Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

Spanning three generations and half of the world, Wildflower Hill is a sweeping, romantic, and compelling story of two women who share a legacy of secrets, heartbreak, courage, and love. Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate. Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman, but she was pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success—but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day, and she wanted to make sure Emma’s heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way. Wildflower Hill is a compelling, atmospheric, and romantic novel about taking risks, starting again, and believing in yourself. It’s about finding out what you really want and discovering that the answer might be not at all what you’d expect.

Initial Thoughts:
As a lover of historical fiction AND chick lit, I knew this would be the book for me. Throw in some serious romance and you've got a hit.

The Pros:
Emma is introduced to us as a selfish ballerina without a care in the world but herself. How she evolves throughout the book is amazing. Her volunteer work within the community in rural Australia is inspiring.

Beattie leaves her hometown with no family to call her own after being disowned by her family when they find out she is pregnant, and unwed. The pain and suffering she endures throughout the book would be enough to knock anyone down for the count, but she gets up each timer, stronger than the time before.

I loved reading about the house on Wildflower Hill. Maybe it's just because I am an old house junkie, but the history contained within the walls of the house is amazing.

The way that Beattie kept a reminder of her true love all those years with the painting of the gum tree was incredibly heartwarming.

The Cons:
I was more into Beattie's story than Emma's. Emma's lacked something, although I'm not sure what it was.

I wish there was more time spent talking about restoring the house.

The Wrap Up: 3.5/5
This was a really good historical fiction novel. Would I call it wonderful? Probably not. But, it was a quick and entertaining read that actually taught me things about Australia and their native people.

Favorite Quote:
"There are two types of women in the world, Beattie, those who do things and those who have things done to them."

Click here for your copy of Wildflower Hill.