The Newcomer by Robyn Carr
Love catching up with Landon and his mom, Sarah the rescue helicopter pilot and her love interest Cooper who runs a local beach bar after his friend left it to him. Sarah is concerned about her future and her brother as she's informed about some news from work.
Ashley is involved with Downey who is at college and she shows up to figure out why he doesn't call or text her anymore. Her mom, Gina tries to console her when she returns and the local cop is there-her moms love interest, Mac. Ashley goes to counseling to help
her overcome her pain...
Love what the townsfolk did for Rawley when his dad passed away and all the things Cooper did=so admirable.
Mac has raised his 3 kids along with his sister's help and now his ex is back in town wanting to visit=but CJ gave up all rights...
Love how problems are dealt with that relate to the internet-so up to date...
So hard to hear what all the kids are going through...but I like the solutions that are working.
Kept looking for the newcomer-thinking it was Cooper but he was new in the last book. There are many nice surprises and a lot of worries for many that sometimes don't get worked out..
The saga continues...

I received this book from Net Galley and Harlequin MIRA in exchange for my honest review.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

The second in the series that takes place on the Oregon coast, Robyn Carr takes this town to the next level and I couldn't even predict what she was going to do with this great cast of characters. This book gave each of the characters in the town a focus and storyline to move them all forward a little. I was glad to have more depth than just the surface area of learning the people and the town like the first book.

A drama filled book with realistic life stories. It is wonderful to read the joy of Mac's life and to hear the horror of Ashley's hurdles while fighting to get back he life.

The Newcomer is the second book in the Thunder Point series. I really enjoyed the first book, but this one was a bit more...almost too melodramatic for me. The way it was written was a bit much for me at times. Overall I still enjoyed it, I was just disappointed it was not as good as the first book.

The story starts off not with Mac and Gina, but with Cooper and Sarah. Really this book is as much about them as it is about Mac and Gina, and their kids. I actually liked that in this series. It is something I normally don't like. I normally like the story to just focus on one couple, but with this it just worked to have the story be about everyone. Sarah finds out pretty quick that she could be reassigned to the east coast. She doesn't share this with anyone, not wanting Cooper to have to give up her or his business, and not wanting Landon to worry about his senior year of high school. Throughout the book Sarah struggles with this decision, to go if it comes to that or to retire, and once she finally tells Cooper what is going on everything is so much better. They are really great together, and Cooper has some drama of his own to deal with.

Mac and Gina are super close, having gotten together in the last book. Mac's ex-wife shows up in town suddenly, so Mac does some sleuthing to find out why she is really there. The synopsis makes it seem like she stirs up lots of drama, and maybe disrupts Mac and Gina, but she really doesn't. She causes some, but Mac never wavers from his love for Gina.

The main storyline in this book? The one I didn't really like because it seemed too over the top? Ashley, Gina's daughter. She was dating Downy, who is away at college, only to suddenly have him break up with her when he finds another girl in college. The way everything is written about the breakup and how Ashley deals with it was just so...it was just too much for me. I could take that she takes this not well, and need help, needs counseling, but the way it is spoken about was just too much. Gina finds out that Downy broke up with Ashley while Ashley is on her way home from seeing him. It is then many paragraphs about how horrible this is, how her daughter is going to be so distraught, how this is the worst thing to ever happen we are all going to die. Well not that last bit, but it was so....I understand parents being upset when bad things happen to their children, but the way it was written was just like it is the end of the world! It is hard to find the right words to describe it. If it was just taken down a notch it would have been fine, but since it was a huge storyline in this book it made me not like it as much as I would have otherwise. It was just a bit over the top for me the way it was written. I would have liked to have had more story of the adults in this book.

Overall the synopsis is a bit misleading. It is really the story of Ashley, Gina's daughter. Yes, Mac and Gina are in there, as well as Cooper and Sarah, but Ashley really seems to take center stage. It was just an alright read, and a bit disappointing since I liked the first book so much. I will give book three a try to see if it gets better, which hopefully it does.

Also posted to Jen in Bookland

This story was so cute!

Very good book. As always there is a depth to the characters and story that is different than most. They are real people dealing with the same issues the rest of do - tight budgets, teenage drama, finding time for your significant other.

This one picks up a few months after The Wanderer ends. Mac and Gina are continuing to develop their relationship. It isn't easy to spend time together with as busy as their lives are. Just as things are looking up for them Mac's ex-wife comes to town. Ten years after she deserted the family she's back, claiming to want to make amends. Mac doesn't trust her and investigates what she's been doing since she left. Meanwhile, her appearance is creating some emotional problems for Mac's daughter Eve, which Mac deals with very well. He also makes sure that Gina has no insecurities about CJ's reappearance. Gina is dealing with some family issues of her own. Her daughter Ashley is suffering through a bad breakup with her boyfriend. Gina has to track down Ashley's father who she hasn't seen since before Ashley was born. Both Gina and Mac need to decide the future of their relationship.

Cooper and Sarah are still enjoying each other's company. Coop never expected to be so content staying in one place but he's made a home for himself in Thunder Point. He has made friends and has what looks like it could be a permanent relationship with Sarah. He's an excellent mentor and role model for her brother Landon and other teens in the area. Partway through the book he gets thrown an unexpected curveball that turns into a life changing event. He has to decide how that change will impact his relationship with Sarah. At the same time things are changing for Sarah. She has always been independent and self-reliant, refusing to depend on anyone else for her needs. She has been her brother's guardian for ten years and is happy with the way he has settled down in Thunder Point. Her relationship with Cooper is going great even though she has been trying to keep her work and personal lives separate. When she gets news of a possible transfer she keeps it to herself as she worries and wonders about the effect it could have on all their lives. She is going to have to open up with both Coop and Landon soon as decisions will have to be made.

There is plenty going on with other members of the town also as they are all connected throughout the book. Mac's Aunt Lou still has her own relationship going on as well as dealing with worry about her family when CJ returns. Her closeness with Eve is apparent when Eve goes to her with worries of her own. Lou also spends some time with an old adversary as they work together with Gina's mother. We meet Spencer and Austin, through Cooper, and they end up playing a part in Thunder Point's future.

One of the best storylines is Ashley's. In the first book her romance with Downey is sweet as he gets ready to head off to college. He's been a big part of her life for the last couple years. He has watched out for her, protected his younger brother and was a large part of solving a mystery in the first book. But going off to college has changed him and not for the better. When he breaks things off with Ashley in a very cruel manner she doesn't take it well. Add in problems with a jealous new girlfriend, sexting and bullying and Ashley ends up in a very bad place emotionally. I loved seeing the realism of the way the issues were dealt with. It was good to see Ashley come out the other side much stronger. I also loved her developing friendship with Downey's brother Frank. He goes a long way toward healing her self esteem and opening her eyes to a better future. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him.

See review for book 1 because I have basically the same complaints. Only on a larger or annoyed scale. Also I don’t really like being manipulated and that’s pretty much this entire book. I keep reading more out of boredom than anything.

So. Okay. I’m going to give this series one more try but if book 3 is doesn’t improve I am dooooone.

4 Stars

The Newcomer picks up from where The Wanderer ends...Mac and Gina have finally admitted their feeling to one another and have become a couple. Their teenage daughters are best friends and are both going through growing pains. Mac's ex has returned to town making Gina insecure, his aunt Lou angry and scared and his daughter, Eve hurt. Gina's daughter, Ashley is dumped by her college freshman boyfriend and his new girlfriend sent a fake naked pic to all those in his cell phone. This causes Ashley to get very depressed and Gina does not know how to deal with it all.

I liked that this novel continues right after The Wanderer and like her other series, Virgin River the same characters are in this book. The main romance in this book is Gina and Mac but as they are single parents their children are prominent in this novel. The novel deals with cyber bullying and depression which we do not see a lot in adult books. I think it was a great storyline that hopefully raises awareness. Carr handled the situation quite well. This novel might not be everyone's cup of tea as it has more of the teens and their problem in this book. I enjoyed it and solidly recommend this novel and series.

This was a great second book in the series. Mac and Jeana make a good couple. It is also great to follow the stories of the other characters in the town. It is ashame that there are very few communities like thunderpoint around now in real life. Was great to revisit this book again and a lovely read to help me with getting through my work day.