Hills of Silver

West Country Trilogy, Book 2

By: Johanna Craven

Narrated by: Rebecca McKernan

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Cornwall, England. 1740

Scarlett Bailey has left home with a knife in her hand to search for the father she has grown up believing dead. Determined to punish him for abandoning his family, Scarlett finds herself drawn into the world of a local press gang, where smugglers rub shoulders with naval officers and the revenue men are full of surprises.

Scarlett's brother, Isaac, is making his own plans to escape Talland, and release his family from a life of free trade. Behind the back of syndicate boss, Charles Reuben, he conducts dangerous smuggling runs that will see a bullet in his chest if he is caught.

When the truth of their father's disappearance finally comes to light, it will have far-reaching implications for Scarlett and Isaac. And while they both fight the allure of dangerous love, their enemies will do anything to stop their escape from succeeding.

©2019 Johanna Craven (P)2019 Johanna Craven

Hills of Silver

OK, I have not read/listened to the first book but I did not feel I was missing anything. However, I did not feel a strong connection with the characters. Maybe if I read the first book this might have been different.
This is for those who love historical Drama.

Wonderful Historical Drama

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.

This is the second book in the excellent series West Country Trilogy. Book two centers on the aftermath of Charlotte discovering her father was really dead but had abandoned his family and saddled them with debt. Charlotte, who frequently acts without thinking and reacts in the moment, decides she will find and confront her father. She kidnaps Asher to force him to take her to her father. Meanwhile, Isaac is dealing with Charlotte's disappearance, his broken marriage and his struggle to stop smuggling.

I absolutely loved this second book in the series. The characters are so real and their emotions are so raw - their regrets, their hope for betterment and their disappointments. The setting and the descriptions are so poetic - you can hear the waves crashing and the fire crackling. Characters who you wondered why they were behaving in certain ways or made certain choices in the first book are more revealed and now it all makes sense. Great twists and turns which gripped me from beginning to the end. Warning: This story does end on a cliffhanger.

The narrator did a great job and the tension was perfect when events were all coming to a head.

Wonderful

Hills of Silver is both terrible and beautiful. An unyielding foreboding runs throughout the story . Written with skill and care for a time that was. I could clearly visualize the wild cornish coast and village. The language was lovely and powerful.
I enjoyed the narrator listening at 1.05x
I look forward to listening to the final book in the series.
I was given this book at my request and am voluntary leaving a review.

A deeper dive into an ever-thickening plot!

Oh my this tale is one that has sucked me in and I have not been able to concentrate on any other audio until I reached the end of this book, second in a series of three. I need to know what happens next! Smugglers abound, mixed emotions, reasons for why characters behaved as they had in the first book and this one, but the reasons for why are thrilling and the action is nonstop, mile-a-minute drama! I do believe that my jaw dropped every chapter, several times!

Joanna Craven does a lovely job intertwining characters and plots past and present, and the story is one that reaches out and grabs hold of you and won’t let you go until you know every last detail. I cannot wait to find out what happens next, this story is so intense and action-packed and thrilling. If you loved Poldark or, as I had mentioned in my review of Bridles Lane, Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier, you will absolutely love this series! The narrator, Rebecca McKernan, again does a wonderful job of bringing to life such complex characters and moving the action along — just using her voice, you can hear the tension and suspense and you know you are on a non-stop thrill ride that this series is leading you on.

This is truly a beautifully written and narrated tale based on history, which I am putting off with researching via Wikipedia until I have listened to the entire trilogy, and I loved every minute of these first two books. Hold onto your hats, because there is a cliffhanger at the end as with the previous book, but it is so worth it! I am excited to move onto the next novel and find out what happens to all of the characters. You will not waste one moment listening to this series!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Couldn't stop listening

The tale continues of the inhabitants of Talland. Scratching out a living in the West County is a dirty, tiring and illegal business, and the tale that Johanna Craven wove is gripping. I enjoyed this book more than the first because the characters are more familiar. The characters' emotions are raw and complex, and the plot has lots of twists and turns. I listened intently as the story unfolded and raced toward a cliffhanger.

Rebecca McKernan did another a great job with the narration on both the first and second books of the trilogy. I'm looking forward to the final book. Will Scarlett and Isaac triumph in Talland? Escape Talland? Who will help or hinder them?

I received a promotional copy of this audiobook and this is my honest review.

Overly Tense

I received a free review copy of this audiobook.

The story is compelling and the characters are interesting. This continues the story of Bridles Lane and ends on a cliffhanger.
As with its prequel, the narrator is unflinchingly intense throughout her narration, resulting in a lack of nuance.