Wolfe Island

Diamonds on the Water, Book 1

By: Giulia Torre

Narrated by: Cassandra Medcalf

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

What is Meredith Wells to think when her erstwhile friend, Tristan Wolfe, son of a Russian shipping tycoon, fails to reappear for five full years after a childhood of island summers spent together? Until his yacht capsizes her skiff, she assumed he had forgotten her. 

Meredith is an accomplished botanical illustrator sketching New York’s native island plants. Wolfe’s return brings intimate memories to the surface, and with them an expansion of her artistic repertoire. Wolfe and Meredith’s reunion is a spectacle, but nothing compared to the accidental circulation of her anatomical studies...of him. Meredith is convinced her titillating drawings will lead to a lucrative career, and even progress the woman’s movement. If only she could persuade Wolfe to assist with her scientific rendering of his anatomic detail. 

But an entourage of city socialites has arrived to witness the unveiling of the most spectacular plan the region has ever seen…an international seaway that will introduce big, brilliant ships to the river. Wolfe is prepared to sacrifice everything to see the seaway realized. Reunited with the young woman he has known since she was hip high, Wolfe is faced with a choice: a marriage contract with the wealthy daughter of his business partner, one that would secure the seaway and prosperity for the only place he’s ever called home. Or succumb to the maddening distractions of a native girl who plays baseball in bicycling pants and swears like a sailor.

Can Meredith persuade him to bank diamonds on the water?

Set against a lush American landscape in 1893, Wolfe Island is the story of two people deeply connected to the region and to each other.

©2014 Giulia Torre (P)2022 Giulia Torre

Storms, ankles, salacious drawings, Oh My!

This was thoroughly entertaining. Historical is not usually what I read/listen to, so I wasn’t fully prepared for the spice level of this… and it wasn’t even that it was super spicy! They didn’t do anything outrageous, it’s just that delicious build up of sexual tension. It was fabulous. Never before have I considered a bare ankle the epitome of sexiness, and yet here we are. “Why isn’t my husband drooling over my ankles?” I ask myself. I have lovely ankles. I think I’m going to deprive him of them so that he starts to give them the appreciation they deserve!

That’s besides the point. This story was a lot of fun on many levels. There were several moments where I laughed out loud over the general banter, although it’s not a comedy. Those moments were peppered throughout to great effect. Wolfe is hot af. He just is. And the heroine is awesome. Her little secret that she’s hiding is just spectacular. Of all the things a woman could do in the late 1800s 😂 Oh goodness.

The narration is fabulous. Cassandra has a lovely, smooth voice and her accents are flawless. I could listen to her all day. If she picks up the dictionary I will listen with rapt attention to every definition… and improve my vocabulary, I dare say.

Historic Romance - forbidden love, slow burn

If you enjoy American, historical fiction with a slow burn romance, you will probably enjoy this novel! It follows two childhood friends, Meredith and Tristan, but they belonged to different worlds. He was wealthy, ambitious, and longed for a business legacy. She was a native girl who loved the river and dreamed of traveling the world. They are apart for 5 years, and when they reunite, the wanting and slow burn, angsty, forbidden love ensues. Taking place in the 1890s, there are also themes of women's progression in society. I felt that the story was heavier on descriptive narration than dialogue, and it's written in 3rd person. Cassandra Medcalf did a wonderful job with the storytelling. Her voice was soothing, and she was able to differentiate between male and female voices with ease. I would absolutely chose another audiobook that she is narrating.

Funny, Romantic, and Entertaining!

A week written historical romance with humor and elegance, I couldn't stop listening!
I caught myself sitting in my car at work not wanting to go in because I needed to know what was next!
Cassandra Medcalf is an excellent narrator and I will definitely be seeking out more of her content as well as the author's!

Pure perfection!

I enjoyed every moment of this novel. Meredith’s character is the kind of character you fall in love with. I was so invested in her relationship with Wolfe. I loved the setting, both in terms of era and area. The writing was clever and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

In addition, narration was spectacular. I’ve listened to thousands of audible books and the narrator can truly make or break the overall success of a book. Cassandra Medcalf truly balances the creation of characters without being intrusive or detracting from the story. Having experienced the complete lack of that skill in other audiobooks it’s so refreshing to hear a truly remarkable example of just how beneficial narration can be to a novel.

I cannot recommend this enough for anyone that’s a fan of the genre.

Wish there was a little more depth.

The story was fun and Meredith was a lovely and fully fleshed out character. However, we never really got much insight into Tristan. Sure, he’s supposed to be the “strong silent type” but I mean all in all he kind of treats Meredith like shit and never apologizes for it. Of course they end up together (it is a romance after all) but I would have hoped that with his realization of his mistakes, Tristan would own up to his faults and give Meredith a much more in-depth confession of love instead of just trying to get her naked again upon their reunion after she leaves. So that was kind of disappointing. Other than that it was a fun listen.

Not great

It just couldn't keep me interested. I wanted to like it but it was slow and predictable. The narrator was also dull.