Didn't let me down

Have you listened to any of Joel Leslie’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, this was the first narration I have heard by John Leslie.

Any additional comments?

I have read the whole series and am a big fan. I love the realtionships in the book, not just between the main characters but also the other characters. I was worried the narrator might ruin the book for me if he didn't get the accents right, thankfully that didn't happen they were great. I found the longer I listened the better they got, I can't wait for the next one.

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Very little angst!

If you could sum up Red Dirt Heart in three words, what would they be?

Sweet, charming and passionate.

Have you listened to any of Joel Leslie’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Never.
I need a chapter time to adapt to his accent but his timbre of voice (bass-hoarse) was remarkably on the point. I could feel Charlie's story with every fiber of my being.

Any additional comments?

I like it when N.R. Walker's boys do dirty things...but like it much more when they fall in love. This was exactly the case here but, in the first part their dirtiness was a little more for my personal preference.

I liked the progression of the relationship between Charlie and Travis, beginning from animal (passionate and desperate) attraction and finishing with something more.... love? I always love to be included some contrasting negative character and here was the figure of dead father. Being gay wasn’t on his father’s wish list.

I liked as well as the relationship among Charlie, George and Ma. Those supporting characters were well written and added so much additional flavor to the story.

My favorite part was the the setting.Just stunning. The red dirt, the heat of the outback and one secret place were so complementary to loneliness of the main character.

Overall, for a short novel, Red Dirt Heart by N.R. Walker was a sweet, charming and passionate M/M Contemporary Romance.

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I loved the book, read it twice.

I loved this book, it is one of my favourite books in the MM genre, with the additional advantage of an appropriate voice reading it, and reading it well.

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This is a brilliant narration!

It can be a worry, that sometimes a much loved book can be spoiled by a poor narration, I'm thrilled that this is the exact opposite, it's been a joy from start to finish, I thoroughly recommend this and can't wait for Joel Leslie to record the rest of the series.

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Fantastic book, fantastic narration

What made the experience of listening to Red Dirt Heart the most enjoyable?

Joel Leslie.

What did you like best about this story?

The humour,the angst,the characters, all good.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

In both books, 1 and 2, The scenes where Travis took in stray baby animals were funny and endearing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The scene where Travis was trying to convince Charlie to ask him to stay. Beautifully narrated.

Any additional comments?

Hoping more N.R. walker series will become available in audible, namely the Thomas Elkin series

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I've waited for this

What made the experience of listening to Red Dirt Heart the most enjoyable?

Joel Leslie's narration is excellent, and he is so good at creating different voices to the different characters. Another plus with him is that he does believable female voices too (no falsetto screeching in his performances), so Ma sounds just right (to me).

What other book might you compare Red Dirt Heart to, and why?

Ariel Tachna's Lang Down Series, as that too is set in Austrialia with a US import (ie second MC), although the narration doesn't come close to Joel's (in my opinion). Mind you, I'm not Australian, English isn't even my mother tongue, but I've listened to enough audiobooks to know what I like when it comes to inflection, cadence and character differentiation. :)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Won't say too much as it's kind of "spoilerish", except it involves a horse returning without it's rider.

Any additional comments?

I hope N.r. Walker decides to do the rest of the series in Audio too, and that she gets Joel to do the narration. It's one of my all-time favourite series, and I adore Charlie & Travis.

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Fabulous Story

If you could sum up Red Dirt Heart in three words, what would they be?

Sweet, romantic, fun.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The Australian accent wasn't great.

Any additional comments?

I'm a huge NR Walker fan and this was the first time I've managed to listen to a whole romance book on audio.

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And so their life begins

This is life in the outback and all the fears and worries that goes with life there. this is a fantastic story that gives you a feeling ofthe trials out there without the fifty degrees temperature, this is the start and if you enjoy follow it through the series.

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Can I marry Joel Leslie's voice?

I hate writing reviews of books I love and narrators I could listen to over and over again. Why? Because nothing I ever come up with can reflect truly the talent and skill of both N.R.Walker and Joel Leslie.
Red Dirt Heart is only the beginning of Charlie and Travis' journey and what a beginning it is. I loved every second of this book and cannot wait to get started on the next one. Romance aside this book makes me want to pack up my life and go travelling the depths of Australia. I don't really like deadly spiders, snakes and such so the next best thing I can do is to close my eyes and listen to the deep voice of Joel Leslie while he takes me on this beautiful ride through Red Dirt Heart.
And since this review is for the audio version of this book I have to sing praise to Joel's talent. How can one man do so many accents so well? How does he make every character so individual that you can differentiate then by voice alone?
I could honestly listen to Joel narrating his shopping list and still be a happy bunny but as it happens there's no need because it seems this gentleman is kept very busy with his work and there will be more narrations to come.
Check his work with caution. You might want to ask your boss for a raise or beg, steal or borrow Audible credits where you can!
I for one have Red Dirt Heart 2 to look forward to in my very near future.

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Love Red Dirt Heart

This has always been a favourite story of mine and the audio just makes it better. Joel Leslie's narration is really great. I loved the characterisation of Charlie and Travis but for me he really made the secondary characters of Ma and George stand out.

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