Customer Reviews

Master of Maramba

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This is a very lovely story filled with lots of emotion and detail.
Royce McQuillan is the very wealthy and successful owner of the famed cattle station, Maramba, in North Queensland, Australia. He's had a bitter divorce(and is on horrible terms with his ex-wife) and is trying to run his empire and raise his disobedient little daughter. Other members of his family also live at his large Outback mansion.
Catrina(Carrie)Russell was a promising concert pianist until a horrible car accident injured her hand and left her without the ability to continue her career. Living at home with her father and his second wife(with whom she doesn't get along) and half sister, she really wants to escape and have a life of her own. Royce offers her a chance to do that by asking her to work for him at his cattle station as nanny to his troubled daughter. She convinces him to give her a chance and natually,lots of romantic sparks instantly fly between the the two of them and they want to ignore it, but that never seems to work out!
I loved this story. Royce is several years older than Carrie, but they're very well suited and each is battling demons of their own and trying to leave behind very painful pasts. Royce's bad first marriage and Carrie's terrible career ending accident has left them both very unhappy, but they take a lot of comfort in each other's company. Of course, it's not without its problems and there is also a significant revelation in the story.(I won't give it away.)
I love Margaret Way's descriptive style of writing. From the clothes to Royce's incredible mansion and property, I felt I was actually there as I read the pages! What a place to live!
Great dialog between the characters the relationships between couple and the secondary characters are well thought out. You really feel for Royce and Carrie and I was rooting for them the whole way. Their conflicts were very real and genuine.
This is sweet story and I could read it many times again!

Master of Maramba by Margaret Way
Harlequin Romance # 3671 - October 2001
The Australians series

Carrie needs a quiet place away from the public and her over bearing family to recover her sense of self. A car accident broke bones in her hands, shattering her dreams of being a concert pianist. When Carrie's Uncle mentions a client who is looking for a Governess for his daughter, Carrie jumps at it. The job means travel to remote area of Australia, and the child is known to be a problem child. Royce isn't sure why he feels the need to sweep Carrie away from her family, but taking her home to be governess to his troubled daughter may well be a mistake. Carrie's too young for him. And yet the attraction between them grows stronger with each moment spent together.

This is a wonderful Cinderella story. Carrie runs from her evil stepmother and sister into the arms of her dashing Prince Charming. Royce plays the reluctant Prince Charming but he soon discovers that Carrie is everything he's been looking for. I really enjoyed this one. Sweet, with some passion. A very good read!