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The Six Train to Wisconsin Series #1
The Six Train to Wisconsin
Sometimes saving the person you love can cost you everything.
There is one person that ties Oliver Richter to this world: his wife Kai. For Kai, Oliver is the keeper of her secrets.
When her telepathy spirals out of control and inundates her mind with the thoughts and emotions of everyone within a half-mile radius, the life they built together in Manhattan is threatened.
To save her, Oliver brings her to the hometown he abandoned—Butternut, Wisconsin—where the secrets of his past remain buried. But the past has a way of refusing to stay dead. Can Kai save Oliver before his secrets claim their future?
An emotionally powerful debut, The Six Train to Wisconsin pushes the bounds of love as it explores devotion, forgiveness and acceptance.
There is one person that ties Oliver Richter to this world: his wife Kai. For Kai, Oliver is the keeper of her secrets.
When her telepathy spirals out of control and inundates her mind with the thoughts and emotions of everyone within a half-mile radius, the life they built together in Manhattan is threatened.
To save her, Oliver brings her to the hometown he abandoned—Butternut, Wisconsin—where the secrets of his past remain buried. But the past has a way of refusing to stay dead. Can Kai save Oliver before his secrets claim their future?
An emotionally powerful debut, The Six Train to Wisconsin pushes the bounds of love as it explores devotion, forgiveness and acceptance.
432 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2013
171 people are currently reading
5419 people want to read
About the author
Kourtney Heintz
3 books242 followersKourtney Heintz is the award-winning and bestselling author of The Six Train to Wisconsin (2013), the first book in The Six Train to Wisconsin series. She also writes bestselling young adult time travel murder mysteries under the pseudonym K.C. Tansley and YA contemporary fantasy as Kika Emers.
She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
She has given writing workshops and author talks at libraries, museums, universities, high schools, conventions, wineries, non-profits organizations, and writing conferences. She has been featured in the Republican American of Waterbury, Connecticut; on WTNH’s CT Style; and on the radio show, Everything Internet.
She resides in Connecticut with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, and three quirky golden retrievers. Years of working on Wall Street provided the perfect backdrop for her imagination to run amok at night, envisioning a world where out-of-control telepathy and buried secrets collide.
She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
She has given writing workshops and author talks at libraries, museums, universities, high schools, conventions, wineries, non-profits organizations, and writing conferences. She has been featured in the Republican American of Waterbury, Connecticut; on WTNH’s CT Style; and on the radio show, Everything Internet.
She resides in Connecticut with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, and three quirky golden retrievers. Years of working on Wall Street provided the perfect backdrop for her imagination to run amok at night, envisioning a world where out-of-control telepathy and buried secrets collide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
August 30, 2016
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.
I would have liked this a bit better if high school caliber jealousies and emotions hadn't run rampant with Oliver and Kai. Just too immature to ring true for a married couple in their late 20's, early 30's. The similes and adjectives were many. Too many.
The premise of a telepath whose powers are completely out of control lured me in, and I really enjoyed the dream walker sequences. Looking at the plethora of four and five star reviews posted, you will not want to base your reading decision on my rating.
I would have liked this a bit better if high school caliber jealousies and emotions hadn't run rampant with Oliver and Kai. Just too immature to ring true for a married couple in their late 20's, early 30's. The similes and adjectives were many. Too many.
The premise of a telepath whose powers are completely out of control lured me in, and I really enjoyed the dream walker sequences. Looking at the plethora of four and five star reviews posted, you will not want to base your reading decision on my rating.
October 17, 2017
Celebrate the release of THE GIRL WHO SAVED GHOSTS with K.C. Tansley! Enter her giveaway to win a SIGNED copy and fabulous Swag!
International - Ends Oct 27 - Click on Banner to Enter!
Oliver would do anything for Kia, including re-entering the place he ran from when it became his personal Hell. She is his world, his heart and soul and she is in danger of losing her mind or worse. Kia is a telepath and the weight of the crush of thoughts from thousands of minds in Manhattan are driving her mad, drowning her in depression and suicide is becoming the only way she can see to escape the mental onslaught. Devoted to her job and life, Oliver knows the only way to save her is to trick her into moving to his quiet hometown in Wisconsin. His only thought and only goal is to let Kia revive her inner strength to hold out others thoughts, little did he know, his past would come back to haunt him an threaten all that he holds dear. Secrets have a way of growing ugly the longer they are kept, high school sweethearts can become excessive stalkers and Oliver will learn how human both he and Kia really are.
Kourtney Heintz’s The Six Train to Wisconsin is a tale of desperate love, lies of omission, infidelity and the lengths people will go to seek revenge all woven together with a paranormal thread. Brilliant characters come together in a small town where everyone knows everyone elses business and if they don’t, they make something up. Imagine being taken from the lights and frenzied pace of the big city and being plopped down in a smallminded town whose open arms of welcome are non-existent. How would you handle and old flame coming on to your spouse? Could you live with hearing everyone’s thoughts? Oliver has gone above and beyond to save the woman he loves, but his methods leave something to be desired. Kia is not only a wreck, but an outsider to the dark secrets buried in Butternut. Her reactions to events were like playing with fire in the most vicious way. Still, one must ask, what would I do? What am I willing to forgive?
Flawed characters in a town crippled by isolation and insecurity, liars, cheaters and players, everyone has an agenda and Kourtney Heintz has rolled the dice and come up with a suspense filled winner that guards the end like Cerberus!
I received this copy from Kourtney Heintz & Aurea Blue Press in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Six Train to Wisconsin Series - Book 1
Publisher: Aurea Blue Press; 1 edition (April 25, 2013)
Publication Date: April 25, 2013
ISBN 9780989132602
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Print Length: 433 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
International - Ends Oct 27 - Click on Banner to Enter!
Oliver would do anything for Kia, including re-entering the place he ran from when it became his personal Hell. She is his world, his heart and soul and she is in danger of losing her mind or worse. Kia is a telepath and the weight of the crush of thoughts from thousands of minds in Manhattan are driving her mad, drowning her in depression and suicide is becoming the only way she can see to escape the mental onslaught. Devoted to her job and life, Oliver knows the only way to save her is to trick her into moving to his quiet hometown in Wisconsin. His only thought and only goal is to let Kia revive her inner strength to hold out others thoughts, little did he know, his past would come back to haunt him an threaten all that he holds dear. Secrets have a way of growing ugly the longer they are kept, high school sweethearts can become excessive stalkers and Oliver will learn how human both he and Kia really are.
Kourtney Heintz’s The Six Train to Wisconsin is a tale of desperate love, lies of omission, infidelity and the lengths people will go to seek revenge all woven together with a paranormal thread. Brilliant characters come together in a small town where everyone knows everyone elses business and if they don’t, they make something up. Imagine being taken from the lights and frenzied pace of the big city and being plopped down in a smallminded town whose open arms of welcome are non-existent. How would you handle and old flame coming on to your spouse? Could you live with hearing everyone’s thoughts? Oliver has gone above and beyond to save the woman he loves, but his methods leave something to be desired. Kia is not only a wreck, but an outsider to the dark secrets buried in Butternut. Her reactions to events were like playing with fire in the most vicious way. Still, one must ask, what would I do? What am I willing to forgive?
Flawed characters in a town crippled by isolation and insecurity, liars, cheaters and players, everyone has an agenda and Kourtney Heintz has rolled the dice and come up with a suspense filled winner that guards the end like Cerberus!
I received this copy from Kourtney Heintz & Aurea Blue Press in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Six Train to Wisconsin Series - Book 1
Publisher: Aurea Blue Press; 1 edition (April 25, 2013)
Publication Date: April 25, 2013
ISBN 9780989132602
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Print Length: 433 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
October 16, 2016
I was contacted by the author and asked to request a copy of this book off Netgalley
So I was actually contacted by the author and asked to request this off NetGalley in anticipation orthe sequels release. This is a love story at its core. I found this to be a little slow in the beginning but once the pace picked up and there was an air of mystery surrounding the main characters, I was hooked. The characters are flawed and I thought the author did a great job of giving both Oliver and Kai some much needed depth. I will be picking up the second book Highway Thirteen to Manhattan set to be released in November later this month.
So I was actually contacted by the author and asked to request this off NetGalley in anticipation orthe sequels release. This is a love story at its core. I found this to be a little slow in the beginning but once the pace picked up and there was an air of mystery surrounding the main characters, I was hooked. The characters are flawed and I thought the author did a great job of giving both Oliver and Kai some much needed depth. I will be picking up the second book Highway Thirteen to Manhattan set to be released in November later this month.
September 9, 2016
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This is a hard book to review. There were parts of if I really loved and parts I really did not. The telepath and dreamwalking parts of the story were amazing, as was the plot itself.
This is a book about how we let the past haunt us long past the point we should. The main characters Kia and Oliver are messy, complicated and hard to like it really worked. That being said I found Kia to be the most annoying chartacter.
I felt the book was a little to long with certain elements drawn out to far. I also felt the relationship between Kia and Oliver was more like a teenage relationship then a married 30 something couple.
I will be reading the next book.
This is a hard book to review. There were parts of if I really loved and parts I really did not. The telepath and dreamwalking parts of the story were amazing, as was the plot itself.
This is a book about how we let the past haunt us long past the point we should. The main characters Kia and Oliver are messy, complicated and hard to like it really worked. That being said I found Kia to be the most annoying chartacter.
I felt the book was a little to long with certain elements drawn out to far. I also felt the relationship between Kia and Oliver was more like a teenage relationship then a married 30 something couple.
I will be reading the next book.
March 6, 2017
One of the best mystery thriller novels I have ever read.
The book contains everything to make it delicious ranging from super-powered yet mentally tortured wife, her loving husband with a shameful secret, flirtatious ex-girlfriend, dead best friend, vindictive ex-husband of the ex-girlfriend, dream-walker brother-in-law detested by the husband. And one super awesome plot.
Summary:- There is one person that ties Oliver Richter to this world: his wife Kai. For Kai, Oliver is the keeper of her secrets.When her telepathy spirals out of control and inundates her mind with the thoughts and emotions of everyone within a half-mile radius, the life they built together in Manhattan is threatened.
To save her, Oliver brings her to the hometown he abandoned—Butternut, Wisconsin—where the secrets of his past remain buried. But the past has a way of refusing to stay dead. Can Kai save Oliver before his secrets claim their future?
An emotionally powerful debut, The Six Train to Wisconsin pushes the bounds of love as it explores devotion, forgiveness and acceptance.
My Thoughts:- In the life of Oliver Richter there is only one important person. His wife Kai. She is a telepath. She picks up every devastating mood around herself and depression hits. She tries to commit suicide quite a few times. And to save his wife's life Oliver secretly takes her and brings her to Butternut, Wisconsin. But here Kai finds out the horrible truth her husband had buried deep inside intending to be forgotten and she gets angry. Their marriage is at stake. A ghost of Oliver's past emerges and kidnaps Kai to avenge his brother's death and to punish Oliver. What will Oliver do? You should read that part for yourself.
An amazing work of art. Full of suspense. The secret of Oliver has presented the way that will keep you to turn the pages. automatically.
Told from Oliver and Kai's point of view alternatively and I like the style.
Little bit coarse language and explicit scenes are presented but that is okay.
Drawbacks and Ratings:- 5 out of 5. I did not find any drawbacks as such. Recommended to all.
Thanksgiving:- Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers to give me the opportunity to read and review this book.
The book contains everything to make it delicious ranging from super-powered yet mentally tortured wife, her loving husband with a shameful secret, flirtatious ex-girlfriend, dead best friend, vindictive ex-husband of the ex-girlfriend, dream-walker brother-in-law detested by the husband. And one super awesome plot.
Summary:- There is one person that ties Oliver Richter to this world: his wife Kai. For Kai, Oliver is the keeper of her secrets.When her telepathy spirals out of control and inundates her mind with the thoughts and emotions of everyone within a half-mile radius, the life they built together in Manhattan is threatened.
To save her, Oliver brings her to the hometown he abandoned—Butternut, Wisconsin—where the secrets of his past remain buried. But the past has a way of refusing to stay dead. Can Kai save Oliver before his secrets claim their future?
An emotionally powerful debut, The Six Train to Wisconsin pushes the bounds of love as it explores devotion, forgiveness and acceptance.
My Thoughts:- In the life of Oliver Richter there is only one important person. His wife Kai. She is a telepath. She picks up every devastating mood around herself and depression hits. She tries to commit suicide quite a few times. And to save his wife's life Oliver secretly takes her and brings her to Butternut, Wisconsin. But here Kai finds out the horrible truth her husband had buried deep inside intending to be forgotten and she gets angry. Their marriage is at stake. A ghost of Oliver's past emerges and kidnaps Kai to avenge his brother's death and to punish Oliver. What will Oliver do? You should read that part for yourself.
An amazing work of art. Full of suspense. The secret of Oliver has presented the way that will keep you to turn the pages. automatically.
Told from Oliver and Kai's point of view alternatively and I like the style.
Little bit coarse language and explicit scenes are presented but that is okay.
Drawbacks and Ratings:- 5 out of 5. I did not find any drawbacks as such. Recommended to all.
Thanksgiving:- Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers to give me the opportunity to read and review this book.
December 18, 2013
The Six Train to Wisconsin shows how true it is that “love is a journey, never a destination.” With shifting first person narratives, we’re brought into the minds of Oliver and Kai as they try to understand each other and themselves.
When the story opens, Oliver and Kai are married and living in New York City. As a telepath, the painful thoughts of everyone within a certain radius threaten Kai’s sanity.
Kai is all that matters to Oliver. He brings her to his boyhood home in Wisconsin and there he’s forced into facing a past he had previously shut away. While helping to save her, he risks everything.
I love how The Six Train to Wisconsin flows with the ups and downs found in any marriage. Oliver and Kai seem perfect for each other but there are still misunderstandings and jealousies that get in the way of that love. This novel also explores the strong connections that can exist between siblings, other family members, past loves, and friends while showing how much we all need each other.
The writing style is a perfect blend of unique phrases and pacing that moves the story along. Here are just a few of my favorite passages:
“And my wife preferred to pretend this was going to pass. That it was just a little summer storm. Not the blizzard of her existence.”
“I latched on to one image. The look of blissed-out sugar high on my wife’s face as she devoured slices of lemon meringue pie and chocolate cake on our first date.”
“Half an hour later, the rockets of profanity gave way to sparklers of mumbling.”
A wonderful novel deserving of all the accolades it’s received (and more).
When the story opens, Oliver and Kai are married and living in New York City. As a telepath, the painful thoughts of everyone within a certain radius threaten Kai’s sanity.
Kai is all that matters to Oliver. He brings her to his boyhood home in Wisconsin and there he’s forced into facing a past he had previously shut away. While helping to save her, he risks everything.
I love how The Six Train to Wisconsin flows with the ups and downs found in any marriage. Oliver and Kai seem perfect for each other but there are still misunderstandings and jealousies that get in the way of that love. This novel also explores the strong connections that can exist between siblings, other family members, past loves, and friends while showing how much we all need each other.
The writing style is a perfect blend of unique phrases and pacing that moves the story along. Here are just a few of my favorite passages:
“And my wife preferred to pretend this was going to pass. That it was just a little summer storm. Not the blizzard of her existence.”
“I latched on to one image. The look of blissed-out sugar high on my wife’s face as she devoured slices of lemon meringue pie and chocolate cake on our first date.”
“Half an hour later, the rockets of profanity gave way to sparklers of mumbling.”
A wonderful novel deserving of all the accolades it’s received (and more).
October 9, 2016
Going into this book I was under the impression that it was a fantasy. After reading over 50% of this book I would say it's a contemporary with bits and pieces of a supernatural aspect thrown in every once in awhile.
There are several of reasons I decided to DNF this one.
1. It felt depressing to me. Kai and Oliver love each other very much but their relationship is pretty tough. Almost every chapter they would have some sort of argument or disagreement. Rather than rooting for them to overcome their obstacles their drama grated on my nerves.
2. Kai is selfish. In the hopes of not contradicting myself she's so selfless that it makes her selfish. Let me explain. Kai is a social worker. Imagine being telepathic and being able to hear people's thoughts while doing that job. She wants to help kids so much that it's killing her, literally. She doesn't care what it's doing to her husband, or the fact that if she's dead or insane she can't help ANYONE. WAKE UP KAI.
3. I wasn't having fun- I read for personal enjoyment and to escape into other worlds. I didn't like the world I fell into in this one.
4. I thought this was a fantasy book but it's not. (In my opinion of course.)
: This isn't a bad book per say but if you are looking for a fantasy read this one isn't it. Now if you love contemporaries and drama and you are wanting to try something with just a small dose pinch of paranormal then this may be your book.
There are several of reasons I decided to DNF this one.
1. It felt depressing to me. Kai and Oliver love each other very much but their relationship is pretty tough. Almost every chapter they would have some sort of argument or disagreement. Rather than rooting for them to overcome their obstacles their drama grated on my nerves.
2. Kai is selfish. In the hopes of not contradicting myself she's so selfless that it makes her selfish. Let me explain. Kai is a social worker. Imagine being telepathic and being able to hear people's thoughts while doing that job. She wants to help kids so much that it's killing her, literally. She doesn't care what it's doing to her husband, or the fact that if she's dead or insane she can't help ANYONE. WAKE UP KAI.
3. I wasn't having fun- I read for personal enjoyment and to escape into other worlds. I didn't like the world I fell into in this one.
4. I thought this was a fantasy book but it's not. (In my opinion of course.)
: This isn't a bad book per say but if you are looking for a fantasy read this one isn't it. Now if you love contemporaries and drama and you are wanting to try something with just a small dose pinch of paranormal then this may be your book.
May 30, 2014
Kourtney Heintz is an amazing author, and this book was exciting and suspenseful! I could not put this book down, and I loved all the plot twists. It felt really real to me, since I live in Butternut.
May 17, 2013
The Six Train to Wisconsin is a contemporary fantasy that is mostly true to life except some of the characters have special abilities such as hearing thoughts or being able to enter other people's dreams. The main characters, Oliver and Kai, are a married couple living in New York. The concentrated population is having a detrimental effect on Kai who hears everyone's thoughts and experiences their deaths if they are in close enough proximity. To make the situation worse, Kai works as a social worker helping abused children. All these things combined together sends Kai in a suicide spiral that her husband wants to save her from. Oliver decides to kidnap his wife from the big city and take her to the small town he grew up in so his wife can escape the voices.
Right away when I started reading I liked the voices of the two characters and the way the story is written. I also liked the very artistic, visual way Kai's power is handled throughout the story. Everything came across realistically, until the kidnapping. The kidnapping part is written well, but I don't know if it's a realistic action of a husband. It's more likely he would have worn her down over time until something happened that convinced her to try his idea for a while. The death of the girl would have been a great reason for her to change and follow him to the small town. I'm sure many will disagree and that's OK. The kidnapping parts, as I said, are written well and Oliver is desperate enough and Kai is stubborn enough to make it believable.
The story continued well and kept my interest until the part of the missing child. Here, about 60% in and continuing until close to the end, I felt the story started to drag, too much character thoughts on the situation. Some of it was repetitive and I think it could have been cut or shortened to keep the novel moving forward. Again, some readers will disagree loving all the internal drama. I love it, too, but not when it's the same info. Once is enough for me. Perhaps the author was trying to delay the ending to keep the reader in suspense longer. I didn't have that effect on me. I wanted to skip it to get back to the good stuff.
One thing I'm really happy about, this self-published book has an ending. So many don't and I never read on when the first book doesn't end because I don't trust the author to know how to end a novel if they can't end their first novel. Kudos to the author. The ending is a pretty decent one, too. I think most readers will enjoy it. I guessed it earlier in the story, but that's OK. I don't think it was meant to be a surprise ending to the reader, only the characters.
One point that bothered me that brought the star rating down, the explicit sex descriptions. I don't like erotica, preferring a more Gone With the Wind handling of sex scenes. Detailed descriptions of the act turns me off and makes me cringe, but for those who like it, you'll definitely be satisfied. Someone else complained about the language in the novel. It didn't bother me. The characters are adults and adults cuss. With that said, this book is not for young readers, eighteen and above only.
Would I recommend reading this book? Yes. Despite the slow area and the sex, I did enjoy the story and the characters. The plot is solid and well constructed, the characters are developed and have pasts and issues like normal people, and the novel won't leave you hanging without an ending like so many other self-pubbers.
Right away when I started reading I liked the voices of the two characters and the way the story is written. I also liked the very artistic, visual way Kai's power is handled throughout the story. Everything came across realistically, until the kidnapping. The kidnapping part is written well, but I don't know if it's a realistic action of a husband. It's more likely he would have worn her down over time until something happened that convinced her to try his idea for a while. The death of the girl would have been a great reason for her to change and follow him to the small town. I'm sure many will disagree and that's OK. The kidnapping parts, as I said, are written well and Oliver is desperate enough and Kai is stubborn enough to make it believable.
The story continued well and kept my interest until the part of the missing child. Here, about 60% in and continuing until close to the end, I felt the story started to drag, too much character thoughts on the situation. Some of it was repetitive and I think it could have been cut or shortened to keep the novel moving forward. Again, some readers will disagree loving all the internal drama. I love it, too, but not when it's the same info. Once is enough for me. Perhaps the author was trying to delay the ending to keep the reader in suspense longer. I didn't have that effect on me. I wanted to skip it to get back to the good stuff.
One thing I'm really happy about, this self-published book has an ending. So many don't and I never read on when the first book doesn't end because I don't trust the author to know how to end a novel if they can't end their first novel. Kudos to the author. The ending is a pretty decent one, too. I think most readers will enjoy it. I guessed it earlier in the story, but that's OK. I don't think it was meant to be a surprise ending to the reader, only the characters.
One point that bothered me that brought the star rating down, the explicit sex descriptions. I don't like erotica, preferring a more Gone With the Wind handling of sex scenes. Detailed descriptions of the act turns me off and makes me cringe, but for those who like it, you'll definitely be satisfied. Someone else complained about the language in the novel. It didn't bother me. The characters are adults and adults cuss. With that said, this book is not for young readers, eighteen and above only.
Would I recommend reading this book? Yes. Despite the slow area and the sex, I did enjoy the story and the characters. The plot is solid and well constructed, the characters are developed and have pasts and issues like normal people, and the novel won't leave you hanging without an ending like so many other self-pubbers.
November 5, 2016
~I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review~
Kai is a telepath. She is able to hear others' thoughts, and see emotions. When her state steadily worsens, she becomes suicidal and often unable to keep up her shield which protects her from the constant onslaught of emotions. Her husband Oliver takes it upon himself to move her out of the busy city of New York and back to his hometown of Butternut, Wisconsin. But the town is filled with demons from Oliver's past and people he left behind. Nothing will remain hidden...
I love the idea of this series. The conflict between Kai and Oliver proves nothing is perfect, and both of them grow, learn and dissolve their issues. Based off the real town of Butternut, Kourtney Heintz's Butternut is also a symbol, showing that secrets from the past will be unearthed.
I tried to write as much as I could before this segment, but now it's here. Yes, I fear this section will go on for the rest of the review, but I'll try and subdue the urge that wants that to happen. My favourite character of them all isn't Kai or Oliver, so guess again. Stumped? Caleb! I really wanted the opportunity to get to know him better, more description and revelations about his personality. I hope this happens in book two.
In terms of the storyline and mystery, I definitely give The Six Train to Wisconsin five stars. However what stopped me from loving some of this book are the characters. For me, I usually find it the easiest to connect with the character(s) telling the story; their voice shows their personality in an intimate way and in first person you are literally in their head. I like the characters of this book, but they need more description, especially about their looks. I didn't find out a lot about their personality either, only how they would react in extreme situations.
The Six Train to Wisconsin started as a short story, and I can see the similarities between that and this novel, which is the short story in expanded version. However I think it is too much like an expanded version of the short story and more content is needed.
Kai is a telepath. She is able to hear others' thoughts, and see emotions. When her state steadily worsens, she becomes suicidal and often unable to keep up her shield which protects her from the constant onslaught of emotions. Her husband Oliver takes it upon himself to move her out of the busy city of New York and back to his hometown of Butternut, Wisconsin. But the town is filled with demons from Oliver's past and people he left behind. Nothing will remain hidden...
I love the idea of this series. The conflict between Kai and Oliver proves nothing is perfect, and both of them grow, learn and dissolve their issues. Based off the real town of Butternut, Kourtney Heintz's Butternut is also a symbol, showing that secrets from the past will be unearthed.
I tried to write as much as I could before this segment, but now it's here. Yes, I fear this section will go on for the rest of the review, but I'll try and subdue the urge that wants that to happen. My favourite character of them all isn't Kai or Oliver, so guess again. Stumped? Caleb! I really wanted the opportunity to get to know him better, more description and revelations about his personality. I hope this happens in book two.
In terms of the storyline and mystery, I definitely give The Six Train to Wisconsin five stars. However what stopped me from loving some of this book are the characters. For me, I usually find it the easiest to connect with the character(s) telling the story; their voice shows their personality in an intimate way and in first person you are literally in their head. I like the characters of this book, but they need more description, especially about their looks. I didn't find out a lot about their personality either, only how they would react in extreme situations.
The Six Train to Wisconsin started as a short story, and I can see the similarities between that and this novel, which is the short story in expanded version. However I think it is too much like an expanded version of the short story and more content is needed.
September 19, 2016
THIS BOOK!
I received a copy of this book, as well as its upcoming sequel, HIGHWAY THIRTEEN TO MANHATTAN, from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I was simply blown away by this story. The characters, the premise, the emotion, and most of all, Ms. Heintz's writing style. No wonder SIX TRAIN won so many awards. It's one terrific piece.
It's a unique genre mash: part romance, part suspense thriller, paranormal without being paranormal, all mixed into a story of a married couple struggling with and between themselves. Haunted by their pasts, tortured by their present. I was so riveted by this story. Highly recommended!
I received a copy of this book, as well as its upcoming sequel, HIGHWAY THIRTEEN TO MANHATTAN, from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I was simply blown away by this story. The characters, the premise, the emotion, and most of all, Ms. Heintz's writing style. No wonder SIX TRAIN won so many awards. It's one terrific piece.
It's a unique genre mash: part romance, part suspense thriller, paranormal without being paranormal, all mixed into a story of a married couple struggling with and between themselves. Haunted by their pasts, tortured by their present. I was so riveted by this story. Highly recommended!
May 28, 2017
Oliver is a man with a problem and possibly a solution, or one that he is fairly certain will work. That is if he can pull everything off without a hitch. The problem is his wife, Kai, a social worker with a fragile psyche. When one of her cases, a twelve year old girl, is killed by her own father, Oliver fears for her safety, as well as sanity. He then decides to execute his plan; to kidnap his own wife and move her to his old family home in Butternut, Wisconsin. There is only one issue; Kai is a psychic. It complicates things in their relationship, as well as some very interesting ones, and he has taught himself to create a shield from her penetration. Kai has a history of self destructive behavior due to her ability to connect with the various cases. The downside to this is that whenever one of her charges get her she spirals into a depression.
After the successful abduction Kai is first furious, but after a while takes it in stride and they begin to settle in. It soon becomes quite clear to Kai that Butternut houses deep dark secrets pertaining to Oliver's past. Firstly it is the emergence of his first love Mickey and their passion is quickly rekindled. Secondly it is the relation between him and his deceased father, the town sheriff, in particularly some peculiar business regarding his best friend's death. When Mickey's son suddenly vanishes it threatens to bring all the old feelings back and Kai ends up in the center of it all, even being attacked by threatening thoughts from a mysterious person.
It would be easy to cast off Heintz first installment of her Wisconsin series as romance novels aimed at women, a genre that several literary critics turn their nose at. The reason for this is several fold; the cover, that is reminiscent of something from the late 1970's, as well as the description, that seems to be lifted from a lifetime movie. That is quite the mistake to make though. From the first sentences the reader is plunged into the darker side of what being telepathic might entail. It is a downside that is rarely explored in fiction, if at all. Mostly the issues presented are those of how the main character is barraged by images of murder and violence, not the emotionally charged reality that Kai experiences. The kidnapping by Oliver that follows the complications at home quickly escalates the story, until it reaches a kind of quiet solemnity once they settle in Butternut reminiscent of TV shows like Ed or Providence.
It is all capped off with the mystery of Oliver's past and the disappearance of Mickey's son, a way to ease it into a more dramatic Midwestern noir tale. The story is expertly told by Heintz and is, perhaps surprisingly to some, a page turner, leaping from Oliver to Kai's perspective. It moves on easily and the language is well adapted to suit most types of readers, as does the mix of genres; from the romantic to the mysterious. This story has it all. The good news does not stop there as this is only the first installment of a series and if one enjoys The Six Train to Wisconsin, one would imagine that the books that follow are equally as enjoyable.
After the successful abduction Kai is first furious, but after a while takes it in stride and they begin to settle in. It soon becomes quite clear to Kai that Butternut houses deep dark secrets pertaining to Oliver's past. Firstly it is the emergence of his first love Mickey and their passion is quickly rekindled. Secondly it is the relation between him and his deceased father, the town sheriff, in particularly some peculiar business regarding his best friend's death. When Mickey's son suddenly vanishes it threatens to bring all the old feelings back and Kai ends up in the center of it all, even being attacked by threatening thoughts from a mysterious person.
It would be easy to cast off Heintz first installment of her Wisconsin series as romance novels aimed at women, a genre that several literary critics turn their nose at. The reason for this is several fold; the cover, that is reminiscent of something from the late 1970's, as well as the description, that seems to be lifted from a lifetime movie. That is quite the mistake to make though. From the first sentences the reader is plunged into the darker side of what being telepathic might entail. It is a downside that is rarely explored in fiction, if at all. Mostly the issues presented are those of how the main character is barraged by images of murder and violence, not the emotionally charged reality that Kai experiences. The kidnapping by Oliver that follows the complications at home quickly escalates the story, until it reaches a kind of quiet solemnity once they settle in Butternut reminiscent of TV shows like Ed or Providence.
It is all capped off with the mystery of Oliver's past and the disappearance of Mickey's son, a way to ease it into a more dramatic Midwestern noir tale. The story is expertly told by Heintz and is, perhaps surprisingly to some, a page turner, leaping from Oliver to Kai's perspective. It moves on easily and the language is well adapted to suit most types of readers, as does the mix of genres; from the romantic to the mysterious. This story has it all. The good news does not stop there as this is only the first installment of a series and if one enjoys The Six Train to Wisconsin, one would imagine that the books that follow are equally as enjoyable.
May 20, 2017
The book is told from two viewpoints- that of Oliver and that of his wife, Kai. Oliver wants everything for Kai, and loves her so much. That's clear throughout the book. Kia is a telepath and, although it was unclear where and how Kai got this special ability, the life the couple led in Manhattan and also the strain and different emotions she goes through precisely because of her telepathy have left her incredibly fragile emotionally.
Be prepared for strong language and sexual scenes in the book. Oliver tries to think of how to help Kia and they set off on a road trip to Buttrnut, Wisconsin where he lived before and has some bad memories of moments of his life as well as his own secrets.
I felt many emotions while reading this-I felt compassion for Oliver in his efforts to help his wife. I felt I wanted to see a positive change in Kia and for their relationship to last despite the often tense atmosphere and difficult situations they had to face as the story progressed. In the calmer moments, they seem a cute couple. I enjoyed following them on their journey towards acceptance and forgiveness. The book is extremely detailed. Thanks to the author and publisher for a copy of the book via NetGalley. I'm looking forward to the one next in the series.
For me, what I'll take home from reading this was Heintz's ability to mix genres: there's romance, suspense and adventure plus a slight paranormal element, although the way Kai's telepathy is put across is in a subtle way which compliments the plot, so this is not full-on paranormal. This made the book an interesting read.
February 11, 2017
Goodreads Autographed Copy
This about two people saving each other but in doing so they might end up losing each other.
Kai and Oliver found each other during a difficult time in their lives and soon found strength in each other. Oliver kept her sane when her telepathic abilities threatened to kill her.
But when one case as a social worker where one of the kids dies, her suicidal thoughts start to get out of hand. Fearing for both of their lives, he kidnaps her and takes her to his small hometown in Wisconsin.
But soon both their secrets start to unravel in this small town. As secrets that might end up destroying them as they try to build a new life. An interesting and engrossing read.
This about two people saving each other but in doing so they might end up losing each other.
Kai and Oliver found each other during a difficult time in their lives and soon found strength in each other. Oliver kept her sane when her telepathic abilities threatened to kill her.
But when one case as a social worker where one of the kids dies, her suicidal thoughts start to get out of hand. Fearing for both of their lives, he kidnaps her and takes her to his small hometown in Wisconsin.
But soon both their secrets start to unravel in this small town. As secrets that might end up destroying them as they try to build a new life. An interesting and engrossing read.
July 8, 2015
Audiobook
Narration - Christa Lewis - Pretty Good. This is not a narrator who is doing character voices. She drops her pitch a bit for males and raises it for females, but for the most part, she's just a good story teller and I enjoyed listening to her.
The story was really an interesting and kinda unique concept for a paranormal story. So as the blurb says, they leave New York for Wisconsin (actually Oliver pretty much kidnaps Kai for her own protection) It starts out pretty interesting and the middle is more about the insecurities of their relationship as they go back to his hometown where there is family, friends and ex-girlfriends. Since Kai is a telepath, she unfortunately can hear the thoughts of everyone, including Kai's ex (who still wants him). So the middle of the story contains quite a bit of drama regarding his ex.
There's a bit of silliness with a pet turkey, which we must pretend is believable, but hey, it's fiction right?
The last quarter of the book really heats up with all the mysteries and secrets of the past being revealed. But I felt this was the best part about this book. It could have really gone down the Scooby Doo trail, but it didn't and that's so awesome to me! I enjoyed how Kai's powers and memories were primarily used to reveal some of the deeper demons of the story instead of "the old in-keeper reciting his vendetta" like a Scooby Doo episode! So big kudos for that!
Really enjoyed it!
I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review
Narration - Christa Lewis - Pretty Good. This is not a narrator who is doing character voices. She drops her pitch a bit for males and raises it for females, but for the most part, she's just a good story teller and I enjoyed listening to her.
The story was really an interesting and kinda unique concept for a paranormal story. So as the blurb says, they leave New York for Wisconsin (actually Oliver pretty much kidnaps Kai for her own protection) It starts out pretty interesting and the middle is more about the insecurities of their relationship as they go back to his hometown where there is family, friends and ex-girlfriends. Since Kai is a telepath, she unfortunately can hear the thoughts of everyone, including Kai's ex (who still wants him). So the middle of the story contains quite a bit of drama regarding his ex.
There's a bit of silliness with a pet turkey, which we must pretend is believable, but hey, it's fiction right?
The last quarter of the book really heats up with all the mysteries and secrets of the past being revealed. But I felt this was the best part about this book. It could have really gone down the Scooby Doo trail, but it didn't and that's so awesome to me! I enjoyed how Kai's powers and memories were primarily used to reveal some of the deeper demons of the story instead of "the old in-keeper reciting his vendetta" like a Scooby Doo episode! So big kudos for that!
Really enjoyed it!
I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review
February 6, 2016
At first I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy Six Train - the premise implied it wasn't the sort of thing I would usually go for. As soon as I started reading though I felt immediately immersed and so knew I was going to really like it. By the second half of the book I couldn't put it down, and by the end I felt a sense of loss that I wasn't going to be part of their lives any more.
I admired Heintz's skill in writing it, it's definitely not an easy story to write, it could have been really confusing, but it wasn't. It's clever and very well thought through. Everything hangs together and makes sense within the context of something extraordinary. The supernatural telepathy aspect is grounded in solid, real everyday relationships and settings, and that's why it works.
Often when you read a book, you think of other stories you've read, or seen, that it reminds you of, but that didn't happen for me here, I felt I was reading something very different and original. Really looking forward to the sequel now!
I admired Heintz's skill in writing it, it's definitely not an easy story to write, it could have been really confusing, but it wasn't. It's clever and very well thought through. Everything hangs together and makes sense within the context of something extraordinary. The supernatural telepathy aspect is grounded in solid, real everyday relationships and settings, and that's why it works.
Often when you read a book, you think of other stories you've read, or seen, that it reminds you of, but that didn't happen for me here, I felt I was reading something very different and original. Really looking forward to the sequel now!
June 2, 2013
From page one of this story, I felt the beyond-caffeinated jolt of fresh, honest storytelling and a depth of human insight that makes this one of the great and most suspenseful love stories I've read. Not once does the story descend into clichés. Oliver and Kai's love for one another is deep, but the plot keeps you wondering whether they'll be able to surmount their many obstacles; Kai's telepathy makes her vulnerable to every thought and emotion in a 20-mile radius. Oliver does the only thing he can think of to save her, by diving back into the small-town past he's struggled to avoid. It's a creative premise. The author made me believe in and care about her characters. There's mystery, danger and a love story that will keep you guessing. The best book I've read so far this year...
December 15, 2016
I won this book through a Good Reads Give Away. I had my attention from the first page to the last. Very Good book
September 2, 2016
This is a difficult story to read because of the intensity of the material and some of the actions described. However, once you get past learning the contents of someone's mind during periods of stress, it becomes an interesting mystery as a young boy is kidnapped and cannot be found. The story has many twists and turns, romantically as well as physically. Hard to read, but impossible to put done.
October 4, 2017
I loved this book I was able to picture everything as it unfolded and the book was so descriptive I loved the dynamic between Kai and Lukas and Kai’s relationship with her brother this book had a very fascinating concept and I was able to have the story stick with me even when I read most earlier in the year I cannot wait to start the next book. This is an amazing work of fiction.
April 3, 2017
5 STARS! From Underground Book Reviews
A unique book which successfully crosses into several genres. The plot revolves around the two main characters Kai and Oliver, a married couple with some unusual problems. Kai is a telepath, whose absorption of the thoughts and feelings of others has pushed her to the brink of suicide. Oliver is determined to save her but keeps his own painful past off the radar. Oliver takes Kai back to his home town of Butternut, Wisconsin in order to save her, but in doing so, he is forced to confront his painful past and secrets which could blow the entire community apart. Romance, magic realism, thriller and mystery. And it works. This book held me from start to finish. It was understated and really quite glorious. Highly recommended...
Read the full review at UndergroundBookReviews.org
A unique book which successfully crosses into several genres. The plot revolves around the two main characters Kai and Oliver, a married couple with some unusual problems. Kai is a telepath, whose absorption of the thoughts and feelings of others has pushed her to the brink of suicide. Oliver is determined to save her but keeps his own painful past off the radar. Oliver takes Kai back to his home town of Butternut, Wisconsin in order to save her, but in doing so, he is forced to confront his painful past and secrets which could blow the entire community apart. Romance, magic realism, thriller and mystery. And it works. This book held me from start to finish. It was understated and really quite glorious. Highly recommended...
Read the full review at UndergroundBookReviews.org
April 3, 2017
A unique book which successfully crosses into several genres. The plot revolves around the two main characters Kai and Oliver, a married couple with some unusual problems. Kai is a telepath, whose absorption of the thoughts and feelings of others has pushed her to the brink of suicide. Oliver is determined to save her but keeps his own painful past off the radar. Oliver takes Kai back to his home town of Butternut, Wisconsin in order to save her, but in doing so, he is forced to confront his painful past and secrets which could blow the entire community apart. Romance, magic realism, thriller and mystery. And it works. This book held me from start to finish. It was understated and really quite glorious. Highly recommended.
Read the rest of this review at UndergroundBookReviews(dot)org
Read the rest of this review at UndergroundBookReviews(dot)org
Want to read
May 20, 2013You can read this book here:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...
May 17, 2013 Roxanne Crouse rated it 4 of 5 stars
The Six Train to Wisconsin is a contemporary fantasy that is mostly true to life except some of the characters have special abilities such as hearing thoughts or being able to enter other people's dreams. The main characters, Oliver and Kai, are a married couple living in New York. The concentrated population is having a detrimental effect on Kai who hears everyone's thoughts and experiences their deaths if they are in close enough proximity. To make the situation worse, Kai works as a social worker helping abused children. All these things combined together sends Kai in a suicide spiral that her husband wants to save her from. Oliver decides to kidnap his wife from the big city and take her to the small town he grew up in so his wife can escape the voices.
Right away when I started reading I liked the voices of the two characters and the way the story is written. I also liked the very artistic, visual way Kai's power is handled throughout the story. Everything came across realistically, until the kidnapping. The kidnapping part is written well, but I don't know if it's a realistic action of a husband. It's more likely he would have worn her down over time until something happened that convinced her to try his idea for a while. The death of the girl would have been a great reason for her to change and follow him to the small town. I'm sure many will disagree and that's OK. The kidnapping parts, as I said, are written well and Oliver is desperate enough and Kai is stubborn enough to make it believable.
The story continued well and kept my interest until the part of the missing child. Here, about 60% in and continuing until close to the end, I felt the story started to drag, too much character thoughts on the situation. Some of it was repetitive and I think it could have been cut or shortened to keep the novel moving forward. Again, some readers will disagree loving all the internal drama. I love it, too, but not when it's the same info. Once is enough for me. Perhaps the author was trying to delay the ending to keep the reader in suspense longer. I didn't have that effect on me. I wanted to skip it to get back to the good stuff.
One thing I'm really happy about, this self-published book has an ending. So many don't and I never read on when the first book doesn't end because I don't trust the author to know how to end a novel if they can't end their first novel. Kudos to the author. The ending is a pretty decent one, too. I think most readers will enjoy it. I guessed it earlier in the story, but that's OK. I don't think it was meant to be a surprise ending to the reader, only the characters.
One point that bothered me that brought the star rating down, the explicit sex descriptions. I don't like erotica, preferring a more Gone With the Wind handling of sex scenes. Detailed descriptions of the act turns me off and makes me cringe, but for those who like it, you'll definitely be satisfied. Someone else complained about the language in the novel. It didn't bother me. The characters are adults and adults cuss. With that said, this book is not for young readers, eighteen and above only.
Would I recommend reading this book? Yes. Despite the slow area and the sex, I did enjoy the story and the characters. The plot is solid and well constructed, the characters are developed and have pasts and issues like normal people, and the novel won't leave you hanging without an ending like so many other self-pubbers
September 16, 2017
Well, it took me long enough! I won this from Goodreads more than 2 years ago and somehow just got to it. I didn't know there was a series and there's a #2 -- I have definitely put it on my shelf as a "want to read!!" This is a very readable book and it's hard to walk away from the Kai/Oliver viewpoints of the book. Part of me didn't want to like Kai, but now part of me can't wait to see what comes of her in the 2nd book. Heintz shows a great imagination and talent for telling stories.
November 26, 2016
I've had this book, and the sequel, on my review shelf for a few months and I'm just now getting to it. I actually flew through this book rather quickly despite it being a little over 400 pages. The point of view switches between Oliver and Kai. Oliver would do anything for his wife Kai, he literally would go to the ends of the world for her. Kai would do the same for Oliver but she is so wholly dependent on him because she's a telepath who makes terrible choices. She feels extreme guilt and wants to save everyone all of the time even at the cost of her life or sanity. Oliver does everything he can to keep her from falling apart. One day, after the death of a child at the hands of her father, Kai is in rough shape. Oliver has been working on a plan to help Kai and he has to put it in motion a little sooner than planned.
Cue their road trip to Butternut, Wisconsin (Oliver's home town) where Kai has effectively been kidnapped by her own husband. Her irrational anger and lashing out at Oliver made her a very unlikable character for me, and I really felt like smacking her upside the head so she'd see that Oliver doesn't want to be there either but he's sacrificing for her well being.
Oh, but it's not all easy because Mickey is also in Butternut, and Mickey is Oliver's first love. Kai is angry that Mickey is a shameless flirt and makes it clear she wants Oliver even still. Now, on one hand I totally get it- I'd be angry if some chick was throwing herself at my husband. But on the other, I'd like to think I'd have some faith in my husband to stay faithful. If you don't have trust then you have nothing. (Except let's remember Kai is a telepath so she knows what Oliver thinks so yeah.. you already know how this is going to go wrong.) My problem with Kai is she acts fairly childish, much like a child stomping her foot when someone tells her no. She drove me nuts this entire book.
I'm not giving Oliver a free pass either, he did lots of things wrong. Anytime you assume you know best for someone so you do things or you fail to be honest with them, it's going to blow up in your face EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And it does in this book, big time.
Mickey's son Lukas, who has taken a liking to Kai (mostly because he has his own powers like Kai, a bit different though so Kai naturally feels like she has to guide him) is kidnapped and in the search process, Oliver makes a HUGE mistake, which Kai witnesses. Cue her leaving instead of talking to him, Oliver making bad decisions, Mickey being an idiot, and we've got a seemingly lost little boy. We meet Nathan, Mickey's ex-husband, who is kind of nuts, and everything fall apart rather quickly.
I really liked the book but I can't give it five stars only because the first 3/4 of the book are SLOW. I kept wondering where the hell the drama was. It took so long to set it up that I almost gave up but then crap hit the fan and I was all in. Would I call this a fantasy book? No, not really. It's a romantic suspense if anything else. Sure, we have Kai and Nathan (and Lukas) with their weird powers but it wasn't enough of a thing for me to push it into a fantasy or paranormal category. It's a solid 4 star read though and I'm excited to read the second book!
Cue their road trip to Butternut, Wisconsin (Oliver's home town) where Kai has effectively been kidnapped by her own husband. Her irrational anger and lashing out at Oliver made her a very unlikable character for me, and I really felt like smacking her upside the head so she'd see that Oliver doesn't want to be there either but he's sacrificing for her well being.
Oh, but it's not all easy because Mickey is also in Butternut, and Mickey is Oliver's first love. Kai is angry that Mickey is a shameless flirt and makes it clear she wants Oliver even still. Now, on one hand I totally get it- I'd be angry if some chick was throwing herself at my husband. But on the other, I'd like to think I'd have some faith in my husband to stay faithful. If you don't have trust then you have nothing. (Except let's remember Kai is a telepath so she knows what Oliver thinks so yeah.. you already know how this is going to go wrong.) My problem with Kai is she acts fairly childish, much like a child stomping her foot when someone tells her no. She drove me nuts this entire book.
I'm not giving Oliver a free pass either, he did lots of things wrong. Anytime you assume you know best for someone so you do things or you fail to be honest with them, it's going to blow up in your face EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And it does in this book, big time.
Mickey's son Lukas, who has taken a liking to Kai (mostly because he has his own powers like Kai, a bit different though so Kai naturally feels like she has to guide him) is kidnapped and in the search process, Oliver makes a HUGE mistake, which Kai witnesses. Cue her leaving instead of talking to him, Oliver making bad decisions, Mickey being an idiot, and we've got a seemingly lost little boy. We meet Nathan, Mickey's ex-husband, who is kind of nuts, and everything fall apart rather quickly.
I really liked the book but I can't give it five stars only because the first 3/4 of the book are SLOW. I kept wondering where the hell the drama was. It took so long to set it up that I almost gave up but then crap hit the fan and I was all in. Would I call this a fantasy book? No, not really. It's a romantic suspense if anything else. Sure, we have Kai and Nathan (and Lukas) with their weird powers but it wasn't enough of a thing for me to push it into a fantasy or paranormal category. It's a solid 4 star read though and I'm excited to read the second book!
July 16, 2016
I loved the plot of this story and the little dramas that occurred within. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Kai is a powerful telepath living in Manhattan with her husband Oliver. Kai loves New York and she loves her job working with children in need but dealing with all those emotions regularly brings her to the verge of being suicidal.
In order to save her from herself Oliver takes her to his hometown of Butternut, Wisconsin but will his past and her ability allow their marriage to survive?
I was first attracted to this book by the picture on the cover; I thought it looked eerie and isolated. The blurb didn’t give me any clues either way whether this book was worth a read or not but having read it I can say it was worth a read.
The book begins with a chapter from Oliver’s point of view and from the opening lines it is clear how much his wife means to him. “Like any man, I loved my wife; but these 3A.M suicidal thoughts were killing me.”
The author provides the reader with vivid images from the outset, “Images flooded my mind. Our lifeless Shih-tzu puppy limp in the street, her grandmother’s eyes dimmed with death, a six-year old bruised and beaten into silence.”
Kai inadvertently projects her moods onto the people around her, in particularly Oliver, meaning that he is quite often awoken to images and feelings of a negative nature.
When something occurs with one of Kai’s cases and drags her down into the depths of despair yet again Oliver knows it is time to act. “They saw people are only given what they can handle. That pain is a personal and private experience. They’ve never met my wife.”
Kai loves living in New York because she gets to use her gift to help people like she believes her grandmother would have wanted. Each day is a struggle to cope with a barrage of emotions, “like a tidal wave breaking on land, thousands of thoughts broke against me. Ten thousand emotions assaulted me.”
Part of me was routing for Kai and Oliver’s relationship throughout but part of me thought that his actions were controlling and selfish and that for someone who could read people’s thoughts she was constantly unaware of his.
Oliver’s aunt, though fairly minor, was a character I was drawn to for her warmth, insight and a voice of reason. I was also drawn to Jenny even though she appears only briefly.
This book was tense, suspenseful and thrilling and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Kai is a powerful telepath living in Manhattan with her husband Oliver. Kai loves New York and she loves her job working with children in need but dealing with all those emotions regularly brings her to the verge of being suicidal.
In order to save her from herself Oliver takes her to his hometown of Butternut, Wisconsin but will his past and her ability allow their marriage to survive?
I was first attracted to this book by the picture on the cover; I thought it looked eerie and isolated. The blurb didn’t give me any clues either way whether this book was worth a read or not but having read it I can say it was worth a read.
The book begins with a chapter from Oliver’s point of view and from the opening lines it is clear how much his wife means to him. “Like any man, I loved my wife; but these 3A.M suicidal thoughts were killing me.”
The author provides the reader with vivid images from the outset, “Images flooded my mind. Our lifeless Shih-tzu puppy limp in the street, her grandmother’s eyes dimmed with death, a six-year old bruised and beaten into silence.”
Kai inadvertently projects her moods onto the people around her, in particularly Oliver, meaning that he is quite often awoken to images and feelings of a negative nature.
When something occurs with one of Kai’s cases and drags her down into the depths of despair yet again Oliver knows it is time to act. “They saw people are only given what they can handle. That pain is a personal and private experience. They’ve never met my wife.”
Kai loves living in New York because she gets to use her gift to help people like she believes her grandmother would have wanted. Each day is a struggle to cope with a barrage of emotions, “like a tidal wave breaking on land, thousands of thoughts broke against me. Ten thousand emotions assaulted me.”
Part of me was routing for Kai and Oliver’s relationship throughout but part of me thought that his actions were controlling and selfish and that for someone who could read people’s thoughts she was constantly unaware of his.
Oliver’s aunt, though fairly minor, was a character I was drawn to for her warmth, insight and a voice of reason. I was also drawn to Jenny even though she appears only briefly.
This book was tense, suspenseful and thrilling and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
August 28, 2016
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Six Train to Wisconsin is a book that captures what it truly means to love someone and do just about anything for them. Readers are introduced to Kai and Oliver living their lives as a married couple in Manhattan, going about their day to day business and jobs. However, their situation is incredibly unique in that Kai is a telepath. Imagine not only being married to someone who can read your thoughts, but witnessing what that person goes through because they can hear the thoughts and experience the emotions of everyone else. It takes a really strong level of commitment to hold that kind of relationship together. The author did an amazing job of capturing the complications and extra work that go into this paradigm of love stories. I loved how the author told the story from alternating points of view with Kai and Oliver to really illustrate this.
Things start to get really bad in Manhattan and Oliver essentially kidnaps Kai and takes her to the quieter environment of small town Butternut, Wisconsin, his old stomping grounds. Kai finds out Oliver's dark secrets and their relationship is tested. I was somewhat disappointed at the pace of the story. It started out strong and I had expected the story to really pick up once the dark secrets were unraveled, but found that it took some time for the action to kick itself into gear. I also had a hard time understanding choices made in view of the relationship during this part of the story. The author painted this beautiful picture of how full of love and commitment that this relationship was and it just started falling apart and neither side cared enough to really try but just threw harsh words and thoughts at each other.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the premise behind the story with all the characters with their special mental capabilities. I'd definitely be interested in reading other installments in the series.
The Six Train to Wisconsin is a book that captures what it truly means to love someone and do just about anything for them. Readers are introduced to Kai and Oliver living their lives as a married couple in Manhattan, going about their day to day business and jobs. However, their situation is incredibly unique in that Kai is a telepath. Imagine not only being married to someone who can read your thoughts, but witnessing what that person goes through because they can hear the thoughts and experience the emotions of everyone else. It takes a really strong level of commitment to hold that kind of relationship together. The author did an amazing job of capturing the complications and extra work that go into this paradigm of love stories. I loved how the author told the story from alternating points of view with Kai and Oliver to really illustrate this.
Things start to get really bad in Manhattan and Oliver essentially kidnaps Kai and takes her to the quieter environment of small town Butternut, Wisconsin, his old stomping grounds. Kai finds out Oliver's dark secrets and their relationship is tested. I was somewhat disappointed at the pace of the story. It started out strong and I had expected the story to really pick up once the dark secrets were unraveled, but found that it took some time for the action to kick itself into gear. I also had a hard time understanding choices made in view of the relationship during this part of the story. The author painted this beautiful picture of how full of love and commitment that this relationship was and it just started falling apart and neither side cared enough to really try but just threw harsh words and thoughts at each other.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the premise behind the story with all the characters with their special mental capabilities. I'd definitely be interested in reading other installments in the series.
June 18, 2017
Mixed feelings. Not because of problems with writing, but things in the characters I wasn't fond of.
December 4, 2013
Imagine for a moment how life would change if you possessed telepathic power. If you could hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of everyone around you, within a half-mile radius. Blessing or curse? Now complicate this scenario and put yourself in the most densely-populated urban area in the United States: Manhattan. Thousands of voices swirling through your mind, day after day. How do you filter it? How do you keep it from dominating your life? This is Kai Richter's reality in The Six Train to Wisconsin, and it's rapidly spiraling out of control.
Realizing his wife is teetering on the brink of insanity, Oliver Richter can think of only one way to save her. With the help of a drug-enhanced glass of wine and a pair of handcuffs, he whisks her away to a remote Midwestern village deep in the woods of northern Wisconsin. But it's not quite happily ever after. In his hometown of Butternut, Oliver must face an angry, resentful wife, an ex-girlfriend who seems intent on sinking her hooks into him, and of course, the demons of his past that compelled him to flee a decade ago.
This novel defies the familiar romance formula. Instead of keeping our hero and heroine apart until the very end, this is the story of two people who've already committed to each other. Their struggle is about overcoming obstacles in order to stay together.
Told through alternating points of view, the novel follows their healing journey through the frigid Wisconsin winter. Along the way, we experience Kai's tortured, telepathic mind firsthand. We meet new characters -- some living, some dead -- through Kai's dreamwalking, in a unique blend of reality and fantasy.
The Six Train to Wisconsin is first and foremost a love story. It's about working through real life problems, loving the one you're with, and the value we place on commitment. It explores the themes of loss, grief, and healing, and ultimately, forgiveness and acceptance.
Realizing his wife is teetering on the brink of insanity, Oliver Richter can think of only one way to save her. With the help of a drug-enhanced glass of wine and a pair of handcuffs, he whisks her away to a remote Midwestern village deep in the woods of northern Wisconsin. But it's not quite happily ever after. In his hometown of Butternut, Oliver must face an angry, resentful wife, an ex-girlfriend who seems intent on sinking her hooks into him, and of course, the demons of his past that compelled him to flee a decade ago.
This novel defies the familiar romance formula. Instead of keeping our hero and heroine apart until the very end, this is the story of two people who've already committed to each other. Their struggle is about overcoming obstacles in order to stay together.
Told through alternating points of view, the novel follows their healing journey through the frigid Wisconsin winter. Along the way, we experience Kai's tortured, telepathic mind firsthand. We meet new characters -- some living, some dead -- through Kai's dreamwalking, in a unique blend of reality and fantasy.
The Six Train to Wisconsin is first and foremost a love story. It's about working through real life problems, loving the one you're with, and the value we place on commitment. It explores the themes of loss, grief, and healing, and ultimately, forgiveness and acceptance.
August 24, 2016
You can find a copy of this review at: https://thequidnuncblog.wordpress.com...
It is going to be a while before I come to terms with what I think about this one. I was instantly attracted to it, because who doesn't love a story about special people with telepathic abilities and I was in the mood for a true love story. I can't help it once in a while I want my cheesy fairy tale.
The novels started out really strong, you are literary sucked into both Oliver's and Kai's heads and experience the world of the book through their eyes and subjective as it is it is a gripping trick. With that in mind I want to complement the author on doing a very good job when building the characters - they are very real, very humane, very full of vitality and have all faults that regular people will have. I admit Kai was a bit too much of a woman for my taste, but hey you cannot blame her for me being a tomboy all my life. Her relationship with her brother Caleb is a bit disturbing. Believe me, Oliver was not the perfect man either he is a type of guy that will be your knight, but his lack of self-esteem will make his armour a rusty as an old truck. But that's what made them so human.
I love the way marriage was portrayed with all its colours, showing that not everything is black/ white, but you mostly stay in the grey matter.
I am not sure whether I should classify it as a fast or a slow read... I did read it in a matter of hours, but at times the plot meandered and took too long to get to the actually important parts. All in all it is an easy, enjoyable read with a lot that can be found between the lines. It is a very good start for series, and can honestly say that Heintz is a really good storyteller, which is a rare thing these days.
It definitely wasn't my typical read, so I will refrain from commenting any further.
It is going to be a while before I come to terms with what I think about this one. I was instantly attracted to it, because who doesn't love a story about special people with telepathic abilities and I was in the mood for a true love story. I can't help it once in a while I want my cheesy fairy tale.
The novels started out really strong, you are literary sucked into both Oliver's and Kai's heads and experience the world of the book through their eyes and subjective as it is it is a gripping trick. With that in mind I want to complement the author on doing a very good job when building the characters - they are very real, very humane, very full of vitality and have all faults that regular people will have. I admit Kai was a bit too much of a woman for my taste, but hey you cannot blame her for me being a tomboy all my life. Her relationship with her brother Caleb is a bit disturbing. Believe me, Oliver was not the perfect man either he is a type of guy that will be your knight, but his lack of self-esteem will make his armour a rusty as an old truck. But that's what made them so human.
I love the way marriage was portrayed with all its colours, showing that not everything is black/ white, but you mostly stay in the grey matter.
I am not sure whether I should classify it as a fast or a slow read... I did read it in a matter of hours, but at times the plot meandered and took too long to get to the actually important parts. All in all it is an easy, enjoyable read with a lot that can be found between the lines. It is a very good start for series, and can honestly say that Heintz is a really good storyteller, which is a rare thing these days.
It definitely wasn't my typical read, so I will refrain from commenting any further.
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