Review - Outrun the Rain by N.R. Walker

Tully enjoys spending time in the tropical jungles of Australia's Top End, watching the violent thunderstorms that roll through the area. He's an amateur “storm chaser.” But now, Tully has agreed to escort a scientist from Melbourne into the forest. He's expecting some stuck-up old fossil, but the man who steps off the plane is near Tully's age. Jeremiah has always been fascinated by lightning. He's on a mission to prove himself to his colleagues back in Melbourne who think he's weird. It's not just the weather that makes the two men hot and bothered during their week together.

This author seems to have a thing for romances that have an expiration date. Two men meet and are irresistibly attracted to each other, but one of them is, in theory, only around for a short time. What will happen when they're supposed to part? Well, this is romance, so you know something will get them to happily ever after. You just don't know what that something will be.

Tully seems every bit the wild rogue when we meet him. He drives his old jeep down almost impassible jungle tracks without flinching. He makes jokes about crocodiles and other dangers of the jungle, but he knows how to survive and is almost as fascinated by storms as Jeremiah. However, there's another side to Tully, when he's not camping in the jungle, that we only get a glimpse of at the end.

Jeremiah is full of surprises. Once you learn about his childhood, his interest in lightning seems almost morbid. He can be a typical science nerd one minute but turn into a wild man when a storm hits full force. It's not what you expect, but it's not implausible. While Jeremiah may not be a typical character, he is still entirely believable.

This is the start of another series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

“Outrun the Rain” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).