4 and ½ Stars! Irish Hero Survives an Australian Sheep StationSet in Australia in the mid 19th century, this is the story of Sarah Markham whose father is a sheep rancher, and Dominic Gallagher, a Irish convict who was transported to Australia for a crime he didn’t commit and was then “purchased” by Sarah’s father to serve out his 15-year sentence. Because he is a man who speaks up when events call for it, he is whipped and abused. Sarah intervenes to save his life.The handsome Irish rogue knows Sarah is attracted to him, as most women are. But the odd thing to him is that he is attracted to her—a tall, skinny and plain woman. Robards, as usual, serves up delicious tension and some exciting action as life in New South Wales on the sheep station presents many dangers: convict uprisings, fires, rustlers and draught. Meanwhile, Sarah’s father is trying to get her to wed his ranch manager who has a cruel, evil side.I loved the picture of the brooding sexy Irish hero—an alpha male to be sure—thrust into the dusty Australian frontier where life is even harder than what he left behind in Ireland where he longs to return. Both Sarah, who is biased against convicts, and Dominic, who has suffered wrong at the hands of his mother and now Sarah’s father, have trust issues they must overcome. And Dominic has connections to an English earl…Robards’ portrayal of Australia is vivid (had me reaching for a glass of water!) and her characters very well drawn. A worthy read combining a favorite hero origin and a fascinating time in history.
Struggled between 3 and 4 stars. Karen Robards wrote "Amanda Rose," and these two books remind me of one another. They both have an attention-grabbing beginning. They both involve an innocent, but judged guilty convict. And, most unfortunately, both involve couples with communication and trust issues. In this one, I almost liked it one star more than the other, but the woman was as dense as the man if not more so, so it drove me crazy. It kept my attention. The passionate scenes were better start to finish than the other I mentioned. The adventures and change in control were kind of fun. I just don't like that cliché in romances... The one where the reader is begging both parties to be honest about their feelings etc. If I could, I'd give it a 3.5...
What do You think about Dark Torment (1985)?
I read this forever ago, but as I recall it, it is a historical romance that takes place in the Australian outback. The hero arrived on a ship full of criminals and is sold as an indentured servant to the heroine's family. He is put to work, particularly with horses I believe and he and the heroine clash. He doesn't like the fact that she saved his life and she doesn't like that he's so beneath her (nor that he tempts her). She has a tendency to treat her like shit and he has a tendency to act a
—Maura
Basically, a historical romance bodice ripper. (See the original cover: http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/6...)Wrongly convicted handsome Irish rogue is transported to Australia as a convict. Sheep rancher's early twenties ugly duckling "old maid" of a virgin daughter falls in love with him. First she is in charge, as he is a convict working at the ranch. Then she gets kidnapped by a group of brigands and he's the one in charge. Formulaic, but I liked the characters and the shifting power dynamics. (That's what the BDSM__D/s tag is for. There is bondage and whipping, but not the fun kind.)But it's been a good while (decades) since I read this genre on a regular basis, so it was a nice change of pace.
—mlady_rebecca
I usually do not enjoy romance out of traditional regency setting, so it was to my surprise that I couldn't put the book down. The clash and tension between two proud people was not as unreasonable as I first expected it to be. They've both got reasons for acting the way they do, and what I particularly liked is how Sarah transformed, and her very understandable internal conflict between being associated with a convict and undeniable passion made their relationship even more convincing. While the love-hate relationship is the hallmark of old school bodice ripper, it still worked quite efficiently. The only problem I had is that when you skip all the sex scenes, the book becomes awfully short.
—Elen
