When jaded city girl Maddy McIntyre packs up and leaves Adelaide for a new job in the country, it’s not only a chance at a fresh start. Six months ago, the first guy she’d ever loved shattered her heart before moving home to Broken Hill. Deep down inside, Maddy is hoping that living in the same town will give her an opportunity to prove to Luke that she’s one temptation he can’t resist.But when … resist.
But when she arrives in Broken Hill, Luke White is not the same guy she knew in the city. And it soon seems very clear that he doesn’t want her there. Although Maddy settles in quickly, excelling at work and partying with her new friends, she can’t understand why Luke is remaining so distant. Particularly when all her instincts are telling her that they’re meant to be together – and that he feels the same burning attraction.
As Maddy learns more about Luke’s family and background, she begins to understand that his mixed messages are caused by balancing what’s expected of him with what he really wants. Maddy gave Luke her heart long ago and, despite their differences, she knows she’ll only ever be happy with her hot country boy. But how can she convince him that she’s the risk he needs to take?
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After reading and loving Winning The Player last night, I needed more by Leesa Bow and couldn’t wait to pick up Charming The Outback. I’ve spent the afternoon unable to put down this addictive 5 star read and have just finished it. The story of Maddy and Luke was emotional and the author writes in such a way that you’re there with the characters every step of the way. I liked that Charming The Outback followed on from Winning The Player and we get to catch up with some of the characters, but this book can still be read separately and enjoyed just as much. However, I recommend that you read Winning The Player if you haven’t already because you get to see how Maddy and Luke first met. Plus you’ll learn more about Aubree and Hunter who are another couple you’ll love just as much.
Charming The Outback gives the reader a chance to learn more about the Australian outback so many of us have seen on the TV or in films. You’ll see how tough life can be, but how everyone comes together and gets the job done. It was so warming to see how welcoming the locals were to Maddy, and the author gives us some lovely characters who become like friends to us just as much as they do to Maddy. Again, Leesa Bow weaves fact and fiction together so beautifully, and you can tell that she has first hand experience of being in Broken Hill. If I ever made it to Australia, I’d definitely want to visit Broken Hill and see the gorgeous sights that this very talented author allows us to visualise with her clever descriptions.
As with Leesa Bow’s other books, this book is well worth the 5 stars I’ve awarded it. This author is one who I’d happily one click without even reading the blurb because I know I’m guaranteed a fantastic read!
Great small town Aussie Romance.
This was just what I needed. Charming The Outback is a well rounded and robust romance with great characters and a love story that may be low on angst, but is high on gaining reader attention and providing enjoyment.
This is the first book I have read by Leesa Bow, and even being a stand-a-lone, it features characters from another book, so if I’d read Winning The Player first, I would’ve enjoyed catching up with Aubree and Hunter again. I haven’t but I didn’t feel I was missing out on anything. This time we have Maddie who is Aubree’s best friend and Hunter’s cousin. She’s a total city girl from Adelaide, and owns her signature look of beautiful clothes and Jimmy Choos.
Luke’s family heritage is a sheep station in the outback. It’s a long way from anywhere, hot, dusty and full of flies. It not a field of Geology which is what he really wants to do, but when family places a demand on him, it’s the family station life first and foremost with no time for shopping and high city living. He doesn’t believe Maddie would cope, and doesn’t want to force that life on her so he dumps her without a word and moves home.
Things is, Maddie loves Luke, and wants to see if the Aussie Outback is something she can adapt to, so she takes a teaching contract in his small town to test the waters. But, the Luke she finds back in his home town isn’t the Luke she’d spent 10 months getting to know and love. He’s angry and doesn’t want a bar of her, trouble is, it seems the locals are quite taken with the new primary school teacher, and he doesn’t want anyone else near her either!
Luckily for our couple, they’re supported by a great group of secondary characters especially as Maddie is out to prove to Luke that she isn’t the high maintenance city miss that he believes her to be, and that she’s more than capable to learn, change, and most of all, compromise. On his part, Luke has to realise his mistake in breaking things off in the way that he did, and make an attempt to fix things. I have to say I loved this book and if you are the type of reader who loves a good solid small town romance, then this is definitely for you. 4 Stars