Stella Quinn writes believable characters in iconic Australian settings: Rain on a Hot Tin Roof is set in the Clarence River area, a scene of particular nostalgia to me and, therefore, a particularly enjoyable read.
Felicity is attempting to restart her life after fleeing from a relationship in which she was a victim of coercive control, an all too present evil in our world in which someone’s confidence and feelings of self-worth can be destroyed in a surprisingly short time. Felicity has come back to Clarence, her home town, and is teaching at the local high school.
Luke has brought his son, Jace, to Clarence to live on the property Luke co-owns with his much older sister, Sal. He is a mining engineer working on a FIFO basis at a gold mine in Queensland, and Sal is looking forward to being a substitute parent to sixteen-year old Jace for two weeks of every fortnight while Luke is away. Luke has problems of his own, holding himself responsible for an accident in which Jace’s skull was fractured, leading Luke to give up his job and live on his savings for twelve months while he took care of Jace’s lengthy rehabilitation.
It’s a dramatic backdrop but there is light and laughter and the beautiful countryside of northern New South Wales as well as, of course, romantic tension, all written in Stella Quinn’s recognisably beautiful style. I loved it!
Published by Harper Collins
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