Review: I was sad during most of the story.  I prefer more romantic anticipation and development, but it had some good parts.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 13, 2010
AN OUTBACK CHANCE by Chris Versace.STORY BRIEF:Sally and Connor grew up on two neighboring farms in rural Australia.  At the age of 20 they were engaged.  Sally was anxious because she wanted to travel and experience life outside of her home.  So she broke up with Connor and left for London.  Sally had a good life in London with a good accounting job.  Something happened that caused her to lose her flat, her money, her job, and her boyfriend.  At the age of 40, she returned home to live with her dad and brother on the farm.  To her surprise, she learns that Connor recently moved back to town.  He had become a doctor, was married and then divorced.  He is still angry at Sally for leaving him.REVIEWER'S OPINION:Now that Sally is back, she repeatedly tells Connor and others how sorry she is.  For most of the story, Sally is depressed, sad, and crying.  It's obvious to the reader that she and Connor still have something for each other, but most of the time the story is about their misery being apart.  There are some inaccurate assumptions.  They each believe the other doesn't want them.  I like anticipation and the development of a romance in romance novels, but that wasn't here.  During most of the book I was frustrated seeing them suffer.  Yes there was a happy ending, but I'd rather not spend most of the time being sad.  If you're in a mood for "misery loves company" this might be a good fit.  Sally's mother and other relatives are ghosts who occasionally visit and talk with Sally.  There is one sex scene, sort of vaguely described.Another Amazon reviewer Adreanne made some comments that I like and agree with.  She says: Sally grapples with the opposing "forces of career, love, ambition and the eternal quest for inner-contentment and sense of place."  The author contrasts the settings of London and the "enchanting charm of life in the Aussie bush."My favorite part of the book at 758:Sally is talking about her boyfriend in London.  "he simply didn't care what anyone else thought, said, or did.  I'd be giving him the details of the latest snub at work, or an unkind remark and he'd look at me and start laughing.  "Why do you care?" he'd say.  "Who are they?  Nobody that's who!  They don't count and you won't even remember their names in a couple of months."  And to him it was that easy and somehow that made it easier for me."Some problems:There were a couple of scenes that were redundantly done.  For example, one scene is told from Sally's point of view with actions and conversation with Connor.  Then the entire scene is retold from Connor's point of view with the same actions and conversation.  I loved being in each of their heads, but I didn't care for the redundant feel of reading the identical conversation twice.  I think there is a better way to do this.I wanted a lot more details about what happened to Neil toward the end of the book.DATA:Kindle count story length: 4068.  Swearing language: moderate.  Sexual language: none.  One sex scene about two pages long.  Setting: current day Australia and London.  Published 2010.  Genre: contemporary romance with a little fantasy, Australia.DISCLOSURE:The author sent this book to me free of charge, requesting a review.