Review: Red Dirt Heart #3 by N.R. Walker

Life for Charlie Sutton has never been better, or busier. With Travis now a permanent fixture of Sutton Station, a permanent fixture at Charlie’s side, Charlie’s convinced he couldn’t do anything on his ever-growing to-do list without him.

He can run a multimillion dollar cattle business, finish his degree, try and further the local beef industry, deal with staff issues, Ma’s failing health, and an attention-demanding wombat.

He can even deal with an unexpected visitor and some shattering news.

He can deal with it all, as long as he has Travis.

But what happens when he doesn’t? Red Dirt Heart 3 is the story of Charlie Sutton finally realising he can be the man Travis Craig deserves, even if he doesn’t have Travis. It’s a story of love, family, holding on, letting go and coming home.

Nose nudges and foot holding.

If you know these boys you know I could really stop right here and call this review done.

These two are so good at the moments and this continuation of their story is perfect.

While Charlie is really the focus, Charlie isn’t Charlie without Travis and since I’ve been following them since the first book, I just can’t help but love the man that Charlie has become.

It’s amazing how much story can come from basically one setting, but that just shows the strength of the characters the author has created. There were some scary moments in this one with lots of potential for heartbreak. But, instead of becoming overly dramatic, the characters were polarizing and the tough times gave their personalities a chance to shine. And, when I’m reading about characters with such great personalities, I don’t care if they ever leave the station. I just want to sit here, read their interactions and become a part of their world.

As always the secondary characters added to the story really well and they are just as integral to everything at the station as Travis and Charlie. I really felt the family element in this one, like the dynamics have been evolving just like Charlie has and the closeness of the characters rang true all the way through the book. By the end I was completely enamored of Charlie’s soft heart. There was some surprises from Charlie’s past and more information and understanding about his biological family that made his chosen family even more important to him.

One thing that happens when a character grows as much as Charlie has over the course of the series, is the overwhelming potential for a broken heart. Travis holds him to full disclosure though. No bottling up of emotions allowed at Sutton Station anymore. It’s a continuous struggle and was actually quite sweet to read Charlie’s struggles with sharing his feelings. He’s a total trooper though and it made the interactions between Charlie and pretty much every other character that much better.

Because Charlie and Travis are so much more settled in Book 3 they could really be the strength for one another in this one and not just finding their way to each other throughout. Charlie wouldn’t be Charlie without some kind of Travis angst of course. It was good though and I think while the circumstances surrounding Travis having to head home were heartbreaking, in the long run it was a good thing for their relationship and for Charlie in particular. I felt awful for Travis, because it would have been so much better for him if he and Charlie could have been together, it did force Charlie to become the man he needs to be for Travis, for himself and for all of Sutton Station. It also took their relationship to a more mature level fitting for the 3rd book of the series.

Also, Nugget is beyond adorable. I don’t think there could be any more perfect critter for these guys than little Nugget. The fact that he bonded so tightly with Charlie just made him that much more of a perfect pain in the ass. And, I loved him.

For more information on Red Dirt Heart #3, check it out on Goodreads.

***a copy of this story was provided for an honest review***