Audiobook Review: Wildest Dreams

Author: Robyn Carr
Narrator: Therese Plummer
Series: Thunder Point, #9
Released: August 25th 2015
Publisher: Recorded Books
Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Audible

Blake Smiley searched the country for just the right place to call home. The professional triathlete has traveled the world, but Thunder Point has what he needs to put down the roots he’s never had. In the quiet coastal town he can focus on his training without distractions. Until he meets his new neighbors and everything changes.

Lin Su Simmons and her teenage son Charlie are fixtures at Winnie Banks’ house as Lin Su nurses Winnie through the realities of ALS. A single mother, she is proud of taking charge and never showing weakness. But she has her hands full coping with a job, debt and Charlie’s health issues. And Charlie is asking questions about his family history—questions Lin Su doesn’t want to answer.

When Charlie enlists Blake’s help to escape his overprotective mother, Lin Su resents the interference in her life. But Blake is certain he can break through her barriers and be the man she and Charlie need. When faced with a terrible situation, Blake comes to the rescue and Lin Su realizes he just might be the man of her dreams. Together, they recognize that family is who you choose it to be.

Robyn Carr has been writing romances for as long as some of us have been alive. On the one side, it’s a scary thought, but on the other, it’s kind of relaxing to sink into one of her books, knowing full well that I’m in very capable hands. I always find her romances comforting because the conflicts, such as they are, rarely feel like cheap romance tropes. Her portrayal of small town life may be a bit idealized, but her characters are always warm and welcoming.

Wildest Dreams is the 9th book in her Thunder Point series. I have to admit I’ve missed a few along the way, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this one. I enjoyed revisiting old friends, spending some time with Iris, Seth and others and learning how some secondary couples fared.

The thing about series like Thunder Point is this: readers get so comfortable with the setting and familiar with their surrounding that they enjoy just spending time there, even if nothing is really happening. Once they reach that point, authors can allow themselves all kinds of things, even mostly plotless books, and still have loyal fans. Wildest Dreams feels very much like one of those books. It’s not a conventional romance since it takes ages for Blake and Lin Su to even kiss. It doesn’t have any kind of mystery or other type of plot. It just goes back and forth between several characters, allowing us to peek into their everyday lives. That might sound like a bad thing, but it’s really not – not for someone who feels happy and comfortable in Thunder Point. And let’s face it – when you keep up with a series for no less than 9 books, it’s because you like what you find there each and every time.

Mostly, my problem with Wildest Dreams was that I disliked Lin Su intensely. I couldn’t understand what Blake saw in her and why he would even consider getting involved with someone so hardheaded and controlling. I pitied her teenage son constantly and just waited for him to rebel far more than he actually did. I can’t really say much more about them, not for fear of spoiling – there isn’t much to spoil – but because there simply isn’t much to say. Wildest Dreams is a pleasant book, but it’s my least favorite of the nine.

As usual, I would have enjoyed it far less without Therese Plummer’s fantastic narration. She is a goddess among women, a queen among audio narrators with her calming voice and her excellent voice characterization. If you choose to read this series (and you should because those first few books are really fantastic), I’d definitely go with the audio.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.