Rolled in DUST

Que and her daughter Billie have moved to town to settle own in one place. Connor comes home from the navy to help after his mom has a heart attack and he is right next door. Tension is high between Que and Connor after their first meeting, as well as from the town as they remember how he used to be fifteen years ago, never giving him a chance to show what he is like today. The characters are well defined. The storyline is fast paced, has great flow and banter, drama, secrets, support and so much more. Loved the location and the chemistry between them. So much going on that you can not put the book down for fear of the other shoe dropping. Great ending. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

My heart hurt for Que and Val and what they went through and Connor didn't deserve the way the town treated him. He wasn't an angel, but he quietly did so much good since he left Elsie Creek. At first I wasn't sure about him with his attitude when he met Que. He seemed to have one foot out the door at all times looking for an escape but so didn't Que. Her daughter Billie was so funny and friendly. And docile granola loving Cecil surprised me when he became a hero. I laughed, held my breath during the suspenseful times, and smiled reading this book. It was great to catch up with the quirky characters from the previous books. The way they rally around to support their own makes me wish I could visit this fictional place.

Oh, The Backstories!! — I have been reading this author's delightful romance books about life in the Australian Outback for years now, and I love it when I see another Elsie Creek book show up at a book review site. Like all books in the series, the author does an excellent job transporting you to this rough-and-tumble scorched Earth section of Australia. Truly, I get immersed in her books, not wanting to stop reading when I should go about my day! I’ll admit, however, that this book took me a bit longer to get into than most of hers. I didn't like the hero for a long time—not a fan of bad-boy romance—and the hero and heroine's instant attraction did not feel real to me in the least. But this book is not just a romance, as it also has a strong women's fiction vibe as well, and that's what kept me reading (along with enjoying visiting with Elsie Creek regulars known from other books). As I kept reading, I wondered about the heroine's mysterious past, and I grew to care more about her, her darling little girl, and even eventually the hero. By the end of the story, the author had me feeling for all the main characters and living the terror of those final scenes. My favorite character was Billie, the heroine's absolutely adorable 5-year-old girl. I loved roller skating when I was that age, too! I would have loved her shed turned into a roller rink! The girl was so sweet and thoughtful, and I liked how she brought out a better side of the hero. I loved the prominence of Cecil the water buffalo, who plays either a minor or large part in each Elsie Creek book. I thought it was excellent to see him so much in passing in most of the book, but I absolutely loved how he was instrumental in one of those pivotal last scenes. Ultimately, this was a well-done story, though not my favorite in this series. I think Muster in the Dust has been my favorite… so far!. -- TRIGGER WARNING: domestic violence (past offscreen, present offscreen and onscreen) — I received a free copy of this book, but that didn't affect my review.