From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Red Dirt Heart (Red Dirt, #1)

N.R. Walker

Start date: February 1, 2016

Finish date: February 29, 2016

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

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Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Feb 22, 2014 Leanne rated it liked it

Shelves: mm, romance, sweet

An enjoyable, well-written, uncomplicated romance. Both MCs were sweet but I thought Travis a bit flat- would have liked a bit more depth in his characterisation. A bit too insta-lovey for my liking but a good read nonetheless.

8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 22, 2014 Chris, the Dalek King rated it really liked it

Shelves: mc-pairing-mm, contemporary, cowboys-and-horses, foreign-australia-nz

Really liked this one by N.R. Walker. There don't seem to be enough Aussie books around that I haven't read, so I was pleased to find this one. Charlie could have been a bit less thickheaded, but I really liked him and Travis. And I loved the descriptions of the land that the station was on. Sounds so beautiful and dangerous. Though I would probably die from heat exhaustion after ten minutes. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 13, 2014 Buda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'm being a bit generous with the stars tonight. I really liked the story and the characters. I did not like the incredible amount of editing errors. Missing words, superfluous words, prone used when Travis was on his back. Walker's books are always a quality story and this is no different. 4.5, rounded up because I could "hear" the Australian accent in Charlie's speech. That's hard to do. Also the chapter headings were a hoot. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2014 Mtsnow13 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, western, romance, contemporary, series-read, less-than-200-pages, nature-outdoors, amazon, own-to-read

Darn. Well, I really wanted to like this story, as I enjoy stories of the outback, but I think I was thrown off by all the editing mistakes and missing or flipflopped words :-( and surprisingly there seemed to be more sex scenes than plot, which surprised me.

The premise and locale of the story was very good, but at the end I'm debating if I want to go right in and read the rest of the series, even though I already own them all. I'll let it ruminate for a bit..

This is a solid 3 star that could b ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2014 Meggie rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m-romance-romance, cowboys

This is a fast paced, well written romance by N.R. Walker. I have to say, Walker, done an excellent job with this story. I liked it. Sure the main storyline was a bit to plain, and the romance between both MC, a bit weird, but it was great nonetheless. Recommended!

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2014 Ari rated it really liked it

Shelves: mm-romance

4* because I love Charlie & Travis together, they're just cute & hot! ♥,,♥
...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2014 Arch Bala rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, best-covers, book-boyfriend, best-series, down-under

Aside from me being a fan of N.R. Walker’s stories, this book was also highly recommended by some friends. I’ve a lot of books on my to-read list and decided to just dive in this series right away due to its raving reviews. I actually liked most things about the book but there are also things which I didn’t like. First thing you need to know is that this story was set in Australia and second, it’s set in a freaking desert in Australia. Charlie Sutton runs the Sutton station on his own [a farm / Aside from me being a fan of N.R. Walker’s stories, this book was also highly recommended by some friends. I’ve a lot of books on my to-read list and decided to just dive in this series right away due to its raving reviews. I actually liked most things about the book but there are also things which I didn’t like. First thing you need to know is that this story was set in Australia and second, it’s set in a freaking desert in Australia. Charlie Sutton runs the Sutton station on his own [a farm / ranch and is about a million acres 0_o – ikr?] after his father died and was isolated from most of the world [yeah, say almost literally] – life just seemed to go on with a few staff at the station until American agronomist Travis Craig came into his doorstep and change everything Charlie has ever known.

The feel of the story somehow reminds me of the vibe of Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. The laid-back Marlboro country feel of the red dirt in this side of Australia was almost hypnotic. I loved that N.R. Walker could easily convey that. My concern is the too slow-a-pace of the first half of it. I feel like going through the pages with nothing happening with the characters. If this was what slow burn is and another definition of underlying sexual tension between Charlie and Travis, I’m all for it but I had a friend inside my brain screaming, “Get on with it already!”

On a more positive note, I loved the couple here. Charlie and Travis are only in their twenties and I liked the fact that they act their age but with maturity. I loved Charlie’s gruff persona and his diarrhea of the mouth was rather funny. Travis is also a beautiful character with his nurturing and sensitive nature. They really balanced out each other well.

Yes, I find the first half of the story dragging itself into this red dirt hole but it picked up and I started to understand (or appreciate) it better. It was some sort of mood building which I thought took longer than necessary but was forgivable.

This first book was about Travis’s introduction to the red dirt harsh environment where Charlie grew up. This was also Charlie feeling alive after the longest time and finally letting go of some of his angst. It was a beautiful start of a promising series. There were minor stuff that didn’t work for me but Charlie and Travis easily made their way to my heart.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
...more

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