Review & Author Q&A: One Wish by Robyn Carr (with Giveaway!!!- CLOSED)

Title: One Wish   

Author: Robyn Carr    

Series: Thunder Point, #     

Published:  February 2015, MIRA

Format: ARC e-copy, 400 pages   

Source: Netgalley via Little Bird Publicity  

Grace Dillon was a
champion figure skater until she moved to Thunder Point to escape the
ruthless world of fame and competition. And though she’s proud of the
quiet, self-sufficient life she’s created running a successful flower
shop, she knows something is missing. Her life could use a little
excitement.

In a community where there are few eligible singles,
high school teacher Troy Headly appoints himself Grace’s fun coach.
When he suggests a little companionship with no strings attached, Grace
is eager to take him up on his offer, and the two enjoy…getting to know
each other.

But things get complicated when Grace’s past catches
up with her, and she knows that’s not what Troy signed up for. Faced
with losing her, Troy realizes Grace is more than just a friend with
benefits. He’s determined to help her fight for the life she always
wished for but never believed she could have—and maybe they can find
real love along the way.

My thoughts: This is the 7th book in Robyn Carr’s Thunder Point series and once again I find myself falling in love with this small town much like I did with her Virgin River series. But, it has such a different feel to it than the Virgin River series and I am loving that!

I really loved this storyline. It had a little bit of everything thrown in – a romance that was sweet but not without it’s bumps and problems along the way, a little mystery and a serious illness to contend with. And it was all handled in stride, never feeling as though there was too much going on or anything was too contrived. Though I will say about that mystery – I kinda had it figured out pretty quickly. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment, though and added a nice change of pace to the usual storyline.

I loved Grace and Troy’s story. We met them both in the previous book and while he had set his eyes on someone else at first, it was apparent that there was something between him and Grace, if only he would give them a chance. The problem is that she needs to learn to trust him. She has quite a few secrets in her past, secrets that could change the way he views her. Is she willing to put it all out there in order to get her HEA? 

 

A lot of familiar faces also make appearances in this book, including a couple from Virgin River! I love that we get little updates on those couples and friends that we have met along the way in this series. A few storylines are also set up for the next book or two and I am quite anxious to get to those as I think they will be just as good!

Books in this series: 

1. The Wanderer                   7.  One Wish
2. The Newcomer                  8.  A New Hope – due out Jun 2015
3. The Hero                             9.  Wildest Dreams – due out Aug 2015               
4. The Chance 
5. The Promise
6. The Homecoming

  

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Robyn Carr has put together a mini Q&A for you about this book and a preview of the next…enjoy!!!

In ONE WISH, Grace moves to Thunder Point
to escape the ruthless world of fame and competition. You live a pretty quiet,
humble lifestyle but you are still a #1
New York Times bestseller! Have you ever been in Grace’s position and wish
you could escape and start a whole new life?

I love my life – it’s exactly the life I
want.  That being said, I sometimes feel
a bit over-exposed.  And I’m continually
surprised that people would treat me differently now than they did 10 years
ago.  I’m flabbergasted when I meet a
reader and she cries because a book
or books has meant so much to her.  A
couple of readers brought husbands to a signing and they made a big deal
worshiping me for bringing romance back into their lives – that was so much
fun, I can’t tell you.  And there have
been so many readers who have thanked me for getting them through personal loss
or hard time – I am so grateful.  But run
away?  Never.  I chose my life and I chose very well.  

I write about that a lot – you can live whatever life you choose. Maybe you can’t decide how much money you’ll have or whether you’ll always be healthy, but you can choose where you live, what kinds of friends you’ll have, how you’ll spend your time, what you dream of, how or if you worship, what your priorities will be – that’s how you live an authentic life. My characters do that. My readers like that.   

We fell in love with Mikhail, Grace’s
no-nonsense former figure skating coach. Do you think he’ll stay and find a
life in Thunder Point? (Please say yes!) 

Oh, I don’t think Mikhail is going anywhere.  He seems to be settling in.  Grace and her mother are his only family now. 

If you had ONE WISH what would it be? 

What a loaded question!  If I had one wish for today it would be that
I wish I wasn’t having this back spasm or whatever it is – but I’m not falling
into that trap of having one wish.  I’ve
heard all those genie jokes.  A million bucks
turns into a million male elk roaming suburbia. 
Remember, I am a disciple of It’s A Wonderful Life – the smallest act
can produce an avalanche of goodness or riptide of despair.  I wish to do my best every day, remember
right from wrong, love well and honestly and laugh repeatedly.  And live to be a healthy 126. 

But
Grace Dillon is another story – that’s the heroine in One Wish.  She’s spent her whole life being part of a
the isolating and high-pressure world of competitive figure skating.  She gave it everything she had, she did well
and now, living a completely different kind of life, one of quiet,
self-sufficiency she’s happy to finally be like everyone else.  But then she meets someone special, someone
she never dared hoped to have in her life.  Now she has one secret wish.  And she’s doing all she can to make it come
true.  

ONE WISH has some elements of mystery in the plot. How often do you add suspense
to your novels and do you do any research to prepare to write a murder? 

I’m
not a suspense or mystery writer, but sometimes it seems to be what the story
calls for.  Sometimes I can’t even recall
where the mystery came from.  I was
researching young athletes and stumbles across the great number of them
pestered or stalked or injured.  I
recalled the attack on Nancy Kerrigan just as she was preparing to compete in
the Olympic trials.  All that came
together and I began thinking What If?  That’s the thing about these books –
sometimes it’s a crime, a mystery, a deep emotional problem, a challenge…  See how fun my days are?  Never a dull moment.  

What do you want new readers to know as they start A NEW HOPE? 

Just when you think life is nothing but pain
and agony, you could meet people who remind you that there is so much good and
hope in the world.  Ginger, who you will first
meet in One Wish, finds a whole new life in Thunder Point.  All she had to do was be open to it. 

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GIVEAWAY DETAILS – (Continental US only)  

Thanks to Katie at Little Bird Publicity, one reader can win a copy of One Wish by Robyn Carr. To enter the giveaway, please fill out the form by March 12th.

Form closed

This giveaway is open to Continental US residents only and ends March 12th.

Good Luck!!!