Title: The Traveling Woman (The Traveling Duet, #2)
Author: Jane Harvey – Berrick
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb
THE CONCLUDING STORY of Aimee and Kestrel, begun in THE TRAVELING MAN ……
How many times do you gamble on love? When love has knocked you down, should you give it another chance? When does optimism become stupidity?
And what happens when the man you’re in love with is never still, always moving, always traveling? Do you say goodbye, or do you leave behind everything that you’ve worked for, everything that you’ve ever known? Can a traveling carnival be my home
Oh. You thought I had the answers. No, sorry. No answers, just a lot of questions—and a heart that wants to rule my head.
Can one person be my home?
Purchase The Traveling Woman today!
Excerpt
I was amazed to see that the school field had been transformed into a mini-arena with two small ramps in the middle. It was about the third the size of what Kes used in his usual act. A shiver went through me. I prayed that this impromptu display was safe.
The children sat on the grass around the edges, chattering loudly. Then Zef appeared in his leathers, carrying his helmet.
“Holy shit! Who’s hottie number two?” Mirelle hissed.
“That’s Zef, one of the other stunt riders from the display team.”
“Oh my God! Do they have a special laboratory where they make smokin’ hot motorcycle riders?”
“You should see Tucker, the third guy. He’s hot, too, but he totally knows it. They all do. Tucker and Zef are both players.”
“Good to know,” Mirelle muttered, straightening up and sticking out her boobs as Zef strolled toward Kes and Principal Browne. “Introduce us later,” she demanded.
Mentally, I was rolling my eyes. She’d been warned, the rest was up to her.
Kes disappeared, and I assumed it was to change into his leathers, as well. A familiar gnawing anxiety twisted my stomach, and I remembered how hard it was to watch Kes throwing his body fifty feet into the air and come crashing down again. It wouldn’t be that high today, but still…
The children cheered when Kes and Zef came roaring onto the field, performing spins and turns, wheelies and slides.
Then they took to the ramp, doing a pared down version of the usual show. I cringed as I saw the small ramps buckle and bend as they landed their bikes, but Kes had pitched the act perfectly between drama and humor. He and Zef had added a new trick of tossing a football to each other mid-jump. The children loved that.
As he finished, he stood in the center of the field and pulled off his helmet, waving at the kids and teachers as they cheered for him.
I was clapping along with everyone else when my hands fell to my sides.
“What’s wrong?” Mirelle asked.
I turned to stare at her.
“Look at him in front of a crowd,” I sighed. “See how brightly he shines. This is where he belongs. I’ve always known it.”
Mirelle turned to look at Kes.
“Yes, I see it, too,” she said quietly.
“I can’t keep him here, can I?”
Mirelle looked at me sympathetically. “No, chica, it would be wrong. He’s got you, but there’s nothing else here for him.”
I nodded slowly.
“What does that mean for you?” she asked. “Are you going to give up on your dreams?”
For the past few months, I highly anticipated getting my hands
on The Traveling Woman. The end of The
Traveling Man killed me. We were left
with Aimee and Kes going their separate ways and wondering how these two were
going to fix things. As soon as I read “What
have I done?” I asked myself. “What have I done?” I needed to know what
came next.
In fact, I spent many days subtlety stalking Jane Harvey-Berrick
for clues about her plans for Kes and Aimee.
Sadly I didn’t learn to much but every hint or clue I found worried me. I was afraid that the exceptional beginning
was going to turn into a predictable ending.
Boy was I wrong! The Traveling
Woman continues to break out of the standard romance mold. This book, like the first, grabbed my attention
and held my heart in its pages. Believe
it or not by the end of The Traveling
Woman I love Kes and Aimee even more than I did before. I didn’t think that was even possible.
The Traveling Woman picks up approximately one month after The
Traveling Man ends. Aimee Anderson loves
Kestrel Donohue. Kes has her heart as he’s
done since she was ten years old. He is
her magic man and still she left him. Aimee
finds herself questioning that decision daily.
Logically she understands the reasons for leaving but her heart doesn’t
like it. “Responsible, predictable,
reliable Aimee: I was beginning to hate that version of myself.” She can’t move forward because she can’t
shake Kes from her thoughts. The dilemma
is what to do next.
Kestrel Donohue is a complicated man. He is secretive about his past and has a hard
time opening up completely to anyone. As
we learn more about him we understand he is embarrassed how he will be
judged. However, Kes loves Aimee and
wants her to be a part of his life. To
reach her he has to open up and talk. “Can
we talk? I stared at him. “You want to talk? That’s new.”
“I never used to think I was lucky,” he said slowly. “I looked
at other kids who came to the carnival with their moms and dads, and they all
looked happy, like a picture book, you know? And I thought, ‘Yeah, they’re
lucky.’ But I never thought I was. Until the day I met you.
Aimee and Kes work to find their way back together but it isn’t
easy. They encountered many hurdles. I was right there with them feeling what they
feel. “I was drunk, drowning, falling,
floating— lost and found in a sea of lust and love.” Love, betrayal, pain,
hope and joy. It’s all here.
The Traveling Woman is not your run of the mill love story. From the first sentence it is plain to see
that we are going to experience something new and wonderful through a unique
cast of characters.
Kestrel’s character grows in many ways. His big heart coupled with his vulnerability
makes him one of the best book boyfriends ever. He has a great
personality and a sense of humor. “Oh, yeah! My birthday. Holy shit, a
birthday blowjob! I think I woke up in one of Tucker’s dreams.”
Aimee is also a surprise in this book. She learns to understand not only Kes but
herself. She has moments so full of love
that I could feel my own heart pounding right out of my chest with her. Aimee is my favorite type of heroine; strong,
take charge, an iron backbone, a fighter all with her big heart. “When I was a little girl,” I said,
my voice lost in the past, “I’d stare out of my window at Mr. Peterson’s field,
watching, waiting for you. Waiting for my shooting star to dazzle me. That’s
how I thought of you.” Aimee doesn’t
always do the right thing but everything she dues was from a love filled heart.
The secondary characters are vital to the story. I love, love, love the carnival clan. I had no idea these characters—all of the
characters--could affect me so profoundly.
Each character adds depth and substance to the story. They are so clearly described that I can picture
them in my mind. Zack, Zef, Tucker, Ollo
and the others are uniquely different with their own special strengths and
flaws. Each character in this book, hero
and villain, is strongly written and well planned to add life and substance to
the story.
From the very beginning I was completely and utterly hooked. I
could not stop reading. Even now I want
more. I want to know what happens after
the epilogue. I want to know more about
the other characters. My prayer is that
the support characters will talk to Jane and have her share more of their story
with us; maybe with a little Kes and Aimee sprinkled in too.
Finally, Jane Harvey-Berrick’s writing style is
outstanding. Her words flow in such a
way that my mind easily created a picture of every scene in her book. I feel intimately attached to her characters
and I can see each and every one of them in my mind’s eye too.
I am never accused of being overly generous with handing out
five stars. So believe me when I say
this is more than a five star book. I
can’t find anything that I didn’t like. Nothing!
Jane does a brilliant job telling the story. There is a good mix of love, friendship,
family (that isn’t always blood) and healing.
The book is packed full of action and well worth your time. Trust me once you open the book you won’t be
able to put it down.
I highly recommend The Traveling Woman you won’t regret reading
it and you will probably go back and read it with The Traveling Man multiple
time. I know I have and will again. What can I say -- The
Traveling Woman is tied with The Traveling Man for the best books of 2015.
I am confident that once you read The Traveling Woman you will
want more too.
6 BIG STAMPS
The Traveling Man (The Traveling Duet, #1)
I was ordinary. Nice. He was extraordinary. And he wasn’t always nice.
Moody and difficult, brilliant and beautiful, Kes scared me and he protected me. He could be incredibly hurtful and incredibly thoughtful. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect for me. He challenged me, he took me out of my safe little box and showed me the world could be magnificent. He was everything I wasn’t.
Aimee Anderson is ten when the traveling carnival first comes to her nice little town. She doesn’t expect her world to change so completely. But meeting Kestrel Donohue puts her life on a different path.
Even though she only sees him for the two weeks of the year when he passes through her home town, his friendship is the most important of her life. As a child’s friendship grows to adult love, the choices become harder, and both Kes and Aimee realize that two weeks a year will never be enough.
About the Author
I lived in London for over 10 years and have a love affair with New York. It's only since I have moved to the countryside, that the words have really begun to flow. I live in a small village by the ocean and walk my little dog, Pip, every day. It’s on those beachside walks that I have all my best ideas. Writing has become a way of life – and one that I love to share.
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