Thursday 29 July 2010

Eagle's Refuge - Regina Carlysle

Mac Moreno has been left one third of a ranch by a father who barely acknowledged Mac’s existence. He struggles to come to terms with this fact, as well as accepting his life now contains a half brother and half sister. He has yet to move into his property on the ranch, living for now in a room in the club he runs. I got the sense he was a lonely man longing to settle down, but with no woman in Morgan’s Creek gaining his attention like that, what was he to do?

Callista Hill arrives in Morgan’s Creek to start afresh. Her ex is decidedly weird, and she needs to distance herself from him so she can move on with her life. She meets Mac, and their attraction is obvious right from the start. I rooted for the couple to become permanent, paving the way for them to have a happy and fulfilling life.

One thing I noticed while reading is that Regina Carlysle has a talent for taking me to the place she’s writing about without me realising I’m still reading. I saw the first bar scene in particular like I was watching a movie, and I felt the atmosphere and saw the surroundings as though really there. I’m not one for cowboy tales, never really picked one up before, but Eagle’s Refuge made me change my mind.

I also imagined the eagle that featured at the beginning and the end was Mac’s father in a different form, that he had come back to welcome Mac to the ranch at the start and to tell him he belonged there at the end. A poignant moment that had me thinking of the times in my own life when something similar has happened and I wished the deceased person was that butterfly or cat or whatever that came up to me at the time of thinking about a loved one who has passed.

To sum this review up, I would recommend Eagle’s Refuge to any reader of erotic material, and I’d like to paste my favourite line that brought lovely imagery to mind: Mac squinted at the violently blue Texas sky and watched a lone eagle glide through that vivid palette to land on the roof of the barn where it pierced him with an unblinking gaze. Lovely, just lovely.

I’m looking forward to reading Ms. Carlysle’s next book, Trouble in a Stetson. I think I’ve become a cowboy fan!

3 comments:

Regina Carlysle said...

This is the nicest thing ever. It's funny. You mentioned the eagle and that's the way I saw him too. A presence from the hereafter. I had an experience like this once that was so damn vivid, I haven't forgotten. My dad died and I'd often sit out in my backyard by myself. Thoughts would turn to him, to memories and to what he meant to me. One late afternoon, he was in my mind when a hummingbird got soooo close to my face, within inches really, and hovered there for the longest time as if looking straight at me. I'll never forget it and I just knew Dad was there in that moment.

Natalie Dae said...

Aww, I believe in that kind of thing. It came across so strongly in Eagle's Refuge. Great touch!

C. Zampa said...

Congrulations on Eagle's Refuge, Regina!

I LOVE Ms. Carlysle's writing, her men are real men and the women are true and I can relate to them.

And like you said, Natalie, her stories are vivid and draw you into the setting.

And, of course, another fabulous, sexy cover!