Review: Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts (audio)

Title: Whiskey Beach   

Author: Nora Roberts   

Narrator: Peter Berkrot  

Published: April 2013, Brilliance Audio  

Length: 15 hours, 33 minutes  

Source: Library 

For more than three hundred years, Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach, guarding its shore – and its secrets.

To
summer tourists, it’s the crown jewel of the town’s stunning scenery.
To the residents of Whiskey Beach, it’s landmark and legend. To Eli
Landon, it’s home…

A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an
intense year of public scrutiny and police investigation after being
accused of murdering his soon-to-be ex-wife. And though there was never
enough evidence to have him arrested, his reputation is in tatters as
well as his soul. He need sanctuary. He needs Bluff House.

While
Eli’s beloved grandmother is in Boston, recuperating from a nasty fall,
Abra Walsh has card for Bluff House, among her other jobs as yoga
instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist. She is a woman with
an open heart and a wide embrace, and no one is safe from her special,
some would say over-bearing, brand of nurturing – including Eli.

He
begins to count on Abra for far more than her cooking, cleaning, and
massage skills, and starts to feel less like a victim – and more like
the kind of man who can finally solve the murder of his wife and clear
his name. But Bluff House’s many mysteries are a siren song to someone
intent on destroying Eli and reaping the rewards. He and Abra will
become entangled in a centuries-old net of rumors and half-truths that
could pull them under the thunderous waters of Whiskey Beach…

Passion
and obsession, humor and heart flow together in a novel about two
people opening themselves up to the truth – and to each other.

My thoughts: As I’ve said before, I really enjoy Nora Roberts’ stand-alone books. They are great romantic suspense novels and I’ve found that they tend to be really good on audio, too! This one had me hooked from the beginning and I loved how she was able to weave legend with reality so seamlessly.

I really liked the character of Eli and liked how his relationship with Abra developed over time. Both are such dynamic characters – he going through everything with his ex-wife’s murder and then Abra – what a character she is! She lives life to the fullest in her own way – doing what she loves – being a yoga instructor, massage therapist, housekeeper and even designing jewelry. Talk about a free spirit! But, she hasn’t always had an easy life and when her story finally comes out, you can appreciate why she is the way she is. 

There are a few mysteries going on in this book and both kept me guessing right up until the end. There’s buried treasure that someone seems quite intent on digging up in the basement of Bluff House and there’s the murder of Eli’s soon-to-be-ex-wife. Is there a connection between the two? Are Eli and Abra in danger by staying at Bluff House? 

There are plenty of twists and quite a bit of suspense to keep you on your toes with this book, with non-stop action. Then there’s the romance between Eli and Abra that’s slow to start but once it takes off, is pretty solid. This is what I love about Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense novels – it has a little bit of everything!!!

Audio Thoughts: It’s not too often that I get the opportunity to listen to male narrators just due to the nature of books I tend to select, so this was a little different for me. It was the first time I’ve listened to Peter Berkrot narrate a book and I thought he did a good job with the storyline. He was able to differentiate the characters, male from female and I had no problem identifying who was talking when.

*** Devourer of Books
hosts Sound Bytes  – a monthly link-up to share the audio books that
everyone is listening to. Stop by and you just might find your next
audio book!