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 23, 2014 Brandilyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mm, read-2017, read-2015, read-2014

4.5*

Poor Charlie. He may be a bit of a stereotype, but he is a stereotype that steals your heart. He has grown up with an absent mother and an indifferent father; when that father finds out he is gay, the indifference turns ugly. He is told he isn’t good enough to do what he loves, just because of WHOM he chooses to love. Instead of leaving the land he loves, he chooses a life a solitude. Enter Travis, the smug Texan (yes, I admit I have a soft spot for him purely for being a Texan) who steals C ...more

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Feb 22, 2014 K rated it really liked it

Original read October 14
re-read August 15

I have all 3 books in the series to read
will do general review when I've read them all

In very short summary - Closeted, lonely Aussie rancher's life is turned upside down when a Texan student arrives for work experience on his spread. Love the so very Aussie feel and language and really like Charlie, Travis and the ranch family. ...more

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Apr 18, 2014 Deanna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, romance-contempory, grabs-my-heart, want-more, series, mc-to-love, cowboys, made-me-smile

Charlie loves his desert ranch. He says its red dirt runs in his veins. He is successful running the biggest ranch (American word), excuse me station, in Australian. He lives with the mean words of his Dad in his heart. His dad has been dead two years but his rejection of his gay son still torment Charlie. Charlie is lonely on a land that is a 3 hour drive from any concept of town.

I scrubbed my hands with soap and told the man in the mirror the same words his father had said,
"No fucking fairy Charlie loves his desert ranch. He says its red dirt runs in his veins. He is successful running the biggest ranch (American word), excuse me station, in Australian. He lives with the mean words of his Dad in his heart. His dad has been dead two years but his rejection of his gay son still torment Charlie. Charlie is lonely on a land that is a 3 hour drive from any concept of town.

I scrubbed my hands with soap and told the man in the mirror the same words his father had said,
"No fucking fairy will run this station. It takes a man's man to survive out here."
I'd said the words out loud before I could stop them.

Those fucking words.

As much as I wished it otherwise, I was gay. As much secondhand shame and disappointment I carried on behalf of my father, I couldn't change who I was.

I just chose to bury it.

Travis comes to study ranching in a desert. He is a Texan. He is brilliant. He has had complete emotional support from his parents from the moment he came out as gay. Charlie was intrigued but did not think Travis was gay. Travis wondered the same thing about Charlie. That is until Travis was coming out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. Charlie had on only his boxer shorts.

And there on his chest, right over his heart, was a single star. I knew what that symbol meant. "Is that a Texas star?" I asked, my voice cracking. I wanted him to say yes, hoped he'd say no.

He looked at me for a long moment, probably weighing up how to answer, what to give away, I realized. Then he shook his head slowly and bit his lip. "Not exactly."

"Good."

Good. I fucking said good.

"I um, I meant, good..."Because apparently saying once wasn't bad enough, I fucking said it twice. And then because sheer mortification wasn't bad enough, I was getting hard. I palmed my dick. I was getting hard. I did it without thinking, just needing some friction.

Travis's gaze followed my hand, and he smiled that smug goddamn smirk, then he looked back to "Did you need to use the bathroom?"

I shook my head. "No." So apparently I was also down to one-syllable words. I turned back to my door, wanting to shrink and die.

"Charlie," Travis said. I stopped and when I finally turned to face him, he was holding his clothes in front of his crotch. He looked right at me and took a deep breath like he was going to say something else. Instead he said, "Good night."

I nodded and quickly shut the door behind me, finally breathing. I stood leaning against the door, and I swear I heard him mutter, "Well that answered that question."

It was fun yet endearing to watch their dance from this point onward. They were perfect for each other. Yes their were some mistakes in the writing that should have been picked up by editing, but they were minor and did not detract from this tender story. The characters, including the supporting cast, were important to the story and so very well defined. I knew nothing of this area of Australia but felt its dirt and beauty. I appreciated the glossy. I will immediately read the next book in the series.
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May 23, 2014 Dianne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 Stars. I absolutely love NR Walker's writing style. She takes every day people living their lives and weaves this into intense, emotional stories. And oh, yeah. The guys in her stories are usually falling in love, sometimes stubbornly, but falling just the same. I love that Travis was straight forward and patient with Charlie, and that Charlie had the support of long time friends to help him see what he would be losing if he didn't accept his feelings for Travis. The outback station setting ...more

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