Out On The Panhandle by R.E Bradshaw

Soul mates, Decky and Charlie have been together now for two years. From the moment Decky had first seen Charlie, she knew exactly what being in love meant. The feeling, fortunately, was mutual. Decky and Charlie are so much in love it still feels surreal at times.

Decky and Charlie have left their home in Outer Banks, North Carolina and are heading off to visit Charlie’s family in Beaver County, Oklahoma. Known in bygone days as The Oklahoma Panhandle.

When Decky and Charlie arrive, Decky begins to wonder what she’s let herself in for and how she’s going to cope with the huge Warren family reunion. More to the point, Decky is worrying about how she will be welcomed by some members of Charlie’s family. Although most of Charlie’s family seem to be aware she is a lesbian, it has never been discussed and Charlie has never come out to her family. Are things about to change?

Decky has been researching the Warren family history. She loves genealogy. Louise, Charlie’s mother, hands Decky a box of documents stating that the contents would clear up some of the questions concerning Meredith Etheridge. (Merdy). Merdy was married to Grace and Decky learns of an amazing secret that has been hidden for many years. Is Louise trying to tell Decky and Charlie something?

This book is absolutely amazing. R.E Bradshaw has surpassed herself with her excellent writing skills , storytelling and the amount of painstaking research she’s done into Native American history to make this book the delightful read that it is.

The book sees the return of Decky and Charlie, their adventures began in Out On The Sound and I’ve long awaited their return. Both books are complete, but I would definitely advise reading Out On The Sound first. You will be missing out on a brilliant story if you don’t.

R.E Bradshaw has written this book in a different format to her usual style. The story tells of past history of the Native American using manuscripts from the past. The past being the wild west is seamlessly interwoven with the present modern day, not so wild west. So, we have the best of both worlds here. I love tales from the wild west and I wasn’t disappointed. From the excellent scenic descriptions of past and present, I could easily visualize myself in both times looking on, even being among the characters as the story unfolded.

I love the multidimensional characters, Decky and Charlie and Merdy, Grace and Thora. They all play well with the other equally important characters. Each and every character is essential to the progression of the story. They all play their parts to perfection. Even the ones we are meant to dislike.

The whole book caused me to experience a myriad of emotions. Some parts are so laugh out loud, I was glad to be reading in the privacy of my home. Other parts are pure delicious romance. Then there was the choking emotion of sadness. All written with sympathy and understanding as only an excellent author can do. Followed by the overall feel good factor of satisfaction I get when I’ve come to the end of a tremendous book.

To sum up, we have two romances, one past and one present. Each with a profound and everlasting love that goes into infinity everlasting. A rich and deep history of the old wild west and the Native American’s. A modern day western and everyday living. Plus a rollercoaster ride of a cow chip throwing contest, a crazy homophobic sister-in-law, a horse round up and a family secret, along with a wealth of other goings on. So, hang on to the edge of your seat.

I sincerely hope these characters are going to get another outing soon. I’ve said this before, but for new readers of my little reviews, I’ll just say again, each book I read of R.E. Bradshaw’s is the best ever, that is until I go back to one of her previous books and suddenly, that’s the best. So, I guess I’m saying here, they are all top notch books in their own right. For anyone who hasn’t read an R.E Bradshaw book before, I envy you. You have all the delights of the wonderful reads to come. Me, I’m just looking forward now to her next book with eager anticipation.