The Knowing: A Bulwark Anthology

By: Brit Lunden

Narrated by: Dan McGowan

Bulwark - a wall or stockade that protects or sometimes hides the truth from the outside world.

Bulwark, Georgia; isolated, hidden. Who knows what strange things can happen when the rest of the world can't see you? JB Stratton is alone in the world, and all he has left are the memories of his beloved Ellie.

Dirt poor JB and wealthy Ellie feel an instant connection that is as intense and primal as the blood red earth of their home. Unseen roots connect them, pulling them into an impossible relationship. Will the memories of past lives help or hinder the path of their love?

Based on the original novella Bulwark, by Brit Lunden, The Knowing continues the story of a town isolated from the rest of the world where the impossible becomes plausible, and logic is determined by reality.

©2019 Phyllis Okon (P)2019 Phyllis Okon

Time is no match for this love

This was an interesting addition to the anthology. The first book (Bulwark) had a fractured fairy tale feel to it. This one is about a love that time could not deny. JB and Ellie come from opposite sides of the road but their connection won’t be denied. Normally, I’m not that into romance stories but this has enough other stuff going on with it that I enjoyed it. Plus, it was short. This story happens in the same town as Book 1 and actually starts with an event from Book 1. Yet this story works as a stand alone.

JB has more page time and more character depth than Ellie. So I would have liked things to be a bit more balanced. Ellie could be almost any woman, she’s so bland. JB works on his parent’s farm and goes to school. So he’s got almost no free time. What little free time he has, he uses for football and eventually Ellie. I liked that the story gave him something more, even though this created conflict with his dad. His mom has almost no page time and I can’t recall if she gets to talk or not. (Again, a little more balance would have been good).

In the end, things turn out well. This is a Happily Ever After tale (for those that need that in romance stories). The love through the ages and dream-like flashes to the past kept me interested in the story. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Dan McGowan did a good job narrating this story. I liked his young man voice for JB – perfect fit. His female voice for Ellie was good too. While there were few other characters, each one had a distinct voice. The pacing was good and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

Great Performance

I ended up listening to this book second and I was very happy to find that it truly did not matter that I had listened to a book later in the series first. Dan McGowan did just as good of a job with the narration of this one and I found that listening to the book really helped me to imagine JB and Ellie as I was able to close my eyes and picturing them as I heard the story unfold!

The Knowing

Brit Lunden yet again writes a fascinating read in her book, The Knowing. It is the first installment from the series called The Bulwark Anthology. Readers are brought to Bulwark, Georgia, a town wrapped in mystery and separated from the rest of civilization.
I have to admit that I do not normally read this genre but I really did enjoy The Knowing. It was nice to be find something new and unique to read. I found the story of JB and Ellie was intriguing. I liked the opposites attract of the tale and wondered throughout if they will be able to fight to be together. It was quite the adventure to be taken back to Bulwark. The book was romantic, magical, mysterious and suspenseful. There are a few scenes that was a little spooky and creepy that made me think a little bit.
I had the pleasure of listening to the audio version of this book. Dan McGowan is a great job bringing this story to life. His performance was perfect and entertaining. I believe he narrated it just the way the author was meant to be read. It is only a couple of hours long and I had no problem to continuously until I finished to the end in one day.
I am giving The Knowing four and a half stars. I would love to read more of the Bulwark Anthology, as well as, books by Brit Lunden in the future. I recommend it for readers who enjoy paranormal romance.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

A sweet love story

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I recently listened to Bulwark and it was good so I was looking forward to listening to The Knowing, part of the Bulwark Anthology. It is based in the same town, Bulwark, but it was not at all what I expected because it is so different!

The Knowing is a love story. JB and Ellie fall in love in high school, but JB is from the “wrong side of the tracks,” and he knows that Ellie’s family will never approve of him. They part ways after high school, not really by choice, but when two people are truly meant to be together, can anyone keep them apart?

The narrator has good timing, and I enjoyed the way he presented the story.

The Knowing is short, but I enjoyed listening to it, and the ending was perfect. I look forward to listening to the one more book in the anthology, The Devil and Dayna Dalton.

A good romance with a paranormal twist.

I thought The Knowing was a lovely romance with just a hint of paranormal. I enjoyed the main character JB, and his love for Ellie was sweet and special.

I listened to the audiobook of The Knowing. My review includes my thoughts on the book overall, as well as the experience of listening through audio.

The story surprised me a bit, as I had listened to the book Bulwark, a very paranormal story, and was expecting a lot of spooky happenings in this story. The Knowing though is more of a sweet, lovely romance that lasts the ages, and has a bit of a paranormal twist.

The Knowing is set in Bulwark, a town filled with spooky, mysterious events. JB Stratton grew up in Bulwark and expects to live out his days on his family’s farm. But then, Ellie walks into his life. New to town, Ellie and JB meet and experience the knowing.

“It’s that feeling when you gonna meet your someone special.“

JB struggles with his love for Ellie. He is plagued by his doubt of himself. He feels he is not worthy of Ellie, but when he is ready to commit, everything falls apart. Ellie disappears and JB is left with wisps of moments where he feels she is there but is unable to catch her. Will their love be enough to reconnect them?

The main character, JB was such a delight for this story. We meet him in Bulwark as the grumpy curmudgeon who is widowed, so it was wonderful to meet his younger self and understand his backstory. I really enjoyed his transition as we move through his life.

The narrator is Dan McGowan, the same narrator of Bulwark, and I again enjoyed his performance. He does a nice job with both male and female characters, and I liked the emphasis he uses as he expresses the story through his narration. I enjoyed the audio version and would recommend it for readers that enjoy the audio format of a book. The listening time was fairly short at 1 hour and 40 minutes, so it’s a quick, easy book to enjoy.

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend The Knowing to readers that enjoy romance stories with a bit of paranormal themes. This is the first book in the Bulwark Anthology Series, however, there is a prequel in the series titled Bulwark. I feel that The Knowing can be read as a stand-alone story, however, Bulwark was a fun book, and if you enjoy The Knowing, you should check out Bulwark by Brit Lunden too.

I was provided a gifted audio copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.