The Putting Green Whisperer
Zoe M McCarthy
White Rose Publishing
September, 2018
Ebook $5.99
Print $15.99
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Suddenly unemployed, petite and peppery Allie
Masterson returns home to Cary, North Carolina to caddy for her father on the
PGA Seniors Tour. There, she encounters Shoo Leonard.
The easygoing caddy drives Allie insane, but Shoo's uncanny ability to read the contours of the greens and his determination to overcome a personal hand injury, fascinate Allie. She finds herself agreeing use her sport science degree to become his trainer... and then she falls for him.
Shoo Leonard is grateful to Allie for her singular determination to get him ready for the PGA tour, but he isn't ready for anything more. Still raw from a broken engagement and focused on his career, he's content to be her fist-bumping buddy...but then he falls for her. What seems like a happily-ever-after on the horizon takes a turn when Allie decides she's become a distraction to Shoo's career. Is it time for her to step away or can the putting green whisperer find the right words to make her stay?
The easygoing caddy drives Allie insane, but Shoo's uncanny ability to read the contours of the greens and his determination to overcome a personal hand injury, fascinate Allie. She finds herself agreeing use her sport science degree to become his trainer... and then she falls for him.
Shoo Leonard is grateful to Allie for her singular determination to get him ready for the PGA tour, but he isn't ready for anything more. Still raw from a broken engagement and focused on his career, he's content to be her fist-bumping buddy...but then he falls for her. What seems like a happily-ever-after on the horizon takes a turn when Allie decides she's become a distraction to Shoo's career. Is it time for her to step away or can the putting green whisperer find the right words to make her stay?
My review:
McCarthy’s latest novel digs into the lives of
professional golfers and their caddies. When teens reunite as adults, sparks
fly all over the place, and not all from romance.
Allie has finished college but has a lot of
growing up to do. She’s quick to leap to conclusions about her family and her
friends, and especially her faith. Shoo Leonard, nicknamed by his friends as a sure
contender in the world of professional golf, is a man of deep faith and
commitment. He’s watched what professional golf has done to take apart his
family, and doesn’t want the same fate.
Allie and Shoo meet again as caddies on the
senior golf tour, and learn they have a mutual passion—Allie to help golfers as
a trainer, and Shoo to recover from an accident which might prevent him from
realizing his dream. But their personal baggage is a lot to stumble over as
their friendship develops.
When Allie realizes that so much of the hurt
she’s bottled since her mother’s death was based on false assumptions, she has
decisions to make. When clueless Shoo is whapped upside the head with the truth
about relationships, his own choices challenge his commitment to his career.
I appreciate learning new things. I’m not a
golfer, but I am fascinated by certain aspects of the sport and the role it’s
played in other books I’ve read. While I also love that the author doesn’t try
to complicate the story by adding useless details other golfers understand, I
admit that any technicalities were lost on me. That didn’t mean I couldn’t
enjoy the story—a romance is a romance. I liked the interplay between the
characters, the camaraderie and rivalry, and learning that glamour doesn’t
always trickle down.
The story is told in alternating voice between
the main characters, showing their foibles and miscommunications. Recommended
for those who enjoy contemporary clean romances, and especially those who are
familiar with golf.