Title: Becalmed
Author: Normandie Fischer
Pages: 385
Year: 2013
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
My rating is 4 stars.
The setting is the coast of the Carolinas as a young woman hopes to find true love after years earlier experiencing heartbreak from a former boyfriend named Alex. When Tadie is not out sailing, she enjoys creating jewelry and the small town feel of where she now resides. When Tadie meets a precocious young red headed little girl she just loves Molly and her love for her Dad. Molly misses her mom who has been gone, but loves sailing with her Dad on their way to Boston.
Will is Molly’s Dad who had to stop in the small town to get parts to fix his boat before he could continue to sail further up the coast. Alex is the man from Tadie’s past who is there to only bring trouble and torment to Tadie even though he chose to marry another, breaking Tadie’s heart years ago. A romance begins to blossom between Will and Tadie, which is exciting as she has waited to give herself until marriage.
Before the conclusion of the story, readers will read of Alex’s sadistic attempt to rape Tadie, though thankfully it is thwarted. There are some sailing terms that I didn’t understand, but it didn’t really interrupt the telling of the tale; it just made me curious. At first, the reading was slow going, but eventually the activity began to get moving. I look forward to reading the author’s next novel with a similar setting titled, Heavy Weather.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ( )

If I were to rate this on how much I enjoyed it in relation to other stories I've read in genres I prefer, I'd probably give it 3 stars. But given that I don't generally care for most romance novels, and this one was actually enjoyable, although frustrating, I would rate it a little higher.

I don't usually read romance. I generally find myself a little frustrated with the simplicity of it, and feel it is sort of...fluff. I enjoyed the first half of this story, but as time worn on, the story wore on me. But to be fair, that may be my fault for trying to read romance again. I get so frustrated with the characters over-reacting to minor things, and everyone being overly dramatic, and what often become rather ridiculous situations, but that's romance for you.

Tadie was a likable enough character, and little Jilly was suitably adorable. But I kept feeling a sense of incongruity, and things with Jilly and Will and Tadie would feel unauthentic. Jilly's perspective as a child would feel off, minor things amid the characters would seem so blown out of proportion. Tadie's brother Bucky seemed pointless, other than to show that Tadie had suffered loss in her life. And likewise I felt no connection to Matt, Tadie's best friend's husband, and figured he was just another means to an end. And why was he being portrayed as an old man? He was in his 30s, but he sounded like an old man!

My final word: I'm a realist. And as a realist, I often have trouble with romance novels. There are very few I've ever loved. The characters have a tendency to be drama queens, relationships mushroom and combust at super-sonic speeds, and ridiculous storylines and events move things along. However, that being said, I did actually enjoy this book for what it was. The characters were likable and the story affecting. I enjoyed the first 3/4. It was the final 50 pages that I really struggled with. If you like romance, I would definitely recommend it. If you are more into literary fiction and just dabble in romance on the rare occasion, then you may want to pass on by. ( )

Several things pulled me to this book. It is set of the coast of North Carolina, one of my favorite places. And the cover is so peaceful and relaxing. If you are like me, a reader who’s tastes are usually for historical fiction and not necessarily light reading, this is a nice change of pace. Of course, the ending is predictable, but you knew that as soon as your realized it was a romance, right?

For me, the strongest point is also the weakest point, and which you think it is will depend upon your perspective. That point is the emphasis on sailing. If you are a sailor, and understand the terminology, you will probably find this very interesting. For me, it wasn’t particularly interesting, and for the most part, I had no idea what was going on, but I did learn what the term ‘becalmed’ means and the difference between a rudder and a steering wheel. There wasn’t so much of this that it bogged the story down, but it did delay it for me.

There were occasionally events or characters written into the story that didn’t really add anything to the story. Once example is an Italian fellow who Tadie met. While it was interesting, it really didn’t play a significant role in moving the story along, and didn’t tell me anything new about Tadie; it could easily have been left out.

But overall, this was a fun story with a happy ending. There was a bit of tension at the end when you wondered how bad things would get, but the story ended well. Tadie’s interaction with the 7 year old was pleasant and fun to read. And of course, the little girl was, at times, so much quicker than her dad, you just wanted to give him a nudge….or a kick! This is a great book for a lazy afternoon read!

SOURCE: I received a copy of this book through TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review! ( )