Review: Robyn Carr "The Newcomer"

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

ISBN: 9780778314523

My rating: 4/5 


Single dad and Thunder Point's deputy sheriff "Mac" McCain has worked hard to keep everyone safe and happy. Now he's found his own happiness with Gina James. The longtime friends have always shared the challenges and rewards of raising their adolescent daughters. With an unexpected romance growing between them, they're feeling like teenagers themselves-suddenly they can't get enough of one another.

And just when things are really taking off, their lives are suddenly thrown into chaos. When Mac's long-lost-and not missed-ex-wife shows up in town, drama takes on a whole new meaning. They're wondering if their new feelings for each other can withstand the pressure...but they are not going down without a fight.

Step into the world of Thunder Point, a little town on the Oregon coast where newcomers are welcomed, hearts are broken and mended, and the dramas of everyday life keep the locals laughing, crying and falling in love.


My rating

 

I think I've previously added a description of a page turner according to Wikipedia ... this one was another one for me.

For anybody wanting to read this book, I'd say it's not a light summer read, but a crash course in psychology. Teenage heartache, bullying, gambling, grieving ... the book has it all.

Cooper, "The Wanderer" in book one has settled in Thunder Point and is now "The Newcomer" in town. This book starts where it left off in the first book - the relationship between him and Sarah.

The rest of the book is like a rollercoaster ride - Cooper gets news from his former girlfriend who is dying, Sarah has decisions to make regarding her job, Mac's ex-wife comes back to town, while Gina deals with her daughter's teenage heartache.

 

No doubt, the story is well written and although all the above topics are sensitive ones, Robyn Carr dealt with each issue with a lot of respect. I have to admit, at times it was a bit too much and overwhelming, but the careful approach of the problems moved the story along smoothly.

 

If you're prepared for the somewhat "heavier" storyline, this is a great read!



Review: Robyn Carr "The Wanderer" (Thunder Point #1)

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

ISBN: 9780778314479

My rating: 4/5

 

Nestled on the Oregon coast is a small town of rocky beaches and rugged charm. Locals love the land's unspoiled beauty. Developers see it as a potential gold mine. When newcomer Hank Cooper learns he's been left an old friend's entire beachfront property, he finds himself with a community's destiny in his hands.

Cooper has never been a man to settle in one place, and Thunder Point was supposed to be just another quick stop. But Cooper finds himself getting involved with the town. And with Sarah Dupre, a woman as complicated as she is beautiful.

With the whole town watching for his next move, Cooper has to choose between his old life and a place full of new possibilities. A place that just might be home.

 

 

My thoughts

 

The main reason why I picked up the book was the location - Oregon. Since my visit there last year, it's been one of my favourite travel destinations.

 

Hank Cooper's old friend Ben's left him a beachfront property in Thunder Point, a small remote community on the Oregon coast. While he tries to find out what happened to his friend and fixes up the old run-down bar shack, he gets involved in the life of the community... and meets Sarah Dupre, a helicopter pilot raising her brother.

 

I loved the book, the characters were quirky, laid back and "real". Although commitment shy, Cooper was the guy of dreams. I loved his humour, and his ability to be serious when he needed to be. Sarah only appears in the story about half way through the book, and I have to admit it took me a little bit to warm up to her... once finding out about the reasons, I understood, and liked how the character was developed.

 

Having said all that, there were pages and pages of dialogue, and the introduction of characters (I assume for future Thunder Point books) where I felt it was too long.

 

Definitely want to read the next Thunder Point #2, which tells Roger "Mac" McCain and Gina's story.