Review: In THIS WANDERING HEART, Janine Rosche kicks off her Madison River Romance series with Keira and Robbie's story. This is a second chance series where Robbie and Keira reconnect when he needs a steady job to prove he deserves custody of his daughter. Keira is hitting the road to travel for the summer, and she needs a personal assistant. But Robbie has a secret - he knows that Keira is Kat Wanderfull, a popular travel blogger with a huge following.
I enjoyed this story. Both Kat and Robbie have had rough lives for different reasons. I loved that they both were strong in faith. I particularly appreciated Robbie's reliance on God at all times, especially when it came to parenting his daughter. He wanted to raise her well, and he was putting in every effort to do so. Watching Robbie with his daughter was hard for Keira because it was a life she always thought they'd have together. There was some back and forth here when Keira would grow closer to Robbie and then pull away, but with their history, I didn't think it was too much. Keira was skittish and with good reason. Even if it was misunderstood. I loved that Robbie was so patient with her. The family dynamics in this story were interesting. Keira's situation was incredibly sad, and I loved that Robbie's family never hesitated to step up and help him with his daughter. And I enjoyed the role of Robbie's daughter in this story. She was with him while he was working, and the author didn't shy away from making her a prominent part of his life. But I never felt like her presence overwhelmed the romance of the story. My only criticism of the book is that while there were a lot of serious things going on, it felt like they were explored on a surface level. I wish the author had dived deep into some of them and dug in. Overall I found THIS WANDERING HEART to be a sweet, enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from the author.
Narration: This book was narrated by Jeanine Bartel, and I think she did a decent job. She captured Keira's hesitancy well, and she did a great job with Robbie's daughter's voice. Robbie's voice was a bit odd, as it sometimes felt disjointed when he spoke. Though that could have been the speed I was listening to. I did enjoy her voice and would listen to her narration again.
In the first entry in the Madison River Romance series, Keira Knudsen gets the traveling opportunity of a lifetime, but when she reunites with her first love, Robbie, she learns that even a wandering heart needs a home....
No one in the quaint town of West Yellowstone, Montana knows that unassuming geography teacher Keira Knudsen moonlights as sensational travel blogger Kat Wanderfull. No one, that is, except for her first love, Robbie Matthews, who has just discovered the woman he is falling for online is the same one that broke his heart five years ago.
But Robbie has another problem: the mother of his daughter, Anabelle, has resurfaced after a three-year absence determined to rip Anabelle away from him. Robbie needs a steady paycheck for a chance at custody, and now, on the eve of a grand adventure that could give Keira a chance to flee her old, troubled life once and for all, she is in need of assistance.
With so much broken trust between them, Keira and Robbie must keep an arms-length away to make this partnership work. But the more time they spend together, exploring majestic places and sharing new experiences, the closer they get--until their secrets and dreams threaten to cost them everything.