Waylaid: A True North Novel

· Tuxbury Publishing LLC
4.8
29 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages

About this ebook

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 Vermonty ice cream flavors, nerdy awkwardness, tattoos, and a playboy grandpa.

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Waylaid is the eighth book in the standalone USA Today bestselling True North series.

Book 1 - Bittersweet

Book 2 - Steadfast

Book 3 - Keepsake

Book 4 - Bountiful

Book 5 - Speakeasy

Book 6 - Fireworks

Book 7 - Heartland

Book 8 - Waylaid


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Topics include: adult romance, family saga, big families romance, siblings, alpha male, brothers, happily ever after, usa bestselling romance, Sarina Bowen, long romance series, happily ever after, bad boy romance, bearded bad boy romance, beards, emotional read, angsty romance, contemporary romance, dirty talking alpha, farmer romance, college romance, Vermont romance, virgin, sex tutor, small town romance

For fans of: Robyn Carr, Helena Hunting, Elle Kennedy, Catherine Gayle, Avon Gale, Toni Aleo, Kristen Callihan, LJ Shen, Corinne Michaels, Jana Aston, Karina Halle, Meghan March, Jay Crownover, Anna Todd, Geneva Lee, Audrey Carlan, Jill Shalvis, Suzanne Brockmann, Helen Hoang, Christina Lauren, Kristan Higgins, Sally Thorne, Penelope Sky, Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, Maisey Yates, Sarah Mayberry, Elle Kennedy, Lauren Blakely, Susan Mallery, Penny Reid, Julia Kent, Kelly Jamieson, Melanie Harlow, Carrie Ann Ryan, Kendall Ryan, Kennedy Ryan, Helen Hardt, Meghan March, Julia Kent, Meli Raine, Sylvia Day, Chelle Bliss, Brenda Rothert, Natasha Madison, Kylie Scott, Helena Hunting, Sloane Kennedy, Penelope Sky, Elle Kennedy, K.A. Linde, Nana Malone, Jami Davenport, Jaci Burton, Penelope Sky, Helen Hardt, E.L. James, Anna Todd, Chelle Bliss, Kendall Ryan, Kennedy Fox, Harlequin romance, Waterhouse Press, Virgin River, Carly Phillips, Piper Rayne, Cora Seton, Sherryl Woods, Marie Force, Sawyer Bennett.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
29 reviews
Lenore Kosinski
July 12, 2021
4.5 stars — I’m not sure what I think about this one. I love it as I’ve loved most books by Ms. Bowen, but I’m left feeling a bit bereft. I think I just went through a lot in this book, and that was hard. Both Rickie and Daphne go through some stuff, but especially Rickie. Rickie wasn’t quite what I had been expecting after Heartland, but that’s not disappointing…he’s just hard to get to know until you’re more in his head. I loved his blend of confidence and calmness…or something. I loved how singlemindedly he pursued the things that interested him. I loved how open and comfortable he was with who he was. Even though his pansexuality didn’t specifically come into play in this book, I appreciated that he knew who he was and wasn’t ashamed of it. And God, I felt ALL of Rickie’s frustration, his desperation to know, his fear, his just general sense of unrest with all that had happened. I loved Daphne’s good girlness, her overachievingness, her desire to follow through on her academic dreams, because she assumed that was the most important part of her. I loved her rule following too, b/c dude…yes…me… It’s funny, I genuinely connected with a LOT about her. Even her sense of guilt, and how she was sabotaging her relationships by not letting go of mistakes in the past. She was just this nice blend of awkward and fiery. It was hard watching Daphne not realize how she already fit in and was loved by her family. Again, something I can vibe with. It’s always hard when you feel like the odd duck in your family…and you don’t realize that they love you even if you’re different. Watching Rickie pursue Daphne was a pure delight. I loved how he saw all of who she was and loved her for those traits, when she’d spent so long assuming those traits made her somehow less desirable. Lenore truly was the bomb (and not just because we share a name), so there’s a teeny part of me that really wants her to get her own love story. Related to that, I loved how beautifully the book portrayed therapy, and how it can help, and even the stigma against it (just a smidge from Rickie’s Dad). And as with every book in this series, I LOVED all the family dynamics. It was like, we got lots of great Shipley family time, but they didn’t take over the story with Rickie and Daphne. It was a great balance. So as you can see, a LOT of love. I think my heart just felt so much that it took some time for it to return to equilibrium once the book was done.
Jenn Hasted
July 22, 2021
Waylaid is book #8 in Sarina Bowen's True North Series. This book is pure perfection and is a must read for fans of this series. The complexities of these characters, the emotional journey they face together and individually was so beautifully written. Sarina Bowen’s writing in this story is phenomenal and I adored every moment with Rickie and Daphne. Rickie is on the Shipley farm for the summer. He is immediately attracted and drawn to Daphne but little does he know they have a history due to his amnesia. In the beginning he comes across as a total playboy but as the story develops we learn that there is so much more to him. There is a raw beauty about Rickie that I just adored. He is working through some past trauma and the mystery of it all made my heart break for him as he tried to put together all the missing pieces. Daphne is the youngest Shipley, and the twin sister of Dylan. She comes across a little bit prickly and misunderstood in previous books in the series so I wasn’t sure how to feel about her going into this but as the story unfolds we learn why and it is completely understandable. There is an honest vulnerability to Daphne and I found her character to be relatable and easy to connect with. The more and more time Daphne and Rickie spent together the more I fell for them. I adored their every interaction. Their chemistry is undeniable and strong. The way they support one another as they worked through their pasts was truly special. Any time I pick up a book in the Truth North world I adore spending time with The Shipley’s. They are such a fun family and in Waylaid I especially loved Grandpa Shipley and all his quirkiness. The things that come out of that man’s mouth had me snorting in laughter quite a few times and I just loved it. This book is most definitely one of my top favourites of the series and highly recommend it!
Jen Valencia
July 20, 2021
I so love being in this world that Sarina Bowen has created in her True North series. The Shipleys have become one of my all-time favorite fictional families, and the latest one to get their story is Daphne Shipley, the last one within her immediate family to still be single. For fans and readers of the series, you'll remember that Daphne is Dylan's twin and she's the youngest among the siblings--Griffin, May, Dylan, and Daphne. she was the one who wanted to get away from her home state of Vermont, going to Harkness College in Connecticut. She's now returned, transferring from Harkness to Burlington University (aka Moo U) for her final year. And who is she paired with? Richard Ralls, who prefers to be called Rickie--the same Rickie who happens to be Dylan's best friend working on their family farm for the summer. Yes, the same summer that Daphne finds herself back home. Waylaid can pretty much be read as a standalone, although if you've yet to read the previous True North books, there may be bits and pieces that could turn out to be spoiler-like. Having said that, you'll still be able to fully understand what happens with Daphne Shipley and Rickie Ralls and enjoy their story on its own. Speaking of their story, going into this blind wouldn't be a bad idea. If you need the barest of basics, then let's leave it at Daphne and Rickie meeting for the first time nearly three years prior, and now, they're both living on and working at the Shipley Farm. He's now twenty-two, and she's almost twenty. Oh, and Rickie has no memory of them meeting and spending six hours together. Got your attention? Suffice it to say, this book was absolutely both intriguing and enticing. This book caught me off-guard, with Sarina Bowen coming up with a unique story befitting of these main characters. Rickie was a breath of fresh air but he was also a conundrum. We get to see the Rickie that he was before through flashbacks--and same goes for Daphne--but its the present version that mystified me and I quite enjoyed getting to know him and what made him tick. As for Daphne, she truly came into her own, and while she had hard acts to follow, what with the her siblings and cousins being the standouts that they are, her growth as a character was just as mesmerizing. I loved how Rickie and Daphne were as a couple, and their story was fascinating. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice it to say that while there were parts that I saw coming, I was still left gobsmacked by how it all came together. Gah! So good! Five stars go to Waylaid.

About the author

Sarina Bowen is the seventeen-time USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romance novels. She writes sports romance, billionaire romance, small town romance, contemporary fiction and YA fiction. She loves Vermont, hockey, and fine stationery. Visit sarinabowen.com for more. 

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