BOOK CLUB: Mr Right Now

Author: Karly Lane
ISBN:9781760632663
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: May 2019
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher

Karly Lane has long been a favourite of mine, even though there are a couple of her earlier works that I know I missed. They are definitely on the one day wishlist but for now I’m just trying to keep up with her new releases. She’s also a favourite with many of our members so it was with great anticipation we awaited the release of Mr Right now, and are now back to waiting for the next in the series.

I actually read this very early in the month but haven’t been managing to keep up with the reviews. So it looks like thorough reviews may be taking a little bit of a backseat.

Mr Right Now is the second book in the Callahans of Stringybark Creek series. The great thing about the books in a rural romance series is that they pretty much stand on their own two feet, so it doesn’t matter if you read the whole series or if you read it in order. There is enough info about the relevant events that you aren’t left floundering to understand what’s happening, though it is always nice to follow the group of characters through all of the storylines.

Griffin Callahan is the son of a farmer, the son that has farming in his blood. He is working the farm with his father and the two spend a lot of time at loggerheads.

Olivia Dawson is the farmgirl next door with big dreams who always saw a life outside of Stringybark Creek. She and Griff were inseparable as kids and high school sweethearts but when Griff went off to Ag College Liv broke it off then headed to the city to study law.

A farming accident has left Liv’s dad in the hospital and her twin brother taking over on the farm, during harvest. Liv comes home to help out and it seems that some sparks never die.

It has been a long time since Griff and Liv were inseparable teens in love and over the years they have run in to each other occasionally, if it wasn’t hard enough to avoid someone in a small town this situation was made trickier by the fact that the families were also connected by the bonds of strong friendships.

Things are changing for Griff and Liv, they are starting to reassess priorities and being back in close proximity reminds them how much they once meant to one another. They still lead very different lives, can they really find a second chance or do they need to keep setting each other free?

I loved Mr Right Now because Lane deals with some of the harsh realities of farming, she explores family dynamics with sensitivity and she writes with such a fabulous sense of humour. Life is never dull in Lane’s books and part of that is the tensions and the clashes that drive the story but for the most part it’s the ever-present sense of fun. There always seems to be light-hearted teasing or pranks.

I don’t want to say too much about the actual storyline but there is a lot of miscommunication, which is prevalent in many rural romances and it really does have me sitting back thinking just have a conversation for goodness sake. It’s easy to say but in practice life often doesn’t work that way either.

Mr Right Now explores farming, friendship and family with insight and humour and explores many of the challenges that come along with all of them.

Drought, illness, injury and accident can have such a profound effect on the financial viability of farming and one bad season could be the make or break of a family legacy. Lane explores some interesting diversifying options and I love the passion inherent in her characters.

Mr Right Now made me laugh, made me cry and made me ignore the world around me as I escaped to Stringybark Creek. I look forward to the next instalment, to see if my theories come to fruition and to check in on the characters I’ve grown to love.

Karly Lane loves to hear from her readers, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her Website.

Mr Right Now is published by Allen & Unwin and available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.

Thanks to Allen & Unwin a selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Mr Right Now so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.

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