About the book:

 

Title: Shadows, Shells, and Spain

Author: John Meyer

Published: November 17th 2017 by Summer Nomad Publications

Source: Received in exchange for an honest review

Format: e-copy

Blurb:

Lost and listless on the island of Mallorca, Jamie Draper searches for his estranged wife, Pam, who has left him without any explanation or warning. Exploring her last known location, Jamie stumbles upon an urgent letter from his missing wife promising full disclosure as to her sudden departure and her current whereabouts.

There’s just one catch: her mysterious adventure is disclosed in a series of letters she’s left hidden along the ancient Camino trail across northern Spain. Now armed with a list of clues to track the letters down, Jamie retraces Pam’s footsteps, while being both entertained and challenged by the many colorful Camino characters he meets along the way—including the enchanting Brie, who harbors her own secrets that just might compromise Jamie’s intended reunion with his wife.

Check it on: Amazon  & Goodreads

My Review:

 

”Shadows, Shells and Spain” – this title made my day. Even before I started reading the book this title made me curious and I spent some time guessing what this book would be about. Little did I know I was about to discover yet another interesting book. Around 6o% of the book I got to understand what the title was all about. And this completed my experience in such a beautiful way. Even the title is built in an interesting manner.

You get the main idea from the blurb, so let me get directly into my thoughts. Jamie Draper starts his journey in search of his wife on El Camino de Santiago. Everybody speaks of these incredible experiences they had during this trip. Everybody says it is a life changing excursion. Well, he doesn’t buy it. And he doesn’t care that much. All he is interested in is finding his wife and understanding what motivated her decision. He will find out truths that hurt and things his wife was afraid to mention. However, at some point, this trip becomes more to him than he is willing to admit. I don’t want to reveal more of the story, as this is something you will have to discover on your own.

The author has created an interesting character and has shown us his evolution in the most beautiful manner. We see him depressed, running from people, avoiding too crowded places. But later in his camino experience, he becomes social, he learns to appreciate people and their stories. We will understand that different characters, or different backgrounds and life stories can bind over the same trip to self-discovery. With all that, John Meyer has added a good amount of history about the places and cities on El Camino de Santiago. Most were very interesting facts!  The back and forth between Jamie’s marriage and his current plans, his relationship with Brie (his partner for most of the walk) and historical facts kept my interest.

And the title? I found out it starts with the end. And that’s all I’m telling you.

A magnificent experience of Spain, of El Camino de Santiago, an excellent story that will take you through a bit of Spanish history. Enjoy 🙂

 

About the Author

 

Author John Meyer writes fictional travel memoirs—unique adventure stories that combine fun facts of history with present-day drama and humor. Always revolving around a fictitious love story and always based on his own thrilling journeys.

After he was robbed in Rome and then found his faith in humanity restored at the Palio festival in Siena, he was inspired to write “Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy.” After he ran with the bulls in Pamplona and then came to the rescue of an injured fan at the Blur reunion concert in Hyde Park, he was encouraged to write “Bulls, Bands, and London.”

And after walking across Spain with hundreds of pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago, he is proud to announce the fall release of his third exciting adventure, “Shadows, Shells, and Spain!”

However, these books are more than travel memoirs. These are distinctive entries into the travel literary genre because they not only promise entertaining fictional drama, but they also provide accurate and amusing descriptions of the local people and places you will encounter in his adventures—which will hopefully enrich and inspire you all to embark on your own remarkable dream vacations!

• • • •

John Meyer is also the studio writer for Entertainment Tonight Canada—and has been ever since the popular daily show launched back in 2005. That’s almost three thousand episodes now…and counting!