A Spanish Sunrise

A Novel

By: Boo Walker

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A widowed father and his young daughter embark on a life-changing journey in a heartening novel of family and second chances by the bestselling author of The Singing Trees.

Adjusting to the death of his wife hasn’t been easy on Baxter Shaw—or on their eight-year-old daughter, Mia. Baxter has left his band and abandoned his dreams to focus on being a single father, but it’s not enough: Mia’s exhibiting escalating behavioral problems. And neither has been able to face the past head-on...until the past reaches out to them.

After surprising results from a DNA test, Baxter and Mia journey to southeastern Spain to connect with their mysterious roots. Staying in a centuries-old villa on a renowned olive oil estate, they come to know the family they never realized they had, including a woman whose strength and passion for the estate remind Baxter of the love he lost—and that it’s not too late to rekindle his own dreams.

For Baxter and Mia, it’s a healing season in Spain, and the romance of the culture awakens a new outlook on life. But when long-simmering family secrets surface and the estate’s fate is called into question, Baxter must choose to let go of the past if he ever hopes to find love and live again.

©2022 Lemuel Walker. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrator Dan John Miller is perfect as the voice of widower Baxter Shaw. Miller has a deep voice, and the Southern accent he affects is ideal for the rising country star turned contractor.… Miller gives every character a distinct voice, adopting a Spanish accent when needed. His endearing interpretation of Mia's voice works well. Baxter and his daughter embark on a trip that will leave listeners with warmth in their hearts.” —AudioFile Magazine

“A skillfully written novel of friendship, family life, and romance…dramatically and engagingly narrated by Dan John Miller.” —Midwest Book Review

“Walker dazzles in this heart-wrenching tale about a grieving father’s restorative trip to Spain with his daughter… Transporting descriptions of Ester’s farm bring the setting to life, the characters all earn the reader’s emotional investment, and the pacing is perfect. Readers will fall in love.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Very Good !

Really enjoyed it. I liked the narration and the story. I'll have to check out some of the author's other books. Bravo!

Too much narrative explaining in lieu of letting

the characters tell the story through their actions and behavior. The author’s main protagonist spends half the book telling the listener/reader what he and everyone else is thinking and doing rather than writing scenes that reveal it to us. The story had great promise but bogged down with too much explanation. An okay story but not literature.

Life changing

This book changed my life!! if you were just going through the motions before, you won't be by the time you've finished listening to this! Highly recommend!!!

Heart warming

This story takes the reader to so many different stages of grief. I found myself smiling, crying and laughing while reading it.

Heartwarming story

Boo Walker must’ve been loved as a child, because he paints such a lovely picture of ‘family’.

Baxter was such a good guy..very relatable. And I loved how he told about Spain. Makes me want to go there.
Good narration….except for the Southern accent. I wish people would just not do accents. Overall, I really liked this book!

Actually 3.5 stars

I would actually rate this 3.5 stars, as I had mixed feelings throughout. This is a wonderful story, beautiful setting, and intriguing characters. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Baxter, the widower, and his young daughter, Mia, as they navigate life without Sophia. However, it often moved along very slowly. Some of the dialog was immature and unbelievable. The ending was anti-climactic.

Put me to sleep, until..

.. the narrator began to "sing". That was a rude (bad) awakening. I found it strange that a man who is portrayed as being so much in love with, and grieving for, his deceased wife would destroy most of her pictures.

Enjoyable read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this audible book. The story flowed at an even pace, holding my attention the entire time. It had a good beginning, middle and ending. I thought the narrator did an excellent job with the voice inflections, the bilingual verbiage and even the singing parts. He made the story come to life. I highly recommend this book for those who like to immerse themselves into a good story!

Unmet Potential

The storyline has potential but dragged painfully as we waited for the main character to discover what we already knew. Part of that could be the laboriously slow narration.

The narrator’s inflections and tone for the little girl were mismatched to her age and again - almost painful to listen to.

I wish I had tried reading this book instead of listening to it. Maybe that would have left a better impression…

loved it

I really enjoyed reading this author.  I look forward to reading more books by this author in the near future.