewans family and the drama that entailed was a nice side plot that added depth to the story.
I really enjoyed reading this one, thank you Beauty and Lace and Allen and Unwin for the copy to read and review.
Where There’s Smoke by Karly Lane tells the story of Mackenzie (Kenzie), a business owner and single mother whose life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly comes face-to-face with a man from her past, a one-night stand who unknowingly fathered her daughter, Poppy.
This book was an okay read for me, but it never really hooked me and ended up taking me much longer to finish than I expected. I struggled with Kenzie as a character and found her more annoying than relatable which made it difficult to become invested in the story. Poppy was sweet, but I found her dialogue unrealistic for a four-year-old, often sounding far older and more mature than her age.
Overall, the story just wasn’t for me. I found parts of it a bit clichéd and almost cringey, and I never felt fully engaged with the characters or their journey. Not a terrible read, and I normally love Karly Lane books, but this one that left me feeling fairly underwhelmed by the end.