Review: The Best of Us by Robyn Carr (audio)

Title: The Best of Us

Author: Robyn Carr

Series: Sullivan’s Crossing, #4

Narrator: Therese Plummer

Published: January 2019, Recorded Books / MIRA

Length: 8 hours 36 minutes / 336 pages

Source: Audio – Personal copy via Audible / Print: (ARC Paperback) – Publisher via Little Bird Publicity

Summary:

In Sullivan’s
Crossing, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr has created a
place where good people, powerful emotions, great humor and a healthy
dose of common sense are the key ingredients to a happy life. Sullivan’s
Crossing brings out the best in people. It’s a place you’ll want to
visit again and again.

  

Dr. Leigh Culver loves practicing
medicine in Timberlake, Colorado. It is a much-needed change of pace
from her stressful life in Chicago. The only drawback is she misses her
aunt Helen, the woman who raised her. But it’s time that Leigh has her
independence, and she hopes the beauty of the Colorado wilderness will
entice her aunt to visit often.

Helen Culver is an independent
woman who lovingly raised her sister’s orphaned child. Now, with Leigh
grown, it’s time for her to live life for herself. The retired teacher
has become a successful mystery writer who loves to travel and intends
to never experience winter again.

When Helen visits Leigh, she is
surprised to find her niece still needs her, especially when it comes
to sorting out her love life. But the biggest surprise comes when Leigh
takes Helen out to Sullivan’s Crossing and Helen finds herself falling
for the place and one special person. Helen and Leigh will each have to
decide if they can open themselves up to love neither expected to find
and seize the opportunity to live their best lives.

My thoughts: This
is the fourth book in Robyn Carr’s Sullivan’s Crossing series and I have
to say, this series just keeps getting better and better. Somehow, I put this book aside when it first came out and I only realized I didn’t read it when I received book 5 in the series, The Country Guesthouse, which is due out January 7th. I decided to go the audio route with this one and what a great decision that was.

I really love this series and I love that we get to see familiar faces pop up as the series goes on – it’s like visiting with old friends. You get to find out how they are moving on, while still having the latest book feature new characters. 

This latest installment centered around Leigh, the local doctor, and Rob, the local pub owner. It doesn’t take long to figure out that they are going to start a romance – after all, once you’ve read one or two of these books, you do figure out the pattern – but to me, it’s all about the journey and boy oh boy, do these two have some journey to take. 

I also loved the side story of Leigh’s aunt, Helen and her friendship with Sully. Both are older characters, set in their ways, but their story was so sweet. There is also a story involving two younger characters, both in high school and this was also filled with sweetness, despite the heaviness that follows their storyline.

I love that Robyn Carr gives us such depth to her characters and their stories. Their is substance to these books and what these characters go through is not unlike what you or I might go through, making them relatable and real. They face everyday, real life challenges and need to learn to rely on family when needed just like you or I would. This is what we see time and again in this series and I love that, the value of family.

Now that I am caught up on this series, I cannot wait to start the next book, The Country Guesthouse. Have you read any of this series?

Audio thoughts: This is the first time I’ve listened to a book in this series and I have to say, I loved it. I decided to go the audio route this time because I needed to get the book done quickly and knew I would get to it faster if I listened to it and what a great audio it was. Therese Plummer did a great job with the narration and I felt that she really gave each of the characters their own personality. Her intonation and pacing were perfect and I already have the next book on pre-order because I saw that Therese was narrating it!

 Books in this series:  

1. What We Find
2. Any Day Now
3. The Family Gathering 
4. The Best of Us
5. The Country Guesthouse – due out January 7th, 2020