Review of Tremors of the Heart

[Emily Meadows]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tremors of the Heart" by Laurel Gurnsey.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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If you like romance novels, you will love Tremors of the Heart by Laurel Gurnsey. Set in northern California, this book features Jared Winters, a geotechnical engineer, and Megan Connolly, a schoolteacher. Jared and Megan meet on the beach in Big Sur, California. He is there doing field work, measuring the beach and surrounding area for earthquake stability. Megan, who lives on the beach in her grandfather’s house, is out running with her dog, Chumley. Jared is a hunky Australian. Megan is a gorgeous redheaded American. What takes this romance novel from standard to wonderful is the plot.

Scientists are concerned that one of the major earthquake fault lines in California is splintering, and that one splinter runs directly through Big Sur. There have been a lot of tremors recently, indicating significant earthquake activity. Megan’s grandfather’s house is located close to the seismic activity, putting Megan, her dog, and the house at risk. Jared is studying the land for fissures when he and Megan meet. Megan receives a letter from the government offering a buyout, which makes her panic. Her home is her happy place, and she can’t imagine leaving it. Megan wants to dismiss the possibility of earthquake activity, but she can’t escape it as the entire community prepares for “the big one.” Megan and Jared are attracted to each other, but can they overcome all the obstacles in the way of their happiness?

I really enjoyed reading this book. It hit on all of the goodness of a romance novel while also delivering an intense plot. The supporting characters in the book are delightful additions, and the villain, Mother Nature, is as unpredictable as always. The author did a thorough job of describing life under the threat of earthquake activity, including earthquake drills at the elementary school where Megan worked. Megan also learned how to inspect her house for earthquake damage after each tremor, and she created an earthquake readiness kit to use if a big earthquake hit. As someone who lives in Washington State, close to a fault line, I found this information interesting.

There wasn’t much I didn’t like about the book. If I had any criticism, the feminist in me wanted Megan to save herself! I can’t say more about that without spoiling the plot. Otherwise, the author wrote a book that was both suspenseful and heartwarming. It provided the happy ending that romance novel readers expect, and then some. The plot was original and engaging; I stayed up way too late reading because I couldn’t put the book down. And the book felt professionally edited; I found very few errors in the text.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This is a romance novel that delivers. The characters were perfectly imperfect, and the plot was suspenseful. I would recommend the book to anyone looking for a great book to read, whether or not they are lovers of romance novels.

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Tremors of the Heart
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[NetMassimo]

I live in a seismic area and experienced many earthquakes, some quite strong, so this kind of story catches my interest even if romance is not my thing. Thank you for your great review!

[Giovana Arévalo]

I have never seen a romance book with earthquake as part of the plot so this seems very, very interesting to me.

"...the villain, Mother Nature, is as unpredictable as always. " This cracked me up. Excellent review, thank you!

[Emily Meadows]

I have never seen a romance book with earthquake as part of the plot so this seems very, very interesting to me.

"...the villain, Mother Nature, is as unpredictable as always. " This cracked me up. Excellent review, thank you!

It really was a great book. And mama nature wasn't happy. HAHA!

[Tamara Bengesai]

I love romance novels and this book for some reason reminds me of the romance books we used to read in school mills and boon. Interested to read this book to see what happens to their fate.