Review: The Girl in Steel-Capped Boots by Loretta Hill

Okay, I confess. The Girl in Steel-Capped Boots is the first novel I have ever read where the lead character is an engineer. In fact, it is the first time that I've ever been attracted to a novel which is about the lives of engineers. The novel is essentially a romance set in remote Australia (a popular genre of late,) but I found that as well as the romantic element, I really enjoyed the setting, the technical detail (Loretta Hill is an engineer who did indeed work on the Pilbara in 2001,) and the concept of a lone female surrounded by men. (Maybe its the fact that I am the only female in my own workplace that helps me to identify with this last part.)

The novel tells the story of a young engineering graduate who is sent to a remote part of Western Australia. While making progress with her career (and, she hopes, making up for mistakes of the past,) she meets a number of colourful characters and slowly reaches out and falls in love with a man who is haunted by his own past. All in all, this is fun, romantic and intelligent light reading.

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