Review: A good story but lacking some chemistry
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2013
I really wanted to love this book particularly because it was set in Australia. However, although the potential was there, there was something lacking that prevented me from fully escaping into the world of Lang Downs.I think the author did a great job of describing the locations and environment, giving a real sense of the country where the book is set. There are a lot of references to Australian life and iconic brands which are accurate and fit well.Probably being really picky here but as a NSW resident I did struggle with trying to picture exactly where the location of the property was. There is reference to it being 4-5 hours from Boorowa and Yass seems to be the biggest town they visit. But driving 4-5 hours north or west from Boorowa would put you in the vicinity of heaps of relatively large towns so you would have no need to go to Boorowa or Yass even. Anyway, largely irrelevant so back to the book....A lot of time is spent seemingly educating the reader on station life. Yes, Caine needed to be educated on how to run the sheep station but as a reader, I wanted to see less talk of organic sheep farming and more of the romance!As individuals, I liked both the main characters. Caine had a failed relationship, failed career and stutter but was courageous enough to head to the other side of the world to make a change. Macklin is the typical tough Australian country man.But I was reading this for the romance and the combination of Caine and Macklin didn't work fully for me. I could see them as a couple but I didn't get a sense of much chemistry between the two and the sex didn't have natural passion. I actually found the sex discussions and scenes a bit uncomfortable to read as it seemed a bit forced.Overall the story was ok with a good mix of secondary characters and a pleasant read. I enjoyed this book enough to read the next book in the series Chase the Stars.3.5 starsA