Love, Loss, and Honor Volume II

The Palouse

By: Herbert Wiens

Narrated by: Kim Owens

In the series' previous volume, seldom content Karen was shoved off a cliff while escaping a serial killer. While her body lay comatose in ICU, her soul occupied the 16th century body of Mariken. That woman was burned at the stake as a heretic releasing her soul to re-enter Karen's body.

In this book, modern-day nurse practitioner Karen battles PTSD. She is also a grieving military widow, debilitated with guilt for cheating on her husband while he was alive. Fighting for normality, almost able to breathe again, it all falls apart when a disturbed veteran living in a homeless camp claims to be her lost fiancee from 1573 Antwerp.

Unwilling to believe, Karen moves her family to the Washington State Palouse region to set up a new life for her children. Starting to move on, she has opened up to the possibility of love once more. Her life comes unglued again when the homeless veteran resurfaces as a cowboy on a neighboring ranch trying to make sense of 21st century life in the American Pacific Northwest.

©2021 Herbert Wiens (P)2023 Herbert Wiens

A Thriller: Survival and Recovery

Karen’s recovery after her near-deadly encounter with a vicious serial killer has been long and arduous. Now, she is a grieving widow and still fighting the guilt she has for cheating on him during their marriage, Karen decides to relocate herself and her two children. Prior to moving she meets a homeless veteran and begins to provide medical assistance to a community of homeless folks he protects. Their interaction sets the stage for the incredible story that follows, opening Karen up to the love she has so desperately wanted. Then the unthinkable happens and the serial killer reappears!

Herbert Wiens, the author, continues the story of Karen in a creative and engaging manner. The relationships of all the characters are rich with depth and emotion. I especially enjoyed the woman who helped cover for her daughter and Karen over two would-be rapists. I have been impressed with Wiens as he shows the strength of his female characters in rich and vivid imagery; there are few male writers who can capture and project the strength of their female characters in this manner. The plot was well done and the plot twists were unexpected and flowed within the story perfectly.

The narrator, Kim Owens, did an excellent job of projecting the emotions of the characters and the situations they often found themselves in, ranging from joy to fear to determination and more. She speaks clearly and provides unique sounds for each character.

Wiens weaves action and adventure with rich characters that capture the imagination of listeners. I highly recommend this book and series!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Great Read

I read the book and listened to the audio. Kim Owens does and excellent job narrating it.