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Red Dust Dancer
Everyone deserves a second chance—and another dance.
Tamsin Cooper’s career as a Parisian showgirl is coming to an end. Nearly thirty, with no boyfriend and no prospects of a family of her own, she decides to take up her inheritance—her Uncle Ted’s cattle farm in Queensland.
Farm life seems to be suiting her until Tamsin discovers that Uncle Ted had a secret—and her sexy neighbour Angus Walker helped him keep it.
Faced with losing her farm and her heart, Tamsin returns to what she knows best, dancing, and starts teaching the residents of Elliott’s Crossing how to get in touch with their inner showgirl.
She may have the dance moves, but can she shimmy past a forty-year-old lie and a betrayal of lost love to find her place—and rediscover love—in this country town?
Tamsin Cooper’s career as a Parisian showgirl is coming to an end. Nearly thirty, with no boyfriend and no prospects of a family of her own, she decides to take up her inheritance—her Uncle Ted’s cattle farm in Queensland.
Farm life seems to be suiting her until Tamsin discovers that Uncle Ted had a secret—and her sexy neighbour Angus Walker helped him keep it.
Faced with losing her farm and her heart, Tamsin returns to what she knows best, dancing, and starts teaching the residents of Elliott’s Crossing how to get in touch with their inner showgirl.
She may have the dance moves, but can she shimmy past a forty-year-old lie and a betrayal of lost love to find her place—and rediscover love—in this country town?
310 pages, ebook
First published September 25, 2016
22 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Eva Scott
21 books67 followersEva comes from a family of storytellers and has been writing her own stories since she could hold a pencil. Growing up in a multicultural neighbourhood in Melbourne, Eva developed her wanderlust and a passion for culture and language. She travelled the world, living in Britain before coming home to Australia to study Anthropology. Wanderlust got the better of her again, so Eva packed up and headed to Papua New Guinea to live and work where she was completely in her element. Eva's passion for the Australian country is born of her large extended family, which is spread out across the land. She volunteers at the local primary schools, teaching writing and working with children to incite a love of books and reading. Eva's books explore relationships, culture, our roles in changing society, love and loss. She loves finding connections with readers over shared experiences.
If you'd like to know more about Eva, her books, or to connect with her online, you can visit her website: evascottwriter.com
If you'd like to know more about Eva, her books, or to connect with her online, you can visit her website: evascottwriter.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 7, 2023
Im so glad Eva Scott now writes about what she truly knows and cares about. And I’ll be eagerly looking forward to her next release. I just don’t recommend starting with the Red Dust series.
I came to Eva Scott’s writing backwards. Started with her most recent, loved it, then worked my way through her catalogue in reverse. I love her recent books because they seem genuine and bring Aussie small towns and communities to vivid life. They’re so good I’ve wanted to pack up and move to each place by the end of each book.
Whilst the writing isn’t bad in her first Red Dust series, the standard romance novel cliche of the feisty, ‘independent’ yet clueless chick full of righteous anger, hair flicks and pouts is out in full force in Red Dust Dancer. And to think I abandoned Dale Mayers’ Whispers in the Wisteria for this. I mean if anyone fully exemplifies that trope it’s Ms Mayers’ heroine Doreen. Actually I’ll add an extra half star to this book for gladly getting me away from the perils of Doreen.
Anyway getting back to this book the storyline is ridiculous. Tamsin, a Moulin Rouge dancer for a decade returns to Australia to take over her uncle’s beef farm. No experience but hey she has Google how hard can it be? Then she decides cows are too cute to kill. Add in the sexy neighbour and a sworn to secrecy family mystery and what do you have? Many eye rolls.
Rest assured that lines such as “There had been too many lies and half-truths between them to ever trust him” no longer appear in her writing.
I came to Eva Scott’s writing backwards. Started with her most recent, loved it, then worked my way through her catalogue in reverse. I love her recent books because they seem genuine and bring Aussie small towns and communities to vivid life. They’re so good I’ve wanted to pack up and move to each place by the end of each book.
Whilst the writing isn’t bad in her first Red Dust series, the standard romance novel cliche of the feisty, ‘independent’ yet clueless chick full of righteous anger, hair flicks and pouts is out in full force in Red Dust Dancer. And to think I abandoned Dale Mayers’ Whispers in the Wisteria for this. I mean if anyone fully exemplifies that trope it’s Ms Mayers’ heroine Doreen. Actually I’ll add an extra half star to this book for gladly getting me away from the perils of Doreen.
Anyway getting back to this book the storyline is ridiculous. Tamsin, a Moulin Rouge dancer for a decade returns to Australia to take over her uncle’s beef farm. No experience but hey she has Google how hard can it be? Then she decides cows are too cute to kill. Add in the sexy neighbour and a sworn to secrecy family mystery and what do you have? Many eye rolls.
Rest assured that lines such as “There had been too many lies and half-truths between them to ever trust him” no longer appear in her writing.
May 16, 2023
I read a few of Eva Scott's more recent book (Lonely in Longreach and Meet Me in Bendigo) and loved the charm of her writing and characters. In fact, I loved the charm so much that I wanted more and decided to read her back catalogue. That was unfortunately a bad move as I didn't like this book at all and so if you are new to this author, can I recommend not starting with this book.
The main issue I have with this book is not the writing (as that was fine as always). It is that I really (and I mean REALLY) disliked the cover, the main characters and the soap opera plot line.
The leads in a romance book are everything and to say you hate one of the main characters is the ultimate kiss of death. When they ended up together (not a spoiler because seriously it is a romance book), I wasn't happy for them. In fact I felt sorry for them. She was irrational, high maintenance, illogical, did stupid things that put people's lives in danger (drive in flood waters) and all I could do was to SCREAM at the hero to run....run for the hills.
However, he didn't seem much better. The silly nicknames, him being a total doormat constantly apologizing for things that were not his fault and the sleasy innuendos "Yeah, not your area of expertise. You have other skills." He winked knowingly (classy!)
I really didn't like the cover of this book so I went in already cringing....so this was a case of you can judge a book by its cover. This was not a bad book and other people have loved it...this was 100% a case of incompatibility between my reading tastes and this book. This unfortunately just happened to contain everything I hate in a romance book condensed into one book.
Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2023 Aussie Author "Opposites Attract" challenge: Read a book set in the city and read a book set in the country
Aussie Readers 2023 Autumn "Read your friends Challenge": Read books with author initials that spell out a Goodreads friend (Bennett: e = eva)
Aussie Readers 2023 May "Peter May" Challenge: Peter May was born in Scotland. Read a book set in the country where you live or were born
The main issue I have with this book is not the writing (as that was fine as always). It is that I really (and I mean REALLY) disliked the cover, the main characters and the soap opera plot line.
The leads in a romance book are everything and to say you hate one of the main characters is the ultimate kiss of death. When they ended up together (not a spoiler because seriously it is a romance book), I wasn't happy for them. In fact I felt sorry for them. She was irrational, high maintenance, illogical, did stupid things that put people's lives in danger (drive in flood waters) and all I could do was to SCREAM at the hero to run....run for the hills.
However, he didn't seem much better. The silly nicknames, him being a total doormat constantly apologizing for things that were not his fault and the sleasy innuendos "Yeah, not your area of expertise. You have other skills." He winked knowingly (classy!)
I really didn't like the cover of this book so I went in already cringing....so this was a case of you can judge a book by its cover. This was not a bad book and other people have loved it...this was 100% a case of incompatibility between my reading tastes and this book. This unfortunately just happened to contain everything I hate in a romance book condensed into one book.
Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2023 Aussie Author "Opposites Attract" challenge: Read a book set in the city and read a book set in the country
Aussie Readers 2023 Autumn "Read your friends Challenge": Read books with author initials that spell out a Goodreads friend (Bennett: e = eva)
Aussie Readers 2023 May "Peter May" Challenge: Peter May was born in Scotland. Read a book set in the country where you live or were born
Read
December 18, 2016As a dancer, Red Dust Dancer had all the makings of a perfect book for me: dancing, a good dash of romance, an Australian setting, mystery and intrigue.
Red Dust Dancer was the first of Eva Scott's books that I've read and on the whole I really enjoyed it. Scott's writing is full of beautiful description and vivid imagery that If I stopped for a second and closed my eyes, the story could literally dance its way across my eyelids. Her characters were honest and easy to relate too. The chemistry between the two leads - Tasmin and Angus - was sizzling and their romance combustible.
Scott has effortlessly contrasted and balanced the glitzy high life of Paris and the Moulin Rouge with a small country town in Red Dust Dancer, something I've seen few (if any) do well. The difference between Tasmin's two lifestyles made excellent fodder for the narrative and made sure she butted heads with Angus Walker, her neighbour and on-and-off-again lover.
Personally I loved Tasmin's stubbornness and her kind hearted nature (and the naming and protection of her animals) and I really admired her strength and go-get-them attitude that meant she never gave up, no matter how high the mountain she was facing seemed.
Likewise I loved the mystery and intrigue element of the story and kind of wished this was developed a bit more especially towards the end of the novel where it seemed slightly rushed and easily wrapped up.
All in all Red Dust Dancer was an exciting read about big personalities in small towns and learning to find your place in a world you are unfamiliar with.
Red Dust Dancer was the first of Eva Scott's books that I've read and on the whole I really enjoyed it. Scott's writing is full of beautiful description and vivid imagery that If I stopped for a second and closed my eyes, the story could literally dance its way across my eyelids. Her characters were honest and easy to relate too. The chemistry between the two leads - Tasmin and Angus - was sizzling and their romance combustible.
Scott has effortlessly contrasted and balanced the glitzy high life of Paris and the Moulin Rouge with a small country town in Red Dust Dancer, something I've seen few (if any) do well. The difference between Tasmin's two lifestyles made excellent fodder for the narrative and made sure she butted heads with Angus Walker, her neighbour and on-and-off-again lover.
Personally I loved Tasmin's stubbornness and her kind hearted nature (and the naming and protection of her animals) and I really admired her strength and go-get-them attitude that meant she never gave up, no matter how high the mountain she was facing seemed.
Likewise I loved the mystery and intrigue element of the story and kind of wished this was developed a bit more especially towards the end of the novel where it seemed slightly rushed and easily wrapped up.
All in all Red Dust Dancer was an exciting read about big personalities in small towns and learning to find your place in a world you are unfamiliar with.
March 18, 2021
I'm sad, because I enjoyed the first in this series, but this was a bit of a let down.
Firstly there were some editing errors that really should have been picked up heck I'd volunteer to be an ARC reader for her. The first person tense suddenly pops in quite a few times when the story is not told in first person, and once another person entirely is the "I" when it should have been "she" so completely the wrong context.
Also the timeline is haywire, 8 months have gone by but a calf Tamsin is fostering does not seem to grow accordingly.
The plot has a gaping hole in these days of DNA testing, just saying.
Also Tamsin decides to be Too Stupid To Live towards the end, that just yanks my chain.
Seemed to leave a bit unanswered as to whether Tamsin sells the farm or not.
It was quite a sweet romance though.
Firstly there were some editing errors that really should have been picked up heck I'd volunteer to be an ARC reader for her. The first person tense suddenly pops in quite a few times when the story is not told in first person, and once another person entirely is the "I" when it should have been "she" so completely the wrong context.
Also the timeline is haywire, 8 months have gone by but a calf Tamsin is fostering does not seem to grow accordingly.
The plot has a gaping hole in these days of DNA testing, just saying.
Also Tamsin decides to be Too Stupid To Live towards the end, that just yanks my chain.
Seemed to leave a bit unanswered as to whether Tamsin sells the farm or not.
It was quite a sweet romance though.
November 11, 2016
As expected, Eva Scott writing paints a dramatic and vivid imagery, this time of the challenges Tamsin Cooper faces while adapting from city to country life.
Lies, secrets, and romance ensue and we see Tamsin pushed to new limits however being the tenacious character she is we see her quite quickly personify the rural attitude of adapt and carry on. Coming from a dance background, we see how the discipline and hard work of her previous life creates the building blocks for her new rural life and that certainly endears her as a character.
A light-hearted story of second chances, finding strength within yourself, and of course finding love.
Lies, secrets, and romance ensue and we see Tamsin pushed to new limits however being the tenacious character she is we see her quite quickly personify the rural attitude of adapt and carry on. Coming from a dance background, we see how the discipline and hard work of her previous life creates the building blocks for her new rural life and that certainly endears her as a character.
A light-hearted story of second chances, finding strength within yourself, and of course finding love.
October 24, 2016
Tamsin comes home to Australia after living in Paris working after her uncle passes away to inherit the home property only to find that secrets come out about her uncle and the handsome neighbor seems to know all about them. Enjoyed the imagery of Australia, the trials of a city girl learning about the animals in her care, country life and these characters as they find if their pathway in life can be together. Good book to take to reader to another country and time for relaxing.
Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are my own.
Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are my own.
August 21, 2016
via netgalley
enjoyed the book, would have liked to see them a few years down the road.
enjoyed the book, would have liked to see them a few years down the road.
January 20, 2021
I enjoyed this rural Australian romance set in Queensland and both the H/h were interesting characters. It was certainly different that Tamsin was a dancer in Paris. It was very well written and entertaining, although fairly standard fare for a romance - a la mills and boon style. My negative - there were a few tiny editing errors - eg missing full stops, small things like that. A final run through by the editor would have been a good idea. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in return for my opinion. 3.5 stars rounded up.
May 29, 2018
Red dust dancer
What a wonderfull book could not put it down. I always like teading about the outback. Always have. Keep up the good work
What a wonderfull book could not put it down. I always like teading about the outback. Always have. Keep up the good work
February 25, 2019
Review
Great read enjoyed every word not many people would know the other side of the Vietnam war for some of our soldiers and their losses
Great read enjoyed every word not many people would know the other side of the Vietnam war for some of our soldiers and their losses
June 19, 2022
Tasmin Cooper is a long way from Moulin Rogue when she’s adjusting to her inheritance of a cattle farm in Queensland.
Catchy wee number.
Catchy wee number.
October 3, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It drew me in from start to finish and instantly fell in love with the characters.
March 22, 2025
A Brilliant story. I have been to the Moulin Rouge and fell asleep it was so boring, but then I have never liked song and dance shows.
October 15, 2016
*RECEIVED ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*
This book had very well written language, but did contain some misspelled words and grammatical errors. Eva Scott kept me entertained throughout the whole book. It was a little different from my normal reads, but i really enjoyed it. Would recommend to other readers.
This book had very well written language, but did contain some misspelled words and grammatical errors. Eva Scott kept me entertained throughout the whole book. It was a little different from my normal reads, but i really enjoyed it. Would recommend to other readers.
September 12, 2017
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
Too long, too slow, too boring with dull, bland characters, and a predictable, trope-filled plot.
Too long, too slow, too boring with dull, bland characters, and a predictable, trope-filled plot.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews