Reviewer: Ames The Newcomer (Thunder Point, #2) by Robyn Carr
Series: Thunder Point #2
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: June 25th 2013
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 360
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Series Rating:
With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr looks at letting go of the past-and knowing when you've found something worth building your future on
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.
The Newcomer (Thunder Point #2) picks up right where The Wanderer leaves off so there are going to be spoilers for The Wanderer.
The blurb lead me to believe that this book would focus on Mac and Gina but I’m pleased that that wasn’t the case. The Newcomer focuses equally on all the wonderful characters we were introduced to in The Wanderer.
First, Mac and Gina. They are both single parents, Gina has Ashley and Mac has Eve and two younger children. His wife ran out on him 10 years ago and he’s very concerned about why she’s showing up now, wanting to reconnect. Gina’s reeling over Ashley’s reaction to a breakup with her boyfriend, who has gone off to college. At first I was worried that Ashley’s drama was going to overshadow the plot, but have no fear, it doesn’t. For myself, I’m over teen girl drama. That being said, I like the way Ashley’s story is progressing and I can’t wait for more from her. But for Gina and Mac, who have been friends forever, I like how their relationship is developing.
Cooper and Sarah are in love, but Sarah is still a bit doubtful of Cooper. First, she’s got some distressing news about her Coast Guard posting. She may be forced to leave Thunder Point and head across the country. This affects her teenage brother Landon, who she has been raising since he was five. Landon is going into his senior year and he’s going to be the star quarterback. If she has to leave, she’ll be uprooting him at a very important point in his life and she doesn’t want to do that. She also doesn’t want to leave Cooper, but she doesn’t open up to him about the possible move. And Cooper isn’t free from the vagaries of fate. An old relationship rears its head and has quite the surprise in store for him. As that develops, Sarah also has to deal with a possible situation there where Cooper may not be willing to leave Thunder Point either.
That’s the nitty gritty with the main characters. But branching out from them, there’s a very rich cast of characters to Thunder Point that I hated to leave when that book finished. Aside from my concern with Ashley’s story taking over the book, I really enjoyed revisiting these characters. I would recommend reading The Wanderer just to get the whole background on each character. Like Cooper’s settling down wouldn’t seem like a big deal if you didn’t get exactly how nomadic he was previously. And why Sarah still has a wee bit of doubt over him (because of her past relationships).
Overall, I highly recommend The Newcomer. Thunder Point is definitely a setting I can’t wait to revisit.
4.25 out of 5.
The Series
This book is available from Harlequin MIRA. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
You know, I wasn’t curious about this series at all until you started reading it. I’m going to check it out, thanks for the review sweets.