The Avid Book Collector: Audio Book Review & Blog Tour ~ Heavy Weather by Normandie Fischer, narrated by Laura Jennings

Heavy Weather

(A Carolina Coast Novel)

by Normandie Fischer

Narrator: Laura Jennings

Length: 11 hours 7 minutes

Publisher: Normandie Fischer⎮2017

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Series: Carolina Coast, Book 2

Release date: January 30, 2017

Death, life, family, domestic abuse--Heavy Weather explores all these themes in a memorable and compelling narrative. When Annie Mac's life explodes like a storm at sea, she is helpless to fight back. Left for dead, her two children targeted by her abuser, her life appears to be over. The people who help her show her how to weather a storm that she cannot control.

It takes a town to save a child. That town is Beaufort, North Carolina.

Annie Mac’s estranged husband vows that nothing will stop him from getting his baby girl. Not Annie Mac and certainly not that boy of hers.

Only four blocks away, Hannah Morgan lives in comfort with her husband and dog, making pottery and waiting for her best friend to come home. When she discovers the two children cowering in the bushes and their mama left for dead, it doesn’t take her long to set her coterie of do-gooders to some extra-strength do-gooding. Add in Clay, a lonely police lieutenant yanked out of his comfort zone and into the heart of this small family, and who knows what will happen?

From the author of Becalmed comes this latest tale of the Carolina coast, introducing some new characters to love--and to loathe.

Annie Mac’s life has never been easy, but she has tried to make the best of it. When her husband, Roy, beats her to almost death, the small town of Beaufort pulls together to help and protect Annie Mac and her two adorable children.

Heavy Weather is a very compelling story in which emotions run rampant and the tensions are high. It is a story of pain – both physically and mentally, a story of love, a story of healing and most of all a story of keeping faith when doing so seems utterly impossible. The characters are well-developed and are ones I was able to easily connect with which made this book impossible to stop listening to – needing to know what would happen next.

Normandie Fischer has crafted a richly captivating story that is filled with drama, suspense and Christian values. The story was well-written and flowed practically effortlessly. Ms. Fischer did a marvelous job creating characters that I cared about and she also did an outstanding job at portraying domestic abuse in a raw and honest way that brought tears to my eyes.

Laura Jennings narrates Heavy Weather and I think she did a fantastic job portraying the characters and setting the tone for this amazing story. Each of the characters voices was distinct and the pacing was just right. With her pleasant voice and her ability to incorporate all the right emotions made this a truly wonderful listening experience that is worth the credit.

If you are looking for a clean, well-written, touching and believable story with characters you will love and some that you will despise, look no further than Heavy Weather. This story touched my heart and is one that I would not hesitate to recommend.

Story – 4 stars

Performance – 5 stars
Overall – 4 stars

Click HERE to listen to an excerpt

Normandie Fischer studied sculpture in Italy before receiving a BA, summa cum laude with special honors in English. Her books, which have garnered numerous awards, include her Carolina Coast stories: Becalmed, Heavy Weather, Twilight Christmas, and Sailing out of Darkness. From Fire into Fire and Two from Isaac’s House—a Romantic Times Top Pick—form the beginning of her Isaac’s House series. A lifelong sailor, Normandie and her husband spent a number of years on board their 50-foot ketch, Sea Venture, in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, sailing home to North Carolina in 2011 to take care of her mother. They have four children, two grandchildren, and an aussiedoodle named Rhion.

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Having graduated with a Masters Degree in Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Laura has an intrinsic appreciation of the mechanisms and techniques that comprise the art of the tale. She's able to analyze the underlying moods and currents of a book and bring these into her interpretation of the author's work. She believes her place as narrator is to be the facilitator for all the nuances of the spoken word and the written word between the author and the listener. Her naturally clear and fresh voice as narrator contributes that extra dimension of enjoyment.

Laura works full time as a professional narrator and voice-over artist. She has narrated titles for Tantor Media, Audible Studios, Dreamscape Media, Insatiable Press and Cherry Hill Publishing.

She enjoys a quiet lifestyle in the Pacific Northwest with her loving husband and aged beagle, Dottie. Her days are filled with narrating, yoga, hiking and, of course, always reading.