Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

This is the most suspenseful book in the series so far. Devon is the latest addition to Thunder Point, by way of her “cousin”, Rawley. Rawley is a character that has been in the Thunder Point series since the first book, but has always been a bit of an enigma. Here we come to know him a little bit better, although that is not saying much. But we find out the most important thing; he, like almost everyone else in town, is a good person with some heavy baggage. In his case, it’s baggage that he’s been toting around since the Vietnam War. He has had PTSD issues and is known for mostly not saying much, so hard to get to know. But when he reaches out to Devon and her daughter Mercy, we can see him softening.

But this is a romance and Rawley is not the love interest. Spencer is. Spencer is a fairly recent widower, with an unusual situation with his son Austin. Spencer’s wife suffered with cancer for a few years before finally succumbing to the disease. But shortly before her death, her family was tested to see if anyone would be a good candidate for a bone marrow transfer. And that testing revealed that Spencer was not Austin’s father.  Spencer’s starting over in Thunder Point makes a lot of sense; he and Austin need a fresh start, need to get away from all the sadness that permeated their lives for years.

Devon has her own history that I knew was going to lead to, well, let’s just say no spoiler alert here. I kind of knew what was going to happen but didn’t know when or how it would be resolved, so still plenty of suspense going on in this book.

Again it is the characters that make the story. Even the reclusive Rawley adds more depth to the story, the town and its inhabitants. I am really enjoying my stay in Thunder Point, and rolled right into book four, The Chance. Another excellent read from Robyn Carr, who has become one of my favorite authors. She writes small towns in the northwestern United States, somewhat like Debbie Macomber does, but puts a more realistic spin on things. People occasionally use bad language. They have sex! Even before they marry! Nothing too gratuitous, but there is no denying it either.

I am loving this series. My biggest criticism is that the books tend to end somewhat abruptly, but maybe that’s by design. I don’t seem to be able to finish one and go somewhere else, Carr has turned into my crack! Totally addicting reads but I’m not complaining.

I am ripping through this series, per usual with anything Carr writes. And looking at the reviews on Goodreads, I’m not alone. There are literally thousands of 4-5 star reviews.

The main characters in this romance, Mac and Gina, were the subplot of the first book in the series but here they take center stage. Carr also likes to include a bit of suspense in her love stories, and the mystery here is why Mac’s ex-wife has shown up ten years after abandoning her children and her husband. She had signed away all her custody rights but Mac understands that the children are curious about their mother. Especially the younger ones, who barely remember her. On the other hand, Eve is a teenager now and she definitely remembers her mother and has some very understandable anger issues. But there is more to this story than this surface tension, and it takes an interesting and somewhat suspenseful twist.

The second romance here is about Cooper, who is the newcomer to Thunder Point, and Sarah, a Coast Guard helicopter pilot who is single-handedly raising her teenage brother after the deaths of their parents. Sarah always has the problem of being reassigned hanging over her head, she has had to move along with her brother several times. And now that he is happy and settled in Thunder Point and the star of the football team in time for his senior year, along with the scholarship opportunities that represents, a rumor surfaces that she may be transferred yet again. Cooper knows something is going on with her, but she isn’t talking.

Another heart-wrenching subplot is about Ashley, Gina’s teenage daughter, who is suffering the effects of a broken heart and even worse, digital bullying which truly adds to the turmoil. Despite that, I’m really enjoying getting to know the people in Thunder Point. It is a mostly idyllic town filled with kind, generous people that I wish were my neighbors.

I finished this book and immediately picked up book three in the series. I know have a bunch of other books to read, new books that I’ve been waiting for, but I can’t seem to help myself! This series  probably needs to be read in order. I know as I read on I get more and more invested in these characters and that always makes for a better book. So start with book one, The Wanderer. The next book in the series is The Hero and I’ve already started it. Review forthcoming.

I’ve read several Robyn Carr books, including the entire Virgin River series, most if not all of Sullivan’s Crossing and Grace Valley. I was in the mood for another series so I picked up The Wanderer, the first book in the Thunder Point series. All of these series are loosely tied together so starting a new one actually feels like going home again. I love the world Carr creates and I really love spending time with her characters. My only complaint is the sex is all the same in every book with every character, all the women have heart shaped kissable lips and well, you get the idea. But it is a minor complaint and really, I wouldn’t keep going back to her books if it truly bothered me.

There are two romances going on in this first book. Cooper and Sarah are the main story. The town cop. Mac, and his best friend, Gina, are the subplot romance. There is also a bit of a mystery here. Coop shows up in Thunder Point because his friend Ben has died, supposedly from a fall down the cellar stairs. But Coop wants to check things out himself. If you’ve read the Virgin River books, then these names should sound familiar – Luke, Ben and Coop are old friends.

The small town of Thunder Point is on the Oregon coast. Because this is the first book of a new series, it is a bit slow to build. There are lots of descriptions of the area and the people who live in this small town. and the descriptions make me want to check it out! If only it was real. Oh well, at least I can visit there through the nine books in this series. Moving on to The Newcomer, book number two. Stay tuned!

Susan Mallery writes great characters then puts them through hell, but they always find their happily ever after which is why I keep reading her. These sisters care about each other but also recognize each other’s faults. Even though I didn’t necessarily love all the sisters equally, I quickly became invested in what happened to them. I was especially rooting for Ali, who felt that Finola was her mother’s favorite and Zennie was her father’s favorite, leaving her out in the cold. So when her fiance dumps her via his brother, I really felt for her.

Finola’s world crashes when her husband leaves her for a young pop star, who is a bitch, by the way. Finola’s reactions felt very real to me, and I liked watching this character learn about herself and grow. I was very surprised by, and especially loved, her happy ending.

Zennie’s break up isn’t really even a break up. She went out with Clark a few times, thought he was nice but she just wasn’t interested in a relationship. So when he dumps her, it’s more surprising than upsetting as usually Zennie is the one to walk away. Meanwhile her best friend, a cancer survivor, asks her to be a surrogate so she and her husband can have a baby. After some soul searching Zennie agrees, but her family and friends are not all on board with her decision. Again the reactions all the way around felt real to me. So did Zennie occasionally thinking about Clark; after all, she wasn’t the one who dumped him and that gives her pause.

Mallery does such a good job with family dynamics and intersperses plenty of drama and laughter and of course, romance. I found myself totally engrossed, staying up much too late to finish it. But I had to get to the happy ending and I’m very glad I did. Another terrific read from one of my favorite authors.