The Wanderer by Robyn Carr - Audio version

The Wanderer

by Robyn Carr

The Wanderer is Book #1 of the Thunder Point Series.

I have read others from this series. 
Obviously, very out of order.

But it doesn't hurt anything. 
The Wanderer was still a terrific story.

It's the story of Cooper and Sarah. Sarah Dupre is an independent, intelligent and tough woman. She has been raising her 
little brother, Landon.  Their parents were killed
when Landon was very little. It has been a hard road 
for them both. Sarah is a coast guard helicopter pilot. 
She has been single parenting
Landon for so long. When she fell for a guy. 
Fell totally. And he wound up
to be a loser. Sarah is determined she does not need love. 
She will never put herself in that position again. Ever.

Hank Cooper is also a helicopter pilot. He has roamed 
the world far and wide. Working when he needed to. With no roots ever being planted.
He has been happy to go visit his family every so often. 
Then move onto
the next country, job and adventure.
 Coop finds himself in Thunder Point
after a good friend passes away. 
Ben Bailey left everything to Hank.
So he feels obligated to settle things up from Ben's estate. 
In the meantime, he finds Thunder Point is a terrific place. 
The people are
great and welcoming.

Sarah & Cooper have no interest in anything but a

temporary relationship. And then cupid steps in. 

Sometimes, you just cannot fight it.

It's a good story. Sets up everything for the

Thunder Point series. I have found I can't help but feel at

home in the small town. I feel like I could go visit anytime

I want to. It's written so well I can see it all in my head.

The narration is good. Her name is Therese Plummer. 

She is easy to listen to. Sometimes, her ''male'' voices

are not the best. But over all, she is good to listen to.

I do recommend this series if you like small town reading.

And if you are looking for a series to listen to, I would

encourage you to give this one a try.

Review by Lisa Hutson
I bought this audio book.  



Susanna Kearsley - A Desperate Fortune spotlight + giveaway

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley is a story within a story. The historical suspense novel blends the modern day story of computer programmer Sara Thomas and Jacobite exile Mary Dundas.

Sara has been hired by an author to break the code of a research document. She travels to France and discovers that the document is Mary Dundas's journal from 1732 written in cipher.

This is the first novel of Susanna Kearlsey that I have read. I enjoyed the dual storylines and was absorbed by the historical elements to the story. I was immediately drawn to Mary's story as she began her adventure. The first part of the book provided much historical information and was a bit slow paced. The information is necessary to appreciate the characters of Sara and Mary and the history of the exiled King James VIII and his followers.

As Sara translates the diary, it is apparent that Mary longs for adventure and to be reunited with her family. Mary's brother and his friend ask her if she would like to help the King. She would need to travel to Paris and act as someone's sister. They neglect to tell Mary that the man she is helping to shelter is a criminal sought by the English Government for embezzlement. I enjoyed how the author combined the 1731 London stock market scandal with Mary and Sara's story. Mary, who was chaperoned by Madame Roy, was posing as the embezzler John Thomson sister in Paris. The group is discovered and are forced to flee Paris and make their way to Rome with the help of Hugh MacPherson.

Mary's diary is a journal of the group's adventures as they travel to the exiled King's court in Rome. The group must change plans several times as they are being followed. Sara is frustrated because Mary changes her cipher pattern in the journal. She wonders what caused the change and and works to solve the code. Sara becomes involved with Mary's journey and begins one of her own as the story progresses. Both characters desired love and neither thought it possible. Mary's journal ties both the modern and historical elements of the story together. The blend of historical drama and intrigue kept me reading this book well past my bedtime. I enjoyed the ending of the story immensely as it brought tears to my eyes.

Susanna Kearsley includes an About the Characters section at the end of the book which is a must read and it provides insight as to her characters and the stock scandal and the court of James VIII.

I have copies of The Winter Sea and The Rose Garden on my kindle and look forward to reading them.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman 

ARC provided by: Sourcebooks.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

For nearly three hundred years, the cryptic journal of Mary Dundas has lain unread. Now, amateur code breaker Sara Thomas has been sent to Paris to crack the cipher.

Jacobite exile Mary Dundas is filled with longing—for freedom, for adventure, for the family she lost. When fate opens the door, Mary dares to set her foot on a path far more surprising and dangerous than she ever could have dreamed.

As Mary’s gripping tale is revealed, Sara is faced with challenges that will require letting go of everything she thought she knew—about herself, about loyalty, and especially about love. Though divided by centuries, these two women will be united in a quest to discover the limits of trust and the coincidences of fate.

Author Bio:


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is known for her meticulous research and exotic settings from Russia to Italy to Cornwall, which not only entertain her readers but give her a great reason to travel. Her lush writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne du Maurier, and Diana Gabaldon. She hit the bestseller lists in the U.S. with The Firebird (a RITA winner) as well as, The Winter Sea and The Rose Garden (both RITA finalists and winners of RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards). Other honors include National Readers' Choice Awards, the prestigious Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, and finaling for the UK's Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Her popular and critically acclaimed books are available in translation in more than 20 countries and as audiobooks. She lives in Canada, near the shores of Lake Ontario.

    

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Homefront by Jessica Scott

Homefront

by Jessica Scott

Gale and Melanie married and became parents very young.
Gale is a military man. The military has always come first.
It was up to Melanie to raise their daughter, Jamie. She had
to figure it all out on her own. When Melanie has had enough,
they get a divorce. And now, years later, Gale is stationed
close to Jamie & Melanie. He has realized how much he
missed. What he gave up. The many things he can never
be a part of. Now comes the hard part. Trying to make a 
place for himself in the family. Little does he know, his
timing could not be more perfect.

"Let's pretend we just met."
"Gale, that's silly."
His hands tightened around hers. "Just hear
me out." She stilled beneath his touch. "Look, a
lot has changed. With you, with me. With Jamie.
But after the other night, I realized I was the
interloper. And that you were right. That I'd
waltzed right into your life and expected
everything to kind of fall into place because I
wanted it to." He looked down at their hands.
"That's not fair to you and everything you've
gone through. You've done a hell of a job with
Jamie, Mel." A slide of his thumb over her hand.
"But I want to get to know you again. I knew the
girl who used to jump into the quarry with me."
He cleared his throat. "I want to get to know
who you are now."

As always, with Jessica Scott, the characters are dimensional
and human. Not perfect. They struggle and they are faulty.
But her writing is always hopeful. The stories are deep and
emotional. I continue to look forward to the next book
coming from her.

Homefront is highly recommended reading.
I got an ARC from NetGalley. Simply because
I could not wait to read it!
My personal copy has been purchased.
Review by Lisa Hutson