The story started out strong but somewhere along the way I lost interest.

I don't know if there's a lot going on in my life so I didn't give this book the attention it deserves but I just couldn't get past the half way point....and that took me 8 days to do. I read complete books in 8 days.

I'll keep it on my shelf and then in a year or so go back and see if I can get into the story of a young mother taking her child away from the commune in which they lived in. The leader, and baby daddy, is actually a narcissistic drug dealer. And learn more about the sweet old man who finds her along the road and gives her a helping hand. I know she's supposed to find love and I know with who but... just wasn't my thing. ( )

I would recommend that readers do not start with this novel since they will be spoiled about events that occurred in the previous novels.

Robyn Carr's "The Hero" centers around Devon McAllister and her 3 year old daughter Mercy running from a cult. Coming upon Rawley (which readers will know from previous books) he takes Devon and Mercy back to Thunder Point and shelters them. Spencer Lawson and his son Austin newly moved to Thunder Point are still dealing with the recent death of his wife and Austin's mother. Spencer is also readjusting to the fact that Austin is not her biological son but Cooper's.

I feel really bad right now. It only took three books for me to completely give up on ever reading anymore of Robyn Carr's "Thunder Point" series. I absolutely adored book #1, The Wanderer and found book #2 average except for one story line.

The reasons why I gave this novel zero stars is as follows:

Too many story-lines:

I honestly don't mind when a book has too many story-lines. The problem is that sometimes without meaning to one story-line will overpower the other ones and a reader can end up getting sick of all of the other "filler" story-lines. I am assuming that some of the story-lines will be followed up in subsequent novels, but I have absolutely no intention of infliction another one of these books upon myself again. It also didn't help that tying all that went happened in this book into one coherent storyline did not work at all. I also seriously started to just lose track of everyone in this novel. It didn't help that we got introduced to two whole new characters who I am sure are going to appear in book #4 The Chance.

No Romance at all:

I was willing to overlook the luke-warm love scenes in the previous book since I thought that the major plot-line that was going on redeemed it. However, in this novel there is literally no chemistry at all between the two main characters in this novel.

The other two major couples in this novel, Coop and Sarah and Gina and Mac should just be brother and sister considering the lack of any type of sexy times occurring. It really disappointed me especially because in book #1 I thought that Coop and Sarah had the best relationship out of any of the couples.

Majorly Annoyed by Main Romantic Storyline:

The major romantic storyline was hands-down utterly ridiculous.

You had a woman (Devon) who just escaped a cult. Where she had no ability to actually be independent and was expected to do all manner of things. She escapes to Thunder Point. And she in a matter of a week seems to transform into a whole new person. She should have been afraid and reluctant to even start up a relationship with someone new.

And it makes no sense that Spencer a mere three months after he lost his wife is falling in love with someone else. I wished at one point this was a romance/zombie book so that his wife would rise up out of that grave and eat him and the new love of his life. Spencer as written in book #2 was absolutely in love with his wife. One of the scenes mentions him telling Coop that he holds his wife or sleeps next to her in a cot if she is in too much pain. I wish that we had this guy in this novel instead of some meat-head who after hearing Devon's voice becomes utterly obsessed with her and jealous of anyone that she is spending time with.

It would have made sense and I would have been on-board if Robyn Carr had them not moving forward in their relationship, taking time with each other and we could have followed it up in subsequent books. If you are writing a series there is absolutely no need to have all of the pairings happen in that book. It didn't help that Coop of all people (speaking as Jack from Virgin River) was all smug about Spencer and his relationship with Devon. I wish Spencer had punched him in his face. Coop would have deserved it.

Disappearing Kids:

I know that Robyn Carr can write children and teenagers quite well. Why she barely shows any interaction between Austin and any of the other teen characters besides someone telling Landon or someone else to watch Austin for them I have no idea.

To sum, I would not recommend this novel and would say just stick with book #1 and pretend that was the first and last Thunder Point series novel. ( )

Classic Robyn Carr. If you liked the Virgin River books, you will love this one. ( )

Devon flees the commune with her daughter when it becomes less like hippies and more like Waco. She's picked up after walking 8 hours by old vet Rawley, who takes her and 3 yo daughter Mercy to the bar, and then his home. The townfolk come together to help the single mom out. Widower Spencer has plenty on his plate as a single father, but he can't check out when the whole town is pitching in, and then he finds himself falling for Devon and Mercy. ( )

sweet/ family ( )