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KAYHAN | 9"inch SatNAV for SUBARU Outback / Liberty | 2009 - 2014 Baseline Models | 2020
KAYHAN | 9"inch SatNAV for SUBARU Outback / Liberty | 2009 - 2014 Baseline Models | 2020
Source: youtu.be/rsJqjydJI1w
KAYHAN | 9"inch SatNAV for SUBARU Outback / Liberty | 2009 - 2014 Baseline Models | 2020
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Well not bad. I just didn't realize when I got this via NetGalley this was a Christian romance. I tend to stay away from that genre because I just don't enjoy it at all. It didn't help that I realized half way through that this was a sequel to another novel with some of the same characters. This was cute though and I just gave it four stars though it didn't wow me that much. A very solid romance that I can see readers who enjoy Christian fiction enjoying.
"A Girl's Guide to the Outback" follows Samuel (Sam) Payton a youth minister living in VA. Plot reasons cause Sam to quit his job at the church and return to his family's farm in Australia to help out his sister Jules. Sam's coworker Kimberly chases after Sam in order to get him to come back to the ministry with an agreement that if she manages to help the farm become profitable he will return. Sparks fly.
Honestly I didn't find Sam or Kimberly that gripping, they had some hilarious banter and they are obviously attracted to each other. Everything is very PG-13.
There's also a side romance story going on with Sam's sister and their neighbor Mitch. When did we start doing that in romance books? Can we get back to just focusing on the leads and that's it?
The writing was okay and the flow was too.
The setting was fun though since I have only read a handful of romance books that have taken place in Australia.
Steakhouses are well known around the country of America, and the love people show for such joints. Therefore, in simple words, steakhouse means eating a good amount of meat items, and this is always being an American favourite, above all the food items. However, currently, the Brazilian steakhouse located in Copper city is gaining, a good amount of name because of their mouth-watering, and authentic meaty items. Honestly, you will never be satisfied as you will definitely come to them for more.
Things to know about the Brazilian steakhouses
Unlike the American steakhouses, which is located in almost every corner of the country, where you need to select the type of meat you want, and how you want it to be good. That is not the style of the Brazilian Steakhouse Copper City, you do not get to select one, but all the things, as the servers will come around to your table, carrying meat in their hand, and will serve you accordingly.
The food items provided by this steakhouse, take the help of the finest and freshest herbs, ingredients, and spices, in order to offer an authentic taste to the dish. The meat is delivered to them from the best butchers in the city, and all the meat is delivered each day so that you get to receive the freshest and the best quality meat.
The staff members
The staff members of the Brazilian Steakhouse Copper City, are known to work quickly, and efficiently, so that your order delivered to your table in time. The workers are very polite, well-mannered, and humble, and possessing such unique qualities have allowed the steakhouse, to receive a household name.
They will also make sure that you do not feel uncomfortable, or any type of discomfort and if you wish to know more, about a certain food item, they will happily offer you the information, as they are trained to carry the knowledge of every food item, in the menu.
On the other hand, the chefs are the gods of the restaurant, as their unique skills have allowed them to create top-quality steakhouse classics, and the customers happen to enjoy them with all their heart.
Things to know about the steakhouse
Rather than their meaty food items, this, also serves Peruvian food items, and Chifa food items as well. The Chifa is the combination of Chinese-Peruvian fusion, and the results are extraordinary. They have a diverse range of mouth-watering delicacies, which will leave you speechless, and their signature dishes from both categories, which is currently the talk of the town.
Individuals from all over the state come to grab a bite, of the authentic and delicate pieces of food dishes. The steakhouse has recently launched their mobile applications, which will serve as a new and window for ordering food online, and you need not visit the steakhouse directly, to receive a takeaway.
Try out the food items from this well-known steakhouse
Get to try authentic Brazilian style meat, from one of the reputed and famous steakhouses in Cooper City, Florida. Unlike the meat, you will be also served both Chifa and Peruvian delicacies, which is prepared and cooked with the freshest and finest ingredients, herbs, and spices, giving you a chance to experience Peru in a plate.
Thanks to NetGalley and to Little, Brown Book Group UK, for offering me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review. I’m also grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for the launch of the book. After having read both of Jane Harper’s previous books, The Dry and Force of Nature, I rushed to grab this one as soon as I saw it was available. And yes, although it is quite different from the other two, it is another winner.
The two previous books, two thrillers/mysteries, had as protagonist Aaron Falk, a federal investigator of fraud and related crimes, who somehow gets involved in cases outside his comfort zone, for different reasons. Here, there is no professional investigator (however loosely Falk’s credentials might relate to the mystery at hand). I had mentioned in my reviews of the two previous books the fact that the stories put me in mind of domestic noir, and this is even more the case here. It might sound strange to talk about noir when the setting is the Australian outback (the nearest town is Balamara, Winton, Queensland), but plot and character-wise, it fits neatly into the category. And it is atmospheric, for sure. Harper is masterful at making us feel as if we were there, in this unusual and totally unique place, where going out for a walk might end up getting you killed.
The story is set around Christmas time, (summer in Australia), and is told in the third person from the point of view of Nathan Bright, the oldest son of the Bright family, who lives alone in his farm after his divorce, four hours away from the rest of his family, and very far from his ex-wife and his son, Xander, who live in Brisbane. Xander is visiting his father for Christmas (he is sixteen and due to his studies it is likely this might be the last Christmas they spend together for the foreseeable future), and as they prepare to celebrate the holidays, Nathan gets a call. His middle brother, Cameron, has been found dead in pretty strange circumstances. His dead body was by the stockman’s grave, a grave in the middle of the desert subject of many stories and local legends, and a place Cameron had made popular thanks to one of his paintings. Bub, the younger brother, is waiting for Nathan and explains to him that their brother’s car was found nine miles away, in perfect working order, fully stocked with food and water. So, what was their brother doing there, and why did he die of dehydration? When the questions start coming, it seems that Cam, a favourite in town and well-liked by everybody, had not been himself recently and seemed worried. Was it suicide then, or something else?
Nathan is not the typical amateur detective of cozy mysteries, another aspect that reminds me of domestic noir. He is not somebody who enjoys mysteries, or a secret genius, and he only gets involved because he keeps observing things that don’t seem to fit in with the official explanation. As this is his family, he cannot help but keep digging and has to remain involved because, for one, he has to attend his brother’s funeral. The main characters in domestic noir tend to have troubled lives and be hindered by their problems, no matter how convinced they are that they have it all under control. As the book progresses, they learn how wrong they are. In this case, Nathan is a flawed character and lacks insight into his state of mind and that of his life. He has committed some terrible mistakes (perhaps even unforgivable ones), and he is the black sheep of the family, in appearance at least. As you might expect, things are not as they seem, and during the book he grows and learns, and not only about his brother’s death. Nathan might not be the most familiar of characters or the most immediately sympathetic to many readers due to his closed-off nature, but through the novel we also learn about his past and the circumstances that made him the man he is now.
The clues and to the case appear at a slow pace and naturally, rather than feeling forced, and they do not require a lot of procedural or specialized knowledge. There are also red herrings, but most of them go beyond an attempt at wrong-footing readers, and provide important background information that helps build up a full picture of the people and the place. In style the book reminds us of old-fashioned mysteries, without extreme violence or excessive attention being paid to the procedures of the police or to complex tests. No AND tests and no CSI on sight here. This is a book about characters, motivations, and the secrets families keep.
In contrast to the first two novels written by Harper, this book is deceptively simple in its structure. The book takes place over a few days, around Christmas, and, as I said, it is all told from the point of view of Nathan. The story is told chronologically, although there are moments when we get some important background into the story, be it thanks to Nathan’s memories, or to episodes and events narrated to him by other characters. The book manages to keep a good balance between showing and telling and it is very atmospheric, although it moves at its own pace, meandering and perfectly suited to the setting. I’ve never visited the Australian outback and have never experienced anything like the extreme weather conditions described in the book, but I felt the oppressive sensation, the heat, the agoraphobia induced by the open spaces, and the horror of imagining yourself in Cam’s circumstances. The initial setting, with the lonely gravestone, made me think of a Western, and the life in the ranch, isolated and extreme, where surviving requires a daily fight against the elements, made the story feel primordial and timeless. Although the story is set in modern times (there is no specific date, but despite the distance from civilisation, there is talk of mobiles, internet, GPS, etc.), due to the location, people are forced to live as if time had not truly moved on, and they have to depend on themselves and those around them, because if your car or your air conditioning break down, it could mean your death.
Apart from her evident skill in describing Australia and everyday life in the outback (she refers to her research and sources in her acknowledgments), the author is masterful at creating characters that are multi-dimensional and psychologically and emotionally believable, as I explained when talking about the main protagonist. These are people used to living alone and not allowing their vulnerabilities to show. Even within the family, its members keep secrets from each other and don’t share their feelings, although they might all know about what has happened, because that’s what they’ve always seen and known, and perhaps they believe that if you don’t talk about it you can keep it contained. The secrets are slowly revealed, and although many readers will suspect the nature of some of them, that does not diminish their power and impact. The themes discussed are, unfortunately, very current, and although I won’t talk about them in detail, to avoid spoilers, I am sure they will resonate with most readers. Although the ending will probably not be a huge surprise to most readers, it is built up expertly, and I found it very satisfying.
I had to share a couple of samples of writing, although it was a hard choice:
In the centre was a headstone, blasted smooth by a hundred-year assault from sand, wind and sun. The headstone stood a metre tall and was still perfectly straight. It faced west, towards the desert, which was unusual out there. West was rarely anyone’s first choice.
The name of the man buried beneath had long since vanished and the landmark was known to locals —all sixty-five of them, plus 100,000 head of cattle— simply as the stockman’s grave. That piece of land had never been a cemetery; the stockman had been put into the ground where he had died, and in more than a century no-one had joined him.
There was something about the brutal heat when the sun was high in the sky and he was watching the slow meandering movement of the herds. Looking out over the wide-open plains and seeing the changing colours in the dust. It was the only time when he felt something close to happiness… It was harsh and unforgiving, but it felt like home.
In sum, this is a book for people who enjoy an unusual mystery and books focused on characters rather than fast-paced plots. If you love well-written books, and don’t mind investing some time into the story and its characters, especially if you are keen on an Australian setting, you should not miss this one. I will be on the lookout for the author’s next book.
Jarrah is a lawyer. Olivia is a doctor. Olivia has just finished medical school. But Olivia is taking a thirty day vacation in Australia. Olivia’s sister Abi is getting married after getting through cancer. Olivia will be there to spend some time with Abi and also be there for her wedding. Olivia and Abi lost their parents when they were teens. Liv gave up things so Abi could do well and Olivia could take care of her. Abi is marrying Ryder and Jarrah is her brother. Olivia is attracted to Jarrah but he is very cautious as he is a playboy. Jarrah and Olivia start a relationship believing it was just a fling and Olivia won’t do anything to jeopardise her job where she will be making a hefty paycheck. No more penny pinching.
I liked this book. It choked me up at times. I highly advise you read the books of this series at the very least it will help you keep family members straight. I really loved the ending. This was an easy read. I loved the interaction between Olivia and Jarrah I felt like I was right there with everyone. I loved the Harper family. But at times this was a little confusing and dragged for me. I also felt like there was too many characters. I loved how Jarrah charged as their relationship grew. The ending was predictable. But I loved the ins and outs of this and I recommend.
