The Wanderer

February 11, 2013
Carr takes a detour from her bestselling Virgin River books with this solid contemporary series start. Henry “Coop” Cooper Jr. heads from Virgin River, Calif., to the tiny Oregon hamlet of Thunder Point after learning his longtime Army buddy has died and bequeathed him something. What he didn’t expect: that the “something” would be over 200 acres of waterfront land, a beaten-down bar, and the fate of a small town. He also doesn’t expect to find love with Coast Guard pilot Sarah Dupre, who landed in town a year earlier with the teen brother she’s raising. While Coop isn’t one for settling down, something about Sarah draws him in. Sarah’s also cautious and not looking to get involved, but readers will cheer her on as she tentatively explores the possibility of a future with Coop. Carr neatly weaves in the lives of other town residents, laying the groundwork for future books. Agent: Liza Dawson, Liza Dawson Associates.

July 1, 2013

Carr (My Kind of Christmas) travels outside her beloved Virgin River to Thunder Point, a small town on the Oregon coast, as she launches a new series. New to town and very much a wanderer, Hank Cooper finds that an old friend has left him a major swath of the town's beachfront property and that his actions will affect the town's future. Carr has created a charming enclave filled with interesting and well-developed characters and has laid out plotlines for future entries in the series. Therese Plummer, who also narrated the "Virgin River" books, returns. Her male voices are very good, but the female voices at times can be a tad hard to differentiate. VERDICT This title will be sought after by Carr's fans and by fans of Sheryl Woods or Susan Mallery. ["Funny, touching, and gently suspenseful, this beautifully descriptive story gets Carr's latest series off to a wonderful start," read the starred review of the New York Times best-selling Mira: Harlequin pb, LJ 4/15/13.--Ed.]--Donna Bachowski, Orange Cty. Lib. Syst., Orlando, FL

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