Waylaid

By: Sarina Bowen

Narrated by: Callie Dalton, Zachary Webber

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

It’s a tale as old as time: The bad boy meets the good girl. He makes a daring proposition. Then the boy gets a mysterious head injury and loses a year of his life....

The first time I meet Rickie, I don’t know what to make of him. The second time we meet, he doesn’t remember the six hours we spent together. Or standing me up afterward.

I’m not the same, either. I’ve got secrets. I’ve told lies. Bad boys aren’t my type, anyway. Even the ones with troubled gray eyes.

But now we’re roommates. Cue the awkward moments in the hallway when he’s wearing only a towel and a smile. He’s determined to win me over, and his talented hands weaken my resolve.

It’s all fun and games until my past rears its ugly head and his secrets come to light, shaking our fragile connection, maybe even breaking it....

Note: This is Daphne Shipley's story. Contents include Vermont-y ice cream flavors, nerdy awkwardness, tattoos, and a playboy grandpa.

©2021 Sarina Bowen (P)2021 Sarina Bowen

Another brilliant True North story

Sarina does it again! I was unsure any this book based on the short description but I was completely wrong. I couldn’t have loved Rickey, our hero, any more. And Daphne Shipley too, of course. Both H/h had very interesting back stories. They grew their friendship and let that blossom. To see how’s their past and present come together in the end was crazy and awesome.

Another winner from Sarina Bowen

I love this author so much! I have all her books and know every one of them is a credit well spent. This book will make you laugh, cry, and encourage you to take a nice cold shower. The narrators do a fantastic job. Don't wait. Start listening now!

A mystery wrapped in a small town romance. Sarina at her best

Sarina is a auto buy author for me and she has never write a book I do not enjoy. True North is a favorite of mine because the Shipley is the most wholesome American family but everyone has a cross to bear. I love how the mystery of their missed date unravels as the story progresses and the character arc she put them through. The amazing thing about Sarina’s writing is that underneath the wholesome setting of rural Vermont lies the darkness that’s pull you in. As the story builds Zachary really elevates his story arc with his performance. Thank you for giving Daphne such an amazing story. You truly outdid yourself with this.

Loved it!

I loved Daphne and Rickie's story! What a page turner. Next to Steadfast and Keepsake I think this book had the most dynamic and interesting story line of all of the books in this series. It's intense and not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of darkness and mystery in this one as you try to figure out what Rickie doesn't remember. I pieced together small portions of pieces, but nothing in it's entirety so I was left a little shell shocked with the big reveal.

The characters in this book were amazing. I love Rickie. He is such a sweet guy and I loved how he treated Daphne before and after. I liked how his amnesia was portrayed in this book, too. I don't really know anything about it, but I could feel his frustration and I was right there with him. I can only imagine what that must feel like for the person going through it. Yikes.

Daphne was equally as great. She was a bit bratty in previous books, but I really liked how her issues with Mae were brought up and resolved. She really grew as a person and she had a fantastic character arc. I also loved how patient and caring she was with Rickie once their initial problem got resolved.

As for the narrators...

Zachary Webber does an AMAZING job and I'm so glad he narrated this one. He always has a way of bringing the characters to life. With his emphasis on certain phrases and the way he sighs or shows the annoyance of said character, it really just takes the book to a whole new level. It's definitely more of a performance than a reading.

Callie Dalton is one of my favorite narrators and it makes me so happy to see that she is getting work from more and more authors. I admit that in the beginning she felt a little dry and wasn't up to her usual natural acting, but as the chapters went on it seemed like she got more and more comfortable in the True North world and she upped her game a bit. I definitely think she did Daphne justice and that is always a good thing!

Overall, the story had me feeling a lot of emotions and to me, that's the sign of a really great book. If you've liked the insanely emotional books in this series, I have zero doubt you'll love this one. If you're waffling between the book and the audio, definitely go for the audio. You won't regret it!

Boring 😴

This was so boring. I was told you could read this as a stand alone but that is not the case. I felt no attachment to the main couple and the chemistry was meh. Not sure how the pan sexual part played in at all. That disclosure of the story was never developed (maybe I’m other books?) I don’t know, I felt like the entire time you are waiting to figure out what happened to him and then when he does figure out what was done to him, Daphne is mad at him because she was worried she was going to get in trouble? Like what?? You find out something horrific your boyfriend has been trying to figure out and you are mad ? So so odd. That made me even more disconnected to the couple. Wish I could get those hours back.

Good, not great

I am a huge Sarina Bowen fan, and this story was solid, but not as good as many of her previous books. My three biggest reasons for this were 1) the chemistry between the main characters felt oddly lacking in this book, 2) one dimensional villain with no clear motive - not usually a problem in a romance book, but this novel presented itself as more of a mystery so I expected more depth on that front than normal, and 3) this might just be me, (slight spoiler alert! but everyone could see it coming so also not really) but I am really frustrated with books that have the heroine change her life goals in order to stay with a boyfriend or in a small town with her family. Sarina tried to turn it around into a good life decision / a reflection of character maturation and with a plot twist that really wouldn't happen in real life academia, but come onnnnnn. To me, a real happy ending is the heroine going to the best school in the country with her boyfriend following HER, then she can move back home after those two short years to be with her fam again. It's like authors feel that a woman always has to pick her family over her career in these 'happy endings', even when the choice is a temporary one. write an epilogue after she's done with school and back in Vermont with her dream job and hanging with her happy family if you have to. Can we fix this ridiculous trend now?

Rant over. In other news, Zachary Webber and Callie Dalton were good as usual, though perhaps owing to the lack of chemistry I felt with the characters I didn't quite love them in their roles like I typically do. I think this was a fault of the story and not the voice actors though.

A Vermont Sky Full of Stars

I loved listening to Waylaid. It’s such a wonderful audiobook. Zachary Webber did an outstanding job as Rickie. His performance was heartfelt and funny and emotional. His voice is sexy and he’s adorable, and he’s an extremely talented actor. And Callie Dalton was a big surprise for me as Daphne. She also did a wonderful job, her performance was perfect. They were also perfect together. I loved listening to this story, it’s such a treat. I highly recommend this book, and this audiobook is excellent in every way.

Waylaid is the eighth book in the True North series, but it can be read as a complete standalone. Daphne and Rickie’s story definitely stands by itself, but I would be doing the world a disservice if I didn’t recommend all the books in this series. They are all outstanding. They own my heart and soul.

To say I loved Waylaid is an understatement. It left me speechless and absolutely impressed. It is such a beautiful story. It gave me all the feels! I was hooked from the very first page, and I couldn’t put it down. I loved everything about it. The storyline is compelling and twisty. There’s a bit of suspense to keep one guessing, and it’s highly entertaining, sweetly romantic, and deliciously steamy. The chemistry between Daphne and Rickie is explosive, and their banter is sizzling and witty. It’s perfection.

Rickie is the perfect book boyfriend. He’s the perfect combination of sweet and spice. He’s a mysterious and eccentric tattooed bad boy with a wicked mouth and a heart of gold. He’s sweet and dirty-minded at the same time, highly intelligent and adoringly charming. He has an old, wounded soul and an upbeat attitude. He’s lonely, though. And extremely talented in hiding his feelings. He has it bad for Daphne, and is determined to charm her into bed. And he has secrets.

Daphne is not buying whatever it is that Rickie is selling, though. She’s the odd Shipley. She’s not farmer material, for starters. She feels like she doesn’t quite fit in her family. She has a badass attitude and ambitious goals, but she’s hiding a bruised heart. She’s going through a tough time, keeping secrets and appearances. She’s determined to right her mistakes, one way or another, but she wasn’t counting on Rickie to come back into her life. She’s trying her best to act as nonchalant as possible when it comes to him, but she’s not very successful.

Rickie recognized Daphne the moment he saw her. But he has no idea when or where they first met. Daphne didn’t recognize him at first, but when she does, she decides to stay away from him. The problem is that he’s basically irresistible, and now they’re roommates at the Shipley Farm. Rickie is working there for the summer, and Daphne is back home after leaving Harkness College and transferring to Moo U for her senior year.

I loved Daphne and Rickie together. They are two lost souls that find solace in each other. They help each other heal and become whole again. They discover that they have not only an incendiary chemistry that cannot be contained, but also a soul-deep connection. They’re kindred spirits. And their relationship journey from frenemies to friends to lovers is a truly beautiful thing to watch.

This book is wonderful in so many ways. The setting is always a delight. There’s nothing quite like Sarina Bowen’s Vermont. It’s has the perfect small town vibe. Both Burlington or Colebury have that magic Vermonty feel, and the Shipley farm is always a great place to visit. And watching Rickie keep up with Daphne and Dylan was extremely entertaining.

Lenore, Rickie’s psychologist, stole the show along with Grandpa Shipley, who’s always a hoot. Lenore is an awesome character, and her interactions with Rickie gave his character a lot of depth.

The Shipleys are such a great family. They’re like old friends you want to hang out with all the time, so it was great to spend time with them again. It was great to catch up with May, Audrey, Griffin, Ruth and Dylan. There were big news from some of them, and I cannot wait for more books in this series. I honestly cannot get enough of them.

Fantastic story

I had grabby hands for this book the moment I heard it was coming out. I love all things Shipley and the True North world so I NEEDED this story. It sucked me in from the start and I was captivated throughout. While this is the 8th book in the True North world it IS 100% a standalone (but I guarantee you'll go back for more).

Waylaid is the story of Rickie and Daphne. I loved getting to deep dive into the two of them and finding out what made them tick. I loved watching their banter, Rickie's smart and sexy and Daphne's got spunk and heart to spare. I don't want to put any spoilers here but their story was so PERFECT for them.

I can't say enough about this verse Sarina Bowen has created. Her supporting characters support and don't overwhelm. It's fun for returning readers to see old favorites, and new readers to discover them. The setting is amazing. The pacing of this book flowed well for me-it was just amazing all the way around.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the STELLAR narration of this book. I'm picky about my narrators lol but man, Zachary Webber and Callie Dalton brought these two to life in a beautiful way. I loved every minute.

I adored this book and highly recommend it.

Absolute Perfection!

Drafting this review has been a struggle as I know no matter what I write, I still won’t truly capture how fantastic this story and its narration are. Definitely adding to my Best of 2021.

Sarina Bowen takes us back to the world of True North with Waylaid. This is Rickie and Daphne’s story. I was expecting a quick-witted rom-com with MC’s who went through the typical relationship cycle. But what I got was so much more.

Rickie is enigmatic, cocky, and quick-witted, a genius, and irresistible. Daphne is intelligent, independent, and sassy. The banter he and Daphne share is hilarious, sexy, and endearing. They are a perfect match.

Rickie and Daphne’s relationship began nearly three years ago with a truck ride and plans to go out later in the week. Unfortunately, due to an accident, the date doesn’t happen, and Daphne gets stood up. Rickie and Daphne’s paths cross again as Rickie follows his friend Dylan home for the summer to help on the Shipley’s family farm. Did I mention, Daphne is Dylan’s twin? As with time, Daphne has made some life-altering choices and is leaving her dream educational program to attend Moo U.

I love this story because Sarina spent time growing the relationship between Rickie and Daphne. Yes, Rickie oozed charm, and he didn’t hesitate to use innuendo when presented with the opportunity. He's cocky and irresistible, remember. Still, you see the true nature of his heart and how he found ways to show Daphne he cared for her, even before their relationship began, that you can’t help but fall for Rickie.

Now to talk about the narration. Zachary Webber and Callie Dalton did a phenomenal job of bringing the sassy and sexy wit to Rickie and Daphne. But it was during the final reveal, the raw emotion both captured left me in awe. Zach’s performance made me gasp when events unfolded, and the emotion in his acting left my heart aching for Rickie.

Waylaid

How does this series get better and better. I love that we are getting another Shipley!!
Daphne & Ricky are so cute how they dance around each other.
I felt horrible for Ricky and as we learn it will break your heart.
Daphne kind of has a right to be upset with Ricky, and even the more she learns there is still a little bit of hurt feelings.
It is interesting how thing happen and how small the world can be. This story is a perfect example of that.
I loved! Loved the narration, I want more from these two together please.

Enjoyable listen

I enjoyed listening to this book. I knocked a star off because it lost its pace around the middle, and Daphne was a bit frustrating at times - but still a good story.