The Sister Trip by Mel A Rowe
Subgenre: rural romance
Release date: 23 Apr 2023
Publisher: self-published
Format: ebook
Length: 267 pages
RRP: $5.99 (ebook)
Téa and her married sister Lottie have been given the craziest of all road trips to complete, and they pretty much agree it’s a hot outback road trip to hell. Their quest is to take their father’s urn, sitting on the front seat of his blue, un-airconditioned Ford, to his final resting place so they can scatter his ashes. Only thing is, they have no idea where his final resting place is. He has helpfully given them the first clue with directions where to drive, and they’ll get the next clue when they get there. Etc, etc. Wow. Who does that?
As far as both girls are concerned, they want this trip over and done with. They’ve been estranged for years and don’t particularly like each other. Their personalities are chalk and cheese, and the heat and discomfort bring them to breaking point.
Téa is tough, independent, and has travelled the world doing amazing jobs, often in masculine dominated fields. She left home seventeen years ago, furious with her father about something we don’t get to find out about until much later.
Lottie was still little when Téa left and has tried all her life to please her father, and now her husband and children. She works hard on the family farm, manages the family plus a dressmaking business her mother started, and is exhausted. Her husband has a FIFO position with the mines, so he’s often not around to support her. She’s also furious Téa left her behind in childhood, a feeling very close to abandonment. There’s a lot of tanked-up emotion there, ready to blow.
Not the best of starts on this crazy sister road trip!
It doesn’t help that early on Lottie—who insists on driving the old blue Ford—hits a duck. It lives, but gets tangled up in the bumper bar. They’re helped by a trucker, Devin, who stops to help. He identifies the duck as a protected Burdekin duck, way out of its geographical zone. Téa brings it into the car, names it Quacker and wraps it in Lottie’s new, plaid towel. Hopefully she can release it closer to its natural home.
So, the road trip lurches on, from crisis to crisis. They seem to run into Devin a lot, and he’s terrific with local knowledge regarding the obscure maps. That old blue Ford certainly has to travel in some very out-of-the-way places to discover each new clue for the sisters. And Devin keeps popping up. He’s tall, handsome, quiet but masterful, and a wonderful help, especially when they get accidentally stranded.
Do the girls find all the clues? What’s the true purpose of the road trip, besides scattering their father’s ashes? Why has their father dragged them into the uncomfortable, hot outback, snapping and snarling at each other the whole way? Téa and Lottie’s story unfolds as each clue falls into place. Yes, their father had a purpose bringing them together, and it’s quite emotional.
As for Devin, well … talk about a yummy hero! I’m quite sure you’d be very happy for him to help you rescue a duck or read a map. Etc.
reviewed by Malvina
A review copy of this book was provided by the author.
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