Becalmed
by Normandie Fischer
Why did you choose this book? The setting and the cover
When did you read this book? January 2014
Who should read this book? readers in the mood for a light romance
Source: TLC Book Tours
When a Southern woman with a broken heart finds herself falling for a widower with a broken boat, it’s anything but smooth sailing.
Tadie Longworth doesn’t spend much time worrying that she’s turning into one of Beaufort, North Carolina’s, spinsters. She has a gift shop full of her own jewelry designs and a sweet little sailboat to take her mind off the guy who got away. But now he’s back—with the fashion-plate wife he picked instead of Tadie—and he’s hitting on her again.
When widower Will Merritt limps into town with a broken sailboat and a perky seven-year-old daughter, he provides the perfect distraction—until that distraction turns into fascination when Tadie offers shelter during a hurricane. Over candlelit games of SlapJack and Monopoly, Jilly becomes the daughter she could have had and Will the man she always wanted. Only, he’s sworn never to let another woman in his life. Any day now, he’s going to finish those repairs, and that ship’s going to sail—straight out of Tadie’s life.
My Review
Several things pulled me to this book. It is set of the coast of North Carolina, one of my favorite places. And the cover is so peaceful and relaxing. If you are like me, a reader who’s tastes are usually for historical fiction and not necessarily light reading, this is a nice change of pace. Of course, the ending is predictable, but you knew that as soon as your realized it was a romance, right?
For me, the strongest point is also the weakest point, and which you think it is will depend upon your perspective. That point is the emphasis on sailing. If you are a sailor, and understand the terminology, you will probably find this very interesting. For me, it wasn’t particularly interesting, and for the most part, I had no idea what was going on, but I did learn what the term ‘becalmed’ means and the difference between a rudder and a steering wheel. There wasn’t so much of this that it bogged the story down, but it did delay it for me.
There were occasionally events or characters written into the story that didn’t really add anything to the story. Once example is an Italian fellow who Tadie met. While it was interesting, it really didn’t play a significant role in moving the story along, and didn’t tell me anything new about Tadie; it could easily have been left out.
But overall, this was a fun story with a happy ending. There was a bit of tension at the end when you wondered how bad things would get, but the story ended well. Tadie’s interaction with the 7 year old was pleasant and fun to read. And of course, the little girl was, at times, so much quicker than her dad, you just wanted to give him a nudge….or a kick! This is a great book for a lazy afternoon read!
A life-long sailor, Normandie has been writing and editing professionally since the seventies. She studied sculpture for several years in Perugia, Italy, before returning stateside to complete her degree with special honors in English. When they’re not visiting grown children who have scattered elsewhere, Normandie and her husband divide their time between their waterfront home in NC (where she takes care of her mama) and their waterborne sailing home, Sea Venture, lately returned from Pacific Mexico. She has two novels that recently released, Becalmed from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Sailing out of Darkness from WhiteFire Publishing.
Find out more about Normandie at her website, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.
My Rating: ★★★ 3 Stars
This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I received a copy of the book in return for an honest review, which you can read above.
Kim, thanks so much for taking the time to read and review Becalmed. It's always interesting to learn what appeals and what doesn't in this subjective world of books and readers!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Normandie
Great review. I've read this book, and I loved the Italian guy in New York. I guess it was nice to see that Tadie wasn't a virgin 'cause she didn't have any options. She made the choice to remain that way.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful website. Looks like you've reviewed some great titles.
Good point about Tadie having options. I think I just assumed that was the case, so it didn't really add anything to Tadie's character that I didn't already 'know'. I also liked the Italian...I seem to have been reading books with Italian men in it lately.
DeleteThat's an interesting take on the sailing. While I don't sail, nor did I understand all the terms, I thought it lent an air of authenticity. :)
ReplyDeleteI imagine that it would be a real pleasure to read this book while relaxing on a sailboat!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour. I'm glad you enjoyed this one overall.