Desert Willow

By: Patricia Beal

Narrated by: Maryann Carlson

After a failed engagement, Captain Andrew Lee James has focused on building a career in the Army he loves. That commitment includes helping a feisty, out-of-work ballerina whose devotion to her grandmother’s dying wish immediately grabs his heart. She’s the one, but will he be able to win the heart of a woman who has vowed to never be involved with a soldier?

College graduate Clara Malone swore to never love anyone in the military again, but when her dying grandmother asks her to deliver a love letter to the general who broke her heart decades ago, she agrees and finds herself escorted by a handsome Army captain whose kindness challenges her beliefs. Surrounded by desert willows that shower her path with pretty pink flowers and sing with the buzzing of hummingbirds, Clara enjoys the wild beauty of El Paso - and her time with Andrew - more than expected.

Can she deliver her grandmother’s last love letter without losing her heart to a man who represents everything she fears?

©2020 Patricia Beal (P)2020 Patricia Beal

Honest Review

I was given a free copy of this Audio book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was well written. It was easy to imagine the scenes and often beautiful imagery. The performance of the narrator was okay, nothing special but not bad either, though the parts in Portuguese were a bit cringy. The first half of the book was good, a bit cheesy but who doesn't like a little cheese? The sub plot of Clara's grandmother was interesting to me and I was intrigued throughout the book to see how it turned out. Clara is a sweet, if not a bit immature, heroine who actually grows a lot as a character. Andrew seemed like a great guy for the first half of the book but he made some very questionable decisions in the second half, in my opinion. It was when all the angst entered the picture that I began to get very frustrated. The author did a good job of telling the story and writing an interesting plot. It really was a fine book but it just took one plot point to make me dislike it.

SPOILERS:
I just had to rant a little bit about this one plot point that probably ruined the whole book for me, unfortunately. It really would have been a great book if not for this. Clara confesses a past sin to Andrew and (while it was completely understandable that he had some reservation to her character after that) what he did next infuriated me. He made her feel dirty even though she had repented then proceeded to spend the next four days with his ex-fiance. This ex-fiance spent four days trying to get Andrew to have sex with her. She said she wanted to marry him but only if they had sex first(What???).... Andrew actually contemplates this... Literally sits in CHURCH and is thinking about having sex with her. He even premeditates the sin as well, saying that he will just repent afterwards (don't even get me started on what a slap in the face to Jesus that is...) ONLY after he sees Clara getting baptized does he decide that he needs to end it with his ex. Then immediately after his ex leaves (the ex that he had just barely been contemplating having sex with and marrying...) he goes after Clara hard. I just couldn't forgive him after that. Thankfully Clara doesn't immediately take him back which was a saving grace for this book. The whole plot point of having his ex come back in that manner felt very unnecessary to me and made me dislike Andrew abundantly.

Story Better Than the Audio

Story:
I really enjoyed Patricia Beal's debut novel A Season to Dance, so I was excited to pick this one up. I like that the author is willing to go to places that might make people a little uncomfortable, but she does it to create real characters with real issues, so that the redemption experienced comes across as more genuine and maybe even relatable. For my own personal taste the romance developed too quickly and was too heavily based on physical chemistry, but I know others might not be bothered so much. As the story progressed I entered into a love-hate relationship with both Clara and Andrew. Initially I felt that Andrew was "too good" but without going into too much detail, that changed. Clara was harder to figure out, but I started to appreciate her more as I learned more about her story and she grew as a person. 

Narrator:
I was unfortunately not a huge fan of the narrator in this case. The pacing was off and her character voices were too similar so it was difficult to keep track of the dialogue and new paragraphs. The narration sounded more like a read-a-loud instead of someone who was aware of the story and would match their energy and tone to fit the content. If I was to recommend this book to a friend I would be much more likely to recommend the print or e-book version for this reason.

*I received a copy of this audiobook through JustRead Tours. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Desert Willow

3.5

I reviewed Desert Willow by Patricia Beal back in April, but I love audiobooks too much not to want to revisit her lovely story of family, forgiveness, and love.

Now, the narration of this story between a ballerina and an officer is solid. (Full disclosure: I do not tend to be too picky about narrators.) At times, I did notice that certain lines sounded cheesier when voiced rather than when read, and repeatedly, characters said, “I will…” which looks fine, but did not sound quite natural. Still, the overall audiobook brings life to the words of Desert Willow and proves enjoyable to hear.

If you enjoy inspirational romance and need a new audiobook, check this one out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

Interesting, if Frustrating Romance

This was an interesting story, if a bit slow, for my taste. I liked Andrew and how he had such a strong faith in God, yet I question why he almost married a woman who doesn't sound like she was a Christian. I also felt like he got involved too quickly with Clara as she had turned away from her faith years ago. I was annoyed that Andrew and Clara both were considering their exes again, especially after what they each had done to them. I also felt like Clara somewhat excuses herself for the situation with her ex before even though she knew it was wrong. I did like the discussions about their faith and that they prayed and attended church. I thought the mystery of the letter was intriguing and also what she ended up finding out. There was some sweet romance. There's a strong theme of not judging and forgiving yourself and others. The narrator was fine as I listened to it on Audible though I did have to listen at 1.5 - 2.5 speed, otherwise way too slow. You might like it if you like stories about second chances, military or ballerinas.

I received a free Audible version of this story from the author. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.

Good Story

I really enjoyed listening to Desert Willow. The narrator had a pleasant voice that worked well for the story and made me want to keep listening.

The story itself was very heartfelt and touching. Clara and Andrew were very likable characters. They both had heartache from their childhoods and from their adult years. Different stories and different pain, yet all of these experiences impacted them and made them into the people they were.

I loved listening as their relationship developed into a romance and hoped that they would be able to work through the issues that arose from Clara’s past. I thought that Clara’s faith walk was very realistic, as was the way she had lived her life prior to understanding more about God’s love.

The story line involving Clara’s grandmother’s romance from the past was definitely intriguing! I loved learning more and more as the book progressed. This story made me feel like I was right there in El Paso, Texas, experiencing the desert and the military base, as well.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book. All opinions are my own.

Exceptional

The characters were great and I felt drawn to them. This was a book that draws the reader in and keeps the pages turning. The story keeps your mind spinning with questions into all the relationships. I relished in the fact that Andrew doesn’t believe in intimacy before marriage and walks in a relationship with God. His desire for Clara to know God and to show her how it makes a difference in marriage. Forgiveness and secrets revealed have the readers emotions so entwined with the characters. Gods goodness and forgiveness changes lives forever and the author does a fantastic job of showing this. What a most excellent audio book
I liked the narrators voice, it’s calm and soothing. The narrator pronunciation of names and different languages was fun and much better than trying to read them.
Was given a complimentary audiobook. All opinions are my own.

The story is great!

I listened to the audiobook for part of this story. The narrator paced the story well and I was interested in the story. She didn't seem rushed with it. The only thing was it was sometimes hard to distinquish between the characters voices and the narrator. They were similar enough that I had to listen carefully in order to determine whether the character was talking or she was talking about them.

The story itself: From the start, I’ve been intrigued by Clara’s family history and letter. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened! I don’t know a lot about the military so this was neat to get a glimpse of it. I It’s been fun to watch her relationship with Andrew. I especially liked “walking” beside her in her journey as she learned and discovered who she was in Christ. I think the reader can take away from this book valuable lessons. I love how Patricia Beal weaves her love of dancing in this story. It made me want to dance.

I recommend this book to my family and friends.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook & book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.