Jamey Pattrick is an American tourist in Australia. Having recently graduated from law school, he’d rather be a farmer than work in his father’s prestigious law firm, but there is no convincing his father of that. In order to have a little time to think about his future, he decides to take some time and wander “down under.” After a couple of months, he takes a job on a sunflower farm to make a little cash. Jamey’s new employer is Lochie McBride, and as soon as he claps eyes on the big Australian, Jamey wants him. It’s not long before Lochie makes it very clear that he feels the same way.

Lochie has given up hope of ever finding someone to love in his remote part of the world, and Jamey is all that he has ever dreamed of. It’s not easy being gay in the Australian bush, however. Lochie has been hiding his nature his entire life, and he fears the reaction of his friends and the community should his secret come out. Jamey loves Lochie. His time working on the farm has been hard and frequently dangerous, but it has also been the most wonderful time of his life. He would love nothing more than to stay in Australia with his lover, but he is not willing to hide in the closet. Now Lochie has a difficult choice to make, and risks either losing the love of his life or possibly alienating his friends forever.

In Harvest Heat, Carol Lynne takes the reader on a trip to Ozzieland, where the men are men and slang is impossible to understand. In typical fashion, Ms. Lynne has populated this story with characters who are physically beautiful and who have a great capacity for love and passion. Jamey and Lochie are not afraid to admit how they feel to each other. In fact, they hook up very quickly and are devoted to each other almost from the start. The conflict revolves around how Lochie deals with coming out with his sexuality and how this affects Jamey both emotionally and physically.

I’m not all that familiar with the customs and slang of Australia, so I certainly cannot comment on how authentic this story is. I can say, however, that I did not enjoy it quite as much as many of her other stories, and I strongly suspect this is because I frequently felt a little lost in the language. Jamey in the story suffers from the same confusion, so at least I didn’t feel alone.

The end of Harvest Heat felt a little ambiguous to me. The fate of one of the main characters is left hanging in a way that makes me think that there could possibly be another story in the works. But then again, it is possible that the reader is supposed to finish the story in their own imagination. All told, this is an entertaining offering by Ms. Lynne, and fans of her work will certainly enjoy reading it.

Reviewed by: Whitney