Loretta HillCritiques
Auteur de The Girl in Steel-Capped Boots
Critiques
reread Sep 2019 paperback
reread Oct 2020 paperback
Grace Middleton is a single mum of three lively, adventurous boys. Her marriage didn’t end well and even though she’s an accountant, money is tight. Grace is estranged from her mother, her best friend married her ex-husband and well…it’s not going all that well. When her ex-husband dies, she’s not expecting anything for her sons. But it turns out her husband did care a little bit as he’s left them a property Grace never knew about, a vineyard and house in the beautiful Margaret River region of Western Australia. Grace’s aim is simple: sell the property and have her sons live comfortably in Perth. But when they arrive at Gum Leaf Grove, it’s not what they were expecting. It’s a huge, rundown house with 70s décor with ample place for the boys to play. It may just have a resident ghost, a secret safe and a secret room. But what’s in the secret room turns out to be extraordinarily beneficial for Grace… To top it off, there are two single men interested in her! Grace’s plans begin to change as she envisions a life lived in the beautiful south west…
If I were to describe The Secret Vineyard in just one word, it would be fun. (But I won’t because that’s no fun for me to write, nor you as the reader of this review). There are serious issues addressed, like loss and healing, but the overall tone is tongue in cheek. And it works. I’m not too good with romantic comedies (it’s all about the drama, not the LOLs) but the story brought a giggle throughout. Some of the aspects of the novel you might have to take a leap of faith for (like what’s in the secret room) but it’s a load of fun doing so. One of the characters, Scott, cracked me up in his ‘moves’ on Grace. He’s following the textbook but in real life, the smoothness is coming off as awkward. The other contender for Grace’s heart (I can’t reveal spoilers here) is much more sincere in his respect and admiration for her, even when he says nothing at all.
Of course, with three boys in the story, there are going to be plenty of funny moments. There are ghosts, inopportune statements in public bathrooms, even more embarrassment in unlocked bathrooms and a need for pizza. (I heartily approve of the last one). Loretta Hill nails their characters – they’re loud, rambunctious and utterly lovable. Grace’s sister Rachel is a calming voice of sense in the background and a surprise visitor near the end of the novel provides some perspective Grace didn’t think she needed. It’s a sweet ending to a book that starts with loss but ends with happy gains for all.
Thank you to Penguin Australia for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The Maxwells could be any family, your friends, your relatives, even your own family. That’s how easy it was to relate to them and their problems. As in any family there are people you love and connect with and people you don’t particularly understand. I loved Eve, the middle daughter, she was so unsure of herself but always ready to support everyone else. Maybe it’s because I’m a middle sister myself and saw a bit of myself in Eve’s character. However, I couldn’t really connect with Natasha. She seemed to overreact to everything and not know, or not care, that she was always hurting other people.
I loved that all the men were caring, loving, understanding and supportive. They all had a sense of humour. What good role models they were.
This story is a reminder to all of us that secrets and non communication can only cause heartache and misunderstanding. Keeping problems to yourself does not necessarily stop someone else from feeling pain.
I enjoyed the authors teasing with the different secrets. I kept guessing and thinking I knew what they were, only to find out I was wrong each time. Clever!
I would recommend this enjoyable read filled with romance, humour, love and mystery.
Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC to read and review.
With warmth and humour Hill introduces a family bound by love but divided by secrets. Everyone wants Phoebe to have the wedding of her dreams so they are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen but putting aside their own problems is more difficult than they expect. As the story unfolds we learn of Eve’s guilty conscience, Tash’s heartbreaking tragedy and that Phoebe is keeping secrets of her own.
Hill’s characters are easy like and relate to, Phoebe is the optimist, Eve the pessimist and Tash the perfectionist. The Maxwell patriarch is considered to be a little crazy and the girls Greek mother is all about family and food. The men in the sister’s lives, Heath, Spider and Adonis..uh Adam, are all quite different but prove to be more than capable of holding their own against the Maxwell clan.
The relationships between the family, the sisters and their various lovers are well drawn, though I did think one couple declared true love a little too early to be sensible. It’s perhaps the only off note that mars the plot which includes a touch of suspense, a healthy dose of romance, and lust, and plenty of drama.
Hill has left behind the dry and dusty Pilbara and set this novel in the fertile southern region of the state. I spent many of my school holidays in and around the area of Margaret River, so I particularly enjoyed being able to visit towns familiar to me.
The Maxwell Sisters, Loretta Hill’s fifth novel, is an engaging story about love, relationships, loyalty and family. Enjoy it with a glass of Western Australian wine.
Now, for those of you not keen on mine sites, The Maxwell Sisters is set in a much more desirable region, the south west of Western Australia. This area is world famous for its wine and beaches and is also a foodie heaven. Think chocolate, cheese, great restaurants with picturesque views of endless vines…it’s a great place to visit (in fact, probably half of Perth is there right now). But what about living there?
The Maxwell sisters (Phoebe, Eve and Natasha) did just that. They grew up on their family’s winery, Tawny Brooks (near Yallingup) with their father (‘Mad’ Maxwell, so named for his belief in moons and tides relating to what should be done on the vines) and well-meaning, but overeager mother Anita. The sisters were close (they used the term ‘club members only’ to describe things just for them) right down to sharing clothes. (Amazing!) But something happened as the girls grew into adulthood…Tash now lives alone in Sydney, unemployed, separated from her husband and nursing another secret from her sisters. Eve has a secret, as well as a guilty conscience for burning the winery restaurant and Phoebe…she’s a happy girl, about to be married, but she has a secret too. Phoebe’s determined to make things right (she’s just that sort of girl) so she plans to bring her sisters and her future parents in law to Tawny Brooks to plan her wedding to Spider. They’ll all chip in together, get the restaurant up and running and help with the wedding prep. It’s a good bonding exercise, right?
Of course not! Tash’s husband turns up at the winery to her surprise and Eve catches fire. Lucky that Adonis, er Adam, is there to put out the flames as the new winemaker. Phoebe’s got suspicions about Spider and their dad is being weirder than usual. It’s never boring in the Maxwell household – all the sisters have something going on, whether it is love, lust, doubt or trying to keep something quiet. The story alternates chapters between the three girls, but it never feels contrived or out of place. The story flows beautifully and there are many humorous scenes (such as one sister’s lingerie in another’s car) and there’s a big mishap towards the end, which should be scary but almost seems like another day for the Maxwell sisters! All the girls were likeable – Phoebe wasn’t endlessly perky, she had doubts and fears like any bride. Tash is like Phoebe, but without the (nearly) eternal optimism. When the reader finds out why, it’s handled sensitively and realistically. Eve’s the odd one out because of her lack of confidence, but she’s not annoying for it. She’s got spark, it just takes Adonis – sorry, Adam- to bring it to the forefront.
You might be thinking that Adam was my favourite of the boys the way I keep referring to him as Adonis. Hey, it’s not only my problem – Eve’s got a bad case of it too. He’s a damaged hero, but a man with a good heart and good abs. He’s patient with the girls’ dad and the darling of their mother (mainly by always accepting her offers of food). Heath was a bit more of the strong and silent type, but he shone in the end when he began to talk with Natasha about the collapse of their marriage. The only fly in the ointment for me was Spider, Phoebe’s fiancé. I really wasn’t sure what this guy’s agenda was – good? Bad? Or just weak and easily led? I don’t think this was a flaw in the text, I think Ms Hill set it up this way. Will Spider be redeemed? You’ll have to keep reading. The interactions between all the characters were incredibly realistic – there wasn’t a line of dialogue that felt clunky or a scene that felt out of place. I think it would be very difficult to plot a novel with so many characters and so many plot threads, but it’s done brilliantly. Plus, I never forgot at what point of the journey each sister was at. The story was memorable, and I continue to be a big fan of Loretta Hill’s work. I’m looking forward to reading more of her books set down south. I might even have to visit soon for research purposes!
Thank you to Random House for the eARC. My review is honest and unaffected by this (I would have bought the book on the day of release anyway).
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
You may think that as the book’s title starts with ‘The Girl in the…’ it’s a continuation on from Loretta Hill’s second book, The Girl in the Hard Hat. But no, this book is predominantly set in northern Queensland. It does still feature an engineering setting (this time the Barnes Inc. crew is building a ship loader for a new bay on a wharf) but the majority of the characters are new. For those who want to know more about Dan, Lena, Wendy and Gavin, the book opens with a wedding and introduces Lena’s friend, Emily. Emily was one of the gang from uni – now, she feels stifled and a failure because she doesn’t have such exciting responsibilities as the others. She counts cracks in buildings in preparation for a new city tunnel while her best friend Will is part of the ship loader team in Queensland. To top it off, her almost-fiancé has dumped her.
With Will’s help (meaning a mention to his boss); Emily gets a job at the Barnes Inc. site in Queensland. Like Lena and Wendy before her, Emily has a few things to learn about being one of few women on site (Rule 1: never lounge by the pool in a bikini alone). In general though, the crew are helpful and pleasant. Especially when there’s a bet laid on who will win Emily’s heart…
Oblivious to this, Emily befriends the owner of the resort where the FIFO (fly in, fly out workers) live. Charlotte doesn’t have it easy – she’s a full time carer for her mother and her sister. In between, she’s trying to lay down the rules for the men (like pick up your beer cans) but getting nowhere with the boss, Mark (or Caesar as his employees call him). Mark is shut off, temperamental and abrupt (think Mr Darcy at his worst). Underneath his strict routine and cold-blooded demeanour, there’s a grieving man underneath. It might just take a letter from the past and a turkey to heal him…
What I loved about The Girl in the Yellow Vest is that alternating chapters are told from each character’s point of view, so the reader really gets into their heads. It’s not strictly Emily, Will, Mark, Charlotte and repeat – Hill has the knack for knowing exactly who the reader is dying to hear more about! The characters are also quite different, which is refreshing. There’s the overly serious Mark and Charlotte, who’s barely hanging on but doesn’t want to let others see. Emily and Will are sweet in their uncertainty, but Will demonstrates a moral backbone that makes him just a little too nice at times. They also had many layers that were gradually revealed throughout the novel, Mark in particular. (Who knew?) I also liked the contrast between the two relationships – both Emily and Mark are starting again, but their relationships are worlds apart – perhaps because of age, perhaps because of the degree of hurt.
Hill also sets up some beautiful scenes in the surrounding areas, from a dive on the Great Barrier Reef to fancy dinners in Mackay and Brisbane. The whole narrative has a lovely Australian feel, celebrating the beauty and freedom of our country. There’s also some great drama that unfolds throughout the novel – I honestly wondered at how it would all be solved. Hill has a talent for writing funny scenes – the section on Mark and Charlotte at the Great Barrier Reef was wonderfully funny, as were the missed opportunities between Emily and Will. I think this book could work really well as a television series!
With drama, action, romance and humour, The Girl in the Yellow Vest is a definite summer must read!
Thank you to Random House Australia and Net Galley for the eARC.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Kate is sick of her best friend Lisa trying to set her up with complete strangers but, as hard as she tries, she can’t convince Lisa that she’s alright just the way she is, single. So Kate tells one little white lie: she makes up a boyfriend. Trouble is, her made up boyfriend shows up in her life and takes his role as her real boyfriend. Kate has never seen him before and now she has to pretend to be her girlfriend? Lies do catch up with you… And the worst is Kate is beginning to wish her lie would become true.
A novella that is easy to read with a fun and light story.
Emily Woods was expecting her boyfriend of five years to propose, instead he asked her to move out and with her engineering career, stalled, she is in desperate need of a fresh start so when her best friend, Will, offers to find her work at his current project on Queensland’s coast, Emily jumps at the chance. Will is excited at the prospect of Emily joining him in Mackay, for five long years he has been careful to never betray his attraction to her, but now that she is single, perhaps he will find an opportunity to tell her how he feels.
I enjoyed the change of scenery Hill provides in The Girl in the Yellow Vest. Previous books, The Girl in Steel-Capped Boots and The Girl in the Hard Hat, featured Western Australia’s Pilbara region while here, Hill sets the book in Northern Queensland, based on a project she once worked at the Hay Point Wharf.
Emily and Will’s transition from friends to lovers is slow but lovely, both are afraid of damaging their close friendship and admitting their mutual attraction. Will is especially wary given his long standing friendship with Emily’s ex and the possibility they might make up. It takes a good while for Emily to realise that her feelings for Will have changed and their attempts to connect are plagued by miscommunication, poor timing and outside interference.
The subplot involving Barnes Inc boss, Mark Crawford and hotel owner Charlotte Templeton tends to steal the limelight from Emily and Will though. Charlotte, struggling with a failing business, a rebellious teenage sister and ill mother, and Mark, still mired in grief after the death of his wife two years previously, barely tolerate each other to begin with and the complications of their lives affects the way in which their relationship develops.
Really my only complaint about the novel is in regards to Mark, who, apart from being very similar to Dan ‘Bulldog’ in The Girl in the Steel Capped Boots, his speech in particular is too formal and often didn’t sound ‘true’.
I did really enjoy The Girl in the Yellow Vest, I love the way the author combines humour, romance and drama in an unique Australian setting. It was also lovely to be briefly reunited with previous characters (the book opens at Dan and Lena’s wedding) and I look forward to catching up with these characters again in Hill’s next book.
Kate Dreson, who has been single for two years after she discovers her fiancé has been cheating on her from basically the beginning of their relationship, is constantly being set up by her matchmaker from hell best friend, Lisa. After yet another setup, she gets fed up with the matchmaking and tells her friend one little white lie, saying she has someone that she has been seeing. Unfortunately, her friend knows her too well and knows right away that she is lying so she plays a trick on her by finding this ”boyfriend” and has him show up to her engagement party. What a shock for Kate that her imaginary boyfriend is now a real handsome man that she finds herself attracted to. Will Kate find love with her new imaginary turned real boyfriend?
I highly recommend this cute novella. I found that it reminded me of a mix of a few romantic comedies where the girl has a fake boyfriend to get her parents off her back. I really enjoyed this novella and I can’t wait to read more of Loretta Hill’s works.
Even though it is a novelette Kate came alive on the pages for me, she definitely has trust issues thanks to her ex so finds it hard to trust the men that her friend sets her up with – and some of those men have fallen into the ‘what was Lisa thinking’ category. I also understood where Henry was coming from as far as his trust issues go – he is tired of being wanted for who he is rather than for himself.
You would think this prickly pair would be a match made in heaven – but the path to true love never runs smooth!
I really enjoyed it and I have ‘The Girl in the Hard Hat’ lined up ready to go.
The sense of place was just wonderful, and I fell a little in love with the Pilbara along with Lena. The characters are memorable and engaging, and the romance was full of tension and spark. I say that as someone who is decidedly not a romance reader.
Loretta Hill has done a skillful job in the slow reveal of Lena's character, her secret, Bulldog's secret, and the progress of the Pilbara project. All of the storylines in the book are engaging and tied up in a satisfying way.
I loved Hill's use of Australian slang and dialect to give her characters their own distinct voices, and I really enjoyed Lena's solutions to her engineering problems - social and structural.
This is a smart book, with likable characters, great pacing and all kinds of spark.
Lena is a graduate engineer, who is not sure whether she’s worthy of her degree. A city girl who loves her shopping and her lattes, she’s devastated to be told she’s going to a camp in the remote north of the state to work on expansion of a wharf for loading iron ore. With her new home a small donga (that’s a transportable unit), drab dusty uniform compulsory and camp home to hundreds of men, it’s not the life she was looking for. In between trying to prove herself to the men and fending off advances, Lena’s trying to adjust. However, Dan Hullog (or Bulldog) isn’t making life easy for her. Will she stand the test?
I loved this book. It combined a lot of elements that I enjoy – an Australian setting, a clever character (c’mon, since when do female engineers make common heroines?), a lot of banter, friendship, a bit of mystery and a touch of romance. Hill is clearly talented, particularly in making Lena’s colleagues stand out as individuals in the sea of men. Carl the manager and his blue language (which won’t be to everyone’s taste), gossip Radar, silent Dan, slightly creepy Gavin and permanently mad Mike are memorable. Sharon the bus driver is also sweet and a good friend for Lena. As for Lena, she’s quite shallow at the start, but grows throughout the novel to become a worthy heroine to gain the acceptance of her co-workers. The only part I felt that didn’t work all that well was Lena’s ‘secret’ – I don’t think it would be possible for one person to have so much input into university results (especially not with recent scandals). Dan’s secret was much better handled – truly heart wrenching at times.
Hill is also excellent at dialogue, creating witty banter and generally funny comments. She captures the essence of the Pilbara very well too – completely true to life (as I’ve been up that way several times myself). I loved how she took a typically male, macho setting and made a coming of age/romance novel. I can also see how she has grown as a writer – read The Girl in the Hard Hat (the sequel to this book) and the hilarious novella One Little White Lie to see for yourself.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Net Galley Feedback
I recently reviewed Loretta Hill’s The Girl in the Hard Hat and really enjoyed it. I was really interested to see how Hill would tackle a romance novel, given that her previous book focused on a great, underused setting (Western Australia’s Pilbara region). I am pleased to say that this lady is GOOD – her characters absolutely sparkle off the page and into my heart. It’s been a long time since I had a book character crush, but Henry fits the bill. Not only is he handsome, genuinely nice but he’s an incredibly famous (but publicity shy) author. Kate is our heroine and she’s no slouch either – she’s currently writing her PhD thesis. I love that we have two intelligent characters as the protagonists – gives hope to us geeks!
Kate is sick of being hassled by her best friend over her continual single relationship status after a bad breakup with an evil surgeon. Frustrated, she tells Lisa that she does have a boyfriend – she’s just waiting until the right moment to show him off. So it’s a shock when her imaginary boyfriend greets her in person at a party! Henry insists that Kate give him a go, but he’s hiding his megastar author status. Add in a bit of fisticuffs, a lot of missed opportunities and ‘nearly!’ moments. This is the perfect romantic comedy – in book form.
I would say that this is the best novella I’ve read. Usually, I feel somewhat cheated that we don’t get to know the characters in depth and plot lines are left unexplored. Hill achieves this all brilliantly in such a concise way – I felt connected to the characters to the point where I think I’d know Kate if I ran into her on the street. Granted, there are not too many threads woven through this book (it is only 100 pages after all) but I felt that everything was tied up to my satisfaction.
I can confidently say that I’ll read anything Loretta Hill writes from now on. Her ability to bring a smile to my face through her witty prose and character’s adventures means she is an author to watch out for.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Western Australia has been having a mining boom for several years now, and it’s pleasing to see a book set in amongst the camps and construction work. Wendy is Perth raised, but worked as a safety officer on various mining sites. After finding out incidentally that her father may not be her biological dad, she follows a path to bring her to her real father. She ends up working on a wharf construction in W.A.’s Pilbara, near Cape Lambert (a real place, all of towns Hill mentions – Karratha, Wickham, Cossack, Roebourne – are all towns of the Pilbara region). Wendy is met with a certain degree of suspicion at the camp – she’s wearing the enemy’s uniform and she wants to change things to make them slower (but safer). She is met with wariness by the other few female employees (Lena, an engineer, is the main character from The Girl in the Steel Capped Boots) and given a broken down donga without air conditioning (a crime in summer!). Gradually, Wendy makes friends with Lena, Sharon and Cobber and catches the eye of Gavin. In the midst of their wary circling of each other, Gavin and Wendy have a lot of drama to deal with – fights, safety mishaps, weather and a mysterious man.
This book is more than a romance – in fact, romance takes a back seat most of the time. It’s a book describing what is in a way daily life for Australians working ‘up north’. It’s a different portrayal of ‘FIFOs’ (fly in, fly out workers) than what is seen in the media – men behaving badly with a lot of cash to splash. This book shows how the focus is on work – and sometimes it can be dangerous. I liked also how Hill brought the weather into it, as summer can bring all sorts of nasty events with it. It also explains why there is so much focus on buildings being strong enough (or in the case of Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha, half underground) to withstand strong winds and rain.
Wendy is a likeable character, despite her job requiring her to change work practices for the men. She is strong enough to withstand to hostile atmosphere, yet is still feminine. The subplot of finding her father doesn’t overtake the novel and take away perspective from the setting. Gavin is a good hero, nice but still with his faults. His calm demeanour is in contrast to some of the other male characters, such as Carl (favourite word unprintable), Fish (always looking to skive off to go fishing) and Cobber (gentle giant who loves his food).
The second half of this novel was edge of your seat drama – I literally had sit down and finish it straightaway. One of the pairings was a little surprising, so it will be interesting to see if another girl returns to the Pilbara for a sequel.
I loved this book and thought it was a well written tribute to a part of Australia I’m pretty familiar with. I thought Hill got it down pat – the red dirt, the heat, the seafood. The safety and machinery parts were clearly explained and didn’t take up too much detail. It’s very Aussie and a lot of fun with some funny moments. Definitely worth reading!
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
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cookiemo | 5 autres critiques | Jan 17, 2013 |
cookiemo | 5 autres critiques | Jan 17, 2013 | After a two year sabbatical Wendy is eager to return to work but on arrival finds there is no job for her, despite the promises made by her Uncle Mike. Wendy is crushed, she needs to stay in the area to search for the biological father she has only just learnt exists, so when she is instead offered an assistant's position at Barnes Inc she is grateful for the arrangement. Wendy's first mistake is turning up at the camp wearing TCN's uniform, starting a rumour that she is a spy for the client. Her second is annoying the camp clerk who assigns her a donga with a broken air conditioner unit and damaged furniture. Her third is informing Carl that the company's Safety Officer is an alcoholic resulting in the man being unceremoniously fired ad she being promoted to his position. They aren't the only mistakes Wendy makes but perhaps falling for the camp womaniser, Gavin Jones, will be her fourth and final one.
I was happy to return to Cape Lambert and re discover the characters I had grown familiar with in The Girl in the Steel-Capped Boots. Lena, Dan, Carl and Sharon all have a role in the story, as do Fish, Leg and Radar. But it is Gavin, the charming, cheeky, womaniser, and Mike, the misogynst bully, who have the most significant roles in The Girl in The Hard Hat.
Gavin Jones turns out to be an alias, for he hides a secret that prevents him from revealing his real identity. Keeping in character he makes a move on Wendy and is rebuffed but that suits Gavin just fine, he isn't interested in getting involved and Wendy doesn't strike him as the casual type. Yet he can't seem to get that single impulsive kiss out of his head, or ignore the sizzle of attraction between himself and the hot blonde.
Mike is also hiding a secret from Wendy, one that will shock her to her core when he finally confesses.
I found it took me a little while to warm to Wendy, she seemed a little cold and officious initially. Eventually we learn that her guarded behaviour disguises her obsession with finding her father and Wendy's concerns about the safety of the company stem from her failure to prevent a tragic accident at her last job. As she begins to settle into Barnes Inc she recovers some of her equilibrium, befriending her office mate, Chub, as well as Lena and Sharon and daring to admit her attraction to to Gavin, if only to herself.
The romance that develops between Wendy and Gavin burns slowly building sexual tension with smouldering glances and casual touches. There is a little more drama and suspense in The Girl in The Hard Hat- an accident on the wharf, a surprise inspection and a killer stalking the town as a category five cyclone hits the camp head on.
You don't need to have read The Girl in the Steel-Capped Boots to enjoy this novel but I recommend that you do. Well written, witty and entertaining, The Girl in The Hard Hat is an engaging contemporary romance in an unique Australian setting that I can't wait to visit again.
I enjoyed the story and the characters. Lena Todd isn't exactly looking forward to spending months in the isolated Pilbara region building a massive wharf but she is determined to prove herself as a skilled engineer. As one of only five women amongst 350 men, Lena's designer label outfits and good looks don't make the good first impression she hoped for and being mistaken for a cleaner on her first day in the office shakes her confidence. Overcoming the sexist attitudes of the crew, and her own doubts about her abilities is a challenge but Lena surprises everyone, especially the client, when she proves she is capable of not only doing her job, but much more.
I was impressed with the way in which the author revealed the depth of Lena's character as the story progresses. My initial impression of Lena as a flaky party girl was repeatedly challenged as Lena demonstrated intelligence, courage and determination. It is wonderful that Lena not only survives but flourishes in the harsh and difficult conditions. Lena faces realistic situations in her new role, adjusting to living in a field of converted shipping containers (dongars), facing daily sexual harassment and the challenges of working on a massive building project.
While much of of the story explores Lena's adjustment to her unique environment, her relationship with Dan ‘Bulldog’ Hullog adds another layer to the plot. Dan is the demanding client, determined to keep the project on time and on budget, he is not a popular man amongst the crew and Lena is both intimidated by and wary of him. Their relationship is fraught with tension that slowly blossoms into heated attraction, especially when Lena learns of the tragic secret he is hiding.
In a place like the Barnes Inc camp it is not surprising that it has its share of characters. Lena's boss, Carl uses profanity as a noun, verb and adjective but for all his bluster he is a fair man with a soft heart. Gavin, young and cocksure, is a determined suitor who needs taking down a peg or two. Lena's wharf crew which includes men named Leg, Fish and Radar become her champions. Most importantly for Lena she befriends Sharon, one of the few women in the camp, who is the bus driver ferrying the men to the site and back. Lena also has her enemies, Mike is not going to listen to some girl and delights in sabotaging her where possible and she is the continued target of unwelcome harassment. Then there are the kangaroo's that seem determined to get in her way.
I was born in Western Australia and though it has been more than twenty years since I had no choice but to move to the other side of Australia, I still get pangs of homesickness when I read about my home state. Well written, funny and fascinating The Girl in the Steel Capped Boots is a wonderfully entertaining novel.
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reread Nov 2020