"Heavy Weather" by Normandie Fischer

When I first heard about Heavy Weather, I was intrigued. The synopsis made it sound interesting, and I was looking for a new "listen while I mow" book, so I thought, why not? Turns out, that was a very good decision, as I spent hours enjoying this novel.

Author: Normandie Fischer

Narrator: Laura Jennings

Length: 11 hours 7 minutes

Publisher: Normandie Fischer⎮2017

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Death, life, family, domestic abuse--Heavy Weather explores all these themes in a memorable and compelling narrative. When Annie Mac's life explodes like a storm at sea, she is helpless to fight back. Left for dead, her two children targeted by her abuser, her life appears to be over. The people who help her show her how to weather a storm that she cannot control. It takes a town to save a child. That town is Beaufort, North Carolina. Annie Mac’s estranged husband vows that nothing will stop him from getting his baby girl. Not Annie Mac and certainly not that boy of hers. Only four blocks away, Hannah Morgan lives in comfort with her husband and dog, making pottery and waiting for her best friend to come home. When she discovers the two children cowering in the bushes and their mama left for dead, it doesn’t take her long to set her coterie of do-gooders to some extra-strength do-gooding. Add in Clay, a lonely police lieutenant yanked out of his comfort zone and into the heart of this small family, and who knows what will happen? From the author of Becalmed comes this latest tale of the Carolina coast, introducing some new characters to love--and to loathe.

Heavy Weather is engaging women's fiction. Part crime drama, part suspense, part romance, part family drama, it's captivating in a way that made me want to keep listening. I did struggle to get into the book at first—there are a lot of characters, and, with characters named "Tadie" and "Katie," I sometimes couldn't tell who was who until I'd listened long enough to learn that Tadie was Hannah's best friend, while Katie was the girl Hannah took care of. (Obviously, this would only be a problem in the audiobook version!)

One thing that surprised me about this novel is just how emotionally involved I became. I cried multiple times as characters dealt with broken dreams and infant loss. I also deeply cared about Hannah's and Clay's journeys as they both sought to help Annie Mac and her kids. The novel's end was also incredibly satisfying, while slightly open-ended. I would love to visit these characters again to see where life takes them.

There's also a strong faith thread in the novel that I appreciated. While it's not apparent at first, when tragedy strikes, characters cling to their faith in God for comfort. 

Narrator Laura Jennings did a great job of bringing the novel to life. The characters were believable, and the narration kept me wanting to listen. Overall, a great performance. 4 stars.

Note: While this would probably be classified as a clean read, there is one romantic scene that was a bit too descriptive for my taste (it's not explicit, and it cuts off before the actual sex happens, but it made me uncomfortable). There are also descriptions of abuse and murder.

 

 

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Normandie Fischer studied sculpture in Italy before receiving a BA, summa cum laude with special honors in English. Her books, which have garnered numerous awards, include her Carolina Coast stories: Becalmed, Heavy Weather, Twilight Christmas, and Sailing out of Darkness. From Fire into Fire and Two from Isaac’s House—a Romantic Times Top Pick—form the beginning of her Isaac’s House series. A lifelong sailor, Normandie and her husband spent a number of years on board their 50-foot ketch, Sea Venture, in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, sailing home to North Carolina in 2011 to take care of her mother. They have four children, two grandchildren, and an aussiedoodle named Rhion.

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 Having graduated with a Masters Degree in Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Laura Jennings has an intrinsic appreciation of the mechanisms and techniques that comprise the art of the tale. She's able to analyze the underlying moods and currents of a book and bring these into her interpretation of the author's work. She believes her place as narrator is to be the facilitator for all the nuances of the spoken word and the written word between the author and the listener. Her naturally clear and fresh voice as narrator contributes that extra dimension of enjoyment. Laura works full time as a professional narrator and voice-over artist. She has narrated titles for Tantor Media, Audible Studios, Dreamscape Media, Insatiable Press and Cherry Hill Publishing. She enjoys a quiet lifestyle in the Pacific Northwest with her loving husband and aged beagle, Dottie. Her days are filled with narrating, yoga, hiking and, of course, always reading.

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  Heavy Weather Giveaway Heavy Weather Giveaway #2

 

Jun. 7th: CGB Blog Tours 

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Normandie Fischer. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it, and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."