It’s Sunday again, and time for another Bonus #ShareAReviewDay Post. I love it when a reader really gets what I’m trying to say, don’t you? And this new review of Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2 really touched my heart. Hope you enjoy it, and if you haven’t yet started the Riverbend series, maybe this will entice you to give it a try. There are a lot of very quirky characters living in this little Florida town, but happily, there’s not always a serial killer trying to cause them harm. 😀 Thanks for reading and sharing! ❤
REVIEW:
GOODREADS:
Jul 15, 2018 Alex Craigie 5 Stars it was amazing
I read Marcia Meara’s first Riverbend novel a little while ago and loved it. It combines a romantic love story with an edge-of-your-seat tension as the protagonists find themselves sucked into the horrific world of a sadistic serial killer.
Finding Hunter, the second book, doesn’t feature a serial killer but, for me, this was a book that packed an even greater emotional punch and the tension was as great – if not greater.
Finding Hunter is more terrifying because the horror in the story could happen to any one of us. It concerns the way families frequently behave, not recognising or acknowledging problems and, when things do go wrong, lashing out without thought of the damage done or its far-reaching consequences. It’s often the most perceptive characters who are hurt hardest in this life and Hunter is sensitive to everything around him, trying to do the best he can for everyone and struggling with the weight of his burden.
We first meet Willow and Hunter in Book One and we know that they’ve each hidden their love for the other for years. The characters are wonderfully developed. They’re as real as one’s own family and you walk with Willow and Hunter every step of the way, wincing, fearing, mourning and rejoicing with them every step of the way, too. They are perfect for each other and the scenes where they are able to give free reign to their feelings are expertly written. These are people with genuine emotions and needs and the love scenes, whilst handled with a light touch, are beautiful, funny and very moving without being graphic.
When tragedy strikes, Hunter goes missing both literally and figuratively and there is a very real sense of fear and dread. Willow is a wonderful character. She’s strong, intuitive and honest and prepared to do what it takes to get Hunter back. I won’t say any more for fear of dropping spoilers but I will confess to unashamedly weeping over parts of this incredible book.
So, this isn’t a book about sinister murderers and derring-do. No, it’s a truly frightening book about the frailty of the human spirit and how we respond to it. This is for people who like a great, pacy read with characters that leap off the page and who drive the story as much as the tragic incidents do. We can all identify in some way with Hunter and Willow and that makes it all the more personal and terrifying.
Five of the most sparkly of stars from me!
BLURB:
Before, I never thought about taking a life. Not once.
Now, the thought fills my mind day and night, and
I wonder how I’ll hide that terrible need,
As an old car swings to the shoulder,
And stops.
~ Traveling Man ~
Hunter Painter’s darkest fears have shaped his offbeat personality since he was a child, crippling him in ways invisible to those unable to see past his quiet exterior. In a sleepy Florida town known for its eccentric inhabitants, he’s always been a mystery to most.
Only one person sees beyond Hunter’s quirky facade. Willow Greene, the new age herbalist who owns the local candle and potpourri shop, has secretly loved him since they were in high school. When, sixteen years later, she discovers Hunter has loved her just as long, Willow hopes her dreams are finally coming true.
Soon, Willow learns that Hunter fears happiness at her side isn’t in the cards for him. With her natural optimism and courage, she almost convinces him he’s wrong—that they can really have that life together they both long for—but even Willow can’t stop what Hunter knows is coming.
One by one, his worst nightmares become reality, culminating in an unthinkable tragedy, which devastates everyone it touches. Willow’s battle begins in earnest as Hunter is plunged into a bleak, guilt-ridden despair, threatening to destroy not only their love, but Hunter, himself.
Finding Hunter is the story of a lost man’s desperate struggle to make his way home again, and one woman’s unshakeable faith in him and the power of their love.
Author Marcia Meara
Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and two small dachshunds. When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. At the age of five, Marcia declared she wanted to be an author, and is ecstatic that at age 69, she finally began pursuing that dream. Her belief in the redemptive power of love is a unifying factor in both of her popular series and her poetry. Today, she’s still going strong, and plans to keep on writing until she falls face down on the keyboard, which she figures would be a pretty good way to go!
BUY HERE: Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
Marcia has published six novels, one novella, and one book of poetry to date, all of which are available on Amazon:
Wake-Robin Ridge
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3
Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book
The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella
Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love
You can reach Marcia via email at marciameara16@gmail.com or on the following social media sites:
The Write Stuff: https://marciamearawrites.com/
Bookin’ It: http://marciameara.wordpress.com
Twitter: @marciameara
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcia.meara.writer
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marciameara/
The Write Stuff 