Where the Forest Meets the River by Shannon Bowring #ShannonBowring #PatriciaShade @TantorAudio #DaltonMaine

the setup…
Though not much ever changes in the small town of Dalton, Maine, the tragic death of Bridget Theroux five years ago has altered the lives of quite a few. Husband Nate resigned from the police department and now works for his father-in-law Marshall Frazier at the mill so he can devote more time to raising his daughter, Sophie. His mother Bev has quit her job so she can help with her care. But it is Annette Frazier who seems to be moored in her grief, the once vibrant woman now an alcoholic recluse who refuses to see her granddaughter. Then Richard Haskell, the town doctor, suffers a heart attack, forcing his wife Trudy to face the truths about her marriage. It also shakes her relationship with friend Bev, the true love of her life.

the heart of the story…
Greg Fortin, the former sexually confused and overweight high schooler, is now in college and has returned home for the summer. He’s now a physically fit young man who is clearer about who he is and knows he doesn’t want to be the heir of his father’s hardware store. And then there’s Rose Douglas who has escaped from her abusive relationship with her children’s father and now works for Dr. Haskell. So, a lot has changed in this quiet town but it’s more in the hearts of those who have chosen to stay here. Once clear about their destinies, the tragedy brought by Bridget’s death has caused so many to rethink the paths they’ve taken. It’s not a lot of drama, just real life issues with serious consequences.

the narration…
Patricia Shade has captured the essence of these characters with her subtle performance and storytelling. She is wonderful at voicing these characters, letting the beauty of the writing come through.

the bottom line…
Once again Bowring has skillfully drawn us into the lives of ordinary people who are coping with the day to day while grappling with issues of the heart. It’s the follow up to The Road to Dalton, which is a required read before this one. I was fully invested in these people, hoping they’d find the answers they were seeking that even I couldn’t lay out for them. There’s beauty in the writing, the characters and the small town community with all its flaws and sustenance. Keep bringing us back to this town because I need to know what’s next.

Book Info

• Release Date: October 22, 2024
• Series: Dalton, Maine #2
• Narrator: Patricia Shade
• Audio Length: 10 hours, 5 minutes
• Publisher: Tantor Audio

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(Thanks to Tantor Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)