Amazingly, I have never read anything by Nicholas Sparks before, so Safe Haven is my first foray into Sparks’ immensely popular romantic fiction.
This particular novel is more of a romantic suspense, as mysterious heroine, Katie, is clearly on the run from something or someone. She arrives in the small North Carolina town of Southport with nothing, having spent the last of her cash on the first months rent of a ramshackle cottage. With no money left for food, she successfully finds a job at the local diner as a waitress and begins to carve out a new life for herself. All she wants is a new life where she can feel safe, and is determined not to give away too much information about her past, preferring to be an enigma.
However, her determination not to get too close to anyone wavers when she meets local store owner, Alex, and his two children. Alex is a widower whose wife died and left him to bring up the children alone. He has stayed strong for them and is a great father, taking them out on day trips in an attempt to make new memories with them, despite knowing that the memory of his wife is slipping further and further away. He hasn’t so much as looked at anyone else since she died, but finds that he is intrigued by Katie, finding reasons to talk to her whenever she comes into the store, trying to make her open up to him.
She takes to the children straight away, which makes her even more attractive to Alex, and she can’t help but feel herself falling for this handsome man and his children. However, Katie is hiding a secret that could come back and destroy them all, and she must decide if she is ready to trust again. Will she be strong enough when the past resurfaces, or will she be forced to sacrifice the progress she has made?
As far as plots go, I was pretty much hooked on this one from the very beginning, with Sparks’ writing style drawing me in and refusing to let go. He feeds us titbits of information about Katie, but never quite enough to form a definite conclusion about how and why she ended up in Southport. This certainly sparked my curiosity, and I could barely put the book down until I knew about her past and what she was running from. The romance between her and Alex is just as engaging, as Sparks develops their connection gradually and you barely notice the months passing around them. They were two kindred spirits who were both learning to love again, albeit in entirely different ways, which made you root for them that much more as a couple.
I found Katie to be an inspired heroine, as she has a hidden strength that the reader can see but she can’t, focused on making ends meet and building a new life far away from the one she left. There is still a vulnerability to her when it comes to love, as she craves it but pushes it away at the same time, determined not to risk her heart or Alex’s in case she has to run again. She constantly had a backup plan in mind, always looking behind rather than in front, and it is only when she begins to fall for Alex that she can finally visualise a future. It was this growth that made her so interesting to read about, as you are right alongside her and willing her to succeed, with Sparks managing to make the reader feel Katie’s emotions so poignantly.
There was a similar feeling surrounding Alex’s character, as we are also given sections from his point of view and get to see exactly how his wife’s death has affected him. He is facing the guilt of moving on and seeing the kids grow up, a future which his wife will never see. On top of all that, he is unsure about loving again because it feels like a betrayal of his wife, even though it was her dying wish for him to be happy. I liked how understanding he was of Katie’s situation, and he was particularly perceptive in working out some of her back story before she comes clean. He is the kind of man who would stick by her no matter what, restoring her faith that there are still good men out there.
On the whole, I loved this book and the way it was written. It gripped me from the start and pulled me into a rollercoaster of a story that didn’t let up until it was finished. I particularly enjoyed the way that Sparks focused on mundane, domestic details whilst leading up to life changing events, as it made me that much more desperate to find out what was going on. He constructs well rounded characters that are relatable and intriguing, and I can’t wait to read another Sparks title.
Verdict
This book had me hooked from start to finish and I simply could not put it down. The characters were intriguing and immensely likeable, and I was desperate to know Katie’s history from the off. The relationship, like the suspense, is built up gradually and progresses at a natural pace, culminating in a thrilling conclusion that will have you racing through the pages. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Sparks delivers a romantic suspense novel with plenty of little twists and turns to keep you on your toes throughout the book, and definitely makes you root for Katie and Alex as a couple.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Romantic Suspense
Sphere (1 Feb 2013)
Paperback: 365 pages
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