Marc reviews the audiobook version of’Red Dirt Heart 2′ (Red Dirt 2) by NR Walker. The eBook version was published by the author on August 17th, 2014 and is about 352 pages long. The audiobook version was published on January 18th, 2017, narrated by Joel Leslie and is 7 hrs and 10 mins long.
RGR received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read this book: I loved the audiobook of ‘Red Dirt Heart’. It is awesome that in a book set in Australia, the characters have an Australian accent. Given that the author lives there and selected the narrator, I think it is authentic and it really drew me into the story and to the for me exotic setting. Still, even as a non-native English speaker, I had no trouble to understand the narration. So when I had the opportunity to listen to the second book, it was a no-brainer to me.
Check out Bethany’s review of ‘Red Dirt Heart’ (Red Dirt 1) HERE and Dana’s review of ‘Red DIrt Heart 4’ (Red DIrt 4) HERE.
Up until Travis arrived on his doorstep, Charlie had lived a very solitary life. He had surrounded himself with isolation; a couple million acres of red dirt, scorching sun and loneliness.
Six months on, winter has settled over the desert, and Charlie has the life he never dreamed possible. But living and working together, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for six months straight starts to take its toll.
Charlie is a stubborn, stubborn man, who tends to have more conversations in his head than what comes out his mouth, whereas Travis has no problem saying what’s on his mind. And even as they both struggle to communicate, struggle to make sense of need versus want, Charlie can see that he’s pushing Travis away – yet seems helpless to stop it.
When it all boils down to whether Travis should stay or go, maybe the decision won’t be theirs to make.
Buy Links:
AUDIO Audible | iTunes EBOOK Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes
This is the second book in the ‘Red Dirt’ series by N.R. Walker and it should be read in order. If you haven’t read book one yet, I highly recommend you rectify that! If you have already read the books, give the audiobooks a try. It may not work for everyone, but there is a sample that gives you an idea how the audiobook sounds. For me, Joel Leslie did an amazing job in creating an authentic and engaging narration.
As the title suggests, the red dirt of the land, the unique beauty and harshness of the land with all of it benefits and challenges is a main character in this series. The narration with authentic Australian accents as well as the beautiful descriptions of the land by the author transported me to the exotic setting halfway across the globe.
This book was published in 2014 and is still a favorite for many readers, as is the entire series. I’m so glad that with the audiobook release, new readers like me can find and experience the story. It may sound like the typical MM Romance cowboy story, just with a different setting. However there is a stark beauty and depth to the series that I did not expect when I first read it and this wonderful sequel delivered the same kind of response for me.
At the end of book one, Charlie and Travis found together in a beautiful way and were ready to make a go at it. Charlie had always been isolated and alone, but he found another person who seemed to take to the red desert like a duck to water and seemed like a perfect fit for him.
Even though they seem to belong together, I loved the very realistic struggles Charlie and Travis had to face in this book. A relationship is not easy and Charlie never seemed the best communicator. The problems they have were easy to understand for me and seemed completely in character, but I am glad they were able to overcome them, in order to face a serious external threat to their love together. I love that the main characters are so flawed and human and I love them even more for it.
They may need to fight for their HEA again and again, but they so deserve it. Good to know that whatever struggles lay before them in the sequels, they will get their happiness in the end.
I also loved that the heartbreaking and sad parts as they struggle with aspects of their relationship are just one part to an amazing story. There is burning hot passione between these two men, who are unquestionably very much in love with each other. There is a lot of wonderful humor and a cute, little guest star who almost stole the show.
Even with the focus on the two men we have grown to love, we continue to learn new things about secondary characters and they become more interesting and well-rounded characters. They feel like real people with their own personalites, their own lives, their own struggles. I really cared about what happened to them- they are family now.
Still, the main attraction of this book to me was Charlie’s character development. He has gotten what he wanted, more than he ever thought possible, but he has serious issues to work through that almost cost him everything. He has low self esteem and is still haunted by his father, has so much fear of losing Travis that he is pushing him away and still can’t openly deal with his own sexuality.
There is a lot he has to work out in this book and while it hurt to see him struggle and I wanted to smack him at times, I was very satisfied about his journey in this book and think you will be as well.
I can highly recommend this sequel, though if you have read the first book, I think you will already know ‘Red Dirt Heart 2’ would be a MUST-READ no one should miss. I am looking forward to listening to the next book, as soon as it hits audible.
10/10 Pots of Gold (100 % recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
Who am I?
Email: nrwalker2103@gmail.com
Website: http://nrwalker.wordpress.com
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