It's a yacht! Maybe he won't die today."sweet and spicy"..."smooth as butter" Southwest of Homer Book 3Olivia has had enough of paradise. The Bay Babe is hers, bequeathed by her father. The young woman sneaks out of the Hawaiian harbor bound for Alaska. It’s a long trip single-handed for a lone woman, but an urge for home on Kachemak Bay drives her. Adrift in a lifeboat on the Gulf of Alaska, Don wonders if he’ll live to see morning. Every rotten thing he’s ever done haunts him as he bails. The white sails of an approaching yacht might mean survival if he can get their attention.Don has a mess of trouble coming his way if Tore realizes who he is and what he's done. He should leave. Get out. He can't leave Olivia. If he screws up he'll spend a lot of time in jail. Providing Tore lets him make it to jail alive.
Although born in New Orleans, I am proud to call myself an Alaskan. I have lived here for 37 years, I have survived -40 degrees, hauled water, made bear bacon and live in a cabin. I used a fish wheel to catch salmon coming up the Copper River. I was my second husband's chief mechanic's helper and only roadie. I cut firewood on shares, worked as a cocktail waitress, then as a paralegal for over 26 years. I hold the #80 press card as a reporter for the Copper Valley Views newspaper which ceased publication in the 1980s. I've been writing stories since junior high. Retired now, I can devote my time to what I love. I came to Alaska by way of Arizona and California. I experienced the building of the pipeline up close. Then my second husband and I moved to Wasilla to get warm. It hardly ever drops past -25 in South Central Alaska. I never thought I would love it so much I never want to leave. The beauty of Alaska is a draw I cannot resist. I love the people and the history. I have been captured by a place I came to under duress. Life does play some interesting tricks on one. I lost my first husband to alcohol. My second husband, the love of my life died as a result of disease. We were not apart more than 24 hours for 20 plus years . I never wanted to be anywhere but with him. He was a man to run the river with.
I'm afraid of bodies of water. Especially LARGE bodies of water. So would I normally pick up a romance novel about a woman (Olivia) sailing her boat all the way from Hawaii to Alaska? And as she sails, picking up a stranded guy (Don) in the middle of the Gulf of Alaska on her way? That would be an emphatic no. That said, I have long dreamed of one day visiting Alaska and its pristine beauty. So when I read the excerpt on this story I was intrigued and had to check it out.
Believe me when I say I was not let down at all. This was a really good Alaskan romance, with the heroine as the hero for once, and the author, Cherime MacFarlane has done an exemplary job with her beautiful descriptions. Admittedly, it took a little bit for me to get into it initially as it started a little slow for me personally. This was mostly due to the fact that there is a fair amount of nautical terms and jargon used within of which I was unfamiliar with because, well, I'm afraid of water and will NEVER be caught dead, or alive, on a boat. So for me, a lot of that went way over my head.
But the story is well written and the characters were clearly defined. I had a little trouble after a bit keeping some character names straight. It felt like quite a few more were popping up as I read along. This novel is the third or fourth in the series, I believe, so its possible some of the names were from previous stories. But rest assured, this CAN be read as a stand-alone without difficulty .
I would highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a good romance with an ending that'll make you laugh out loud. (At least, it did for me.)
It didn’t take me long to become immersed in Sailing Backwards. FYI, this is the third book in the series but definitely does not need to be read in order to enjoy Olivia and Don’s story, but definitely couldn't hurt. For those readers who have never been to Alaska, me included, the author has a way of bringing Alaska to life for the reader and I found that I could visualize the area and even the thrill of being on the sea.
The book’s opening scene finds Don adrift on a raft in the Gulf of Alaska and if not for the fact that Olivia was blown off course during a storm, Don would have surely become fish food. He owes her his life and so much more. In Don’s case, he realizes that there is so much more to life than his previous not so above-board escapades and after having met Olivia is bound and determined to put his past behind him. This is no chance encounter, the two were destined to meet, and their story is well worth the read.
I have to admit that for me, the story started off just a bit slow, and I had to get used to the author’s writing style, but once I fell into the rhythm of the story it picked up for me and I soon found myself wondering what was going to happen next, and hoping like heck that Don wasn’t going to screw up his chances with Olivia. Make no mistake, this is not your sugary sweet romance, but then again there are times when Don does surprise me when he displays an uncharacteristic tenderness with Olivia. The leading men in this series are all alpha males. I’m giving Sailing Backwards 4 solid stars and would recommend this book to anyone looking for an Alaskan adventure.
As the saga continues in the Homer series, we find the nefarious Don Dick stranded in the deadly Alaskan waters drifting out into the ocean in a dinghy with a bag full of illegally panned gold. During this time, he begins questioning his many life choices as he pails water from his dinghy. Before long, he gets rescued by Olivia on her sailboat that she sailed from Hawaii all by herself. They get along well enough and as she teaches him about sailing, Don grows more found of her. Love blossoms but Don's shady past catches up with him and jeopardizes everything between the two of them. There's plenty of high seas drama and romance that I'm sure will keep you hooked on this fishing story. I highly recommend this one!
I'm glad the author gave this bad boy a chance to redeem himself and not kill him off. His name, Donald Dick, will make you laugh... and as Ole, his love interest, thinks, "It's just wrong to name a child that." Every time I read on of the author's romance novels, I'm impressed by her ability to make them more than simply a romance story. The characters are real and have to deal with believable situations. You'll learn much about living in Alaska--in this story about sailing and about those who make their living from fishing. All this adds to the authenticity of the story. The story is well-written and one even non-romance fans will enjoy.
Although I love romance, I generally only pick books with hot torsos... so this was stepping out for me. I enjoyed the book tremendously, and the fact that the author gave Don a chance with Olivia.If i had only one criticism, it would be all of the nautical jargon in the beginning that slowed the pace down for me. All that being said, I've worked up in Alaska in the fishing industry, so the detail brought up familiar memories. I recommend this book if you're into romance without all of the over the top detail that some romances have. And certainly if you're a fan of Alaska!
One of my favorite authors for good reason. MacFarlane writes stories with real life people in them who learn about love and happily ever afters with a few bumps along the way. Always a fan of the underdog, I love a good resurrection of character story. A plus writing as always. A must read.
This story ballyhooed me in. The female lead character is strong and feisty and really stands out in a good way. I really enjoyed all the encouraging moments that were brought out in this story throughout all the events taking place.