The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks

Summary: When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives. (Image from amazon.com - Summary from nicholassparks.com)

My Review: Logan Thibault is a drifter. Ex-marine. He, like so many, is coming back from a war that changed his life. One thing in particular about this novel has stuck with me. During the first few chapters, he vocalizes how he feels about coming home and seeing people struggle with life...or at least their version of it. It strikes him how trivial these peoples worries are. A broken down car, a bill paid late, a break-up with your college sweetheart. All these things seems so un-important to him. It seems like after you have seen the things these young men have, that must be SO true.

After coming home a series of events lead him to Elizabeth's home (not before he walks halfway across the country, mind you), a run down kennel and dog training facility that she and her Nana own. He comes not knowing why he is there or what he is trying to do. He just knows that he has a reason, an important one, even if he doesn't know what it is yet. Through introspection and inner turmoil, surely meant to convey a type of PTSD. Logan struggles to find his place.

This is the second time I have read this book. It was just as good as the first. Although it is not a book that will move the earth, it delivers a great romance and a great mystery....just enough suspense to keep you flipping the pages well into the evening(or as your bath water gets colder and colder). :)

My Rating: 5 Stars

Sum it up: My favorite of all the Sparks novels, thus far.