Barefoot Season

A Blackberry Island Novel, Book 1

By: Susan Mallery

Narrated by: Sarah Grace

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies, and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it. To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

©2012 Susan Mallery (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Must Read

I enjoyed the story. I listened to it all in one day. it won't disappoint you.

Good story. Wooden performance.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Usually, I am quickly involved in the tale Susan Mallery spins. However, with this particular audiobook it took me a while, The narrator was juvenile in her performance of this book and that detracted from my enjoyment. One of the few times I wish I had read the book instead of listened to it. Too bad. I hope the narrator for the next book in the series is better.

Nice Story but horrible narration.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator for this book had a terrible sing song voice. It was hard to finish the story listening to the narration. She was high pitched and even the descriptive passages were done in a sing song voice.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was good with the background of the island and inn.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

It was difficult to finish the book listening to her sing song voice. I would have given it a lower rating if there was one available.

Any additional comments?

I will definitely watch closely and listen to samples before selecting any other books and will certainly never get another by her,

A new place to explore...and the characters there

I truly enjoy Susan Mallery. Her writing is clear and the plotline not too complicated to follow.
The characters are interesting, and the relationship between Michelle and her ex-best friend Carly has depth. It's complicated by Michelle's injury in Afghanistan - not the physical one, which will heal, but the psychic one, which will take Michelle's own will to overcome. And Carly's old heartbreaks don't help the re-establishment of a relationship. They go from needing each other professionally, to tolerance, to almost back to the love of friendship they shared.
The only criticism I really have is that the story doesn't really have a satisfying ending, because it doesn't really come to a complete closure. I suppose that's to be expected in a series, but it almost makes me wish I hadn't listened until at least the next in the series was ready.

Respect

This novel shows road and how it affects every aspect of a person's life. Also shows where family is everything

Sweet Family Story

Sweet Family read for roadtrip or vacations. All sorts of conflicts with positive resolutions. Great easy sweet beach weekend read.

Happy I chose the Audible format!

The main characters were interesting, likable and believable. I enjoyed the story and learning a little about how a military veteran might deal with her return home. I thought the issue was a bit neglected at the end but still a good story. There were 2 seemingly obligatory detailed sex scenes which were thankfully short but I would have preferred them to be omitted. The narrator was awesome! She made the story even more entertaining and a little more real.

Very good.

THE SERIES:
This is book 1 in the Blackberry Island Trilogy. Each book can be read as a stand alone. This author has written many romances which are primarily about relationships between men and women. For a change in this series she is writing about relationships between women as friends or sister-like. And I like the change. And I like that at the end of each book, the main female character also has a happy romantic ending with a guy. The main stories are about women, their friends, and choices in life, but secondary stories include their romantic life.

THIS BOOK:
Two women are trying to save a small tourist town inn from bankruptcy. They were friends in high school but not currently. Traumas, crises, and disappointments in life caused problems for them and their relationship. During the story we hear about things from the past.

Michelle is a b***ch. I did not like her or things she did during the first half of the book. But I viewed it as every story needs a bad guy and she was it. Then Michelle changed. I liked what happened with her in the last part of the book.

I loved reading about Carly. She had the most wonderful attitude and wonderful work ethic and was a good mother. Such a joy to read about. I loved the way she responded to various problems with the inn.

And just for fun, I am glad the author added a little romance for both Carly and Michelle toward the end. It did not feel thrown in. It was nicely developed. But I can’t call this a romance because the romantic relationships were not the main focus of the story. But they gave me a warm comfy feeling at the end.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
At first I was hesitant about the narrator Sarah Grace. I felt like she was reading a textbook, not thinking about what she was reading. But I didn’t notice that later on. She did various voices well. I would be happy to listen to her again.

CAUTION SPOILER:
The bank loan officer apparently did some unethical things. At the end the author tells us laws or regulations were violated and there were personnel changes at the bank. I was confused. I wanted more details. Did Ellen lose her job? What exactly did she violate? The author did not explain - that frustrated me.
END SPOILER.

Narrative mode: 3rd person.
Genre: womens fiction with romance.

It was just okay

Would you try another book from Susan Mallery and/or Sarah Grace?

This is not a book, I would be interested in listening to again. It was ok, nothing specular about the story. Michelle was an emotional wreck. The story had no balance to the story line.

Would you ever listen to anything by Susan Mallery again?

yes, I listen to her some of other books they were ok.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Sarah Grace?

yes, her voice was fitting to the characters

Do you think Barefoot Season needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No not for me to listen to. The story was incomplete and lacking a balance of the key players.

Any additional comments?

No

Well told.

I like the happily ever after. It hit home with me, because I also suffer from PTSD. While overseas I was held against my will and several times a gun held on me. Also almost grabbed and pulled into a car by several men.
Listening to how the main character dealt with her life after the military tragedy made me realize that others lived with worse. I recommend this to other readers to realize how others suffer from PTSD too!