AnnaLund2011

I adore these boys. I love that it’s not set in the US. I’m in love with their red dirt outback. There is heat in this writing, and it’s not all from the sunshine. There is simply heat, here.

There are some pretty awesome characters, too, both a couple of kick-ass women and a couple of Australian native aboriginals who are both cool, true, and fully fleshed out. As are all the secondary characters here.

Yes, there is so much to discover. At the same time, it’s like stepping into the kitchen where old friends live. It’s recognizable. It’s safe. It’s friendly. There are horses in the yard, and cattle to move. There are more stars in the night-skies than ever, and they all look different from the ones we’re used to. 

It feels like home.

And what I really liked is that there is not so much angst. It’s calm, and I really needed this happy. There’s a little trouble, of course, but minimal.

The only thing that bugged me was the chopping off of the final “g”, as in seein’, walkin’, tellin’—not at all because I don’t like the usage, but because it wasn’t consistent. In the same paragraph, it could be used, and then not used. I love it in conversation, a bit less when it’s on and off in the flow of the story background text. Now, use it, or don’t use it. 

All in all a gorgeous story, (and for a self-published story, the quality is really very good). I’d like to hook up with these boys again. They say another book is on the way.

I love a series where every book is a complete stand-alone piece, where I don’t feel cheated at the end. Where the storyline is rounded and I feel I’ve got all the answers I needed, for now. That means the next book is just going to be a bonus-new-encounter-with-favorite-boys. Where Australia can re-enter the scene, and charm my socks off.

I love this story. Australia comes alive, in all its immense, colorful, and difficult nature.

It is simply beautiful.

*** 

I bought a copy of this book with my own money.