Audiobook Review: Under Currents by Nora Roberts

Pub. Date:	July 9, 2019
Publisher:	MacMillan Audio
Narrator:	January LaVoy
Length:	14 hrs 36 min
Source:	Publisher

Wow, Nora Roberts certainly knows how to create character connections. This book grabbed my emotional strings from the first chapter and just would not let go. I will put a little warning out there that this book may have triggers for abuse victims, but it was a wonderful story of survival, resilience, hope and family. It was definitely an audiobook that I didn't want to put down, and I found myself stealing a minute here and there so I could find out what happened next.

Based on outward appearances, Zane Bigelow lead a charmed life. A popular kid and athlete, beautiful house, and upstanding parents with an established history in the small town of Lakeview, North Carolina. But sometimes perfection is a mask for dark and ugly truths, as Zane learns from a young age. Unfortunately the truth stayed hidden for too long for Zane and his sister to escape without scars, both physical and emotional. The story of the kids trapped in a monstrous home was heartrending and hard to read, but it got me emotionally invested in the characters from their young age, and we got to grow with them as the book advanced.

Twenty years later, Zane is returning back to his seemingly idyllic hometown to face his past and reunite with his remaining family. Once there, he meets a quirky and capable landscape artist, Darby, who is bulldozing her way into the hearts of the Lakeview residents. I loved the man that Zane has grown into, and Darby seemed to fit him perfectly. While she seemed strong and independent, there was a touch of vulnerability to her character that drew me in. 

But it wasn't just Zane and Darby that kept my attention, there were an abundance of Lakeview residents to love, and Nora certainly made it easy. Emily and Lee were fantastic, and Britt grabbed onto me with her strength as a girl. Even Darby's employees added their own special something to the story. 

There were so many plot conflicts and suspense sequences in this story that I felt like I was on a spooky roller coaster - and I loved every minute. While you kinda know who is doing what, it didn't take away from the story at all - and instead makes you hold onto a sense of impending doom because you just know that things aren't quite over yet. I definitely had reading anxiety with this one, and I'm a little worried that I'm going to have a book hangover now. That's always a sign of a good story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher.

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