HER OUTBACK COWBOY (Prickle Creek #1) by Annie Seaton-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon. au / KOBO / B&N /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 19, 2017

The last thing advertising art director Lucy Bellamy wants is to go home to the Outback, but duty to family calls. At least there’s one bonus—her first love, sexy cowboy neighbour, Garth Mackenzie, is there and the attraction between them is still explosive. But Lucy has no intention of getting stuck in this two-bit town and she counts down the days until she can go back to her real life.

After an engineering degree and working in the mines of Western Australia, Garth has returned to the Outback and is home to stay. His goal is to settle down, start a family, and work his beloved land with the girl he’s always loved. But if it comes to Lucy choosing between the glamour of the city or making a home with him in the Outback—he’d lose, hands down.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: HER OUTBACK COWBOY is the first installment in Annie Seaton’s contemporary, adult PRICKLE CREEK romance series focusing on a once tight knit family of cousins (Lucy Bellamy, Jemima Smythe, Sebastian Richards, and Liam Smythe) torn apart by the accident that caused the death of their three mothers. This is advertising art director Lucy Bellamy, and ranch owner Garth Mackenzie.

Told from several third person perspectives including Lucy and Garth HER OUTBACK COWBOY focuses on the second chance relationship between advertising art director Lucy Bellamy, and ranch owner Garth Mackenzie. Six years earlier Lucy lost her mother to a tragic accident, then one year later her father died of a broken heart leaving Lucy alone to grieve at a time when her life and career was about to take off. Fast forward to present day, when Lucy, along with her cousins Jemima, Sebastian and Liam are called home to Pilliga Scrub, back to the family ranch of Prickle Creek, Australia, where decisions are made about their future and their lives. Enter Garth Mackenzie, neighbor and ranch owner, and the man who once owned Lucy’s heart. What ensues is the rekindling relationship between Lucy and Garth, and Lucy’s bullheaded decision to never make the ‘country’ and Prickle Creek Farm her permanent home.

The relationship between Garth and Lucy is one of second chances. Garth has never forgotten about the girl who walked away; and Lucy was determined to put time and distance between the man who broke her heart, and the heartbreaking memories of family and love. With her return, Garth is hoping for a second chance but Lucy wants nothing to do with working a ranch, or living without her city amenities. The $ex scenes are all implied and fade to black.

We are introduced to Lucy’s cousins- Jemima Smythe, Sebastian Richards, and Liam Smythe- each of whom lost their mother to the same accident that claimed the life of Lucy’s mom. And we can’t forget the cousin’s grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Peterkin who are desperate to pull the extended family together.

Be forewarned, because the author lives in Australia, HER OUTBACK COWBOY contains expressions of slang and language terminology that may not be familiar to North American readers. e.g. ute = utility vehicle: blue=argument

HER OUTBACK COWBOY is a sweet story of romance and second chances with engaging characters and spirited beliefs. The premise is encouraging; the romance is fated but mostly implied; the characters are passionate and realistic. Annie Seaton pulls the reader into a story line about family, love, loss and starting over.

Copy supplied for review.

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Website / Blog / Facebook / Goodreads /Twitter

Annie Seaton lives near the beach on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. She is fulfilling her lifelong dream of writing and has been delighted to discover that readers love reading her stories as much as she loves writing them. Her career and studies spanned the education sector for most of her working life until she took up a full-time writing career. She is now published internationally in e-books across the romance genre, and in 2014 was voted Australian Author of the Year by romance readers in the AusRomToday.com Readers’ Choice Awards.

In 2015 she was voted Best Established Author.Her first traditionally published print book, Kakadu Sunset, was shortlisted from Romantic Book of the Year in 2016. Each winter, Annie and her husband leave the beach to roam the remote areas of Australia for story ideas and research.