Review copy was received from Publisher, NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Christmas in Silver Springs by Brenda Novak Narrator: Veronica Worthington
Series: Silver Springs #6
Published by Harlequin Audio, Mira on October 29, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 368
Length: 10 hours, 5 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
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Come home to Silver Springs for the holidays, where broken hearts learn to love again...together.
So much for forever. When Harper Devlin's rockstar husband ditches her on his way to the top, she takes her two daughters to her sister's place in Silver Springs for the holidays, hoping family can heal her broken heart. But comfort comes in unexpected packages when she crosses paths with Tobias Richardson.
The moment Tobias spots Harper, he recognizes a sadness he knows all too well. After spending thirteen years in prison paying for his regretful past, Tobias is ready to make amends, and maybe helping Harper is the way to do it. But offering her a shoulder to cry on ignites a powerful attraction, and a desire neither saw coming.
Fearing her reaction, Tobias doesn't divulge his ex-con status, let alone the shameful details. So when Harper's ex shows up in Silver Springs and reveals the truth in a bid to win her back, Tobias is sure he's lost her for good. But, just maybe, this Christmas he'll receive the forgiveness--and the love--he deserves.
I am always happy to come back to Silver Springs. There is, however, an overall theme of people making some bad choices or being in bad situations and having to live with the consequences. The school is a key part of helping the very young be in a better place and have improved chances in the future. Their part in the community also highlights the role of compassion and even forgiveness.
The prejudice in Unforgettable You, which I found frustrating and heartbreaking, had characters developing in Christmas in Silver Springs. Tobias made a big mistake as a teenager and paid dearly for it. He regrets what happened, feels terrible and works very hard to always make good choices now. It’s one thing if those making mistakes have no regrets and keep making bad choices. It’s another, if there is only one mistake when they were children. A live & let live, and ignore policy, would be more appropriate than an active destroy their life agenda.
If you are reading the series, some of the information, grudges and issues felt a bit repetitive but at least there was some character progression. Tobias and Atticus have become friends. Tobias is trying to do something exciting for Atticus’ birthday which is very cool. Maddux and Jada get excited about it and help with the idea. This progress and development in the characters is one of the best things.
Uriah’s son, Carl comes back to town to get money, make trouble and continue to make bad choices. He’s older than Tobias by about 10 years but not making any effort to work on improving his life. Tobias is worried about his friend and landlord but doesn’t know what exactly he can do.
The romance was not exactly believable. But it was beautiful how Tobias treated Harper with kindness and was truly interested in her happiness. There’s a bit of a love triangle with her ex-husband (famous rock star) and that was just unpleasant. Rock star was a total douche. I was sad Tobias was not more upfront with Harper about his past. My sense of the size of Silver Springs told me it was going to come up, even if Harper was only in town for a few weeks.
These multiple story lines to provide an engaging read. We do get both Harper and Tobias’ point of view. The setting is at the Christmas holidays so there are some festivities and family gatherings. Both Maddux and Tobias are on vacation because of the school break which gives them more time to spend with family and friends.
Narration:
Veronica Worthington did a lovely job with the narration. There seems to be more thoughts than dialogue, so the voices are limited. I’m not sure I could differentiate who is speaking just by the voice. The narration was clear and easy to understand at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip here:
About Brenda Novak
Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. A New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of fifty novels, Brenda Novak has been nominated for a prestigious Rita Award three times and won The National Reader’s Choice Award, the Bookbuyer’s Best, the Bookseller’s Best, the Writer Touch Reader Award, the Golden Quill, the Hold Medallion and the Award of Excellence, among others.
Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually working on her annual fund-raiser for diabetes research—an online auction held on her Web site (www.brendanovak.com) every May. To date, she has raised over $2 million for this cause.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Seems I enjoyed this a little bit more than you did but share your sentiments about the story elements. I did like the romance, primarily from Tobias’ perspective. Harper did such an about face so very quickly and I think Novak could have fleshed that out a bit more. But, I still liked them together.
Excellent review, Anne? My post is tomorrow!
I did enjoy it very much but I sometimes have a few issues with believability and that leaks into my ratings. I look forward to your review!
This was my first Brenda Novak so I didn’t get all the rest of the series arc stuff. I had a good time with it and will try to go back at some point for the other stories. Her ex was a real piece of work, but I adored Tobias.
It’s a great series. I enjoy it very much. This one would likely be a bigger emotional impact knowing more history and a lot more about the characters.
i have read some of her work but it’s been a while. glad you enjoyed this one
This is one of my favorite series of hers.
I’ve read a few books by Brenda Novak, but none in a series. I might need to check out something that is more than a stand alone.
I’ve read multiple of her series. I like the Whiskey Creek, this one which is Silver Springs, the Evelyn Talbot and Bulletproof. The last 2 are more romantic suspense.
I’ve only read her romance suspense I think. Both were standalones.